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1899年，在河南省安陽市小屯村商代都城遺址「殷墟」出土了3,500多 年前的文字，它們寫、刻在龜甲和獸骨上，因此被稱為「甲骨文」。這 是目前我們所能見到的、形成體系的漢字中最古老的一種。甲骨文的發 現和確認震驚世界，在中華文明乃至人類文明發展史上具有劃時代的意 義。 甲骨文「埋在地下三千多年……一直沒有經過任何人的篡改或加工，無 論文字的形體抑或所記內容，均能保留商周時的本來面目，是最為可靠 的商代史料。前後出土的甲骨共十多萬片，整理出不重複的單字4,600 多。」（張桂光《漢字學簡論》，廣東高等教育出版社，2004年，135 頁。）能夠用楷書形式寫定下來的約為2,350個，當中能從後世字書找 到、確切明瞭其形、音、義的，約為1,170個。（參劉釗主編《新甲骨 文編》後記，福建人民出版社，2014年，1081頁。） 現在我們已知，殷商時期，商王在處理大小事務之前，都要用龜甲獸骨 進行占卜，祈問上帝鬼神，事後將所占之事及應驗情況契刻於龜甲獸骨 上。甲骨刻辭反映了殷人崇尚天命，認為人世間的一切都取決於上帝、 神靈、祖先的世界觀，所以，祭祀活動極為頻繁，也相當複雜，形成一 種特有的文化現象。 經過120多年幾代研究者的艱苦努力，今天，我們不僅已經確定了甲骨 文的朝代及年代，而且大致了解了其中的內容。甲骨文的內容涵蓋政 治、軍事、文化、傳統習俗以及天文、曆法、中醫等等。天文曆法之學 在中國興起甚早，是傳統文化的重要組成部份。而且殷墟卜辭所顯示的 種種天文現象及曆法表述已經相當齊全了。 這次展覽的主題涉及兩個方面，一是有關商代氣象及天象的占卜記錄， 包括颳風、響雷、雨雪、彩虹、出雲、冰雹等氣候現象及日食、月食、 新星等天象記錄；二是殷商時期的曆法，包括時稱、紀日、曆月、閏月 等。從這些甲骨卜辭了解到，我們的先人已經對自然現象有了一定的觀 察和了解，並認為這些現象均受上帝主宰。 序言 後世甲骨文書法創作是以殷商甲骨文的字形、筆勢和結構方式為摹寫對 象的一門獨特藝術。由於甲骨文是在龜甲獸骨上刻劃的，其綫條纖細、 直筆居多、棱角分明，顯示出契刻的剛勁美；字形瘦削直拔又透著挺秀 美；它們穿越古今漫漫長路呈現的滄桑美，更令我著迷。甲骨文這些美 的特質是我習甲骨文書法三十餘年孜孜以求的。 此次展出的全部作品，內容、字形和仿拓襯底均取材於甲骨原始材料的 拓本，個別取自摹本，意在向觀眾衆 展現甲骨文的本來面貌，這也是我的 書法創作一貫堅守的字形、片形必有出處的兩個原則。 感謝恩師，華南師範大學張桂光教授引領我進入古文字領域，感謝我的 博導，香港大學單周堯教授令我在這條路上走得更穩更扎實，我才有了 今天的一點兒成績。 感謝香港科技大學、感謝史維校長邀請我舉辦這個書法展覽！本人甲骨 學造詣尚淺，謹藉展覽之機移樽就教於大方之家，並冀望觀衆 眾通過這個 展覽對三千多年前殷商時代的文化有多一些的瞭解。 感謝科大圖書館何慧蘭女士策劃此次展覽付出的努力！感謝 Jason Lei 和 Mark Baker 為我的文檔英文翻譯提出寶貴的修改意見！感謝所有為展覽做 出貢獻的工作人員！ 最後，還要感謝香港大學美術博物館借出珍藏的六片甲骨作展覽，使觀 眾能親睹甲骨文的原貌，對這中國古老的文字有更直觀的認識！ 適值香港科技大學三十周年校慶，「玄龜呈瑞」，藉此中國文化瑰寶， 呈獻香港科大，頌三十風華，祝再創輝煌！ 謝春玲 1
A large number of Chinese writings dating back 3,500 years were discovered in 1899 near the city of Anyang (安陽),where the ancient capital Yin (殷) of the Shang（商）Dynasty (c.1600-1046 BC ) was located. Known as oracle bone inscriptions, the characters were carved onto turtle shells and animal bones to record the events of divination. These oracle bone inscriptions are by far the earliest Chinese characters found with a sophisticated composition system. The stunning discovery and interpretation of these inscriptions has become a significant milestone in the development of both Chinese and, more broadly, human civilization. Buried underground for more than 3,000 years, the form of the characters and the contents of the oracle bone inscriptions have been well preserved, without being tampered or altered. They are the most reliable historical information of the period. More than 100,000 oracle bones have been excavated since 1899. Among the 4,600 distinctive characters confirmed for their uniqueness, 2,350 of them can be established by components (radicals) from regular script while 1,170 have been successfully interpreted and verified in later dictionaries. Now we know that during the Yin Shang Dynasty, the Emperor would have to consult the spirits by conducting a divination with oracle bones prior to undertaking any order of business, and the events of divination and their results would be recorded on the bones. Oracle bone inscriptions reflect people’s devotion to fate in that period, illustrating their belief that Foreword everything that happens in the human world is decided by god, spirits, and ancestors. Therefore, these offering activities were extremely frequent and quite complicated, forming a unique cultural phenomenon. After over 120 years of hard work, we have not only affirmed the time period (1300 BC - 1046 BC) from which the oracle