Why did divination in the Shang and Zhou dynasties use turtles and animal bones?

During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, tortoises and animal bones were used for divination for the following reasons:

First: The turtle was a mythical beast in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, which could achieve the effect of the unity of heaven and man.

In fact, in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, everyone knew that the turtle was a very long-lived animal, and it was a spirit animal. Therefore, the ancients believed that using the shell of a divine beast for divination can know the will of heaven, which is the way people and heaven communicate. Of course, there were some animal bones in the beginning, but gradually more and more people began to use tortoise shells, because tortoise shells would be easier to obtain.

Second: The appearance of the turtle shell is similar to the round sky and the place admired by the ancients.

The ancients believed very much in the round sky and the earth, and the turtle shell echoed this. The back of the turtle shell arches like the sky is round, but the belly of the turtle shell is very flat, which indicates the earth. Therefore, if you use the turtle shell for divination, you can know the bad luck and fortune.

Moreover, in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, people would also use fire to bake the turtle shell, so that cracks would be formed on the turtle shell, and the cracking lines were related to gossip to a certain extent, so the ancients were used to using it to ** national affairs and weather and other issues.

Thirdly, the turtle is one of the easier things to obtain.

At the beginning, although some people used animal bones, they could only be used after hunting to get prey, and if they were fierce beasts, they were still relatively difficult. Later people found turtles, and it was much easier to find a turtle than to fight a beast. And the turtle happened to be a sacred object at that time, after all, legend has it that one of the nine sons of the dragon looks like a turtle, and the turtle is also related to longevity.

The ancients were very obsessed with longevity, especially kings, who wanted to live a long life. Therefore, the turtle could directly get the divination at that time, and in fact, it also had the implication of wanting to use its divine power to hope for longevity.

Because in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, turtles and animal bones were all magical things, both of which were very rare, and using them for divination would add magical colors.

First of all, it was because turtles and animal bones were relatively easy to obtain at that time, and on the other hand, people in ancient times believed that turtles were more spiritual creatures.

This idea of divination is to achieve the purpose of communicating with heaven and man through animal spirits. And the turtle has always been considered a spirit animal because of its longevity, so it will use the turtle and animal bones for divination.

You're talking about a noun explanation, and the answer is oracle.

But the last half of the sentence is wrong, the oracle bone inscription is used to record the results and major events of divination, and there is no function of divination itself.

It is not engraved on the tortoiseshell bones for divination, but the results of divination are recorded on the tortoise shells or animal bones with oracle bone inscriptions.

By the way, what does this hero want to ask?

This is mainly related to the nature of the tortoise, we all know that the main purpose of divination in ancient China is nothing more than divination. The image of the turtle was originally a relatively auspicious image in ancient China, and among the four sacred beasts in our country, the prototype of Xuanwu was changed according to the turtle. Moreover, the turtle was a symbol of longevity in the eyes of the ancients.

This is one of the reasons why the ancients chose turtles for divination when choosing the tools to be used for divination. <>

The other point has to do with the structure of the turtle itself. The ancients of our country believed that it was meaningful for the turtle to have turtle patterns distributed on its back, and there were three grids in the middle of the turtle shell, and the ancients believed that these three grids represented the three talents of heaven, earth and man, and the 24 grids next to it represented 24 mountains. Of course, there is also a lattice turtle pattern that represents the ten heavenly stems.

As for the 12 grids at the bottom, in the eyes of the ancients, they represented the 12 earthly branches. Thus a small piece of tortoise shell contains endless mysteries that in the eyes of the ancients corresponded to the stars in the sky. This is also the reason why the ancients chose turtle shells when choosing divination tools.

Another point is related to the habits of turtles, there is a proverb in our country that says that turtles sweat on their backs and bring umbrellas when they go out, indicating that turtles have the magical ability to predict the weather. Therefore, the ancients believed that the turtle could be the future. Therefore, when choosing tools, people usually choose turtle shells, because the accuracy of this is higher.

This is also what the ancients discovered during their long observations. <>

Of course, this is only part of the reason why tortoise shells were used as a tool for divination in ancient times. In fact, no matter what the reason is, the picture is a kind of auspiciousness, which is a kind of miracle. To be honest, for divination, sometimes you don't believe it, he feels very real, and sometimes you believe it, but he is not scientific.

Therefore, when looking at divination, we can maintain a more positive approach, and we should not believe it completely.

1.There are turtle patterns on the back of the turtle, and there are three grids in the middle of the turtle pattern, which represent the three talents of heaven, earth and man. 2.

There are 24 grids next to it, representing the 24 solar terms. There are also ten grids, which represent the ten heavenly stems. 3.

There are 12 grids at the bottom of the turtle shell, representing the 12 earthly branches. Therefore, the above characteristics correspond to the three talents of the eight trigrams, the heavenly and terrestrial branches, and this characteristic makes the turtle shell an important tool in the hexagram.

The ancients believed that the sky was round, and the tortoise's back carapace was bulging like the sky, and the belly carapace was flat, like the earth, and the tortoise seemed to carry the heaven and the earth. Therefore, the tortoise is considered to be a spiritual creature that can learn astronomy and geography.

There are many lines on the tortoise's body, and the tortoise has a long life, which makes people think that the tortoise is an animal that can ward off disasters and evil spirits.

"Oracle bone inscription" is the crystallization of the wisdom of the ancient ancestors, is an important basis for the development of Chinese culture and cultural history to a high degree of civilization, the ancestors used to record the text and divination with the tortoise shell, animal bones are all need to go through special processing, first to remove the tortoise shell, macro and animal bones inside the flesh residue, and then the tortoise shell polished edge, and finally through the soaking of the potion, firing and other links to facilitate the engraving on it for long-term preservation. <>

Oracle. It carries the material wealth and spiritual wealth of the ancient ancestors, and it has been formed for more than 8,000 years, which records the scientific and cultural achievements of ancient China, and also records various social phenomena that occurred in ancient times. The oracle bone inscription is ancient Chinese history.

