Chinese Black Jade Confucius Ritual Immortality Amulet "Bi" Disk w/Translation

Description

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
Artifacts, Antiques, & Fine Collectibles
Chinese Black Jade “
Xuanji”
Ritual
Celestial
“
Bi
” Disc
Confucius Ritual Celestial Portal to the Heavens (
Tian
)
"
Four Books and Five Classics
" of Neo-Confucian Tradition
English Translation Provided of Ancient Symbols
Zhou Dynasty
c. 1027 BC—221 BCE
“The Fundamental Virtue of Confucianism, as Written in the Four Books and Five Classics,
is to Love One Another on Earth, and the Soul will Continue to Live Forever.”
~English translation
of this disk
provided by WDH, President of Ancient Civilizations
NOTE:
William D. Houghton, the President of ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
, a State of Washington Licensed Business,
assumes all responsibility for the information contained in this description and for the English translation and transcription of the ancient Chinese graphic characters.
Furthermore, I prohibit the further dissemination of this information in any written, video, or electronic format without my expressed, written approval.
Thank You!
SUMMARY
This Jade Immortality "Bi" Amulet measures approximately 3.1” (79 mm) in diameter x .77” (19 mm) thick and weighs 4.0 oz (112gr) of highly prized old Nephrite Jade.
No chips, cracks, repairs, or restorations. Only minor surface scratches, calcification, and differential weathering.
This amulet was professional cleaned in China by the previous owner.
Please see macro photos as they are part of the description. Thank You for looking!
This ceremonial, Celestial Jade Amulet is a ritual Astronomical and Philosophical Disk (
Hsuan Chi
or
Xuanji
in Chinese) and dates approximately to the Late Zhou Dynasty 1027 BC to 221 BC, specifically the
Spring and Autumn Period
of ancient China. Its swirling shape suggests that of the spinning Milky Way Galaxy and the continuity of Confucianism, particularly the "
Four Books and Five Classics
" of the Neo-Confucian tradition. Similar examples of collared “Bi” discs can be found on display at the Jinsha Site Museum in the northwestern part of Chengdu, China, and in other major museums.
And the jade disk has an inscription of two, large, ancient characters incised in the front (obverse) side that are that is over 4,000 years old.
There is one, exceedingly small, 6mm character pecked onto the inner, collared rim that appears to be is a fierce, Fire-Breathing Dragon who is calling out to the Heavens and the Ancestors that the prayers for the departed be heard!  AMAZING!!
In addition, there is another set of exceedingly small, 6mm characters pecked onto the outer rim of the reverse side of the
Bi
.
These pictographic characters appear to show a kneeling man who is offering prayers to the Ancestors. Above and to the left of the man in my photos, is the character for ritual wine being poured on a bed of grass that would then be burned so the rising smoke would carry the prayers of the man to the Ancestors in Heaven.
DETAILS
This Jade Amulet measures approximately 3.1” (79 mm) in diameter x .77” (19 mm) thick and weighs 4.0 oz (112gr).
While the center hole that symbolizes Heaven (
Tian
) measures about .82” (21mm) inside diameter
This religious Jade Disk, called a “
Bi
” in Chinese and pronounced “BEE,” is in the shape of a Chinese ritual Water Wheel (
Xuanji
in Chinese) and dates approximately to the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China.  It combines Chinese culture with the religion and philosophy of Confucianism.
And it also symbolizes the celestial shape of our spinning galaxy and the stars in the night sky.
It has the period correct uniform bore-shaped holes and two pictographic characters. (S
ee below for details
)
The black nephrite jade disk shows natural pitting and differential weathering from its burial in damp soil for thousands of years. This black jade amulet has the unique property of also being slightly magnetic, a property caused by the iron imbedded into the jade.  The use of magnetic, black jade to create special amulets is unique among the Neolithic Chinese people.
