Chapter 25 Chapter 8 Chinese Characters and Ancient Chinese Culture

First of all, it is not difficult for us to find some relics of production and economic life in ancient Chinese society in Chinese characters.For example, the Chinese calendar has been established as early as the Yao and Shun era from the 23rd century to the 21st century BC. One of its characteristics is to use the cooperation of 10 heavenly stems and 12 earthly branches to record days and years.This book has introduced this kind of "Calendar of Stem and Branches" in "Oracle Bone Inscriptions", including the names of these 22 stems and branches. Most of these 22 characters representing stems and branches are represented by pictographs.Judging from the shape of the characters, when the characters "Yin(" and "Xu(" were made), China had already entered the Bronze Age. This can be seen from the parts of the character "casting" in "casting": its ancient characters font hand,A crucible for smelting,It is a vessel (stove) burning with fire.The whole character shows the picture of smelting craftsmen holding a crucible and about to cast it. It is indeed a rare historical material reflecting the production situation in ancient Chinese society.