October 28, 2022，General Secretary Xi Jinping said during an inspection at the Yin Ruins Museum in Anyang City: “The oracle bone inscriptions unearthed from the Yin Ruins preserve for us the writing of 3,000 years ago，Advancing China’s trustworthy history upward by about 1,000 years。”Chinese characters are connected with the foundation of the Chinese people，It is the temperament written in the blood of the Chinese nation。More than 120 years since the discovery of Oracle，During this period, countless scholars burned ointment and continued the sundial、Research through all obstacles，Making today’s oracle bone science a fruitful achievement，The towering building。Among the many scholars who study oracle bones，Profound knowledge、Those with outstanding reputation first recommend “Oracle Bone Four Halls”。Tang Lan once praised in the preface to "The Preservation and Interpretation of Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Tianrang Pavilion": "Research on Oracles，Zi Xuetang’s guide leads the way，Guan Tang continues to examine history，The era of Yantang District，Examples of Dingtang’s speeches，Already at its peak。”This evaluation fully demonstrates the talents and status of the four people。Tang Lan admires the ability of the "Four Halls"，And he is also a very knowledgeable oracle expert、Epigrapher、Historian。Tang Lan proposed the "natural classification method" and implemented it in the classification of oracle bone inscriptions，Has a profound influence on the study of paleography。Today we look back at the beginning and end of Tanglan’s creation of natural classification，Following Mr.’s footsteps in the smoke and dust of history and documents。

 

　　"Introduction to Paleophilology":Scientific hypothesis  Theoretical construction

In "Introduction to Paleophilology" (hereinafter referred to as "Introduction")，Tang Lan fully proposed the concept of natural classification for the first time，Out of the trap of the division of Xu Shen’s "Shuowen Jiezi" and the classification of Zheng Qiao’s Six Books，Use the outline to show the evolution of the text，Intention to create a new method of classifying ancient characters。For the study of ancient characters，Tang Lan has his own pride，He was saddened by the fact that paleography was lagging behind because it was unsystematic，Considers that the most urgent task is to “establish the foundation of paleography as soon as possible，Make it a science”，Expect to establish theoretical systems and objective standards，Build bet365 online live casino a solid foundation，Drawing more attention to paleography，Regain life。It can be said that Tang Lan abandoned his promise、Zheng Zhi talks about natural classification，It is based on his wish to build paleography into a science。

 

The natural classification method is a new idea summarized by Tang Lan after criticizing the traditional divisions of "Shuowen Jiezi" and the classification of six books，It is his practical conception extended from the "Three Books"，The core is to use the "Three Books" system to classify ancient texts。As Li Wuwei said，"Discussing the natural classification method of ancient Tanglan characters，We should pay attention to starting from the "Three Books" of the Tanglan ancient writing structure"。Tang Lan’s ambition to build scientific paleography prevented him from settling in a corner，Only by interpreting characters and recognizing money，But start from the theoretical framework of paleography，Explore the origin and evolution of Chinese characters，Find the path of change in the structure of ancient characters through the analysis of tracing back to their origins。His "Three Books" are based on pictograms、Image、Phonetic sound as a major category，Various subdivisions，All originate from the evolution of words。Chen Yingjie pointed out，“The classification of the Three Books is closely related to his periodization of writing，pictogram、Image、The three pictorial and phonetic books represent the three processes of the evolution of writing，In his system，The formation of the Three Books is a natural result of the development and evolution of writing”。The "Three Books" undoubtedly embodies the essence of Tang Lan's interpretation of the evolution of ancient writing，And Tang Lan’s request for natural classification is to “organize the entire history of writing in the most reasonable way”。This can be said to be in the same vein as his purpose of discussing the "Three Books"。

 

The natural classification method advocated by Tang Lan is a hierarchical system strictly arranged according to "class-department-family-system"。He imagined "using pictograms as radicals，The single ideograms that are differentiated from the ideograms are all subordinate to the ‘department’”；"Complex ideograms differentiated from original ideograms or single ideograms，belongs to the ‘Department’”；"by pictogram、Picture and phonetic characters that symbolize the fertilization of breasts，belongs to the ‘department’”。At the Ministry、科、Outside the Department，The branches are listed as the characters are divided、Branch Section、Branch，Build a complete and thorough structure。Tang Lan regards pictography as the earliest structural method after the origin of writing from painting，Therefore, the leadership of natural classification is also based on pictographs，bet365 casino games Intended to be “the words that breed out every original pictogram，All form a system”。The relationships between departments are summarized as Xiangshen according to the classification of pictographic characters、Xiangwu、Three categories of elephant workers。The natural classification method is permeated with Tang Lan’s “Three Books” thought，The essence still serves his theme of focusing on the evolution of words，Under this classification structure，The categories of words are clear at a glance。Although the idea of ​​natural taxonomy is still in its infancy and has not yet been implemented，But it is not water without a source、A tree without roots，We can already see Tang Lan’s ambition。

