商、西周青铜器凤鸟纹考

The Studies of the Phoenix Bird Decorative Patterns Engraved on Bronze Wares in the Shang and Xizhou Dynasties

商、西周青铜器其纹饰种类繁多,但以玄鸟为祖先的商人为什么没能在商青铜器上大量铸有以凤鸟纹为主题的纹饰,而不是以玄鸟为祖先的西周人却极大地发展了以凤鸟纹为主题的纹饰。青铜礼器多是祭祀之器,商周人观念认为要沟通人神,必须要依靠民间有异能者,即巫觋,而巫觋通天地要依靠一定媒介,动物就成为最早的媒介。而商人以玄鸟为祖,其祖神合一的观念就决定了鸟不可能担当媒介物,故凤鸟纹为主题的纹饰不可能大量出现。而西周祖先起源上有鸟类的护佑,其祖先又不是玄鸟,故而在商人基础上大量出现和发展。

There are a great variety of decorative patterns engraved on bronze wares in the Shang and Xizhou dynasties.Why,however,can＇t the Shang dynasty cast a large number of phoenix bird decorative patterns,which are the main decorative designs on the Shang bronze wares？ The Xizhou people have developed phoenix bird decorative patterns as a main decorative design.They consider that bronze sacrificial vessels are most probably made for sacrifices.Based on the Shang people＇s concept,in order to unite people,it is necessary to depend on people with different abilities.Furthermore,to depend on a certain intermediary,the animal becomes the earliest intermediary.The Shang ancestors＇ integration concept makes it impossible for a bird to serve as an intermediary.Therefore,the phoenix bird decorative pattern appears on the Shang bronze wares.