20. The Character of Xuci as Seen in the Oracle Inscriptions

Abstract

Based on a careful analysis of the words hui and wei in the oracle inscriptions, the author comes to the conclusion that they are most naturally explained as grammatic particles (xuci). Hui should be interpreted as highlighting that which is the main interest of the inquiry. Wei is very similar in meaning and grammatic function, but not in nuance of connotation; while hui is “closely connected with the manner of affirmation” and occurs mostly in divinations of a positive nature, wei tends to occur in a context of negation and inauspiciousness.

The distribution of the two particles through the inscription record, however, is uneven: hui scarcely occurs in the oracle bones of Tung Tso-pin's Period II, while wei is virtually absent in Periods III and IV. Yet continuous developments of meanings can be traced throughout the epigraphic record -- including the oracle bones from Anyang and Zhou yuan as well as the bronze inscriptions. Wei by Period V has developed into a marker of words of time reference. Shang xuci are more restricted than later ones both in their range of occurrence and in their implied meanings.