Oracle bone script: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 06:56, 9 June 2005

Revision as of 21:01, 10 June 2005

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'''Oracle bone script''' ({{zh-cpl|c=甲骨文 [[pinyin]]: |p=jiǎ gǔwén|l=shell bone wénwriting}}) are incised characters found on [[cattle|ox]] [[scapula]]e and [[tortoise]] plastrons[[plastron]]s ([[oracle bone]]s) thought to be the earliest [[Chinese character]]s.

Oracle bone script is seen to develop over the several generations of [[Shang Dynasty|Shang]] kings, so there is no single defined form of for each character.

The bones and script were used in the practice of [[scapulomancy]]: the diviner would inscribe on the bone or shell his name, the current date of the [[sexagesimal cycle]] and then inscribe two possible outcomes on the shell. Depending on how the fired object cracked, diviners would interpret the answer from them. For example:

"Test : Tomorrow it will rain"

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* [[Seal script]]

* [[Mojikyo]]

[[Category:Chinese language]]

[[zh:甲骨文]]