Definition
甲骨文 refers to oracle-bone inscriptions — the earliest known Chinese script, carved on turtle shells and animal bones during the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BCE). These inscriptions were used for royal divination and were first discovered in 1899 at the Yinxu site near Anyang, Henan. The term also encompasses the academic field dedicated to studying these ancient characters.
n.
oracle-bone inscriptionsthe earliest form of Chinese writing from the Shang dynasty
Examples
- 甲骨文。Kǎogǔxuéjiā fāxiàn le xǔduō jiǎ gǔ wén.Archaeologists discovered many oracle-bone inscriptions.
- 甲骨文。jiǎ gǔ wén shì yánjiū Shāng cháo lìshǐ de zhòngyào zīliào.Oracle-bone inscriptions are important materials for researching Shang dynasty history.
- 甲骨文。Tā zài dàxué lǐ zhuānmén xuéxí jiǎ gǔ wén.He studies oracle-bone inscriptions as a specialty in university.
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