[Xieyi China explores the origin of Chinese characters] From the bronze inscription "Zhaizi China" to see the earliest source of "China"

["Great Chinese Characters" series - the word "China"]

　　Great China, eternal rivers.

Exploring the past and reminiscing about the past, why China?

　　Do you know where the word "China" comes from?

It appeared in the Western Zhou Dynasty thousands of years ago.

　　In the Chinese Character Museum, three special words are exhibited, namely "China", "Henan" and "Anyang".

　　According to the commentator of the Chinese Character Museum, as the ancient character culture has attracted more attention from the society, more and more viewers want to get close to and understand the oracle bone inscriptions thousands of years ago.

　　Based on its own positioning, the Museum of Chinese Characters has selected the above six characters for individual interpretation and display in response to the suggestions of the majority of visitors.

Among them, the word "China" is taken from the inscription "Zhaizi China" on the bronze vessel He Zun, and the shape of the four characters "Anyang, Henan" comes from oracle bone inscriptions.

　　In 1963, the bronze ware He Zun, now in the Baoji Bronze Museum in China, was discovered.

When archaeologists removed the patina covering the utensils, they found the words "Zhaizi China" in the 122-character inscription on the inner bottom, which is like seeing a mystery buried for thousands of years in a square inch. It is the earliest written record about "China".

　　The inscription of He Zun records major political events in the Western Zhou Dynasty, such as the acceptance of King Wen, the extermination of Shang by King Wu, and the relocation of the capital by King Cheng. This is consistent with the records in "Luo Gao" and "Zhao Gao" in "Shang Shu", thus confirming the historical documents. The authenticity provides important material materials for the study of the history of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the dating of bronze wares.

　　The inscription also mentions that King Wu of Zhou sacrificed to heaven after destroying the Shang Dynasty, and King Cheng of Zhou moved his capital to Luoyi as the center of the world, that is, the achievements of "Zhaizi China".

　　Mr. Yu Xingwu, a famous ancient philologist in our country, argued in the article "Interpretation of China" that the word "China" appeared at the latest in the early Western Zhou Dynasty. The earliest evidence we have seen so far is the inscription "Yu Qi House in China".

This is the first time the word "China" appears in the form of a phrase.

　　So, what does He Zunli mean by "China"?

　　According to the narrator, "Zhong" is a pictographic character, which resembles a flag with streamers on the top and bottom of a flagpole.

In oracle bone inscriptions, there are meanings such as banner and middle, which refer to a central position within a certain range.

And "or" is the original character of "country", which is a knowing character. It was first built in the bronze inscriptions of the Western Zhou Dynasty, which means to guard the territory with weapons.

　　The inscription on He Zunshang "Yu Qizhai is here in China", to the effect: I want to live in the central area of ​​the world.

　　More than 3,000 years ago, a piece of loess sealed the light of a bronze ware, but "China", the character rooted in the hearts of Chinese children, was not only engraved in a square inch, but also flowed with the historical context, forever Keep alive.

(Written by Guangming.com: Lei Miaoxin)