| Abstract |
This article seeks to investigate the sentence pattern of “X receiving divine help from Y” in oracle bone inscriptions in which both X and Y represent ordinary referents. Accordingly, the inscriptions in which X refers to deities are excluded from the scope of this article. It firstly challenges scholars’ conventional wisdom of substituting X and Y with the terms indicating campaign expeditions and deities when they interpret this sentence. This article then argues that the word “shou” in the target sentence implies “receiving,” and that the pattern “receiving divine help from Y” can only be a single-object sentence. Besides, the part “divine help from Y” forms an attributive-centered structure implying that the divine help was given by Y. Moreover, given “divine help” is a transferable possession, the target sentence should be interpreted as “X received the divine power possessed and transferred by Y.” Based on the friend-foe relationship and the rules drawn up by Paul L-M Serruys, this article finally identifies whether the augurs assumed the stance of X or Y.
|
