Research on the Prognostications of the Oracle Bone Inscriptions during Wu Ding Era: Cases of the Shi Group, Bin Group, Chu Group, Li Group, and Hua-Dong Group

一條完整的卜辭，其內容大致包含敘辭、命辭、占辭、驗辭、兆序、兆辭、用辭與孚辭等。雖然甲骨正、反面皆有刻寫卜辭的情形，但歷來卜辭研究多以刻寫於正面的命辭為主，背面刻辭（如占、驗辭）常被忽視，以致許多卜辭不能得到完整的理解。本文分為六章，第一章介紹研究動機、範圍、方法與文獻回顧。第二章、三章，分別針對師組、賓組、出組、歷組、花東子組的卜辭之占辭作文例研究。第四章對帶有占辭的卜辭作事類整理，並聚焦於氣象、軍事、奴隸逃亡、生育卜辭等幾個帶有特色的占辭上作重點討論。第五章對占、驗辭的關係作進一步的對應，並指出由於占辭的敘述模式導致真正與驗辭完全背離的占斷頗為少見。第六章則綜合前幾章的研究成果，並提出相關結論。This thesis focuses on patterns of textual usage (wenli文例) in oracle bone inscriptions, and deals with the arrangement and classification of oracle bone prognostications (chan-tz’u占辭) during the reign of Emperor Wu Ding 武丁 (ca. 1250 B.C.-ca.1150 B.C.) An oracle bone inscription usually consists of a preface (敘辭), a charge (命辭), a prognostication(占辭), and a verification (驗辭). Sometimes it is difficult to comprehend the inscription because of the omission of one or more elements. However, the systematic analysis of prognostications allows for much improved interpretation of these difficult inscriptions. Chapter two and three discuss the inscriptions’ patterns of textual usage, including grammatical structure and inscription placement, as well as analyzing differences between the employment of scapulas and turtle shells. It also compares the king’s divination inscriptions (王卜辭), such as the Shi group, Bing group, and Chu group, with the prince’s divination inscriptions (非王卜辭) of the Huadong group. Chapter four classifies the themes of these prognostications during the Wu Ding era, which include sacrifice, meteorological occurrences, harvest, warfare, and childbirth. Chapter five analyzes the relationship between prognostications and verifications, and shows that due to the structure of the prognostications, instances in which the verification greatly differs from the prognostication are extremely rare. Chapter six offers a conclusion in regard to the above discussions