| 释义 |
甲骨文 jiǎɡǔwén noun inscriptions on bones or tortoise shells 甲骨文Ancient Chinese writing inscribed on animal bones and turtle shells to record divinations. The earliest oracle bones, dating from the Shang Dynasty, were discovered in Anyang, Henan Province, in the 19th century. Many more were excavated in the 20th century. The Zhou Dynasty oracle bones found in Shaanxi Province are of particular significance. To date, more than 100,000 bones have been discovered, containing 4,500 characters, of which 1,700 have been deciphered. Their basic lexis, grammar, and character structure are similar to Chinese writing of later periods. Oracle bone script is a direct ancestor of present-day Chinese characters. |