ardent; earnest; deep and sincere

eagerly attentive; politely and warmly helpful toward others

thriving and well-to-do; financially substantial or rich in resources

To be particularly attentive to someone to win their favor; to fawn over an influential person or act with excessive kindness toward someone attractive

dark red; deep blackish red

Ruins of the capital of the late Shang dynasty, located in present-day Anyang, Henan province; a UNESCO World Heritage site famous for the discovery of oracle bones and bronze artifacts.

earnest; sincere; attentive and solicitous, especially regarding feelings or expectations

The Shang Dynasty, specifically the period after the capital moved to [[殷墟|殷墟|yin1 xu1]] in modern Henan province around 1300 BC.

well-off; having an abundance of wealth and resources

The lessons of history are not far to seek; used to say that one should take warning from the failures of those who came before.

(literary) examples of past failures that serve as a lesson for the future; a historical warning. Derived from the "Book of Odes" line "The warning for the Yin dynasty was not far off, it was in the time of the Xia kings."

Yindu district of Anyang city, Henan Province

Yindu district of Anyang city, Henan Province

A nickel-iron alloy with a very low expansion coefficient, typically used in precision instruments like clock pendulums or measuring scales; also known as [[铟钢|銦鋼|yin1 gang1]].

dark red; crimson; deep red with a dark or blackish tint

to look forward to something with great eagerness; to await expectantly

The people live in plenty and the country is prosperous; used to describe a state of general peace and economic abundance.

(literary) urgent; pressing; numerous; great in number

(idiom) deep suffering or profound anxiety can inspire a person to wisdom and enlightenment; similar to the English proverb "storms make oaks take deeper root"

François Xavier d'Entrecolles (1664-1741), a French Jesuit missionary to the court of Emperor Kangxi who is known for reporting the secrets of Chinese porcelain manufacture to Europe

one who is unaccountably solicitous is likely hiding evil intentions; literally, 'one who offers favors for no reason is either up to no good or trying to steal something'

to have high hopes; to look forward to with great eagerness or earnestness

The writing system used on turtle shells and animal bones during the Shang dynasty for divination; commonly referred to as [[甲骨文|甲骨文|jia3 gu3 wen2]].

A seminal academic work by scholar Luo Zhenyu, first published in 1914 and revised in 1927, which provides systematic decipherment and research of oracle bone inscriptions from the late Shang dynasty. The book is divided into eight sections covering topics such as the capital, emperors, personal names, geography, characters, divination records, ritual systems, and divination methods.

divinatory inscriptions on oracle bones from the late Shang Dynasty ruins

the ancient Chinese script found at the ruins of the Yin capital, carved on tortoise shells and animal bones during the late Shang Dynasty

The writing or carving on tortoise shells and animal bones used for divination during the Shang dynasty. Also known as [[甲骨文|甲骨文|jia3 gu3 wen2]].

(literary) deep concern or sorrow; heavy anxiety

Refers to the three ministers of the late Shang (Yin) Dynasty who were praised by Confucius for their virtue and integrity: [[微子|微子|wei1 zi3]], [[箕子|箕子|ji1 zi3]], and [[比干|比干|bi3 gan1]]

(literary) prosperous and abundant; well-off; flourishing

thriving; flourishing; abundant

thriving, wealthy, and crowded with people

multitudinous; numerous; abundant