Ancient Chinese astronomers carefully charted the Heavens for clues to the future of life and events on Earth.  This ritual, jade disk is believed to have been a precious religious and/or ceremonial object that was an offering to the Ancestors of the deceased and to Confucius in hopes that they would guide the soul of the deceased into eternal life in Heaven.  The precious jade disk also allowed them to communicate their prayers to the Ancestors that would affect their daily lives.
Jade artifacts like this one were usually buried in royal tombs with the deceased or presented as offerings to the Ancestors in above ground tombs.
The notched disk is thought to represent stars in the Heavens and the flow of water.  The ancient "
Shu Ching
" says it is the instrument for observing the constellations and that this jade instrument can be rotated when viewing the Heavens.
The central hole on the collared disk was seen as a window to the Heavens, Ancestors, and Gods (“
Shên
” in Chinese). This disk served as an oracle or portal to one’s Ancestors in Heaven, in Chinese “
Tian
.”  This amazing jade disc also features three, deep notches on four sides of the outer edge of the amulet and symbolize the Three Powers of “
Heaven, Earth, and Man
” or “
San
” in Chinese.
The three, parallel lines can also represent the light from the three stars of Orion, “
Shen
.”
ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF SYMBOLS & CHARACTERS
NOTE:
William D. Houghton, the President of ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS, a State of Washington Licensed Business, assumes all responsibility for the information contained in this description and for the English translation and transcription of the ancient Chinese graphic characters.
Any translation errors are unintentional and strictly mine.
When this jade disk was professionally cleaned in China to remove some of the excessive earthen deposits, it exposed two ancient symbols and characters that were cut into the jade, and several smaller characters that were incised and pecked into the surface.
The two characters on the front of the disk each measure about 10mm and 15mm tall.  The two characters are not in columns or rows, but rather are shown opposite each other around the center hole—the portal for the prayers to enter Heaven.
·
The character on the right that looks like the letter “A” is the form of the character “
Jen
” (which means “a man”, but in this case with the two parallel lines, it means
“
The fundamental virtue of Confucianism to love one another.
It is the benevolence that must link each man with his neighbor.”
It can also mean mutual or reciprocal respect for one another.
{See photo # 2. Wieger pgs. 28 & 7s.}
·
On the left side of the center hole is the compound character that looks like an “
X
” is the Chinese character “
Wu
.”
The “X” symbolizes the five elements, which is composed of the four sides and the center.
The two strokes above and below the “X” represent Heaven and Earth and the two Chinese principles of
Yin
and
Yang
. In addition, the number “Five” also refers particularly to the famous cannon of Confucius called the “
Five Classics
" of the Neo-Confucian tradition that were considered canons that had to be memorized for the imperial exams.
(See photo #3. Wieger p.107)
In addition to the two large characters, there are additional symbols cut into the jade and several much smaller characters pecked onto the both the front and back sides of this Bi.
·
The round hole in the center represent Heaven (
Tian
in Chinese), and this
Bi
would have symbolized a portal for to raise their prayers to
Tian.
·
On the outer edge of the Bi, the four sets of cut edges represent the “
Four Books
” of the Neo-Confucian tradition that along with the “Five Classic” books had to be memorized by all imperial employees and literati from the Ming to Qing Dynasties.
·
There also appear to be several other characters on both sides, the edges and even of the inside walls of the center hole.
This was common during this time period and the characters were only meant for the eyes of the Ancestors and the gods, as human eyes were not worthy to read them.
In context, a rough, expanded translation of these characters on this
Bi
could be as follows:
“The Fundamental Virtue of Confucianism, as Written in the Four Books and Five Classics,
is to Love One Another on Earth, and the Soul will Continue to Live Eternally.”
This jade offering, along presumably with flowers and prayers, were clear offerings to the power and philosophical teaching of Confucius and those of pre-Qin Dynasty of China.   Experts suggest that Confucius and the Ancestors were looking with benevolence at these offerings and other sacrifices that were presented as offerings to honor them, so that they may help the soul of the departed into the next world of immortality.
