Wuding Oracle Bone Inscriptions

Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Wuding was Oracle Bone Inscriptions in the early Shang Dynasty. The first Oracle Inscription shows a relatively complete procedure (a complete Oracle Inscription usually consists of four parts: pre-Oracle Inscription, pre-Oracle Inscription, Oracle Inscription and Oracle Inscription), and its content reflects the state of Shang Dynasty in Wuding period. The second part, Oracle Bone Inscriptions, is incomplete and lacks textual research, and its content reflects the situation of organizing people to carry out agricultural production in Shang Dynasty.

Wuding Oracle Bone Inscriptions (1)

◎ Zhen [1], ten-day death [2]? Wang Zhan said [3]: There is something special [4] and something sad [5]. On the fifth day of begging, Ding You [6] allowed him to come to the west [7] and told him [8]: the earthwork was levied in my east [9], in the second city [10], and Fang Qiong also brushed my west [165433].

To annotate ...

[1] Guisibu ◎ True: Guisi, that is, Guisi Day, belongs to the day of dry support. The so-called dry branches, that is, ten dry branches of A, B, C, D, E, Ji, G, Xin, Ren and Gui cooperate with twelve dry branches of Zi, Ugly, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu and Hai to form sixty dry branch combinations, commonly known as "Sixty Jiazi" in ancient China, date and date. Predict the omen of burning tortoise shells, that is, the cracks that appear after the diviner drills and burns tortoise shells or animal bones, and observe and judge the good or bad events asked. ◎ I don't understand this word yet, but I can judge it is the name of the fortune teller. Zhen, seek good or bad luck. The above words are called "Preface" in Oracle Bone Inscriptions, which records the date of divination and the name of the diviner.

[2] Ten-day disaster: ten days, ten days is ten days. Wu, with the sound wú, passes "nothing". Are there any disasters in the next ten days? The above is called "life words", that is, the words of life turtles, that is, fortune tellers ask for instructions from ghosts and gods through Oracle Bone Inscriptions.

[3] Wang Zhan said: Look forward, ask for good or ill luck. It is said that the king judges luck by observing Bu Zhao.

[4] There are special: special, divine disaster. It is said that ghosts and gods will bring disaster.

[5] It has a meaning: it, a modal particle that expresses speculation. Sorrow, sorrow, disaster. It seems that a disaster is coming. The above is called "Zhan Ci", that is, judging good or bad according to omens.

To annotate ...

[6] Begging for five days Ding You: Begging, the same as "reaching". The fifth day, the fifth day from Buli, is Ding Youri.

[7] Allow yourself to come from the West: allow, believe, really. It is said that there is indeed a disaster from the west.

[8] branch △ high moon: branch, the capital is in the northwest. △, this word is still incomprehensible, but it can be judged that it is the name of the vassal of the country. Report. Report. It is said that the princes of this country reported to the Shang king.

[9] The earthwork is levied in the east of China: the earthwork is in the northwest of Shangdu, that is, near Baotou, Inner Mongolia, and its west is adjacent to China. Expropriation, conquest, attack, here means invasion. Well, the word "contempt" is the border town. It is said that the Turkish side invaded the eastern border city of the country.

[10] Second Aunt: Yes, under the guise of "disaster". It is said that two border cities were destroyed.

[1 1] Fang Qiong also grazes my fields in the west: Fang Qiong, a country in the northwest of Shangdu, should be located in the west of the country. Grazing, grazing, here extended to infringement. It is said that Fang Qiong has also occupied farmland in western Guo Ling. The above is called "verifying words", that is, remembering the fact that businessman Wang Zhan kept his promise.

Wuding Oracle Bone Inscriptions (2)

B ◎ B ◎ B ◎ Zhen [1], Wang Daling and others are called [2], what is his age [3]? November [4].

To annotate ...

[1] Yi Sibu ◎ Zhen: This is a "former resignation". The meaning is the same as the previous note [1].

[2] Wang Daling said to everyone: Order, like "life", is order and order. Big order, a title of respect for the king's order. People refer to people engaged in agricultural production; Guo Moruo was released as a slave engaged in agricultural production. See his book The Age of Slavery (1973 edition), page 23. Xie Tian, that is, Qi Xin worked together to plow the fields; One is cooperative farming, that is, the "coupling farming" mode in which two people plow the land together. It is said that the Shang king ordered the people to plow together.

[3] Year of acceptance: acceptance and acquisition. Year means that the grain is ripe, which means a bumper harvest. This is asking ghosts and gods: will there be a good harvest this year? These are the words of life.

[4] 1 1 month: This is a "statement". It means that the omen indicates that 1 1 month will have a bumper harvest.