孔院微课堂 | 兵马俑，中国古代文明的一张金字名片
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兵马俑，
中国古代文明的一张金字名片
（本文转载自《孔子学院》中英文对照版2022年第4期/总第74期）
秦始皇陵兵马俑是中国古代文明的一张厚重而靓丽的金字名片。它以恢弘的气势和精湛的工艺为世人还原了2200多年前的秦帝国风貌，是华夏文明乃至世界文明不可或缺的重要组成部分。
The Terracotta Army is iconic of the ancient Chinese civilization. With its awe—inspiring grandeur and exquisite craftsmanship, it brings the prestige of the Qin Empire back to life and proudly stands as an indispensable part of the Chinese and even global civilization.
1974年，陕西省西杨村的村民在打井的过程中意外发现了陶俑残片，让被掩埋了20多个世纪的地下军团重见天日。考古学家在陶俑的墓坑中发现了一柄铜戟，根据上面的文字记载推断出墓坑的主人正是大秦王朝的缔造者——秦始皇。
The mausoleum containing the Terracotta Army was uncovered in 1974 in Xiyang Village, Shaanxi Province when several farmers were digging a well. This unexpected discovery kicked off a journey to unearth the underground mystery, which had been soundly asleep for over 2,000 years. By decoding the texts carved on a bronze halberd, archaeologists managed to identify the owner of the mausoleum: Qin Shi Huang (259—210BC), the founder and first emperor of the Qin dynasty (221–206BC).
秦始皇陵兵马俑是秦始皇陵园的一部分，作为秦始皇的随葬品，以凸显墓主人的身份、地位和财富。中华民族非常重视丧葬文化，殉葬制度是丧葬文化的重要体现，早在殷商时期，就有用奴隶为奴隶主殉葬的记载。后来，人们的思想逐渐进步，统治者也意识到人力资源的重要性，这才慢慢用“俑”来替代人殉。所谓“俑”，就是用木头或陶土制成的人偶。
The Terracotta Army was built to accompany the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, demonstrating the identity, power and wealth of the patron. Funeral customs and traditions have always been a key element of the Chinese culture. According to ancient documents, slaves were buried alive with their deceased owners in as early as the Shang dynasty (1600–1046BC). It was not until much later, when people started to embrace humanitarian spirits and when the rulers began to realize the importance of human
resources, did ancient Chinese replace slaves with life—sized figures made of wood or clay.
秦始皇自13岁登基后便下令修建自己的陵墓，修建时长近40年，一直到他驾崩、入葬，陵墓都未能彻底竣工。秦始皇动用全国的人力、物力、财力，修筑了若干伟大的建筑，其中包括长城、阿房宫等。对于自己的陵墓，他更是耗尽心力。
Qin Shi Huang ordered the construction of his mausoleum when he took the throne at the age of 13. During his life time, he pooled together laborers, construction materials and wealth of the entire nation to build a few magnificent structures, including the Great Wall and the Epang Palace, so it was not inconceivable how peculiar he was about his own tomb. However, almost 40 years into the construction, Qin Shi Huang passed away before the construction was completed.
据汉代史学家司马迁记载，秦始皇曾招来70多万人专门在骊山修建陵墓，所以这群劳动者又被称为“骊山徒”。面对如此规模的制造工程、如此庞大的工匠队伍，管理者需要极强的管理能力才能高效地统筹、推进陵墓修建。皇陵的管理者是秦朝大将章邯，他用管控军队的方法管理骊山徒，大大提高了工作效率。同时，秦人还有问责机制，在每一尊陶俑上都刻下制作工匠的名字，如果出现质量问题，也方便追责到底。
According to Sima Qian (c.145—c.87BC), a Chinese historian of the early Han dynasty (206 BC–220AD), Qin Shi Huang summoned over 700,000 builders from across the nation to Lishan in Shaanxi Province for the construction of his mausoleum. It took a top-notch manager to efficiently lead such a big crew in such a large-scale project. Fortunately for Qin Shi Huang, his project manager was Zhang Han, a senior general in the Qin dynasty. Zhang adopted a military style of management, which markedly boosted the efficiency. He also held the craftsman accountable by carving their names on each of their works, so that in the case of quality problem, they knew who to find and punish.
陶俑的设计充分体现了写实风格，从已清理好的陶俑来看，这些陶俑几乎每一尊面部形象都不相同，无论是胡子、头发的样式，还是面部肌肉的走向、骨骼的起伏等，都体现出“千人千面”的特点，这些面部特征在如今的陕西人脸上仍有体现。
The design of the terracotta warriors is highly realistic. Every figure differs in its hairstyle, facial expression and other features, such as muscles, bones, and facial hair, many of which can still be seen in today’s Shaanxi locals.
