The Variorum Of The Desposition Of Babo Yu And Some Concerning Studies

In 2009, a bronze ware which is carved a long inscription interior was excavated in a mausoleum of the Western Zhou Dynasty in the grand estuary area in Yi city in Shanxi province. The inscription is a record which concerns on Bin Li in the Western Zhou Dynasty and which can mutually confirm and support records of Bin Li in Western Zhou Dynasty in extant documents such as Zhou Li,Yi Li and Zuo Zhuan.Since it has been unearthed, it draw a wide range of attention from researchers and scholars because it replenishes the insufficiency of extant primary sources. This paper is a study on the inscription of Babo Yu. On a basis of previous studies, this paper focuses on combing the meaning of the inscription and supplying an exploration of Bin Li in the Western Zhou Dynasty. It is divided into three parts. First, it is a literature review on Babo Yu including confirmation and translation of those ancient Chinese characters appeared in the inscription, pauses of the inscription and also a gathering of previous discussion on Bin Li concerning Babo Yu. Second, it is about the variorum of the desposition of Babo Yu which is the main part of this paper. It aims to collect and combine all previous studies and analyze their strengths and weaknesses to help provide a more comprehensive and dependable study and a new point of view to try to shed some light on future studies. At last, it is an investigation on Bin Li reflected in the Babo Yu. This paper gives an elaborate explanation on Bin Li in the Western Zhou Dynasty by clearing up the variorum and meaning of the inscription and also sorts out historical evidences in Zuo Zhuan and Guo Yu to support the inscription. Besides, comparing Bin Li in the inscription of Babo Yu with Bin Li in Zhou Li and Yi Li, a further discussion on the historical value of Babo Yu is provided in the end of this paper.