Ding (vessel)

The thing ( chinese鼎, Pinyin dǐng ) is a Chinese cult object, which is usually made of bronze, sometimes of ceramic. The Chinese character for 'thing' is also the class character (radical 206) of the 214 traditional radicals.

The thing has the form of a vessel with three long legs. Less common are rectangular thing with four legs, called Fang Ding (方 鼎). The meaning and history of the subject is now usually interpreted to mean that the thing was originally a vessel for preparation of meat dishes. Its importance as a cult object would therefore arose from the importance of meat in sacrificial rites and as a social status symbol. The oldest known thing dating back to the Shang Dynasty. Thing are often provided with inscriptions. The importance that is given to the thing in the cult history in China, demonstrated, among other things, that the shape of the Shanghai Museum, one of the most important museums of Chinese cultural history, is modeled on a thing.