Editor's note: What does the earliest "China" look like? Henan is one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. Are there any unknown stories about it? To exploring the origins of Chinese civilization, we are launching a special column: The Development of Civilizations. Starting from Henan, let's discover the charm of Chinese civilization.

編者按：最早的“中國”是什麼樣子？河南作為中華文明發展曆程的重要起源地

，還有哪些不為人知的曆史故事
？大河網開設融媒專欄《“源”來如此》，沉浸式解讀中華文明的起源。讓我們一起跟隨“探源人”的講述，從河南出發，感受華夏文化的獨特魅力！

Do you know what did "news" look like more than 3,000 years ago?

你知道3000多年前的新聞長什麼樣嗎？

Oracle bone that records acrash of a king in the Shang Dynasty

該甲骨記錄了商王遭遇“車禍”的場景

Look at this oracle bone with unique inscriptions above that not only give a complete picture of a crash of a king in the Shang Dynasty, but also have some literary overtones.

如上圖所示
，這塊甲骨的卜辭與其他甲骨有明顯不同，不僅完整而生動地記錄了商王遭遇“車禍”的場景
，而且還具有一定文學色彩。

The inscriptions read, a Shang king predicted through divination that he would be in trouble within ten days. A few days later, the king went out to hunt rhinos. As predicted, the carriage in which he was riding struck a rock so hard that it overturned with the broken axle. An attendant named Ziyang also fell from the carriage.

卜辭中說：癸gui巳si日ri，商shang王wang通tong過guo占zhan卜bu
，預yu測ce到dao十shi天tian之zhi內nei可ke能neng會hui有you災zai禍huo發fa生sheng。沒mei想xiang到dao幾ji天tian後hou
，商shang王wang外wai出chu狩shou獵lie，乘cheng坐zuo的de馬ma車che撞zhuang上shang了le石shi頭tou，導dao致zhi車che軸zhou斷duan裂lie

，發fa生sheng了le翻fan車che事shi故gu。一yi位wei名ming叫jiao子zi央yang的de隨sui從cong，也ye從cong車che上shang跌die落luo。

Pic 2 圖二

Pic 3 圖三

See the details of Pic 2. The stroke representing the transverse axis of the carriage is obviously broken. Pic 3 is another symbol of "carriage", which is written upside down, indicating that the carriage has overturned. So, aren't these inscriptions vivid?

圖二中的甲骨文是個“車”字。通過仔細觀察可以發現
，表示車軸部分的筆畫有明顯斷裂。圖三所示的“車”字
，更是直接倒過來寫
，表示翻車。這樣看來
，是不是很生動？

They also contain the five news elements: when, where, who, why and what.

這片甲骨所記錄的內容
，恰巧符合新聞的五要素，即何時、何地、何人、何因及何事。

However, unlike the news people read today in newspapers and on the Internet, those inscriptions were carved on "turtle shells and ox bones", and mainly were records of divination activities of the royal family of the Shang Dynasty.

不過與我們今天寫在報紙、網絡上的新聞不同，甲骨文的載體為“甲骨”
，而且主要內容是殷商王室占卜的記錄。

Oracle bone inscriptions

甲骨文

According to The Book of Rites, "The Shang people worshiped ghosts and gods, and always serve them first." They were known far and wide for their keenness on ritual divination. No matter how big or small the affair was, the Shang people must first pray to gods before taking actions. Only after learning of good fortune or bad luck, did they decide whether to start or not. So, those oracle bones which recorded the divination results of political, economic, military and social affairs can help decipher ancient China.

《禮記》中記載：“殷人尊神，率民以事神，先鬼而後禮。”商(shang)人(ren)熱(re)衷(zhong)於(yu)祭(ji)祀(si)占(zhan)卜(bu)，可(ke)以(yi)說(shuo)是(shi)遠(yuan)近(jin)聞(wen)名(ming)。上(shang)到(dao)國(guo)家(jia)大(da)事(shi)，下(xia)至(zhi)私(si)人(ren)生(sheng)活(huo)
，他(ta)們(men)在(zai)做(zuo)事(shi)之(zhi)前(qian)
，一(yi)定(ding)要(yao)先(xian)求(qiu)神(shen)問(wen)卜(bu)
，在(zai)得(de)知(zhi)吉(ji)凶(xiong)禍(huo)福(fu)後(hou)
，才(cai)決(jue)定(ding)做(zuo)還(hai)是(shi)不(bu)做(zuo)。於是，大量記載當時政治、經濟
、軍事、社會生活等方麵內容的甲骨文，也成了解讀中國的遠古密碼。

As the place where oracle bone inscriptions were discovered, Yin Ruins undoubtedly plays a significant role in exploring the origins, formation and development of Chinese civilization. So far, around 160,000 pieces of oracle bones have been found at Yin Ruins with over 4,500 individual characters identified.