bone inscriptions have originated, but also have a general understanding of the content of the inscriptions. Through these inscriptions, we now understand different aspects of the society during this historical period, such as politics, military, culture, and traditions. The inscriptions also refer to astronomy, the calendar, medicine and so on. Astronomy and the calendar had an early development in Chinese history and are the key components of the Chinese culture. Oracle bone inscriptions already recorded a broad spectrum of astronomical phenomena and calendrical expressions. The calligraphy works in this exhibition consist of two aspects. One is related to the meteorological records on the oracle bones, including wind, thunder, rain, snow, rainbows, haze, and hail, as well as astronomical records of solar and lunar eclipses and the emergence of new stars. The other is related to the calendar, including specific terms for each day as well as for various periods in a day, calendar month, leap month and so on. This art originated from original oracle bone inscriptions, and demonstrates our ancestors’ observation of natural phenomena and their belief of god’s domination. Oracle bone calligraphy is a unique art form recreating the beauty of 2
inscribed characters to illustrate the style, structure, and layout of the original inscriptions from the Yin Shang Dynasty. As we know oracle bone inscriptions were carved onto tortoise shells and animal bones. The strength and charms of carvings are expressed in mostly straight lines and angular turns. The slender style of characters and their layout provide us with artistic appeals and elegant arrangements. Coming through the turbulent change of dynasties, their aged appearances today display ancient glamour. These qualities, which marked the uniqueness of the art, are what I have been trying to achieve in my calligraphy works for over 30 years. The content, style, and background design of all the exhibits are based on the actual ink rubbings made from the oracle bones themselves. The designs are then meticulously reproduced to preserve the formation of the characters and the shape of the oracle bones. In this way, the audience can get a sense of the authenticity and artistic features of the original bones. This is why I have insisted in my creations that the shape of the characters and the bones must originate from reliable sources. I wish to thank my teacher, Professor Guiguang Zhang of South China Normal University for guiding me into the field of ancient philology. My gratitude should also go to my doctoral supervisor, Professor Chow Yiu Sin of the University of Hong Kong, who helped me to stay persistent and firm in my academic journey. Their support is invaluable to my little accomplishments today. I would like to thank HKUST and President Professor Wei Shyy for inviting me to hold this solo calligraphy exhibition. It is my hope to give the audience a closer look at the culture of an ancient dynasty that existed over 3,000 years ago. I also wish to take this opportunity to expand my oracle bone knowledge from the feedback and comments of scholars and critics in this field. Additionally, I would like to thank Alice Ho of HKUST Library for her hard work in curating this exhibition, as well as Jason Lei and Mark Baker for offering valuable