Study On The Historical Source And Classification Of Shang And Zhou Clan-sign Inscriptions

The problem of the composition,connotation and significance of the Shang and Zhou clan-sign inscriptions is one of the difficult and hot topic in the study of bronze inscription.Recently,many books have systematically collated the clan-sign inscriptions of Shang and Zhou bronze ware and put forward many valuable arguments and speculations on the issues.On the basis of previous studies,this dissertation attempts to explore the historical origin,classification of the clan-sign inscriptions of the Shang and Zhou dynasties and tries to find the relation between the bronze clan-sign inscriptions and the "Shi" in Xizhou and Chunqiu dynasties.The " historical source" in this dissertation means the social and political source of Shang and Zhou clan-sign inscriptions.And this dissertation does not deal with the historical origins between the bronze clan-sign inscriptions and the symbols of prehistory.Based on the meaning and historical source,this dissertation classifies the bronze clan-sign inscriptions into four major categories:totem,ancestral name,official title,and country name.Through the classification and induction of the sources of the clan-sign inscriptions,this dissertation find the four main sources of the clan-sign inscriptions of the Shang and Zhou dynasties are same with the four ways to get"Xing" and "Shi" in Xizhou and Chunqiu dynasties,that is" from birth"," from ancestral name","from official title" and "from country nalme".Comparing the clan-sign inscriptions and the "Shi" of Xizhou and Chunqiu nobles also helps to form a clearer understanding of the relationship and different between the civilization of Shang and Zhou dynasties.This dissertation is divided into four parts.The first chapter discusses the totem clan-sign inscriptions and the "surname from birth".Listing the bronze totem clan-sin inscriptions of Shang and Zhou dynasties,analyzing the“(?)”“?(?)?”“????" clan-sign inscriptions and the writer considers that the source of the totem clan-sign inscriptions are same with the way of "surname from birth".The second chapter discusses the ancestral name clan-sign inscriptions and "Shi from ancestral name".Listing the“(?)”"(?)" "(?)"clan-sign inscriptions,analyzing the "?((?))”“?(?)?”clan-sign inscriptions,the writer considers that the source of the ancestral name clan-sign inscriptions are same with "Shi from ancestral name " and both can be traced back to the tradition of the clan name same with ancestral name in the ancient times.While the custom of "Shi from grandfather's name(Zi)”is because that the ancestral names were taboo words in Xizhou and Chunqiu.The third chapter discusses the official title clan-sign inscriptions and the "Shi from the official title".Listing and analyzing the"(?)""?(?)" "??" "?????" official title clan-sign inscriptions,the writer considers that the source of official title clan-sign inscriptions is same with "Shi from the official title" in Xizhou and Chunqiu.And different with the official title clan-sign inscriptions on the bronze,the "shi" consists of official title only and show more political meanings.The fourth chapter discusses the country name clan-sign inscription and "Shi from the country name name".Listing and analyzing the "?" "?" country name clan-sign inscription,the writer considers the source of the country name clan-sign inscription is same with "Shi from the country name".Both are related to the original "territory" and "geographical”concepts,and the "Shi from the country name" in Xizhou and Chunqiu were based on feudal system.This dissertation does not follow the "single" and "composite" classification,but uses the historical sources classification method.Classifying according to the meaning and historical sources of the clan-sign inscriptions,not only avoid the dispute of the "single" and "composite" by mixed using the "quasi-clan-sign theory"and the "abstract theory",but also focus on the weak point of the study on the Shang and Zhou clan-sign inscriptions,which is closer to the connotation of the clan-sign inscriptions.And it is also important to study the relationship and different with the civilization of Shang and Zhou dynasties.This dissertation analyzes the sources of the clan-sign inscriptions with the way to get“Shi”in Xizhou and Chunqiu,and find that the way to get "Shi" in Xizhou and Chunqiu can be traced back to the late Shang and early Zhou dynasties clan-sign inscriptions.The previous studies often focused on the nature and connotation of the clan-sign inscriptions,and a certain clan-sign inscription's textual criticism,but rarely compared it with the“Shi”in Xizhou and Chunqiu.The previous study about Shang and Zhou surnames system using the material of Shang and Zhou clan-sign inscriptions,but does not relate the clan-sign inscriptions on the bronze with the "Shi"in Xizhou and Chunqiu.In fact,the four way to get "shi" in Xizhou and Chunqiu can be traced back to the Shang and Zhou clan-sign inscriptions.This dissertation also focus on the "?" type of clan-sign inscriptions,and put forward some views on the meaning of“?”.According to the configuration and the times,it is believed that the“?”word may be taken from the ancestral temples and mausoleums of the Shang dynasty,and "?" can be further extended to the symbolize of patriarchal relations and identity.In the early period of the late Shang Dynasty(“The Yinxu Culture phase II&III”),the "?"in the inscription of "??"was out of the words of“?”,and it dose not linked to the Riming,and it could be matched with the oracle bone inscriptions characters of the same period,so the bronze ware with "??" can be considered to be made by the "?" of oracle bone inscriptions characters.They used "??" to mark their identity.In the late Shang dynasty to the early Zhou dynasty,the "?" were in the“?”,and this kind of clan-sign inscription were popular in the area of Shang civilization,including the capital of Shang,the east hinterland of Shang and the Shang remaining nobles.The·"?(?)"clan-sign inscription maybe related with the concept of witchcraft.In the early Zhou dynasty,some of remaining nobles moved their ancestral name out of "?",and used“?”as inscription border,then the "?" gradually lost.