Ms. Kimball History- 6th Grade Week 7 5/18 - 5/22

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Ancient Chinese Writing By Emily Mark, Ancient History Encyclopedia, adapted by Newsela staff on 07.28.17 Word Count 826 Level 970L

Opening detail of a copy of "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" (A.D. 353) by Wang Xizhi (A.D. 303-361), handscroll, ink on paper. Photo by: Palace Museum, Beijing, China/Wikimedia.

Ancient Chinese writing first developed during the Shang dynasty. The Shang family ruled China from 1600-1046 B.C. The writing that developed during this time came from how Chinese people used bones for seeing into the future.

Some scholars say that markings found on pottery in Ban Po Village are evidence of an earlier writing system. The pottery dates back to 4500-3750 B.C., long before the Shang dynasty. Other scholars argue that these markings were just used to show that people owned certain things. These experts say it wasn't an actual written language. The majority of scholars today agree that Chinese writing developed during the Shang dynasty.

The development of writing in China had a significant effect on the culture. The government came to rely on written records. People also expressed their thoughts and feelings through writing, resulting in some of the greatest literature in the world.

Oracle bones

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Ms. Kimball History- 6th Grade Week 7 5/18 - 5/22 Oracle bones were the bones of oxen or the shells of turtles, that were carved with marks. The ancient Chinese were very concerned with knowing the future and would go to diviners for help with making decisions. The diviner would carve the person's question into the bone. Then the diviner would heat it with a hot poker or place it near a fire. The heat would crack the bone. The diviner would then interpret the lines of the crack to answer the person's question.

An example of this might be whether the king should go hunting on a certain day. The diviner would carve the name of the king asking the question and the date the question was asked. The diviner would also carve the topic of the question (Hunting) and the specific question (Should king ___ go hunting tomorrow). The bone would then be heated and the lines of the crack interpreted. Afterward, the prediction would be carved into the bone (Yes, the king should go hunting tomorrow).

Later, the verification that the prediction was correct (King went hunting and was successful) would also be carved into the bone. Oracle bones were consulted by everyone in the Shang period.

During the Zhou dynasty (1046-226 B.C.), which followed the Shang dynasty, oracle bones were replaced by another form of divination. This form was known as the I-Ching (The Book of Changes). In this method, the person with the question would throw sticks onto a table. The diviner would use a written text of hexagrams (six-pointed stars) to interpret the meaning of the pattern made by the sticks. With both oracle bones and the I-Ching, people believed that the spirits of their ancestors were communicating directly with the diviner.

Evolution of script

From these early beginnings, Chinese script evolved. These scripts were:

Jiaguwen: The earliest form of writing on Oracle bones, used around 1600-1000 B.C. This script was pictographic. The carving inscribed on the bone represented an object that had a bigger meaning. Example: If one wanted to write "Should the king go hunting tomorrow?" one would carve an image of the king with his bow and sunrise.

Dazhuan: Known as Greater Seal script, developed around 1000-700 B.C. This was also a pictographic script, but it had many more characters and was more refined. The images were inscribed on bronze and wood.

Xiaozhuan: Known as Lesser Seal script, developed around 700 B.C. It is still in use today. This script was less pictographic and more logographic, meaning the symbols represented concepts themselves, not objects. Example: If one now wanted to write "Should the king go hunting tomorrow?" one would carve the image for the king and the sign which represented "hunting" and "tomorrow."

Lishu: Known as Clerky Script, was developed around 500 B.C. As the name indicates, the script was first used by clerks who kept records for the government. The script was later used extensively during the Qin dynasty (221-206 B.C.) and the Han dynasty (206 B.C. - A.D. 220).

Its legacy

Most of the scripts that developed elsewhere in Europe and Asia were phonetic. In a phonetic script, each symbol, such as "A," represents a sound, not a concept.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Ms. Kimball History- 6th Grade Week 7 5/18 - 5/22 It is accidental that the Shang developed a logographic script (symbols for concepts) rather than a phonetic script. This accident, however, had important consequences for the way Chinese civilization developed. Mastering the script was difficult, and those who became expert in it became part of an elite group who possessed rare skills.

However, this led to class divisions. Those who could read and write were considered more important than those who could not. This lasted until A.D. 1949. That year, military leader Mao Tse Tung took over China and simplified Chinese writing to try to make society more equal.

Chinese script was adopted by Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. It also influenced other Asian nations. Having a written language allowed China and these other nations to not only to communicate and keep records but also to create some of the most important works in world literature.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Ms. Kimball History- 6th Grade Week 7 5/18 - 5/22 Quiz

1 Read the section "Oracle bones."

Which sentence from the section BEST supports the idea that spiritual practices drove the creation of writing in China?

(A) The ancient Chinese were very concerned with knowing the future and would go to diviners for help with making decisions.

(B) An example of this might be whether the king should go hunting on a certain day. The diviner would carve the name of the king asking the question and the date the question was asked.

(C) Oracle bones were consulted by everyone in the Shang period.

(D) During the Zhou dynasty (1046-226 B.C.), which followed the Shang dynasty, oracle bones were replaced by another form of divination.

2 Which sentence from the article BEST supports a central idea of the article?

(A) The pottery dates back to 4500-3750 B.C., long before the Shang dynasty.

(B) The diviner would carve the name of the king asking the question and the date the question was asked.

(C) In this method, the person with the question would throw sticks onto a table.

(D) Most of the scripts that developed elsewhere in Europe and Asia were phonetic.

3 Which paragraph in the section "Its legacy" BEST supports the idea that the script developed in China was very different from the script developed in other places?

4 Read the detail below from the article.

Example: If one now wanted to write "Should the king go hunting tomorrow?" one would carve the image for the king and the sign which represented "hunting" and "tomorrow."

How does this detail develop a CENTRAL idea of the article?

(A) It shows that kings were interested in going hunting.

(B) It shows that kings were concerned about going hunting at a good time.

(C) It shows how writing a question about a king going hunting changed from period to period.

(D) It shows that the first writing was about a king going hunting.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.