suggestions for revisions to my original English translation. To other contributors of this exhibition, please accept my sincere gratitude. Last but not the least, my appreciation goes to University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong for the loan of 6 oracle bones. These original artifacts will enhance visitors’ understanding and enjoyment of ancient Chinese characters. With my art recreation and the blessings of auspicious treasures from ancient times, this exhibition, at the 30th Anniversary of HKUST, is a celebration of the University’s past accomplishments and my best wishes for its future achievements. Xie Chunling 3
Dr. Xie Chunling Dr. Xie Chunling received her PhD from The University of Hong Kong. She is a retired Senior Lecturer from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include the syntax of oracle bone inscriptions, modern Chinese syntax, and the development and evolution of Chinese scripts. She has published many academic articles and two monographs titled “A Study of the Empty Categories in Oracle Bone Inscriptions from Shang Dynasty Ruins” and “Dictionary of Chinese Characters: Origins and Evolutions”. Her recent research on applying theories of Generative Grammar to study Empty Category in the syntax of Oracle Bone Inscriptions has received recognition from Noam Chomsky, known as the father of contemporary cognitive science who is influential in the field of linguistics and philosophy. Dr. Xie Chunling is an expert in calligraphy of Chinese ancient writings. Her works have been selected and exhibited at province and national level calligraphy exhibitions as well as in shows held in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan and the United States of America. In 2019, her oracle bone calligraphy works were selected for “International Oracle Calligraphy Exhibition to Commemorate the 120th Anniversary of the Discovery of Oracle Bone”. 謝春玲博士 香港大學哲學博士。香港中文大學文學院退休高級講師。 研究領域包括甲骨文句法、現代漢語語法、漢字形體演變。發表學術論 文數十篇，出版專著兩部：《殷墟甲骨刻辭空語類研究》、《漢字精解 字典》。近年運用當代語言學轉換生成語法理論探討甲骨刻辭空語類現 象的研究獲得當代具有重大影響的語言學家、哲學家、當代認知科學之 父喬姆斯基的肯定和鼓勵。 擅長古文字書法，作品曾多次入選國內市、省、全國及港、澳、臺書法 作品展，並曾在美國、日本、香港等國家和地區展覽。2019年，甲骨文 書法作品入選「紀念甲骨文發現120周年甲骨文書法作品國際大展」。 藝術家簡介 About the Artist 4
5 【天】系列 “Meteorology” Series 《合集》10405反 釋文： （右起左行）王占曰：有祟。八日庚戌，有各雲自東 母，昃亦有出虹自北飲于河。 譯文： 商王看了卜兆後判斷說：將有災禍之事發生。 事後所記應驗結果是： 占卜之後的第八天庚戌日，有雲霧出自東 母之地 （ ，一說讀為『面』，東 母或謂司生育之神靈）。 太陽偏西時，北邊出了彩虹，虹的龍頭像是在吸飲黃 河水。 注釋： 『有出虹自北飲於河』，北邊出了彩虹，虹的龍頭像是 在吸飲黃河水。 “有出虹自北飲於河”（You chu hong zi bei yin yu he）. This sentence described an image of a rainbow starting in the north and ending on a river. The inscriptions showed the result of a prediction that clouds came from the east while a rainbow emerged in the north. 有出虹自北飲于河 A rainbow starting in the north and ending on a river (2019) 68cm x 46cm
6 【天】系列 “Meteorology” Series 《合集》11482反 釋文： 旬壬申夕，月有食。 譯文： 這一旬壬申日的夜裏，發生了月食。 注釋： 『月有食』，月食。 “月有食”（Yue you shi）meant eclipse of the moon. This incomplete piece of oracle bone indicated that the eclipse of the moon occurred in the evening of“壬 申”（Renshen）day. 月有食（月食） Eclipse of the moon (2019) 79cm x 39cm
