jiǎgǔwén: 甲骨文 - Oracle Bone Script

• Keywords: jiaguwen, 甲骨文, oracle bone script, ancient Chinese writing, Shang Dynasty script, history of Chinese characters, turtle shell writing, Chinese pictographs, Chinese etymology, Yinxu
• Summary: Discover 甲骨文 (jiǎgǔwén), or Oracle Bone Script, the earliest known form of Chinese writing, dating back to the Shang Dynasty over 3,000 years ago. Carved on turtle shells and animal bones for royal divination, this ancient script is the direct ancestor of modern Chinese characters and offers a fascinating window into the dawn of Chinese civilization, its beliefs, and the etymology of its language.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): jiǎgǔwén
• Part of Speech: Noun
• HSK Level: N/A
• Concise Definition: Oracle Bone Script is the earliest known form of systematic Chinese writing, used for divination records during the late Shang Dynasty.
• In a Nutshell: 甲骨文 isn't a word you'll use to order coffee, but it's one of the most important terms in Chinese history. It literally means “shell-bone-script.” It refers to the ancient characters incised on turtle shells and animal bones. Shang Dynasty kings would have questions (e.g., “Will the harvest be good?”) carved onto a bone, which was then heated until it cracked. A diviner would interpret these cracks as answers from ancestors or deities. For learners, it's the “dinosaur fossil” of Chinese characters—the original, often pictographic, form of many characters you study today.

• 甲 (jiǎ): Originally meaning “shell” or “armor,” particularly a turtle's plastron (the bottom shell). While it's also the first of the ten Heavenly Stems, its “shell” meaning is primary here.
• 骨 (gǔ): This character means “bone.” Its form is a simplified pictogram of a skeletal joint.
• 文 (wén): This means “script,” “writing,” or “culture.” It's thought to originate from a pictogram of a person with patterns or tattoos on their chest, signifying a symbol or pattern.

These three characters combine with perfect, literal clarity: 甲 (shell) + 骨 (bone) + 文 (script) = “Shell-Bone Script”.

• The Birth of Recorded History: 甲骨文 is the bedrock of Chinese history. Before its discovery in 1899, the Shang Dynasty was considered by some to be legendary. These inscriptions provided undeniable proof of its existence and offered a direct glimpse into the politics, religion, agriculture, and royal concerns of the era. They are China's earliest primary historical documents.
• A Dialogue with the Divine: The function of 甲骨文 was not storytelling but divination (占卜, zhānbǔ). The king acted as the chief shaman, communicating with the high god Di (帝) and ancestral spirits. This practice solidified the king's role as the sole intermediary between the human and spiritual worlds, cementing his political and religious authority. The entire process—from sourcing the bones to carving, heating, and interpreting—was a state-level ritual.
• Comparison to Western Concepts: You could think of the discovery of 甲骨文 as being similar to the deciphering of Egyptian Hieroglyphs or Mycenaean Linear B. However, the content is unique. While hieroglyphs adorned tombs and monuments and Linear B recorded palace inventories, oracle bones are a log of royal anxieties and questions. It's less a record of what *happened* and more a record of what the rulers *hoped or feared would happen*. This reveals a worldview where governance was inseparable from seeking constant spiritual guidance.
• Foundation of Values: The inscriptions are filled with questions about sacrifices to ancestors, showing that ancestor veneration (敬祖, jìngzǔ) was a core value from the very beginning of Chinese civilization. This practice of respecting and seeking guidance from one's lineage remains a significant cultural thread in China today.

• Academic and Historical Context: This is the primary use. You will encounter 甲骨文 in museums, history textbooks, university lectures on paleography (the study of ancient writing), and archaeological documentaries. It's a technical term for a specific historical artifact and script.
• Art and Design: The stark, angular, and pictographic beauty of 甲骨文 has inspired modern artists. You can find “Oracle Bone Script Calligraphy” (甲骨文书法, jiǎgǔwén shūfǎ) which uses the ancient characters in modern artistic compositions. Designers also use the script's motifs on logos, fashion, and decorative items to evoke a sense of history, tradition, and authenticity.
• Connotation and Formality: The term is neutral and carries a sense of historical weight and academic seriousness. It is always used in formal or educational contexts. You would not use it in casual, everyday conversation unless you are specifically discussing history or linguistics.