多数兵马俑是有颜色的，不过由于环境变化、历史原因，很多兵马俑在出土之时便已少有色彩。实际上，一尊陶俑包含红、褐、蓝、绿、黑、白、黄、紫等颜色，再加上深浅浓淡的变化，兵马俑的颜色种类就有十余种之多。其中，紫色的出现更是令人称奇，这种颜色并非直接提取自矿石，而是人工合成的硅酸铜钡，这种一般被认为出现于20世纪80年代的技术，竟在中国秦代甚至更早的战国时期便已纯熟。
As a result of the erosion and humidity in the passage of time, most figures have lost their original color. But they had been painted in different shades of red, brown, blue, green, black, white, yellow, or purple in the first place. According to researches, the purple applied to the figures were not natural dye extracted from ores, but rather, synthetic barium copper silicate pigments. Before the discovery of the Terracotta Army, the technique of making this pigment had been thought to have matured in the 1980s, but the figures proved that the Chinese people had already mastered it in the Qin dynasty, or perhaps even earlier, in the Warring States Period (476–221BC).
秦始皇陵兵马俑坑一共有三个墓坑，三者并行，每一个墓坑都有着独特的排布规则，真实再现了秦代战争的战略布局。
The Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum contains three pits, and each was designed to have a unique layout. Together, they reveal the rigorous battle array of the Qin dynasty.
一号坑呈矩形，长230米，宽62米，总面积近似于两个足球场的面积，如今已发掘三分之一。该坑以步兵为主，中间穿插少量木质战车，两个军种共同组成了秦始皇的主力军队。在车战兴盛的殷商时期和春秋时期，步兵只是战车的附属。一直到战国时期，其地位才渐渐提高。战国以后的战车一改前朝笨重、宽大的外形，十分灵巧、轻便。这种轻型战车对地形的包容度更大，而且易于冲击，很适合突袭，可以趁敌方不备，打乱其阵型、破坏其战略、扰乱其军心。
Pit 1 is 230 meters long and 62 meters wide, about the size of two football fields. About a third of the pit has been unearthed. Contained in this pit are the main force of Qin Shi Huang’s army: a large number of infantry soldiers accompanied by a few wooden chariots. Back in the Shang dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Period (771–476BC), the infantry was a mere supplement to the chariots; it was not until the Warring States Period that the infantry gained the attention and was employed more often. Different from the previous clumsy, heavy chariots, the ones after the Warring States Period are lighter and more flexible. Such light vehicles can move around freely in different terrains, breaking apart the enemy’s formation, disturbing their strategy, and dampening their courage. Therefore, they are the best choice for an surprise attack.
先秦时期有一种非常典型的兵车阵型——鱼丽之阵，每辆战车乘载三名军士，居于队列前方，步兵则手握兵器，五人为一组，居于车马旁侧或后部，用以填充间隙，使整个队伍成为密不可分的整体。一号坑由若干个“鱼丽之阵”组合而成，体现了壮阔的整体之美。除了保留兵、车的站位，军队正前方还有一支不穿铠甲的队伍，这就是后世所称的“敢死队”。他们与步兵、车马相互配合，既能灵活应对敌军来袭，又可以发挥兵、车的战力，最大程度地保证秦军的攻击力。
A typical pre—Qin military formation is the “Yuli formation”. The chariots line up at the front, each containing three soldiers, and both next to and after the vehicles are infantry soldiers in groups of five, filling the gaps and making the formation an unbreakable whole. Pit 1 is made up by a few Yuli formations, impressing the visitors as a majestic unity. Right in front of the Yuli formation, there is a team of unarmored soldiers, known today as the “dare—to—die squad”, who moved around flexibly in an attack and cooperated with the soldiers and chariots behind to best preserve and unleash the power of the Qin army.
