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oracle bone script

Precursor of Chinese characters

Entitylogographic writing system natural writing system unicase alphabetQ7476695

Also known as Oracle-Bone Inscriptions

Instance of: logographic writing system
, natural writing system
, unicase alphabet
+1 more
Founded: 1500 BCE

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

The oracle bone script is the oldest attested form of written Chinese, dating to the late 2nd millennium BC. Inscriptions were made by carving characters into oracle bones, usually either the shoulder bones of oxen or the plastrons of turtles. The writings themselves mainly record the results of official divinations carried out on behalf of the Late Shang royal family. These divinations took the form of scapulimancy where the oracle bones were exposed to flames, creating patterns of cracks that were then subjected to interpretation. Both the prompt and interpretation were inscribed on the same piece of bone that had been used for the divination itself.

Overview

All data

26 statements · 4% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Studied by: oracle bone studies
Native label: 甲骨文 hanyu pinyin transliteration: jiǎgǔwén
Language: Old Chinese
Ended: 1050 BCE
Discovered by: Wang Yirong
Different from: oracle bone
Uses: oracle bone
Named by: Lu, Maode(1921)
1
Sources
1.tsinghua.org.cn/info/1951/18453.htm
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11 identifiers linking oracle bone script across the web's reference databases

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Source last edited August 30, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). oracle bone script (Q7476695). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/oracle-bone-script-Q7476695