Traditionall, Chinese histroy begins with a series of sage-kings, said to have reigned in the latter part of the third millennium B.C. It is the uncritical acceptance, both by Chinese and Westerners alike, of the stories about these men, that has created the erroneous widespread impression regarding the excessive antiquity of Chinese civilization. Today, however, scholars are generally agreed that these sage-kings are little more than mythical figures, and that the stories about them are the idealized inventions of a much later period. The historical existence of China's first dynasty, the Hsia, is likely uncertain, though it may some day be confirmed by future archaeology.
中国古代历史传说历来由约三千年以前的圣王尧舜禹等开始。长期以来，中外知识界对这类传说都没有质疑，由此造成中国历史异常悠久的印象。今日，中国史学界已经取得一致的见解：有关古代圣王的传说，是后人编造出来的故事，那些圣王充其量也只是神话中的人物。中国历史中的第一个朝代——夏朝也难以确定，只有等待将来考古学的发现来予以认证。
With the Shang dynasty, however, we reach firmer historical ground. Its capical, which has been partially excavated, has yielded an abundance of inscriptions carved on bones and tortoise shell. It is these inscriptions that were prepareed in conjunction with the method of divination described in chapter twelve.
历来认为继夏朝之后的商朝，其历史证据较为充分。商都的一部分已经发掘出来，出土了一大批刻在甲骨上的文字。这批甲骨文就是本书第十二章谈到的卜辞。
2018-11-25 Chinese history 夏商
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