中英雙語話史記 第21期:商朝甲骨文
Shang Dynasty
商朝
Oracle Bones
甲骨文
Oracle Bones is an ancient script carved on tortoise shells or animAl bones.
甲骨文一種被雕刻在龜殼或動物骨頭上的一種古代文字。
Having emerged during the Shang Dynasty (B.C.160—B.C.1000), Oracle Script is considered the oldest script in China.
甲骨文起源於商朝（公元前1600年至公元前1000年），是中國最古老的文字。
During the Shang Dynasty, the ancients reckoned the natural elements as the exertion of some mystical power.
商朝時期，古人猜測一些自然元素是某種神祕力量的施展。
When there were floods, drought, lightning and thunder, or some big events, like royal hunts, journeys and military campaigns, through divination, ancients would predict the future by “reading” the messages of nature.
當遇到洪水、乾旱、閃電和雷鳴亦或是一些重大事件例如皇家狩獵、旅行、軍隊作戰時，通過占卜，古人們可以從“解讀”自然信息從而預知未來。
The divination performer first drilled holes on tortoise shell or a piece of bull scapula, then put it over fire.
占卜者首先在龜殼或者一片肩胛骨上鑽洞，然後將其置於火上炙烤。
Since the shell or bone would crack irregularly under heat, the diviner could supposedly interpret these cracks as good or bad omen.
因爲受熱，龜殼或骨頭會不規則的裂開，占卜者以此來解讀這些裂紋爲好的徵兆或者不詳之兆。
All the dates and results of the divination were written down on the shells or animal bones, which became the earliest historical document with writing symbols.
有關占卜的日期和結果都會被記錄在龜殼或者動物骨頭上，這也就成爲了最古老文字符號的記錄。
In 1899, a mandarin of the Qing Dynasty (1644—1911 A.D.) found in his doctor’s prescription a kind of medicine called dragon bone.
1899年，一位清朝（1644-1911）官吏在其醫生開具的處方中發現了一味被稱作龍骨的藥。
When he studied it, he noticed that it actually was a tortoise shell with some odd pictures carved on it.
他着手研究並發現這其實是一種刻有古老圖形的龜殼。
The mandarin then sent his men to collect dragon bones in all herbal medicine shops and had them examined by historians.
這位官員命令他的部下在所有中藥鋪中搜集這味中藥並將其送到史學家那裏檢查。
Finally, over our thousand different Chinese characters were found on these bones and shells, which had been used to record divination facts.
最終，超過一千個不同的中國文字從這些曾經被用來記錄占卜的龜殼和骨頭上被發現。
These special dragon bones are now referred to as oracle bones.
這種特殊的龍骨就是現在人們口中的甲骨。
Now, over 100 000 pieces of oracle shells or bones have been unearthed from the ruins of the Shang Dynasty at Anyang in Henan Province, which was the latter capital of Shang Dynasty 3 000 years ago.
如今，在河南安陽，這個3000年前商朝舊都，已經有超過10000片刻有甲骨文的龜殼或者骨頭從商朝的廢墟中出土。
Though smaller in number, additional discoveries of oracle script in Shangcheng in the neighborhood of Zhengzhou offer valuable insights into the study of the Shang Dynasty.
此外，人們在鄭州周邊城市商城有了一些額外的甲骨文發現，雖然數量較小，但仍爲商朝的研究提供了一些有價值的觀點。
