良渚文化琮、璧的“权”“衡”功用及其纹饰的天文蕴意

Liangzhu Culture's Cong and Bi as Measurement Units and the Astronomical Connotations of Their Decorations

良渚文化玉琮是“权”(秤锤),玉璧则是可以度量长度的“尺”,其他玉器如玉璜等,都曾作为度量衡的标准器物。度量衡在重量、长度、容积方面的确定性要求,使这类器物成了“瑞信”和权力的象征。由于上古度量衡的确定与律历紧密相关,而律历的产生关乎天上的北极星。北斗九星是古时的北极,所以北斗第四星名权星,第五星名玉衡,北斗斗杓也称玉衡;斗柄口的玄戈、招摇两星又名“天蜂”,这天上的“大蜂”是权、衡,也是北斗的象征。良渚文化玉琮上的上下两个神面(兽面)纹,既非猪纹,也非鸟纹,而是蜂纹。后世器物上所谓的“蝉纹”,或是蜂纹之误。

In Liangzhu culture,the cong symbolizes the quan(a balance or scale),while the bi serves as a ruler for measuring length.Similarly,many jade artifacts,such as huang,were utilized as measurement units.The precision requirements of measurement units concerning weight,length,and volume elevate these artifacts to royal tokens and symbols of power.The determination of ancient measurement units is intricately linked to the lunar calendar,whose origin can be traced back to the Big Dipper.In ancient times,there were nine stars in this constellation,with the fourth named the Quan star and the fifth Yuheng(the same as the name of the"bowl"of the Dipper).The two stars at the Dipper's"handle",Xuange and Zhaoyao,are referred to as the"heavenly bees",representing the quan and the heng as well as the Dipper.The two divine/animal faces on Liangzhu's cong depict patterns not of pigs or birds but of bees.The so-called"cicada patterns"on later artifacts may actually be a misinterpretation of the bee patterns.