作為甲骨文的發現地

，殷墟無疑是實證中華文明起源、形成和發展中濃墨重彩的一筆。目前，殷墟發現甲骨約16萬片，單字4500多個。

No. YH127 oracle bone pit

YH127甲骨窖穴

Oracle bone inscriptions are the earliest Chinese script with a developed writing system. Therefore, they are important in many research fields such as philology, history and geography.

甲骨文是迄今為止中國最早的且具有完備體係的文字。因此
，也是語言文字學、曆史學、地理學等多種學科的重要原始資料。

Oracle bone inscriptions, with natural lines, reflect the thoughts of ancient Chinese people on nature, and undertake the mission to pass down the Chinese characters to future generations through the artistic shapes outlined by each stroke.

甲(jia)骨(gu)文(wen)
，以(yi)自(zi)然(ran)的(de)線(xian)條(tiao)，記(ji)錄(lu)著(zhe)遠(yuan)古(gu)先(xian)民(min)的(de)所(suo)思(si)所(suo)想(xiang)
，以(yi)及(ji)對(dui)自(zi)然(ran)事(shi)物(wu)的(de)細(xi)微(wei)洞(dong)察(cha)，透(tou)過(guo)一(yi)筆(bi)一(yi)劃(hua)所(suo)勾(gou)勒(le)出(chu)的(de)藝(yi)術(shu)形(xing)狀(zhuang)，向(xiang)後(hou)世(shi)傳(chuan)達(da)文(wen)字(zi)的(de)曆(li)史(shi)使(shi)命(ming)。

Different fonts of Chinese characters

漢字的不同字體

The various forms of Chinese calligraphy are in the same vein across China. Judging from the approximately 1,500 characters that have been decoded so far, oracle bone inscriptions resemble structurally modern Chinese characters, from which the calligraphy art in later generations evolved.

中國的書法藝術一脈相承。從目前已經識別的大約1500個單字來看，甲骨文已經具備了現代漢字結構的基本形式，後世書法用筆

、結體、章法等規律，也是在甲骨文的基礎上發展起來的。

From the elongated style of seal scripts in the Qin Dynasty, the symmetrical structure of official scripts in the Han Dynasty, and the charm of standard scripts in the Northern Dynasty, we can still see the shadow of oracle bone inscriptions.

從秦代篆書縱長的體式、漢代隸書對稱的結構、北朝真書率真的韻味中
，依然能夠窺見它們與甲骨文之間千絲萬縷的聯係。

“河南” in oracle bone inscriptions

“河南”二字的甲骨文寫法

With more than 3,000 years of evolution, the structure of Chinese characters has remained the same until today, inheriting and carrying forward the Chinese quint essence. The ancient oracle bone inscriptions will continue to inspire creativity with their profound cultural heritage. With the blessing of science and technology, the vivid lines of the earliest writing system ever found in China have become "alive", giving us a glimpse of China thousands of years ago.

曆經3000多年的演變承續
，漢字結構保留至今

，傳承著真正的中華基因。如今，古老的甲骨文依然以其深厚的文化底蘊不斷激發新的靈感。在科技加持下
，這套迄今為止中國發現最早的成熟文字係統中富有變化感的線條“活”了起來，讓我們有機會一睹數千年前華夏曆史生活的圖景。

This is how civilization developed. Here is one of the oldest Chinese civilizations.

“源”來如此，這裏就是中國最古老的文明之一。

策劃：魏劍 李錚

統籌：李敬欣 張培君

執行：婁恒 趙漢青 範昭

文案：周金淼 李東寶

出鏡：李東寶 楊佳欣

影像/製作：馬紹坤

海報：胡瀚澤

特別鳴謝：中國文字博物館 安陽殷墟景區

編輯:郭同歡