VIII. JADE AMULETS OF THE DEAD 



Dr. Bushell has introduced into Chinese archaeology the term 

 "tomb jade" on which he remarks (in Bishop, Vol. II, p. 102; also 

 Chinese Art, Vol. I, p. 145): "The term tomb has been adopted as a 

 synonym of the Chinese word han, which originally meant "placed in 

 the mouth" of a corpse before burial, was afterward extended to include 

 all jade objects buried in tombs in ancient times, and ultimately em- 

 ployed, with a yet wider signification, to comprise all old jades dug up 

 from the ground, whether lost during floods or earthquakes, or purposely 

 buried in times of famine or rebellion. So our "tomb jade" is to be 

 taken as a synonym of the term han yii of the Chinese archaeologist in 

 the widest sense of the term." 



This terminology, however, is a debatable subject. I should not 

 be so small-minded as to take issue with Dr. Bushell on a mere term- 

 question, but, as it means much more than this and has a large bearing 

 on this whole subject, I am forced to state my opinion as briefly as 

 possible. It seems to me that the definition of Bushell is due to a 

 misunderstanding on his part of his Chinese informants. It is true 

 the modern Chinese concerned with the archaeology of jade frequently 

 speak of Han yii, but this always and invariably means "jade of the 

 Han dynasty." It never means, however, the word han (Giles 

 No. 3821) "to place in the mouth of a corpse" or "the jade amulet placed 

 on the tongue of the dead" which Bushell had in mind. This word is 

 not in colloquial use, is indeed exceedingly rare in literature and only 

 known to men of a thorough literary education. It is, as I may vouch- 

 safe from a long personal experience, entirely unknown to the people 

 of Si-ngan fu who always designate these objects as ya-she ("pressing 

 the tongue"); but these same people have a lot to say about Han yii, 

 and this expression exclusively means that a given piece of jade, whether 

 wrought or un wrought, is the peculiar kind of jade particularly used in 

 the Han period. Thus, e. g., the rough water-worn jade pebble illus- 

 trated on Plate I, Fig. 1, is a Han yii; the bell on Plate LIII, though 

 carved in the K'ien-lung period, is called a Han yii because the jade 

 material is identical with that of the Han period; it is not Turkistan 

 or Burmese jade, but a bowlder accidentally found on the soil of Shensi, 

 probably in a river-bed, during the eighteenth century. This one 

 example is conspicuous in showing that Bushell's definition of tomb- 

 jades is beset with grave danger, for the unsophisticated collector 

 receiving such a piece from Chinese hands with the mark Han yii would 



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