The earliest "archives" are highly valued by modern scientific and historical researchers, and people have been tirelessly excavating and studying oracle bone culture for more than 100 years. <>

In the early days, people only used the cracks on the oracle bones to use them for divination, but in the Shang Dynasty, when it was better developed, merchants not only used it for divination, but also carved the liquid mask script on it. However, it is generally used by the aristocratic royal family, and with the records of the merchants day after day, the oracle bones that burn the text are more than 100,000 pieces in the end, which richly records the development status of the Yin Shang dynasty in various periods. Now it is only through the discovery and study of oracle bone inscriptions that the existence of Yin Shang has been confirmed.

It is not easy to make oracle bones, it takes many links, and it is necessary to choose the right materials before the turtle bones and animal bones, and the bones of the turtle and buffalo animals are used, but some experts have proposed elephant shoulder blades.

It has also been said that oracle bones have been made by merchants, but it has not been confirmed. Most of the oracle bones we can see today are from Anyang, Anyang Yinxu.

It is also famous for the large number of oracle bones unearthed. Although the remains of Yin Shang have become more and more difficult to excavate as history progresses, historians.

The study of oracle bones and Yin Ruins has not stopped.

It is necessary to carve tortoise shells and animal bones, and first of all, to carve out the regular gossip patterns and specific directions.

First of all, these bones should be selected, those with a smooth surface, and the uneven notches on them should be polished.

Before divination, the ancestors needed to clean and disinfect the tortoise shells and animal bones, and also let these items be exposed to the sun for 3 days, exposing the darkness of their celebrity.

In ancient China, "Zhan" is the meaning of observation, and "Bu" is to burn animal bones or turtle shells with fire, and it is believed that the shape of the cracks that appear can be auspicious and evil. According to the "Book of Rites, Qu Li", "turtle is divination, yarrow is Zheng", "divination" is the method of burning the turtle shell with fire to make it crack and ** evil fortune, "Zheng" is the method of divination with yarrow. This is a common method of divination used by the ancients in China.

The ancients believed that "small things are good, and big things are divided". If you encounter something bigger than others, you need to use both methods.

So how do you use tortoiseshell for divination? Divination is usually written on the tortoise shell, and then the tortoise shell is burned with fire, which makes a crackling sound, which is often understood as the will of God. When the bone is heated, the front side will crack with the sound of "Bu".

In the eyes of the soothsayer, it is full of infinite mysteries. The words on the above oracle bone tablets are simple accounts of divination of good fortune and good fortune, and judgment of good fortune and evil, so they are also called oracle bone inscriptions.

The royal family of the Shang Dynasty used tortoise shell divination to determine the way of behavior, and almost everything must be divined. "Zhou Yi Dictionaries" said: "The one who determines the good and evil of the world and becomes the one who is the best in the world is no bigger than the yarrow turtle."

Why did the ancients use tortoiseshell for divination? "The Book of Rites and Rites" says that "Lin, phoenix, turtle, and dragon are called the four spirits." "In ancient times, the turtle was juxtaposed with legendary magical animals such as unicorns, phoenixes and flying dragons, which shows its high status.

The Book of Rites: Qu Li" quoted Liu Xiang and said: "The words of yarrow are old, and the words of the turtle are long." The turtle is a thousand years old and spiritual, and the yarrow is a hundred years old, and it is long-lasting, so it can distinguish the good and the bad.

Therefore, in the Spring and Autumn Period, there was also a saying that "the turtle is short", and it is believed that the ghost elephant is long, and the divination is more effective.

However, the method of turtle divination has long been lost, but the method of yarrow has been handed down, as evidenced by the written records of books such as "Zhou Yi" and "Zhou Li". Jin Zhanghua's "Naturalist Chronicles" said: "Yarrow is a thousand years old and has three hundred stems, and it is already old, so it knows the good and the bad."

The ancients thought that Yarrow Chitose had 300 stems and had the virtue of being round and divine, so it was used as the most ideal calculation tool for Zong, and "the Son of Heaven is nine feet long, the princes are seven feet, the doctor is five feet, and the scholar is three feet." ”

During divination, the crackling sound of the tortoise shell is made when it is burned with fire, and this sound is often understood as the divine conveying the will. Another important basis for the inscription is the crack in the tortoiseshell that appears at the same time as the sound of the tortoiseshell, which is full of infinite mystery in the eyes of the diviner. This method of divination is known as tortoiseshell burning.

The character marks engraved on the oracle bone are dense, and the structure of the word is echoed.

Because there was no paper at that time. The oracle bone can be worn after being engraved with letters, making it easy to collect.

It is worth mentioning that there are many imitations of the bone fragments of prehistoric macro-shaped animals carved on the market at present. If you don't understand, take a look at the .......

There's no paper. The bones can provide an omen after being roasted.

They are the totems of the major tribes, the degeneration of the gods.

Because there is no other material to use for the record. At that time, bamboo slips were not used, and paper was not invented. Hides are so precious that they should be worn as clothing.

Because that's the only way to record it.

The reason why the content of divination is written on the tortoise shell or animal bones, that is because there was no paper and other carriers that can record words, the first carrier of Chinese history as a record of words is tortoise shells and animal bones, and then there is a text written on the wooden board or bamboo piece, we will write this kind of wooden board or bamboo piece with words respectively called the seat, wooden and bamboo slips, and then until Cai Lun invented papermaking, people have a relatively cheap record, the carrier of words, and there is no need to go to the tortoise shell and animal bones.