用英語說中國的商朝

　　只有掌握好方法自己的學習方法，自然能提高自己的英語水平。小編在此獻上用英語來了解中國的文化，希望大家喜歡。　　

　　用英語說中國商朝：Agriculture 農業

　　Despite being agriculturalist, the Shang had rather primitive implements.

　　儘管已經進入農業社會，商朝人民仍使用較為原始的工具。

　　The productivity of the Shang Dynasty reached a relatively high level.

　　商朝的生產力達到了一個相當高的水準。

　　As far as agriculture was concerned, farm implements had been improved.

　　就農業而言，農耕工具已經得到改進。

　　Stone ploughs; spades and sickles were widely used.

　　石犁、鐵鍬和鐮刀被廣泛運用。

　　The primary crops included millet and wheat.

　　基本的作物包括粟和小麥。

　　More important, the Shang Dynasty thrived in the manufacture of bronze vessels.

　　更重要的是，商朝在青銅器皿的製造上蓬勃發展。

　　用英語說中國商朝：Oracle Bones 甲骨文

　　Oracle Bones is an ancient script carved on tortoise shells or animal bones.

　　甲骨文一種被雕刻在龜殼或動物骨頭上的一種古代文字。

　　Having emerged during the Shang Dynasty B.C.1600—B.C.1000, Oracle Script is considered the oldest script in China.

　　甲骨文起源於商朝公元前1600年至公元前1000年，是中國最古老的文字。

　　During the Shang Dynasty, the ancients reckoned the natural elements as the exertion of some mystical power.

　　商朝時期，古人猜測一些自然元素是某種神祕力量的施展。

　　When there were floods, drought, lightning and thunder, or some big events, like royal hunts, journeys and military campaigns, through divination, ancients would predict the future by “reading” the messages of nature.

　　當遇到洪水、乾旱、閃電和雷鳴亦或是一些重大事件例如皇家狩獵、旅行、軍隊作戰時，通過占卜，古人們可以從“解讀”自然資訊從而預知未來。

　　The divination performer first drilled holes on tortoise shell or a piece of bull scapula, then put it over fire.

　　占卜者首先在龜殼或者一片肩胛骨上鑽洞，然後將其置於火上炙烤。

　　Since the shell or bone would crack irregularly under heat, the diviner could supposedly interpret these cracks as good or bad omen.

　　因為受熱，龜殼或骨頭會不規則的裂開，占卜者以此來解讀這些裂紋為好的徵兆或者不詳之兆。

　　All the dates and results of the divination were written down on the shells or animal bones, which became the earliest historical document with writing symbols.

　　有關占卜的日期和結果都會被記錄在龜殼或者動物骨頭上，這也就成為了最古老文字元號的記錄。

　　In 1899, a mandarin of the Qing Dynasty 1644—1911 A.D. found in his doctor's prescription a kind of medicine called dragon bone.

　　1899年，一位清朝1644-1911官吏在其醫生開具的處方中發現了一味被稱作龍骨的藥。

　　When he studied it, he noticed that it actually was a tortoise shell with some odd pictures carved on it.

　　他著手研究並發現這其實是一種刻有古老圖形的龜殼。

　　The mandarin then sent his men to collect dragon bones in all herbal medicine shops and had them examined by historians.

　　這位官員命令他的部下在所有中藥鋪中搜集這味中藥並將其送到史學家那裡檢查。

　　Finally, over our thousand different Chinese characters were found on these bones and shells, which had been used to record divination facts.

　　最終，超過一千個不同的中國文字從這些曾經被用來記錄占卜的龜殼和骨頭上被發現。

　　These special dragon bones are now referred to as oracle bones.

　　這種特殊的龍骨就是現在人們口中的甲骨。

　　Now, over 100 000 pieces of oracle shells or bones have been unearthed from the ruins of the Shang Dynasty at Anyang in Henan Province, which was the latter capital of Shang Dynasty 3 000 years ago.

　　如今，在河南安陽，這個3000年前商朝舊都，已經有超過10000片刻有甲骨文的龜殼或者骨頭從商朝的廢墟中出土。

　　Though smaller in number, additional discoveries of oracle script in Shangcheng in the neighborhood of Zhengzhou offer valuable insights into the study of the Shang Dynasty.

　　此外，人們在鄭州周邊城市商城有了一些額外的甲骨文發現，雖然數量較小，但仍為商朝的研究提供了一些有價值的觀點。

　　用英語說中國商朝：Battles of Muye 牧野之戰

　　The Battle of Muye or Mu牧野之戰was fought in China in 1046 BC.

　　牧野之戰與公元前1046年在中國發生。

　　The battle led to the end of the Shang dynasty, and the beginning of the Zhou dynasty.

　　這場戰爭導致了商朝的滅亡和周王朝的開始。

　　The Zhou dynasty marks the beginning of the feudal phase of Chinese history.

　　周朝標誌著中國封建社會歷史的開端。

　　By the 13th century BC, Shang influence had reached what is now Gansu Province, a region that was occupied by a people known as the Zhou.

　　公元前十三世紀，商朝的勢力範圍擴大到了今天的甘肅省境內，而甘肅正是周文王姬昌的領地，

　　King Wen Ji Chang, the ruler of the Zhou, who was a Shang vassal, was given the title "Count of the West" by the king Di Xin of Shang.

　　姬昌是商朝的諸侯，被商王帝辛敕封為西伯侯。

　　Di Xin used King Wen to guard his rear while he was involved in a south-eastern campaign.

　　彼時帝辛忙於東南戰事，故用文王守衛自己的後方。

　　Shou Xin, fearing King Wen's growing power, imprisoned him.

　　受辛畏懼文王日益成長的力量，將其囚禁了起來。

　　King Wen's son King Wu Ji Fa led the Zhou in a revolt.

　　文王之子武王姬發領導周朝民眾，發起了對商朝的反抗。

　　King Wu led an army of 3 800 Shang defectors. Di Xin's army was much larger than Wu's.

　　武王領導著一支由3800商朝叛逃者組成的軍隊，而帝辛的軍隊則遠遠多於武王。

　　Seeing his army outnumbered, Wu instructed his troops to march in strict formation and advance slowly.

　　意識到敵眾我寡，武王指揮其軍隊以嚴格的隊形緩慢行軍。

　　The Shang began their attack in the morning, but the front rank was thrown into confusion, disordering those behind them.

　　商朝於清晨發動進攻，但先行部隊陷入混亂，使得後方部隊也混亂渙散，

　　The Zhou were victorious and showed little mercy to the defeated Shang, shedding enough blood “to float a log”.

　　最終武王贏得了牧野之戰，對於戰敗的商朝軍隊沒有絲毫憐憫之情，血流遍野足夠讓木頭漂浮。

　　After the battle, Di Xin committed suicide in his palace, leaving Wu master of most of the Huang He valley.

　　戰敗後，商王帝辛自焚與鹿臺，使得武王一統黃河流域。

　　Wu proclaimed the Zhou dynasty.

　　此役過後，武王昭告天下，建立周朝。

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