The Role of the T'ien-kan Ti-chih Terms in the Naming System of the Yin

Abstract

In an investigation of the meaning of the sacrificial terms used in the oracle bone inscriptions, it is important to determine the time at which a particular sacrifice was made. In this way, it may be possible to ascertain whether or not certain sacrifices were confined to specific time periods. One may take, for example, the shang ujj. sacrifice, which is mentioned in B3176 of the Menzies Collection: % JL i. V f. a tik> % i. feU \3 %.% v On the hsin-yu day, the king divining [the proposition]: Lady X will give birth to a child. The king prognosticating said "It is greatly auspicious." It was the ninth month. We happen to offer a cooked-meat sacrifice to Ancestor Hsin. 1 By examining the cyclical dates mentioned with the shang sacrifice, it is possible to draft a table showing the days on which this, or other sacrifices, to various ancestors were performed.