刀？剑？叶？

都不对！

这个字其实是甲骨文中的“蠢”

A video posted by Li Ying, a graduate student from Zhejiang Normal University who majored in oracle-bone inscriptions, one of the oldest forms of Chinese writing, went viral recently as she roasted how unpopular the major is.

图源：抖音@李右溪

Li first became fascinated by oracle-bone inscriptions while studying linguistics in university and pursued her interest earnestly.

然而，毕业后的她才发现，自己学的专业“居然已经快成绝学了”。李莹在视频中“吐槽”，学校唯一研究甲骨文的老师即将退休，如果学校一直招不到研究甲骨文的老师，那么这个专业可能也会没了。

However, after graduating, Li discovered that her chosen field of study was becoming increasingly rare, with only one professor at her university who specialized in oracle-bone script who was about to retire. If the university continued to be unable to recruit new professors in this field, the subject might soon become extinct.

Despite the situation, Li remains committed to her love of these mysterious characters, and has taken social media to share her passion with the world. She has posted a series of videos explaining the origins and uses of oracle-bone inscriptions, attracting thousands of viewers.

图源：抖音@李右溪

图源：抖音@李右溪

In her videos, Li guides her viewers through the history of the Chinese language and shares stories about the ancient origins of Chinese culture, all through the study of oracle-bone inscriptions. Her videos are both educational and entertaining, making the subject accessible and interesting to a broad audience.

图源：中国青年报

“最离谱的是，有网友问我的毕业论文是不是用甲骨文写的。”李莹表示。

前有“破译一个字奖励10万元”引发网友热议，现在又是冷门到快成“绝学”让人直呼离谱。那么，让人们百思不得其解的甲骨文究竟什么来头呢？

The oracle-bone inscriptions were the earliest known Chinese writing carved on tortoise shells or animal bones. They are a primitive form of Chinese characters and the oldest fully-developed characters in China.

图源：视觉中国

早在3000多年前，中国河南省的安阳市曾是商王朝的一个重要都城——殷。

很长一段时间内，由于缺乏实物史料，商朝是否存在一直无法得到证实。而甲骨文的发现，才让商朝成为信史。

For a long time, the existence of Shang Dynasty could not be confirmed due to the lack of archeological evidence. Then in 1898, the discovery of the oracle-bone inscriptions finally made Shang a true Chinese dynasty.

很多甲骨文都是人们根据事物的某些特征创造的。目前，人们共发现了4500多个甲骨文单字，并破译2000个左右的常用字。

Oracle-bone inscriptions often capture the essential features of the things they represent. In total, more than 4,500 oracle-bone characters have been discovered and about 2,000 of them have been deciphered. 

甲骨文的科普视频看着有趣，背后却是不为人知的孤独与坚持。

李莹回忆自己最初学习甲骨文时，导师推荐她读《卜辞通纂》，并对她说：“把这本书看完你就算入门了。”自己花了两个月时间才勉强看完，大概了解了甲骨文释字的过程和思路。  

“一个人，一间屋子，一辈子”，她形容自己眼中甲骨文学者做研究的方式，很多学者都是“小小的办公室堆满了书”，然而“可能是99%的机械无用功才换来1%的突破”。

However, Li's passion for her subject has come at a cost. She describes the life of a researcher in oracle-bone inscriptions as lonely and isolated, with long hours spent in small offices surrounded by stacks of books.

With her videos being widely praised on social media, Li is more steadfast to use this contemporary method to promote oracle bone inscriptions. “We need more people to know the origin of these ancient characters and our Chinese culture. I want to use this method to inherit the ancient culture and pass it on to future generations,” Li says.

为往圣继绝学，需要强大的信念感。这个专业，你喜欢吗？

来源：人民网 中国日报 中国青年报 21世纪英文报