'Car keys' already invented over 3,000 years ago?

'Car keys' already invented over 3,000 years ago?

什么？商朝的马车竟然有“车钥匙”？

 

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The most ordinary spare parts on a chariot of the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046) may be xia in Chinese, and linchpin in English.

商代马车上最不起眼的零部件可能就是“辖”了。

 

What does the linchpin look like?

“辖”作为古代马车上的一个零部件究竟长什么样？

A pair of bronze linchpins (right) exhibited at the new Yinxu Museum. [Photo/dahe.cn]

Here is a pair of bronze linchpins with tough carved patterns. They seem ordinary, but are carefully decorated with lots of patterns, reflecting their importance.

上图便是殷墟博物馆新馆所藏晚商时期的一对儿车辖（右），铜制，纹饰粗犷有力。虽然只是马车上一个很小的部件，但古人却花费了大量功夫在它们的上面做了大量纹饰去修饰，由此可见其重要性。

 

Today, we may not imagine how important the chariots was to the ancients more than 3,000 years ago, but wheel is a great invention. Its appearance has greatly improved the social productivity.

今天的我们可能想象不出3000多年前马车对商人的重要性究竟有多大，但车轮的确是一个伟大的发明，它的出现极大地提高了社会生产力。

A pair of bronze sleeves exhibited at the new Yinxu Museum. [Photo/dahe.cn]

 

The wheel is connected to a chariot by an axle. The spare part used to secure the ends of the axle is called wei in Chinese, and sleeve in English.

车轮与车体之间靠车轴连接，而车轴两端用来固定的套子叫做“軎”。

 

On the sleeve is a hole for another spare part to pass through, helping keep a wheel in position, and this spare part is called a linchpin.

车軎中间有个孔，可插入另一个部件，从而保证车軎可以跟着车轮转动而不掉下来，这个小部件就叫“辖”。

Linchpins and sleeves. [Photo/dahe.cn]

Linchpins are actually axle pins or locking pins. They are ordinary, but important, small and easy to remove, but essential. Without them, the chariot could not run at all. From this perspective, the function of linchpins is a bit like today's car keys.

车辖其实就是车轴两端的销钉，它不起眼，却又非常重要，体积小而易拆，却又十分关键。缺了它，马车就不能跑了，“辖”这时候的功能就有点像今天的“车钥匙”。

 

The Book of Han, which recorded the history of the Han Dynasty, said every time Liu Zun, an alcoholic, had a big dinner with guests, he would ask his servants to take down the linchpins on the guests' carriages and throw them into the well. That way, even if the guests had an emergency, they couldn't leave.

《汉书》中有这样的记载，嗜酒的刘遵每次大宴宾客时，都会让手下把客人马车上的车辖取下来扔到井里，这样一来，客人即便有急事，也就走不了了。

A chariot remains at the new Yinxu Museum. [Photo/dahe.cn]

 

Over 3,000 years later, this pair of linchpins seems to suggest that size and appearance are not important, and what is important is that whether you function at a crucial moment.

3000多年后的今天，静静地“躺在”殷墟博物馆新馆的这对儿车辖仿佛在无声地说：大小不重要，相貌也不重要，重要的是关键时刻能否发挥关键作用。（赵汉青 杨佳欣）