试论花东子卜辞的“子”当为武丁之子

A Preliminary Discussion on the Identif ication of “Zi” in the Huadong Group of Oracle Bone Inscription as Wu Ding’s Son

殷墟花园庄东地甲骨卜辞属于非王卜辞,其中出现最多的男性祖先称谓是“祖乙”和“祖甲”。整理者认为“祖乙”即同期王卜辞中的“祖乙”(中丁之子、祖辛之父)“,祖甲”则是祖乙之子沃甲(羌甲),从而推断花东子卜辞的主人“子”很可能是沃甲的后人。但不少研究者已经指出,这个推断与花东子卜辞中所见对祖甲和祖乙的致祭顺序有矛盾,并对“子”的身份提出了几种与整理者不同的意见。本文通过分析花东子卜辞的称谓系统,尤其是通过对称“祖乙”为“毓祖”的分析,结合花东子卜辞所反映出的“子”与武丁的特殊亲密关系,考定“子”是时王武丁的子辈,而且当是亲子。

Most of the Fei Wang group of inscribed oracle bones and scapulae found at the Eastern Locus at Huayuanzhuang in Yinxu name the main ancestor as “Zu Yi” or “Zu Jia”. The cataloguers identify this “Zu Yi” as the same person named in the contemporary Wang Group of inscriptions, namely the son of Zhong Ding and the father of Zu Xin, while “Zu Jia” is identified as Zu Yi’s son Wo Jia (or Qiang Jia). Thus the character “Zi” in the Huadong group of inscribed oracle bones is identi ed as the descendant of the oracular “protagonist” (zhuren) Wo Jia. Yet a number of researchers have already demonstrated that this deduction introduces an inconsistency between the sacrificial procedures adhered to for Zu Jia and Zu Yi in the Huadong Zi Group of divinations, and they interpret the identity of the “Zi” di erently from the cataloguers. The author di ers with all the interpretations of “Zi” advanced to date, and through an analysis of the naming conventions and terms of address in the Huadong Zi Group, especially the terms “Zu Yi” and “Yu Zu”, shows that there is an especially intimate connection between the persons “Zi” and “Wu Ding” mentioned in the Huadong Zi group, and concludes that “Zi” is a reference to the generation below King Wu Ding and that the Zi must in fact be the king’s own son.