He zun
| He zun | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Material | Bronze |
| Size | 38.8 cm tall, 28.8 cm in diameter |
| Weight | 14.6 kg |
| Created | 1038 BCE – c. 1000 BCE[1] |
| Discovered | 1963 Baoji, Shaanxi, China 34°21′47″N 107°14′17″E / 34.363°N 107.238°E |
The He zun (
Dimension and significance
The vessel, dating to the 5th year of the reign of King Cheng of Zhou, is 38.8 cm (15.3 in) tall, 28.8 cm (11.3 in) in diameter and weighs 14.6kg.[2] Inside the container, at the base, it contains 12 rows of 122 inscribed Chinese characters.[6] Of the 122 characters, 119 are identified while 3 are unknown.[7] The inscription contains the phrase 宅𢆶𠁩或 (宅茲中國; 宅茲中国; zhái zī zhōngguó) inscribed in early Zhou form, structurally different to the modern form of the characters. The term (𠁩或) here does not carry exactly the same semantic meaning as today, referring rather to the "central region" of the newly expanded Zhou dynasty political domain, but is the earliest occurrence in the Chinese corpus of the word 中國, which gradually expanded in its meaning over the next millennium.[7][8] The He zun is also the earliest known vessel bearing the character de (德, "virtue"),[9] and one of only 64 historical artifacts that can never leave Chinese soil.[10]
History
The construction of the city of
The inscription is (in liding characters and with modern punctuation added):
隹王初𨟦宅于成周，復爯武王豊，祼自天，才亖月丙戌，王𫌲宗小子于亰室，曰：「昔才爾考公氏，克𬩂玟王，𢑩玟王受𢆶大命。隹珷王既克大邑商，𠟭廷吿于天，曰：『余𠀠宅𢆶𠁩或，自之辥民。』烏虖，爾有唯小子亡戠，𧠟于公氏，有𫤼于天，𬴲令，茍亯𢦒。叀王龏徳谷天，順我不每。」王咸𫌲。𣄰易貝卅朋，用乍𫭌公寶𱀵彝，隹王五祀。
The inscription has been translated as follows:[12]
It was when the King began laying out his seat at
cowries used to make this treasured sacrificial vessel for [his father] Sire [X]. It was the King's fifth year."— Translation by David W. Pankenier.[12]
Discovery
The lost artifact was discovered by a
In September 1965, a worker in the waste center informed an expert about the bronze piece. The expert recognised it as a
In 1976, the
See also
References
- ^ Khayutina, Maria (May 2019). "The Story of the He Zun: From Political Intermediary to National Treasure". Orientations. 50 (3): 55. The He zun inscription describes events reliably dated to 1038 BCE, the fifth year of King Cheng of Zhou, but the vessel itself is not necessarily contemporaneous, and may have been cast several decades later. See Khayutina, Maria (2019). "Reflections and Uses of the Past in Chinese Bronze Inscriptions from the Eleventh to Fifth Centuries BC: The Memory of the Conquest of Shang and the First Kings of Zhou". Historical Consciousness and the Use of the Past in the Ancient World. pp. 157–180.
- ^ a b c d e f g Zhang Aiping (张爱平), ed. (4 March 2005). "He zun" 何尊. Xinhuanet.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.
- ISBN 9789004139190.
- ^ Rawson, Jessica (1990). Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections. Vol. 1. pp. 15–73.
- ISBN 962-996-039-7. no. 6014. This differs from the reading offered on the vessel's Chinese wikipedia article. See also Shirakawa Shizuka (白川靜) (1962). "48.1". 金文通釋 [Complete Explanations of Bronze Inscriptions] (in Japanese). Vol. 6. Kobe: Hakutsuru bijutsukan. pp. 167–80.
- ^ "He zun" 何尊. Baoji Bronzeware Museum (in Chinese). 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d “中国”一词的最早记录者——何尊 [The earliest record of the word "Zhongguo"— the He zun]. Qkzz.net (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
- ISBN 9780996944014.
- ^ Zheng Yong (郑勇) (3 February 2012). 由《遂公盨》看西周金文中“德”观念的演变 [Viewing the evolution of the concept of de in Western Zhou bronze inscriptions from the "Sui Gong xu"]. 学语文学 (in Chinese).
- ^ "Chinese cultural heritage protection official web list". Wenbao.net. Archived from the original on 2010-08-05. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
- ^ ISBN 9780521852722.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-107-29224-6.
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