7 【時】系列 “The Calendar” Series 《合集》30365 釋文：叀叀 督酒三十，才（在）宗父甲。（『 』為甲骨文語氣 詞。） 譯文： 中午時分在宗廟用三十（祭牲）為父甲行酒祭麼？ 注釋： 『督』，殷商時代的時稱，指稱中午。字像手持測影儀 測日影而定方位。因測日影常在中午進行，『督』字遂 成表示中午時分的時稱詞。 “督”（Du）was a character indicating noon in the Yin Shang Dynasty. This character originated from the image of a hand holding out a pole in the sun to observe the shadow projected onto the ground for detemining orientations. As the observation usually took place at midday, the character later became a term specifically referring to noon time. The carvings containing the term“督”（Du）was a divination on whether it would be appropriate to offer sacrifice at noon in a ceremony to honor their ancestors. 督 Noon (2021) 58cm x 48cm
8 【時】系列 “The Calendar” Series 《合集》29250 釋文： （中下至上）王其田 ，藝，湄日亡（無）〔 〕。莫（暮） 田亡（無） （災）。 譯文： 商王在 （地名）舉行狩獵活動，獵殺動物（『藝』 或作『 』，此讀作『邇』，訓『近』，通『獮』，表示 『殺』。），整日沒有災禍嗎？傍晚時分狩獵沒有災禍 麼？ 注釋： 『莫』（上），殷商時代的時稱，指稱下午大約5點至7 點時段。此義後來寫作『暮』。 “莫”（Mo）referred to the twilight period approximately between 5 and 7 p.m. in the Yin Shang Dynasty. The character “莫”highlighted at the top of this piece is a pictograph originated from an image of the sun falling into the grass. It indicated the time period from 5 to 7 p.m. In contemporary Chinese, the character of this meaning is written as“暮”. The part containing the term“莫”was a divination on whether there would be no disasters when the Shang King was hunting at twilight. 莫（暮） Twilight (2020) 50cm x 33cm
《合集》27522 釋文： （下至上右起左行）其侑妣庚， 入自己夕祼酒。 叀 住酒。 叀 入自祼酒。 （『 』為甲骨文語氣詞。） 譯文： 行侑求之祭於先妣名妣庚者，從己日晚間進入行祼酒之祭麽麼？ 晚上人們安息之時（行祭）麼？ 還是稍早掌燈時分進入行祼酒之祭呢？ 注釋： 『 』『住』『夕』（反白突顯字）均為殷商時代指稱晚間的時稱。『 』 字像人持草木為炬，表示天黑後掌燈之時；『住』指稍晚人安息之時， 『夕』指夜半，或泛指整個夜間。 “ ”（Re?）,“住”（Zhu）and“夕”（Xi）all generally referred to different time periods at night in the Yin Shang Dynasty. The character“ ” resembled a person on his knees holding a torch indicating that it was getting dark.“住”referred to the time to go to sleep.“夕”represented either midnight specifically or the entire night. This piece was a divination on whether it would be appropriate to offer sacrifice in a specific period to honor Shang King’s deceased mother. Time periods at night (2021) 87cm x 20cm 9 【時】系列 “The Calendar” Series
10 【時】系列 “The Calendar” Series 《合集》23148 釋文： 癸丑卜，行，貞翌甲寅毓祖乙歲朝酒。茲用。 譯文： 癸丑日占卜，貞人行卜問，未來的甲寅日對先王武 丁之父小乙（毓祖乙）行歲殺之祭，並在早晨行酒祭麽 麼？此卜施行了。 注釋： 『朝』，殷商時代的時稱，指稱早晨大約5點至7點時 段。 “朝”（Zhao）represented early morning approximately between 5 and 7 a.m. in the Yin Shang Dynasty. This piece was a divination on whether it would be appropriate to hold rituals named“歲”and“酒”to offer sacrifice to the father of Shang King between 5 and 7 a.m. 朝 Early morning (2021) 48cm x 40cm
11 【時】系列 “The Calendar” Series 《合集》21021 釋文： （右起左行）癸丑卜，貞，旬甲寅大食雨[自]北。乙 卯小食大啟。丙辰中日大雨自南。 譯文： 癸丑日占卜，問，下一旬的甲寅日上午『大食』時 段北邊下雨麼？乙卯日下午『小食』時段天氣大晴 麼？丙辰中午有大雨來自南邊麼？ 注釋： 『大食』、『小食』均為殷商時代的時稱。『大 食』（右上）指稱上午大約7點至9點時段；『小 食』（右下）指稱午後大約3點至5點時段。 “大食”（Dashi）and“小食”（Xiaoshi）were both terms of time in the Yin Shang Dynasty. They referred to the time periods between 7 and 9 a.m. and 3 and 5 p.m. respectively. This is a part of an inscription on an oracle plastron asking about the weather in the concerned time periods. 大食、小食 Dashi and xiaoshi (2021) 35cm x 48cm
郭啟 Guo qi (2020) 48cm x 29cm 12 【天﹒時】系列 “Meteorology & The Calendar” Series 《合集》29800 釋文： ……至郭啟。吉。用。 譯文： ……時至午後天晴了。吉利。（此卜）施行了。 注釋： 『啟』，天放晴；『郭』，殷商時代的時稱，指稱下午 3點至5點時段；『郭啟』意為下午天晴。 “郭”was a time-specific term in the Yin Shang Dynasty. It referred to the time period approximately between 3 and 5 p.m.“啟”（Qi）meant sunny. The combination of“郭啟”(Guo qi) indicated that it was sunny in the afternoon. This piece was a divination on the weather.
