Bao Yi of Shang
| Bao Yi 匚乙 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruler of Predynastic Shang | |||||||||
| Predecessor | Shang Jia[1] | ||||||||
| Successor | Bao Bing | ||||||||
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| Father | Shang Jia[1] | ||||||||
| Bao Yi of Shang | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 匚乙 or 報(报)乙 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Bao II" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Part of a series on |
| Religion of the Shang dynasty |
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Bao Yi (Chinese: 匚乙; pinyin: Bào Yǐ)[a] was the tenth ruler of Predynastic Shang. Succeeding Shang Jia, he is regarded as one of the culture's Six Spirits (六示 (lìushì)). Veneration of him as an ancestral deity is recorded in oracle bone inscriptions, though little is known about his contemporary reign. He was succeeded by Bao Bing.
Name
Bao Yi is consistently written as 匚乙 in Oracle Bone Script,[2] where 匚 is pronounced as bào rather than fāng. In this scenario, it refers to a bao ritual sacrifice (e.g. 匚于河 - To perform a bao sacrifice to the river deity He).[3] Keightley (1986) argues that, based on inscriptional evidence, the Heavenly Stem 乙 used in Bao Yi's name implies descent from a federation of the second of ten patrilineages, linked through marriage and consanguinity.[4] It could also correspond to the day in which sacrifices are made to him.[5]
In Records of the Grand Historian, Sima Qian writes Bao Yi as 報乙; 報 is a synonym in this case, as both 匚 and 報 carry the same Shang ritual meaning.[1][3]
The name Bao Yi itself is a posthumous name applied to the individual; it is not necessarily the name the individual used in life, and the name was given based on the year in which his reign began; yi 乙 is one of three common stems, the others being ding 丁 and jia 甲.[6][7] The name bao is somewhat disputed, with Didier (2009) positing that the name may have actually been kou 口.[7]
In oracle bone inscriptions
Bao Yi predates the Late Shang where extant oracle bone inscriptions begin, and thus no oracular inscription is contemporaneous. All mentions of Bao Yi are therefore in cases of ancestor veneration.
The "Three Baos"
Within Shang dynasty religion, Bao Yi is placed as one of the "Three Baos" 三匚, the others being Bao Bing and Bao Ding.[8]
Occasionally, the Three Baos are sacrificed to as a group entity, often alongside the "Two Shis", Shi Ren and Shi Gui:
三匚二示卯王祭于之若有正[9]
As for the Three Baos and Two Shis, would the Ruler dismembering individuals as sacrifice guarantee their approval and verification?
Shang Jia may also be included, such as in the following scenario:
三匚二示暨上甲𫹉王受祐 吉[10]
If the King performs the ritual of pouring wine for the Three Baos, Two Shis, and Shang Jia, will we receive their protection? Result: Auspicious!
In Records of the Grand Historian, Sima Qian ordered the Three Baos incorrectly; Bao Ding, Bao Yi, then Bao Bing. This error was noticed and corrected by Wang Guowei upon reviewing oracle bone evidence; this was among the first instances of oracle bones being cross-referenced with received texts and confirmed that the names Sima Qian described were legitimate, but that the order was wrong.[11] The error is noticeable upon referring to the order of the Heavenly Stems, as in the correct order, this is followed: 报乙 (Bao 2)、报丙 (Bao 3)、报丁 (Bao 4), which are also used to refer to the days in which sacrifices to each past ancestor are conducted.
Sacrifices
Each sacrifice made to Bao Yi, unless made as part of a sacrifice to the "Three Baos," was made on an yi day, corresponding to the temple name used for him.[12][5] For example:
乙丑卜旅貞王賓匚乙彡無尤在七月[13]
On the yichou day, Lǚ divinated. Test: If the ruler performs a bin ritual for Bao Yi, and does a rong sacrifice, will there be no misfortune in the seventh month?
Bao Yi is typically shown to receive modest sacrifices of oxen; for example:
X貞王賓匚乙歲一牛無尤[14]
(someone) divinated. Test: If the ruler performs a bin ritual for Bao Yi and sui-sacrifices an ox, will there be no misfortune?
Notes
- ^ Also written as simplified Chinese: 报乙; traditional Chinese: 報乙
References
- ^ a b c Sima, Qian. "殷本紀". In Sturgeon, Donald (ed.). 史記 (in Literary Chinese). Chinese Text Project.
契卒，子昭明立。昭明卒，子相土立。相土卒，子昌若立。昌若卒，子曹圉立。曹圉卒，子冥立。冥卒，子振立。振卒，子微立。微卒，子报丁立。报丁卒，子报乙立。报乙卒，子报丙立。报丙卒，子主壬立。主壬卒，子主癸立。主癸卒，子天乙立，是为成汤。
- ^ Wang Guowei 王國維. "《殷卜辭中所見先公先王考》存". In Xi Zhe 晞輒 (ed.). 王國維集 (in Chinese). pp. 440, 441. ISBN 9787511376015.
- ^ a b HUMANUM (20 June 2017). "漢字甲骨部件分析" [Multi-function Chinese Character Database]. 漢語多功能字庫 (in Chinese). Hong Kong: The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 12 February 2026. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
甲骨文讀作「報」，是一種祭名，《合集》14522：「㞢（侑）匚（報）于河」，意謂對河神進行侑祭和報祭。[...] 又用作祖先名，《合集》32349：「三匚」，即「三報」，指三個殷朝的先公之名，是報乙、報丙、報丁的合稱。
- ^ Keightley, David N. (1986). "Kingship and Kinship: The Royal Lineages of Late Shang". Early China. 9 (51): 65–68. doi:10.1017/S0362502800003187.
- ^ a b Wu 吳, Junde 俊德 (2016). "商王日名來源析辨" [Analysis of the Origin of the Name of the King of Shang]. 儒學研究論叢 (in Chinese). 7. Taiwan: 83–109.
- ^ Nivison, David S. (January 1999), The key to the Chronology of the Three Dynasties: The "Modern Text" Bamboo Annals (PDF)
- ^ a b Didier, John C. (2009). "In and Outside the Square: The Sky and the Power of Belief in Ancient China and the World, c. 4500 BC – AD 200". Sino-Platonic Papers (192). Victor H. Mair.
- ^ 甲骨文合集 Heji 32384
- ^ 甲骨文合集 Heji 27083.2
- ^ 小屯南地甲骨 2265.4
- ^ Wang, Guowei (1917). 戬寿堂所藏殷虚文字考释 [Yin Ruins characters collected from Jiashou Temple] (in Literary Chinese). Shanghai: 圣倉王氏.
- ^ "先秦甲骨金文簡牘詞彙庫". inscription.asdc.sinica.edu.tw. Archived from the original on 2026-02-04. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
- ^ 甲骨文合集 Heji 22688.2
- ^ 甲骨文合集 Heji 22690.2