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12.

No new statistics has been collected since Lo's second publication of his [[underlined]] Yin-hsü shu-chi k'ao-shih [[/underlined]].  It is obvious that the types of queries with which the diviners in the Shang Dynasty were most concerned are those concerning sacrifice, hunting, travelling and weather. Some students of sociology have taken this as evidence showing that the Shang people were still in the nomadic stage. We shall come to this point in a later chapter; but it seems to be a fairly well-established fact anyhow that hunting constitutes one of the important items in the king's life.

It is interesting to compare the above list with those given in [[underlined]] Choi-li [[/underlined]] and [[underlined]] Po-fa hsiang-k'ao [[/underlined]] ([[Chinese characters]]); one represents the Chou Dynasty and the other represents the Han Dynasty and its after.

Types of queries to be consulted on the oracle bones.

List given in Choi-li | List given in Po-fa hsiang-k'ao for the Han Dynasty(also [[underlined]] Kuei-t'se lieh-chuan[[/underlined]])
1. Military expedition. | 1. Starting a trip or not
2. Heavenly phenomena. | 2. Hunting
3. Gift. | 3. Arresting robbers.
4. Deliberation(on matters of doubt). | 4. Waiting for thievs.
5. Success of undertakings. | 5. Thieves coming or not.
6. Arrival of expected friend. | 6. Meeting bandits or not.
7. Raining. | 7. Crops
8. Recovery from illness.  | 8. Raining or not.
    | 9. Sky clearing.
    | 10. Illness
    | 11. Epidemic.

Transcription Notes:
Needs Chinese characters in one place.