The oracle-bone inscriptions (jia gu wen) of the Shang dynasty, incised on either turtle shells (jia) or on the shoulder blades of ox (gu), represent the earliest known form of writing in China. Over 150,000 oracle-bone fragments were found at the Ruins of Yin near Anyang, when the site was excavated by archaeological teams since 1898.



Several classic scholars, including Luo Zhenyu, Wang Guowei, and Guo Moruo, worked on deciphering the inscriptions. The following are two pages taken from Guo Moruo's work.