If the beginning and end of Tanglan’s research on natural classification are extended into a line，The beginning and end of the book are of course the "Introduction" and the "Compendium Manuscript of the Natural Classification of Oracle Bone Inscriptions" (hereinafter referred to as the "Compendium")，The "Existence and Interpretation of Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Tianrang Pavilion" written by him and published in 1939，It can also be regarded as a knot connecting the past and the future。"The Preservation and Interpretation of Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Tianrang Pavilion" is a special work on the documentation and interpretation of oracle bone inscriptions written by Tang Lan to sort out Wang Yirong's old collection of oracle bone inscriptions，Contains 108 pieces of oracle bones with explanatory notes，It embodies Tang Lan’s practical achievements in oracle bone inscriptions，Complete system，There are many subtle points in the explanation。What is very commendable in the book is the part of "Tianrangge Oracle Bone Inscriptions Preserved and Inspected Characters" (hereinafter referred to as "Inspected Characters")，Tang Lan’s autobiography: “The words seen in the 18 pieces of right inscriptions，Two hundred and fifty one，Natural classification followed，It’s a pity that there are too few materials”。This word search list is valuable，It is Tanglan’s early systematic attempt to use natural classification method，It is the first-hand material for studying the practical natural classification method of Tanglan.。

 

According to Wei Jiangong’s summary，The arrangement of the 251 characters in "Jianzi" can be roughly divided into categories of people、The genus of heaven, earth, sun, moon, mountains, rivers, vegetation、The attribute of chastity and divination、Genus of birds, animals, insects and fish、Numbers、Belonging to the system、Taken by taking、Belonging to the palace、Attribution of Sacrifice、The category of punishment、Eleven types of doubts，And "the characters in the cases are arranged one after another according to the shape of the characters themselves"，Achieved good results。This natural classification bet365 online sports betting mobile method was first implemented in oracle bone inscriptions，Judging from the results，The important basis for arranging character patterns is the physical characteristics of oracle bone inscriptions。And because the character list is set up to facilitate the examination and interpretation of characters in the book，So Tang Lan made it clear that the focus is on aliens，Common shapes are not included。Then the size of 251 words is actually very small。Tang Lan does not highlight categories and radicals in this word search list，Based on the glyphs and meanings of oracle bone inscriptions and the induction results of Mr. Wei Jiangong，We count a total of 75 characters from "人" to "伟" belonging to the elephant body，A total of 84 characters from "日" to "陈" are symbolic objects，From "one" to "”A total of 90 words belong to Xiang Gong，The origin of the last two characters is unknown to Tang Lan。There are many doubtful words in the table，Tang Lan still tries his best to put the font first，His unspecified oracle bone inscriptions are also included in the list for further examination。When the materials are not abundant，"Jianzi" still follows the "Introduction" on the human body、Nature、Theoretical conception that is a product of human intelligence。

 

 

　　"Compendium Manuscript of Oracle Natural Classification":System work  Regret not yet

The person who perfected the development of the natural classification method was Tang Lan’s work in his later years that used this method to systematically classify oracle bone inscriptions，The name Tang Lan proposed himself is "Compendium of Natural Classification of the Complete Works of Oracle Bone Inscriptions"，It is necessary to proofread the manuscript with "Oracle Bone Inscriptions" and add examples of oracles，Finally, a work that can completely and comprehensively reflect the classification of Oracle。But it’s a pity，Tang Lan died of illness before he could complete the work，Leaved a great regret for us。Mr. Tang Funian, Tang Lan’s son, compiled his father’s manuscript，Collected into "Compendium of Natural Classification of Oracle Bone Inscriptions" and published，It must be said that this is a great consolation for my father’s unfinished business。After that, Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House published the Tanglan manuscript，Named "Oracle Bone Inscriptions Natural Classification Compendium Manuscript"，We are fortunate enough to meet Tang Lan today after decades of academic research and precipitation，The most systematic approach to natural classification、The most precise consideration。

 

Different from "Ji Zi"，"Compendium" highlights the coordination of classification and division，Manuscript 2 extracts typical glyphs from oracle bone inscriptions and clearly categorizes them，Based on the theoretical interpretation of Tang Lan's "Three Books", that is, "using pictograms as radicals"，This may be Tang Lan’s preliminary cataloging for the whole book。In comparison，"Jianzi" bet365 Play online games is a little rough in this aspect。Tang Lan’s three manuscripts basically reflect the clear steps he took for natural classification: classification and inspection of oracle bones according to the "Oracle Bone Inscriptions"；Select glyph as radical；Integrate the corresponding forms of each word，The subordinate departments are nested in each other，Finally showing systematic results。All of the above，Judging from the size, it is undoubtedly a huge project，Tang Lan happily devoted himself to it，Put a lot of effort into it。Tang Lan’s Scholarship，The precision of the most important theoretical regulations。He stayed away from the six-book method of classifying texts，The division of "Shuowen" commonly used in academic circles，In his opinion, it is not an irrefutable truth，So he tried his best to break through the barriers，Advocate the method of natural classification。After continuous polishing and correction，Systematically practice its theory，"Compendium" can be said to be a masterpiece。As seen in the manuscript，What Tang Lan wants to establish is a rigorous classification system that is not inferior to the 540 parts of "Shuowen"，The total number of words in the final classification of Oracle is about 3,000 words。If it can be written as Tang Lan expected，Presumably it can be fully integrated into its textual research on Oracle、Achievements in classification and other aspects。This painstaking work was not completed and published during Tang Lan’s lifetime，It’s a pity。

