商周彝铭中“嗣子”和作器者的关系

Relations between ＂Si Zi＂ and the Commissioners of Shang and Zhou Bronzes

商周铜器中出现的铭文，“传遗后世子孙”，一般是针对作器者和受器者的全部后代子孙而言的。但是，在有些特定的场合，作器者所作之器并不能为受器者及其全部子刊、后代所接受，而只是为受器者及部分特定的后代所接受，那是因为受器者的身份必须是“嗣子”。本文研究的就是“嗣子”和作器者的关系问题。

Generally speaking, bronze inscriptions on Shang and Zhou bronzes were intended for all the descendants of the vessel commissioner and receiver, so as to ＂hand down the vessel to later generations＂. Nevertheless, sometimes the bronze vessel was handed down only to the receiver and certain members of his descendants, because the receiver must be a ＂st zi＂. This paper discusses the relations between ＂st zi＂ and the vessel commissioner.