二号坑的面积约是一号坑的一半，其中的兵种更加复杂，包括弓弩手、战车驭手和骑兵三种。单是这里的战车就有80余乘，陶俑、陶马预计2000件左右。二号坑的阵型与一号坑有相似之处，但其东北部的角落里有一支由300多人组成的弓弩手方队，排在军队的最前方，弓箭手用手臂之力张弓射箭，属于轻装兵；弩机手依靠足部力量张弓，属于重型兵。不同的发力方式决定了弓弩手的姿势。弓箭手呈立姿，而弩机手则单膝跪地，所以弩机手又名“跪射俑”。
Pit 2, half the size of Pit 1, contains a more mixed war array, including archers, crossbowmen chariot warriors, and troopers. It is believed that there are over 80 chariots and around 2,000 solider and warhorse figures in this pit. The overall layout of Pit 2 is not much different from that of Pit 1, except for the rectangular array in the northeast corner. Consists of 300 archers and crossbowmen, this troop is heading the formation of Pit 2. This array is further divided into two groups: the standing, lightly-armed archers, and the kneeling, heavily-armed crossbowmen.
目前出土的跪射俑高120—130厘米，有的梳侧发髻，有的头发盘在脑后正中。他们身着铠甲，左臂置于左腿上，右臂弯曲，虎口微张，置于体侧。据专家分析，跪射俑的左手握住的是弩臂，右手则置于弩机上。他们左膝蹲起，右膝跪地，左足抵地，右足支起，这样稳定的结构能最大程度地保证射击的准确度，具有很强的写实性和科学性。
The unearthed kneeling crossbowmen are 120 to 130 centimeters tall. They have different hairstyles, with the cone bun on either the side or the back of their head. But they are all fully armored, kneeling with the right leg and squatting with the left. Though the original weapon was lost, the left forearm rested on the left knee, the right hand slightly away from the body, and the gripped palm suggest that they were the crossbowmen. This gesture is not mere imagination of the designers, but rather, came from close observation of the real soldiers. According to scientists, this is the most stable position that maximizes shooting accuracy.
三号坑的面积最小，约为一号坑的二十分之一，是一个独立的指挥中心，这意味着秦军将指挥团队单列，一方面保证了指挥官的安全，另一方面为观察战况做足了准备。正因如此，三号坑形似汉字“凹”，中间凹陷的部分是战车及其配套人员，两侧隆起的部分则排列了若干步兵，可以保护车架的安全。在三号坑南北两侧还有两个相对空置的空间，专家从此处发掘出铜钉、门楣等物品，推测这里可能悬挂帷布，作为指挥部而存在。三号坑出土的战车和一、二号坑不同，配有四名陶俑，军吏俑站在中间后侧，身着重型铠甲，手中持有一种适合自卫的小型武器——殳(shū)，同时它也常作为仪仗兵器而出现。军吏俑前面是驾车的驭手俑，两侧是两尊随车而站的车士俑。除了车马和兵俑，三号坑里还有用于占卜的物品，用于预测战事吉凶。
Pit 3 is the smallest, about 1/20 the size of Pit 1. The layout of this pit shows that the Qin army had an independent commander post. This design guarantees the safety of the military officers and facilitates observation of the battlefield at the same time. Viewed from above, the pit looks like the Chinese character 凹. At the bottom are the chariots and the military officer, and on the two sides are the guarding warriors. On both the northern and southern ends of the pit, there is a relatively empty space, where scientists dug out objects like bronze nails and door headers. The possibility of hanged cloth curtains suggests that this could have been the location of a commander post. The war chariot discovered in Pit 3 is different from the ones in the other two pits in that it is ornamented with warrior figures. Standing at the back in the central is the military officer, wearing a heavy armor and holding a Shu, a light weapon mostly for self—defense and often seen in rituals. In front of the officer and next to the chariot were the chariot drivers and the standing guards. Also unearthed from Pit 3 are fortune—telling objects for the prediction of future trends in the battlefield.
作为千古一帝的陵寝，秦始皇陵的壮观远不止此。秦始皇陵周围的陪葬坑除兵马俑坑外，还有马厩坑、珍兽坑、百戏俑坑等。随着科技的进步和研究的深入，未来的秦始皇陵会出土更多珍宝，继续向我们讲述2200年前的秦帝国的峥嵘岁月和中华文化传奇。
The magnificence of the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum goes beyond the three pits. There are also accessory pits, such as the stable pits, the rare animal pits, and the Baixi artist pits. The mystery remains to be unearthed, but one thing is for sure: with the advance of technology and the ongoing researches, more valuable items will be excavated from the mausoleum, helping us to further discover the splendor of the Qin Empire from 2,200 years ago and appreciate the legendary charm of the Chinese culture.
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作者：苍玉 Cang Yu
翻译：汤敏 Tang Min
供图：魏彬 Wei Bin、Ferdinand、Scandidea、
Ricardo Rocha、Eviltomthai、摄图网
美术编辑：刘美洋（实习）
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