• Example 1:
  • 甲骨文是目前已知中国最早的成体系的文字。
  • Pinyin: Jiǎgǔwén shì mùqián yǐzhī Zhōngguó zuìzǎo de chéng tǐxì de wénzì.
  • English: Oracle Bone Script is currently the earliest known systematic form of writing in China.
  • Analysis: A factual, encyclopedic statement you might find in a textbook. “成体系 (chéng tǐxì)” means “to form a system,” emphasizing that it wasn't just random pictures.
• Example 2:
  • 很多现代汉字都可以追溯到它们的甲骨文形式。
  • Pinyin: Hěn duō xiàndài Hànzì dōu kěyǐ zhuīsù dào tāmen de jiǎgǔwén xíngshì.
  • English: Many modern Chinese characters can be traced back to their Oracle Bone Script forms.
  • Analysis: This sentence highlights the direct lineage between the ancient script and modern characters, a key point for language learners.
• Example 3:
  • 考古学家在殷墟发现的甲骨文为我们揭示了商朝的社会生活。
  • Pinyin: Kǎogǔ xuéjiā zài Yīnxū fāxiàn de jiǎgǔwén wèi wǒmen jiēshì le Shāngcháo de shèhuì shēnghuó.
  • English: The Oracle Bone Script discovered by archaeologists at the Ruins of Yin reveals to us the social life of the Shang Dynasty.
  • Analysis: This example connects the script to its most famous archaeological site, Yinxu (殷墟).
• Example 4:
  • 这位书法家特别擅长写甲骨文。
  • Pinyin: Zhè wèi shūfǎjiā tèbié shàncháng xiě jiǎgǔwén.
  • English: This calligrapher is especially skilled at writing in Oracle Bone Script.
  • Analysis: Shows the artistic/calligraphic usage of the term in a modern context.
• Example 5:
  • 商王通过甲骨文来占卜国事。
  • Pinyin: Shāng wáng tōngguò jiǎgǔwén lái zhānbǔ guóshì.
  • English: The Shang kings used Oracle Bone Script to perform divination on state affairs.
  • Analysis: This sentence clearly explains the primary function of the script.
• Example 6:
  • 学习甲骨文有助于更深刻地理解汉字的演变。
  • Pinyin: Xuéxí jiǎgǔwén yǒuzhùyú gèng shēnkè de lǐjiě Hànzì de yǎnbiàn.
  • English: Studying Oracle Bone Script helps one to more deeply understand the evolution of Chinese characters.
  • Analysis: A sentence encouraging learners, framing the study of 甲骨文 as a tool for deeper understanding.
• Example 7:
  • 博物馆里陈列着几片珍贵的甲骨文。
  • Pinyin: Bówùguǎn lǐ chénliè zhe jǐ piàn zhēnguì de jiǎgǔwén.
  • English: Several precious pieces of Oracle Bone Script are on display in the museum.
  • Analysis: “片 (piàn)” is the correct measure word for the bone/shell fragments. This is a common context where a tourist or visitor might encounter the term.
• Example 8:
  • 这个字的甲骨文写法非常像一匹马。
  • Pinyin: Zhège zì de jiǎgǔwén xiěfǎ fēicháng xiàng yī pǐ mǎ.
  • English: The Oracle Bone Script version of this character looks very much like a horse.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates how to talk about a specific character's ancient form, highlighting its pictographic nature.
• Example 9:
  • 对甲骨文的破译工作至今仍在继续。
  • Pinyin: Duì jiǎgǔwén de pòyì gōngzuò zhìjīn réng zài jìxù.
  • English: The work of deciphering Oracle Bone Script is still ongoing today.
  • Analysis: This emphasizes that it is a living field of study, as not all characters have been deciphered.
• Example 10:
  • 最初，甲骨文曾被误认为是“龙骨”而在药店出售。
  • Pinyin: Zuìchū, jiǎgǔwén céng bèi wù rènwéi shì “lónggǔ” ér zài yàodiàn chūshòu.
  • English: Initially, Oracle Bone Script was mistakenly identified as “dragon bones” and sold in pharmacies.
  • Analysis: This sentence refers to the famous story of the script's re-discovery, a key piece of its history.

• Mistake 1: Confusing it with other ancient scripts.
  • Learners often hear about different ancient scripts. It's important to distinguish 甲骨文 from 金文 (jīnwén), or “Bronze Script.”
  • Incorrect: 甲骨文是刻在青铜器上的文字。(Jiǎgǔwén shì kè zài qīngtóngqì shàng de wénzì.) - “Oracle bone script is writing carved on bronze wares.”
  • Reason: 甲骨文 is specifically on bone and shell. 金文 is the script found on bronze artifacts from the late Shang and subsequent Zhou Dynasty. While related, they are distinct in medium, style, and era.
• Mistake 2: Thinking it's just a collection of pictures.
  • While highly pictographic, 甲骨文 is a fully-developed, mature writing system. It contains not only pictographs (象形) but also ideographs (指事), compound ideographs (会意), and, most importantly, phonetic-semantic compounds (形声), which make up the vast majority of modern characters.
  • Misconception: Thinking you can “read” it just by looking at the pictures.
  • Clarification: Many characters are already abstract or represent sounds, not images. It requires specialized knowledge to read, just like any language.
• Mistake 3: The “Dragon Bone” myth.
  • The story that oracle bones were sold as “dragon bones” (龙骨, lónggǔ) for traditional medicine is true and part of how they were discovered by scholars. However, it's a mistake to think that this was their original purpose. They were ritual objects for the Shang court, lost for millennia, and then accidentally rediscovered as folk medicine before their true identity was revealed.

• 金文 (jīnwén) - Bronze Script. The script that developed alongside and after 甲骨文, primarily cast into bronze vessels.
• 商朝 (shāngcháo) - The Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BCE). The historical period during which 甲骨文 was used.
• 殷墟 (yīnxū) - The Ruins of Yin. A UNESCO World Heritage Site; the last capital of the Shang Dynasty and where the vast majority of oracle bones have been unearthed.
• 汉字 (hànzì) - Chinese Characters. The modern writing system that evolved directly from 甲骨文 over 3,000 years.
• 占卜 (zhānbǔ) - Divination; scrying. The ritual practice that was the entire purpose of creating oracle bone inscriptions.
• 象形文字 (xiàngxíng wénzì) - Pictographs. A type of character based on pictures of objects, very common in 甲骨文 (e.g., 木 for tree, 山 for mountain).
• 书法 (shūfǎ) - Calligraphy. The art of Chinese writing. Some contemporary calligraphers specialize in the aesthetic style of 甲骨文.
• 龙骨 (lónggǔ) - “Dragon bones.” The name under which oracle bones were sold as ingredients in Traditional Chinese Medicine before scholars recognized their true value in 1899.