So far, we have dealt with definitions that are a single word. A definition can also be a phrase, which in turn can be simple or complex, i.e., incorporating another phrase. Archaic languages contain definitions expressed by phrases of various types. 1) A simple phrase with a subject-predicate relationship: 甫藉 fǔ jí "Fu cultivates" → 甫藉田 fǔ jí tián "the fields that Fu cultivates." 2) A simple phrase with a predicate-object relationship: 在萬 zài wàn "to be in Wan" → 在萬鹿 zài wàn lù "deer that are in Wan." 3) A compound phrase consisting of two simple phrases with different types of relationships: 甫藉 fǔ jí "Fu cultivates" (P-S), 在萬 zài wàn "to be in Wan" (S-D) → 甫藉在萬田 fǔ jí zài wàn tián "fields cultivated by Fu in Wan."
A direct object in an archaic language can be expressed not only by a word or phrase, but also by an entire sentence. Such a clause, functioning as a member of another sentence, is called "included." In English, it can be translated as a subordinate clause. Compare the following sentences: 于上甲求年 yú shàng jiă qiú nián "Ask for a harvest from the Upper Jia." 于上甲求王受年 yú shàng jiă qiú wáng shòu nián "Ask the Upper Jia for the king to obtain a harvest." In the first of these sentences, the direct object is expressed by the word 年 nián "harvest"; In the second, by the included sentence 王受年 wáng shòu nián "Wang will receive a harvest." 于小乙告馬方 yú xiăo yǐ gào mă fāng "Inform Little Yi about the Ma tribe." 于小乙告馬方于甲子出 yú xiăo yǐ gào mă fāng yú jiă zǐ chū "Inform Little Yi that on Jia Zi day the Ma tribe came out." In the first sentence, the direct object of the predicate "inform" is expressed by the phrase 馬方 mă fāng "Ma tribe"; In the second, the included sentence 馬方于甲子出 mă fāng yú jiă zǐ chū "On the day of Jia-zi, the Ma tribe set out," etc.
祖乙 "ancestor Yi"
小乙 “Small I”
父丁 “Father Dean”
婦鼠 “daughter-in-law of Shu”
Yin beliefs about unearthly powers reflect the societal relations that were characteristic of the Yin era. Just as a supreme ruler, the wang, reigns on earth, so in the other world there exists a supreme deity, the Heavenly Sovereign (帝 dì), who determines the destinies of people. According to Yin beliefs, the Heavenly Sovereign sent rain, thunderstorms, and wind to earth. He could "command drought" or grant people a harvest. Success in the construction of new cities and victory on the battlefield depended on him. He also sent happiness and sorrow, illness and recovery. However, like the wang on earth, the Heavenly Sovereign acted not himself, but through his assistants. These were the deceased kings who surrounded the Heavenly Sovereign, just as the king had been surrounded by the leaders of subordinate tribes in life. The deceased kings acted on the orders of the Heavenly Sovereign, and it was through them that the Yin could communicate with the otherworldly world. By informing their ancestors of the most important events in the Celestial Empire and offering sacrifices to them, the king could implore the Heavenly Sovereign for support in his endeavors. Human sacrifices (用 yòng), usually made with prisoners of war, played an important role in the king's ritual of communication with the souls of deceased ancestors. The king would traditionally meet a victorious commander returning from a campaign with trophies and prisoners at the temple gates, where the sacrifice would then be performed.