The second most commonly used preposition in the archaic language is 自 zì (we have already encountered this word in another meaning - "himself", "personally").
In a certain sense, 自 zì is a semantic pair with the preposition 于 yú: if one of the meanings of the latter is the final point of movement or other action associated with movement, then 自 zì indicates the starting point of this movement (in space or time):
步于商 bù yú shāng "to go to Shang";
步自商 bù zì shāng "to depart from "Shang."
At the same time, there is a significant difference in the use of the prepositions 于 yú and 自 zì.
The preposition 于 yú, under certain conditions (when there is no direct object before the indirect object standing in postposition to the predicate), can be omitted without affecting the meaning.
The preposition 自 zì, under the same conditions, cannot be omitted. Therefore, the indirect object answering the question "when?" stands in its usual place (before the subject) without a preposition; A similar complement answering the question "starting from what time?" is used in the same position, necessarily with the preposition 自 zì:
今歳我受年 jīn suì wǒ shòu nián "Will we get a harvest this year?"
自今歳我受年 zì jīn suì wǒ shòu nián "Will we get a harvest starting from this year?"
In cases where it is necessary to outline the chronological or spatial framework of a particular action, in archaic Old Chinese, a construction is used that includes both prepositions 自 zì and 于 yú.
The first feature of this construction is the use of the notional word 至 zhì "to reach", "to arrive" before 于 yú.
Its second feature is that the sentence member formed by this construction usually occupies its usual place - before the subject (an indirect object denoting the time of the action) or after the predicate (an indirect object with the meaning of place).
This construction is translated into English as the phrases "from... to", "starting with... and ending," etc.
自今至于癸亥王求 zì jīn zhì yú guǐ hài wáng qiú "Will Wang pray [for rain], starting from today and ending on Guihai day?"
求自上甲至于中丁 qiú zì shāng jiă zhì yú zhōng dīng "Pray [to the ancestors], starting from Upper Jia and ending on Middle Ding?"
The preposition 于 yú in this construction can sometimes omit:
自今至己酉雨 zì jīn zhì jǐ yǒu yǔ "Will it rain from today until Ji-yu day?"
An indirect object with the meaning of time of an action, expressed by the construction 自... 至于 zì... zhì yú, should be distinguished from an adverbial modifier of duration of an action.
The construction analyzed above indicates the time frame within which a particular action can take place, i.e., it answers the question "from what time until what time?" Therefore, the sentence 自今至己酉雨 zì jīn zhì jǐ yǒu yǔ does not say that it will rain all the time during the specified time period, but that it may rain at some point within the specified chronological limits.
To indicate the duration of an action, in archaic language, an adverbial modifier is used, which occupies a position before the predicate:
旬雨 xún yǔ "It will rain for a decade."
The leaders of tribal associations classified as "lands" and subject to the supreme authority of the Yin Wang received special titles from him—a unique symbol of their status in the Yin coalition system.
Three such titles are found in inscriptions: hou 侯 hóu, bo 伯 bó, zi 子 zǐ.
As a general rule, the leader's personal name comes after his title (see 1.8): 侯虎 hóu hǔ, etc. Sometimes, however, more complete titles are found, including two proper names (for example, 而伯龜 ér bó guī). In these cases we have an indication of which tribe is headed by a particular leader of such and such a rank (in this case, Gui, the leader of the Er tribe of the rank of bo). Finally, the title can often be omitted: 洗震 xǐ zhèn "Zhen [tribal leader] Xi," etc.