13 【天 ﹒ 時】系列 “Meteorology & The Calendar” Series 《合集》14294 釋文： 东东 東方曰析，風曰 。 南方曰因，風曰豈。 [西]方曰 ，風曰彝。 [北方曰]宛，風曰 。 譯文： 東方叫析方，東方的風叫 （協）風。 南方叫因方，南方的風叫豈風。 [西]方叫 方，西方的風叫彝風。 [北方叫]宛方，北方的風叫 風。 注釋： 『四方風』，殷商時代稱東南西北風之名。 “四方風”（Si fang feng）, a specific term used in the Yin Shang Dynasty to name winds from four directions: “協”（xie）: wind from the east “豈”（kai）: wind from the south “彝”（yi） : wind from the west “ ”（hai）: wind from the north 四方風 Winds from four directions (2020) 66cm x 44cm
14 【天﹒時】系列 “Meteorology & The Calendar” Series 《合集》11497正 釋文： （右起左行）丙申卜， ，貞來乙巳酒下乙。王占曰：酒， 惟有祟其有設。乙巳酒，明雨，伐，既雨，咸伐亦雨，施 卯，鳥星。 譯文： 丙申日占卜，貞人㱿 卜問，未來的乙巳日行酒祭於先王祖乙（ 下乙）麼？商王親自看了卜兆後判斷說：酒祭將有祟害，天 有異象。 事後所記應驗的結果是：乙巳日行酒祭，天明時分下雨了。 又行殺伐之祭，雨停了。伐祭結束時又下雨了。直到行施裂 和對剖犧牲之祭儀時，天長時間晴了。 注釋： 『鳥星』（左側紅色突顯字），表示天晴，此『星』讀作『晴』； 『明』（中間下部紅色突顯字，一說為甲骨文早期之『朝』 字。），殷商時代的時稱，指稱清晨。 “鳥星”（Niaoxing）（highlighted in red on the left）and“明” （Ming）(highlighted in red in the lower middle) represented early in the morning.The term“鳥星”（Niaoxing） indicated it was sunny when holding the sacrificial offering ceremony “卯”（Mao）. This piece was a divination on holding a ritual named“酒” (Jiu) for their ancestor“下乙”（Xia Yi）. The prediction showed it rained while the ritual was performed. “酒”（Jiu）: a wine offering ritual performed in front of an altar. “卯”（Mao）: a sacrifical offering method which involved cutting open the mid-section of the body. 明、鳥星（晴） Early morning (Sunny) (2020) 37cm x 45cm
15 釋文（1）：（左上左起右行）：乙未卜，貞于 告秋 。 （右下左起右行）：乙未卜，[賓]，貞于上甲告秋 。 譯文（1）：乙未日占卜，問，向先公 報告秋蟲興害之事麼？ 乙未日占卜，問，向先公上甲報告秋蟲興害之事麼？ 釋文（2）：（中左起右行）：貞丁巳雨。 譯文（2）：卜問，丁巳日下雨麼？ A divination on whether to report to the ancestors on the fall infestation and also whether it would rain. 釋文：（左起右行） 己巳……貞……亡（無）… …。 方…… 其 （辭殘，未詳） 注： ，被閹的豬隻。 This is an incomple inscription. The character means a pig being castrated. 香港大學美術博物館藏品 From the Collection of University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong 香港大學美術博物館藏品 From the Collection of University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong 6.3cm (L) x 8.5cm (W) x 0.5cm (D) 5.5cm (L) x 6.7cm (W) x 0.5cm (D)