 

 

　Master’s character:Shouldering important academic responsibilities  Creating the scientific method

Tang Lan focuses on scientific theory，Temperament that values ​​rules and standards，You can also get a glimpse of the scholars he admires。Liu Yu commented: "Tang Lan is in learning，There are only four people who have always believed in it，Sun Yirang、Wu Guowei’s teacher，Guo Moruo、Chen Yinke’s friend。"Among the two people whom Tang Lan regarded as his masters，Wu Guowei was grateful to Tang Lan for his teachings，He has also made outstanding achievements in historical research，And Tang Lan was generous with his praise for Sun Yirang，Highly respected，Probably largely because of Sun Yirang's "radical analysis method"。Tang Lan once praised: "Sun Yirang is the best at using radical analysis。”“His greatest achievement，It is this precise method that was bequeathed to us。With this method we can distinguish difficult-to-recognize characters，Rescued from the explanation of myth，Return to philology。”No exaggeration，Tang Lan’s reputation for Sun Yirang’s “radical analysis method”，It is purely from the heart and has no pretense。Tang Lan is committed to constructing scientific paleography，Repeatedly mentioned "the study of ancient characters in bet365 live casino the new philology，It is necessary to have a system，And there are rules”。In his opinion，Sun Yirang’s “Radical Analysis Method” Formation System，There are standards and they are effective，Can be widely used to solve the problem of recognizing ancient characters，Exactly what he would like to see in his devoted exploration of scientific paleography。Tang Lan is dissatisfied with scattered conjectures、Guess-style text analysis，Always hope to unify the study of paleography in a well-founded、Under the standard of legal availability，Through the establishment of rules，Making paleography a systematic and operational science，Let the study of ancient characters get rid of the manual labor of small workshops，Incorporated into the system，Complete the scientific method and find out according to the picture。

 

Can understand this，Our understanding of the natural taxonomy of Gladiolus goes a step further。Natural classification is an integral part of the Tanglan paleography system，It is the applied rule in his theory。Tang Lan uses science、Looking at ancient characters from an advanced perspective，Not limited by the halo of "Six Books" and the 540 volumes of "Shuowen"，Resolutely embarked on a new path。He tried to solve the chronic problems of "Shuowen" division through new classification methods，Really reflects the evolution of words，Also enhance connections and facilitate retrieval，Continuously polish this theory in practice to get closer to the ideal state of ancient text research in my heart。Tang Lan said in "Introduction": "A kind of science，There should be a reason，Methods and rules。No systematic theory，There is no way to set a standard，No standard，Method used，Errors are inevitable。Build a system based on several principles，Created many methods and rules，This method or rule，No contradiction when applying，This is science，This is the responsibility that scholars should shoulder。”From scratch、From theory to practice，Tang Lan’s efforts to improve natural classification，It was he who established the science in his mind、The epitome of systematic paleography。In the quest to create a natural taxonomy in Gladiolus，We see his courage to break with tradition、Stick to the faith、Perseverance in repeated practice，He examines an ancient knowledge with scientific standards，Reshape its bones、Pick up flesh and blood again，Take promoting disciplinary innovation as our responsibility，Do your best in this lonely world，Working silently。Tang Lan devoted his life’s academic research to practice this path。

 

General Secretary Xi Jinping said during an inspection at the Yinxu Museum in Anyang: “China’s Chinese characters are very remarkable，The formation and development of the Chinese nation cannot be separated from the maintenance of Chinese bet365 sports betting app characters。…Chinese civilization has a long history，Never interrupted，Shaped our great nation，This nation will continue to be great。"Tracing back to the origin of Chinese characters，Because of the unremitting efforts of Mr. Tang Lan and others，Oracle bone inscription research has never been interrupted。Open up territory，Innovate with the old；Establish scientific standards，Dance theory practice；Inherit the legacy of our ancestors，Following the ancient "unique knowledge"，Promote China’s excellent traditional culture，It is also the responsibility that our generation of scholars should shoulder。The "unique knowledge" has not been exhausted，The way of a gentleman is not alone，The so-called passing on the fire from generation to generation，Just before your eyes。

 

(This article is part of the National Social Science Fund’s unpopular project “Research on the Practical Research on the Textual Research and Interpretation of Oracle Bone Inscriptions over the Past Hundred Years” (19VJX112)、Liaoning Province’s “Xingliao Talent Plan” project “Compilation and Research of Oracle Textual Explanation Documents” (XLYC2004016)、Fudan University’s “Ancient Characters and Chinese Civilization Inheritance and Development Project” (G3020) Phased Results)

 

(Author’s unit: College of Liberal Arts, Liaoning Normal University)