Before the invention of papermaking, the carriers of writing were diverse. For example, stones, pottery pieces, animal bones, turtle shells, silk veils, bamboo pieces and so on. With the development of the times, oracle bones are no longer used, stone carvings are inconvenient to carry, and silk is expensive, so before the popularization of paper, Jian Mu became an important carrier for people to record events. As the writing carrier of China's ancient script, Jian Mu began in the Spring and Autumn Warring States or earlier, flourished in the Qin and Han Dynasties, declined in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and has been used for more than a thousand years, which is a brilliant stroke in the history of Chinese writing.
The difference between Jane and Mu
Jane and Mu are often read together, but there is a certain difference in their shape. In the Shuowen, it is recorded that "Mu, shubanye", that is, wooden and bamboo boards used for writing. A board can write several lines, wider than Jane, and a Jane can generally write only one line. The production of Jian Mu generally requires four steps: preparation, chip solution and scraping, killing (glue solution), and weaving.
The materials used to make Jian Mu are generally locally sourced, of which bamboo is the most extensive. In general, bamboo is the main thing in the south and wood in the north. The main materials are: moso bamboo, bitter bamboo, rigid bamboo, short spike bamboo, fir, spruce, pine, water willow, poplar, woolly poplar, reed and so on. After selecting the material, use a wood saw to intercept the material of the required size, and then use axe, knife, cutter and other tools to break and scrape the bamboo wood, so that the jane meets the specifications, keeps its width and flat, and is easy to write.
After the tablets are dissolved, they are grilled on the fire to make it lose moisture and solidify the organic matter in the bamboo, this step is called killing, and baking plays a role in preventing beetles and easy to ink books. Wood Jane should also be dried, generally coated with a layer of glue on its surface, and the ink does not penetrate when writing. To deal with the simple book, it is necessary to compile the series, and the simple book is generally compiled into a book by silk or hemp, or a bundle of bundles. As few as a few, as many as dozens, depending on the content. The rope is generally two, three, and as many as five. There is no rule on whether the pamphlet should be written first and then edited later, or whether it should be written first and then written later. Generally, long articles are written first and then written, and accounts and notes are written first and then edited.
Jane's discovery
During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, Jian Mu was not yet discovered, but during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Jian Mu was already widely used. The Jian Mu of the Warring States period is the earliest period of Jian Mu found in China, and during this period, jian mu was concentrated in Hubei, Hunan and Henan in the Yangtze River Basin. In March 1978, a total of 240 pieces of bamboo were excavated from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Suizhou, Hubei Province, which is the earliest physical object of Jian Mu in the current archaeological discovery age in China. This brief records the carriage and horse ware and the weapons and equipment on the carriage, which is of great research value for the study of the relations between Zeng and Chu in the Warring States period, as well as the carriage and horse system and the funeral system.
In 1975, it was excavated from a late Warring States Qin tomb in Yunmeng Sleeping Tiger Land, Hubei Province. The content is a family letter written by The Soldier Hef and Shock in the Qin Army. This is the earliest physical family letter found in China, dating from the twenty-fourth year of the Reign of the Qin Dynasty (223 BC). The Yunmeng Sleeping Tiger Di Qin Jian's "Rishu Thief" records the divination documents of who the thief is, his physical characteristics, and where the stolen things are hidden. Its twelve earth branches are immediately followed by an animal, which should belong to the same system as the popular zodiac signs of later generations, and are the earliest records of the zodiac signs.
There is a similar record in The Book of The Sun in Tianshui, Gansu Province. In March 1986, a total of 460 pieces of bamboo were excavated from the Qin Tomb no. 1 in Tianshui Fangmatan, Gansu. 7 wooden map. The content is mainly the "Book of The Day" and the chronicle documents, which are important documents for the study of the society, ideology, culture and historical geography of the Qin State. The map depicts mountains, rivers, passes, roads, and place names. The topography is a map of the administrative area of Qin County (present-day North Shuishi District) in the Warring States period.
In 1914, Luo Zhenyu and Wang Guowei co-authored "Quicksand Falling Jane", which incisively examined and studied the Dunhuang Han Jian unearthed in the early twentieth century, and its results were beyond the reach of scholars in the East and the West at that time, and it is still the foundation work of modern Jian Shu Studies. The existence of Jian Mu allows us to understand the details of the life and operation of the ancients, let us check and fill in the gaps, and supplement or correct some historical materials, Jian Mu is a precious material for studying ancient history, is our precious cultural heritage.