Miao Lijuan, an associate professor at Zhengzhou University's Research Center of the Chinese Characters, studies bronze inscriptions.

Oracle bones were not the only writing medium used during the Shang Dynasty, and the script of that period underwent a gradual maturation process. What role did the Early Shang capital, present-day Zhengzhou, play in the development and formation of oracle bone script?

文字的唯一载体，商代文字也经历了一个走向成熟的过程。早商的都城即今天的郑甲骨并不是商代州，在甲骨文的演变、形成过程中处于怎样的地位？

In Zhengzhou, archaeological discoveries — such as oracle bones with divination inscriptions, pottery jars featuring cinnabar script, and bronze vessels inscribed with characters — reveal a sophisticated writing system from the Early Shang period.

刻有卜辞的甲骨，写有朱书的陶缸，刻有文字的青铜器，在郑州的诸多考古发现中，早期文字遗存揭示出，早在商代前期，已形成了较为成熟的文字体系。

Early Shang Script: Unearthed Evidence

考古发现早商时期已有文字

At the Ninth Shang Dynasty Forum held at the Zhengzhou Shang Dynasty Site Museum on April 27 this year, Professor Yuan Guangkuo, a renowned archaeologist from Capital Normal University's History School, presented a groundbreaking theory on the origins of Chinese script.

今年4月27日，在郑州商都遗址博物院举办的第九期商都讲坛上，针对中国文字肇始，著名考古学家、首都师范大学历史学院教授袁广阔提出了一个新的论断。

"According to the latest archaeological findings, considering both the writing forms and materials used, the oracle bone script of the Late Shang period evolved from the Early Shang writing system and had already become quite sophisticated," stated Yuan Guangkuo. Thus, the development of Chinese script can be traced back to the Early Shang period.

“通过最新的考古实证，结合文字形态、载体等材料，商代后期的甲骨文是在早商文字系统的基础上发展而来的，已经是早商文字成熟时期。”袁广阔说，因此，中华文字成熟的起点将向前推至商代前期。

In 1953, an inscription on a beef rib was discovered at the Erligang site in Zhengzhou, dating back to the Shang Dynasty. The rib features three lines with 11 characters, detailing a sacrificial record from July, mentioning "Yi Chou Zhen" and a ritual involving "Tu Yang" (a type of sheep). Other textual remains have also been discovered at the Xiaoshuangqiao site in Zhengzhou.

其实，早在1953年，郑州二里岗遗址就出土了一段牛肋骨，上刻3行11字，被释读为“乙丑贞：从受……七月又乇土羊”。而在郑州小双桥遗址，也有文字遗存的发现。

Li Suting, a researcher at the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology, said that a pottery jar inscribed with vermilion script was found at the Xiaoshuangqiao site. That jar, used for ritual purposes, features relatively clear writing. Additionally, pottery with inscribed characters was found in discarded wells.

河南省文物考古研究院研究员李素婷说，在小双桥遗址祭祀遗存中，发现写有文字的用于祭祀的陶缸。文字用朱红色颜料书写而成，朱书文字字迹较为清晰。而在水井的废弃堆积中，还发现了刻有文字的陶器。

The inscriptions uncovered at the Xiaoshuangqiao site are classified into three categories. The first consists of numerical characters, such as "two", "three", and "seven". The second category includes pictographs and symbols, with many inscriptions rendered in vivid vermilion, preserving their clarity impressively. The third category contains sacrificial phrases, which are often fragmented due to the pottery's condition but still offer valuable insights into the ritual language of the era.

小双桥遗址目前发现的文字内容，大致可分为三类。一类是数目字类，是大家所熟悉的二、三、七等。一类是象形文字或徽记类，象形文字在朱书文字中占了很大比例。还有一类是祭祀短语类，由于陶器破碎，保留的文字多为片段。

Oracle Bone Script: A Continuation of Early Shang Writing

甲骨文与早商文字一脉相承

Some experts highlight that the inscriptions on bones unearthed at the Zhengzhou Shang Dynasty site are the earliest known divination texts in China, marking the origins of the Late Shang Dynasty's oracle bone script. The vermilion and incised pottery inscriptions discovered at the Xiaoshuangqiao site indicate that writing had already reached a relatively advanced stage during the Erligang period of the Early Shang Dynasty.

有业内专家指出，郑州商城骨刻文字，是我国迄今发现最早的卜辞，为商后期的甲骨文字找到了源头。小双桥遗址发现的朱书陶文和刻画陶文，表明早商二里岗时期文字已经进入了比较成熟的阶段。

Miao Lijuan, an associate professor at the Research Center of the Chinese Characters at Zhengzhou University, asserts that oracle bone script is the earliest known mature writing system found in China. However, the development of writing systems is a long, gradual process. In Zhengzhou, alongside oracle bone script, archaeologists have uncovered vermilion pottery inscriptions, incised pottery script, and bronze vessels with inscriptions dating back to the Erligang period. This evidence indicates a direct lineage between oracle bone script and the Early Shang writing system.

郑州大学汉字文明研究中心副教授苗利娟说，甲骨文是迄今为止我国发现的年代最早的成熟文字系统。但文字在成熟之前，肯定是经过了漫长的发展过程。在郑州，除了考古发掘的甲骨文、朱书陶文、刻画陶文外，还发现了铸有文字的青铜器，时代可早到二里岗时期。由此可见，甲骨文和早商文字之间存在一脉相承的关系。

A notable detail underscores the interconnected nature of these writing systems. For example, oracle bones frequently feature inscriptions treated with cinnabar or ink, leaving traces of red and black writing. Similarly, the vermilion script found on pottery at the Xiaoshuangqiao site was also written with red pigment.

