中子化盘铭文别释

Different Interpretation on Zhongzihua Plate Inscriptions

中子化盘过去通常被归入东周楚国之器,但疑问甚多。本文通过分析,提出另一种解释,认为该盘之年代或为两周之际,铭文中的"保楚"当读为"保胥",与它器所见的"楚(胥)保"一样,为同义复合词,可训作"辅助"、"辅佐"等义,"用保楚王"是指辅佐周王。西周晚期,中氏的族居地在岐周一带,该族为当时的一个中级贵族家族,且其族姓为姬姓,可能属"周公之胤"的同氏之分支,而盘的主人"中子化"应该就是两周之际该宗族组织的某一代首领。所以,中子化盘乃王朝贵族器物,似与南方楚国无涉。

Zhongzihua Plate were thought to be Chu State＇s object, Eastern Zhou Dynasty. However, the paper gave us another interpretation by claiming it belonged to the Late Western Zhou to Early Eastern Zhou Period. Inscriptions like ＂bao chu＂ should be ＂bao xu＂, similar to ＂chu（xu） bao＂ on other ware, meaning ＂assisting＂, ＂yong bao chu wang＂ means ＂assisting Zhou Emperor＂. In late Western Zhou Dynasty, Zhong family lived around Qizhou, who was a middle class aristocrat family surnamed ＂Ji＂, probably affiliated to ＂zhou gong zhi yin. The owner of this plate should be a captain.