NOTE:  This object is unconditionally guaranteed authentic. It has been legally imported to the United States., and is legal to sell and own under U.S. Statute Title 19, Chapter 14, Code 2611, Convention on Cultural Property.
ANCIENT CHINESE JADE
Jade offerings were highly prized by these early civilizations in China, and were thought to have positive energy to drive away evil spirits and bring good luck and fortune to all who wore a piece on their person—in life and in death.
Jade was also believed to be a portal or messenger that could carry prayers to Heaven and send messages to those on Earth from departed ancestors and Gods in Heaven.
In ancient China, jade “
Yù
” was so revered that the character for jade “
玉
” is almost identical to the one for king or emperor “
王
” with just that tiny dot added on the lower right side of the character.
The dot represents a jewel and that is why jade was only meant for the upper-class and royal families.
Ancient Chinese jade offerings were always made of green nephrite and not the more modern jadeite.
In ancient times, jade was particularly difficult to work without metal tools, and had to be polished by means of abrasive powders, grinding and milling, a process that involved intense effort as well as a real expertise and a great deal of time to craft only with primitive hand tools.
As many of you know, Nephrite jade, also known as “soft jade” or “ancient Jade” in China, was used from China’s early Neolithic cultures in 8,000 BC to 1800 AD for carving all types of ritual and utilitarian items.
Nephrite, which is somewhat “softer” than the jadeite used by Neolithic Japanese and European cultures, was easier to cut, carve, polish, and drill than jadeite.
So, the ancient Chinese found that Nephrite Jade could be worked by using quartz or garnet sand, polished with bamboo or jade dust, and even drilled with bone drills that used a slurry made of jade dust and water as the abrasive.
Jade (called the “
Stone of Heaven
” by the Chinese) is priceless.
Testifying to how much the Chinese are fond of jade is this time-honored proverb: “
Gold may have a price, but jade is priceless.
” The value of gold can be determined by measuring its weight. Not jade. The value of a piece of jade is “assessed” by taking numerous factors into account. For example, the luster, purity and color, the sound it produces when struck, and when the jade piece was discovered or when and where a jade artifact was produced can affect a piece’s value.
REFERENCES:
·
The Ancestral Landscape
, David N. Knightley, 2000
·
Chinese Characters,
Dr. L. Wieger, S.J.
·
The Great Bronze Age of China
:
An Exhibition from the People’s Republic of China
, edited by Wen Fong, 1980
·
Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
·
Ancient Chinese Warfare
, Ralph D. Sawyer, Mei-chün Sawyer
·
Archaeology
, Archaeological Institute of America, Feb/March 2015
·
Shanghai Museum, China
·
Museum of Chinese History, Beijing, China
·
National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
·
British Museum
·
Smithsonian Museum, Sackler & Freer Gallery, WDC
RESEARCH
I have carefully examined this ancient jade amulet and I GUARANTEE it to be original and authentic! I’ve looked under 10x magnification under both natural and Black Light and I can find no signs of any modern tool work or repairs. The hand tool marks left in the jade by the master stone artist who carved, shaped, and engrave this work of art appear to be consistent with those marks of other ancient jades I have examined.
Each object I sell is professionally researched, translated (if I can...(smile), and compared with similar objects in the collections of the finest museums in the world. I have been dealing in fine antiquities for over 45 years and although certainly not an expert in every field, I have been honored to appraise, buy, collect, and enjoy and recently sell some of the finest ancient art in the world. When in doubt, I have worked with dozens of subject matter experts to determine the condition and authenticity of numerous antiquities and antiques. This careful examination helps to insure you are buying quality items and helps to protect your investment. There are many modern reproductions or "fakes" on the market today, so be sure and buy only from experts in the field.
Please examine the macro photos taken indoors carefully, as they are part of the description.
The stand and AA battery are not part of the auction, just included to give you a better perspective.
And please ask any questions before you buy.
Per e-Bay's rules, PayPal only please!  THANKS!
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