从一个细节，可以看出两者相贯通的关系。以大家所熟悉的甲骨片为例，上面的刻辞其实很多都做了涂朱涂墨处理，还有朱书墨书的痕迹。小双桥遗址发现的朱书陶文，也是用蘸了红色的颜料写的。

"The cinnabar inscriptions and engraved pottery script found at the Xiaoshuangqiao site include characters such as 'Tian' (heaven), 'Fu' (father), 'Xun' (a period of ten days), 'Dong' (east), 'Bi' (spoon), and 'Zhou' (broom), which correspond to the structural system of oracle bone script," said Miao Lijuan. Compared to those unearthed at the Yinxu site, the Early Shang writing, exemplified by Xiaoshuangqiao, features fewer composite characters. However, they share the same system in terms of character shape, strokes, structure, and stylistic techniques, demonstrating a clear lineage of inheritance.

“小双桥的朱书陶文和刻画陶文，发现了天、父（尹）、旬、东、匕、帚等字，和甲骨文的结构体系是一致的。”苗利娟说，与殷墟甲骨文相比，以小双桥为代表的早商文字，组合文字相对较少，但从字形、笔画、结构与表现手法来看，小双桥文字与甲骨文、金文同属一个体系，有着明显承袭关系。

Beyond Oracle Bones: The Shang Dynasty's Writing Medium

甲骨之外还应有其他文字载体

In recent years, an oracle divination bone pit has been uncovered at the Xiaoshuangqiao site. However, due to severe damage, only three stacks of oracle bones were found at its base. Despite being neatly arranged, these bones were devoid of inscriptions.

近年，小双桥遗址发掘出了卜骨坑。由于破坏较为严重，只在底部发掘出了三摞甲骨。三摞甲骨摆放整齐，但上面均没有文字。

Li Suting noted that the use of animal scapula for divination has a long history, with such bones found at Neolithic sites. During the Shang Dynasty, this practice expanded significantly, with many divination bones uncovered at the Shang-era site in Zhengzhou, some of which include inscriptions. Besides divination bones, divination shells were also discovered at the Xiaoshuangqiao site, but no writings have been identified on these oracle bones so far. Current archaeological evidence suggests that oracle bones might not have been the primary writing medium during the Early Shang period, as most writings discovered at the Xiaoshuangqiao site are on ceramic artifacts.

李素婷说，用动物肩胛骨占卜，很早就开始了。新石器时代的遗址中即发现有卜骨，商代用兽骨占卜祭祀更为普遍。郑州商城发现有较多的卜骨，并发现有习字刻骨；小双桥遗址除发现卜骨外，还发现有卜甲，但在甲骨上还未发现文字。从目前的考古发现来看，甲骨在早商时候可能不是文字的主要载体，小双桥遗址发现的文字主要是在陶器上。

"While oracle bones were an important medium for writing in the Late Shang period, they were not the sole medium during the Shang Dynasty," said Miao. The Book of Documents mentions that "the Yin ancestors had books and records when the Yin Dynasty replaced the Xia Dynasty," where the term "book" refers to bamboo slips bound together. The oracle bone script character for "book" resembles a series of bamboo slips tied with a string, and the character for "pen" depicts a hand holding a writing brush. This suggests that tools like bamboo slips and brushes were used during the Shang Dynasty.

“甲骨是晚商重要的文字载体，但并不意味着是商代文字唯一的载体。”苗利娟说，《尚书·多士》记载：“惟殷先人，有册有典，殷革夏命。”这里的“册”，指的是简册。甲骨文中的“册”字，像一根一根用绳子编起来的竹简。甲骨文中的“笔”字，则是一只手拿着笔的样子。由此可以推断，商代有竹简、毛笔之类的工具存在。

Yuan Guangkuo pointed out that the written content found on bamboo slips from the Warring States, Qin, and Han periods suggests that bamboo slip script was already a predominant medium during the Shang Dynasty. These slips recorded political affairs, official decrees, astronomical calendars, and aspects of daily life, serving as a crucial repository for the dynasty's archives, records, documents, laws, and regulations.

袁广阔指出，根据已发现的战国、秦汉时期简牍的书写内容可推断出，早在商代，简册文字已是主要的通行文字形式。简牍上记录了殷商王朝的政事、百官政令、天文历法及生产生活等，是商代档案、典籍、文书、律法、规范的重要载体。

Miao Lijuan suggested that significant writing mediums, such as bamboo slips, might have been in use during the Early Shang period. Although the arid climate of northern China is harsh on the preservation of such materials, it is possible that some bamboo slips have survived and are still awaiting further archaeological discovery. (Source/Henan Daily Reporter/Liu Ruichao Translator/Li Yunjiao Proofreader/Ding Lan)

苗利娟说，这也就意味着，在早商时期，也可能存在这类重要的文字载体，即简牍。虽然北方地区气候干燥，不利于简牍的保存，但也可能有些保存了下来，正等待着考古人员进一步的考古发现。（中文来源/河南日报 记者/刘瑞朝 英文编译/李云娇 英文审校/丁岚）

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