16 釋文：（左起右行）[追]……午……。壬午卜，[ 㱿 ]……臣 羌， （幸）。 譯文：追捕……[壬] 午……。壬午日占卜，貞人 㱿㱿 㱿 [卜問]，有多個僕隸 逃往羌（方國/地名），（派人追逃）逮住了麼？ 注： ，像施於手上的手銬之形。隸作 㚔 （今作『幸』。音ni è ）。 A divination on whether the escaped slaves were captured. The character resembles an image of a handcuff. 釋文（1）：（中右起左行）乙亥卜，貞令多馬、亞 遘 省 廩至于 侯，从 水从垂侯。九月。 譯文（1）：乙亥日占卜，卜問命令馬隊的武官名 者與貴族 會合，巡 查檢視 地之倉廩，一直到達 侯之地，再沿 水出發率領 垂侯麼？這是九月卜問的。 釋文（2）：（右左起右行）貞勿省在南廩。 譯文（2）：卜問问 ，不必巡查檢視南地的倉廩了吧？ There are two groups of inscriptions on this piece of oracle bone, addressing the questions whether: (1) the King should issue an order for the officials to inspect the granaries along with the nobles; and (2) there was no need to inspect the granaries. 香港大學美術博物館藏品 From the Collection of University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong 8.4cm (L) x 7cm (W) x 3cm (D) 7.7cm (L) x 6cm (W) x 0.5cm (D)
17 釋文： （下至上右起左行） 貞[我]不[其]受黍[年]。 貞勿令 侯歸。 貞我受黍年。 貞令 侯歸。 貞我不其受稻年。 侑于妣庚。 貞我受稻年。 侑于妣。 貞勿令 侯歸。 此骨片有四組卜辭。 譯文（1）：卜問，我商王國會得到黍子的好收成麼？ 卜問，我商王國不會得到黍子的好收成麼？ 譯文（2）：卜問，我商王國會得到稻子的好收成麼？ 卜問，我商王國不會得到稻子的好收成麼？ 譯文（3）：卜問，命令諸侯名 者歸來麼？ 卜問，不命令諸侯名 者歸來麼？ 譯文（4）：行侑求之祭于先妣名妣庚者麼？ 行侑求之祭于先妣[庚]？ There are four groups of inscriptions in this piece of oracle bone, addressing the questions whether (1) Shang territory would have good harvest; (2) to command the officer, named Chang, to return; and (3) it would be appropriate to hold rituals named“侑”to offer sacrifice to the deceased mother of Shang King. 香港大學美術博物館藏品 From the Collection of University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong 23cm (L) x 2.5cm (W) x 0.8cm (D)
18 釋文： （下至上左起右行） 貞侑于唐。 貞侑于父甲犬卯羊。 貞不其 雨。 貞勿侑。 雨。 貞侑于大甲。 ……卜，亙，貞……在 牛。 此骨片有三組卜辭。 譯文（1）：卜問，行侑祭于先祖神唐麼？ 卜問，行侑祭于先祖神父甲，用犬及對剖的羊為 犧牲麼？ 卜問，不行侑祭麽？ 卜問，行侑祭于先祖神大甲麼？ 譯文（2）：卜問下 雨麼？（ 字考釋未有定論，一說為修 飾「雨」的詞語。） 是 雨麼？ 譯文（3）：……日占卜，貞人亙問卦，卜問在 的牛。 There are three groups of inscriptions on this piece of oracle bone, addressing the questions (1) whether it would be appropriate to hold rituals named“侑” to offer dog and sheep sacrifice to the ancestors Tang, Fujia and Taijia; (2) whether it would rain; and (3) how’s the ox in“ ”(a place). 香港大學美術博物館藏品 From the Collection of University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong 21.5cm (L) x 2.5cm (W) x 1cm (D)
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