春秋戰國 vol.15 秦國：弄器，蟠龙纹铜车形器 - Qin, Nongqi, Miniature Bronze Cart

蟠龍紋銅車形器

春秋中期（公元前七世紀上半葉至前六世紀上半葉）

高八・八釐米，長十五・〇釐米

甘肅省禮縣圓頂山遺址出土

禮縣博物館藏

這是一件巴掌大小的四輪銅車，也是禮縣博物館的鎮館之寶。輿廂作中空長方盒形，頂部對開兩扇小蓋：一側蹲坐熊形鈕，一側跪坐人形鈕（人首後經修復）。蓋沿四角各嵌一隻可旋轉的小鳥——四鳥向內，蓋即鎖住；四鳥向外，蓋可開啟。盒體四角攀附四隻向上爬行的虎形附件。下部裝帶軸四輪，每輪八輻，轂、軎、轄俱全，歷經兩千餘年水浸土蝕，至今仍可轉動。除底部外，五面密佈繁縟的蟠龍（或稱蟠虺）紋。結構精巧，機括與裝飾合而為一，令人歎為觀止。

一九九八年，甘肅省文物考古研究所與禮縣博物館在圓頂山秦貴族墓地進行搶救性發掘。圓頂山位於禮縣永興鄉趙坪村，與大堡子山秦公陵園隔西漢水相望，相距不過三公里。這裡被視為秦人早期國人墓地，與公陵共同拱衛西垂故都。墓地時代主要屬春秋中期，出土五鼎、七鼎等級的銅禮器，表明墓主為高級貴族。此車形器即出於其中一座墓葬。

關於其性質，學界說法不一。一說為貴族女性放置首飾、化妝品的盒子；一說為微型挽車明器——先秦王公貴族喪禮中運送靈柩之車，由親屬臣僚執紼牽挽，不用馬駕，故無轅衡，改兩輪為四輪以保持平穩，並設蓋附飾以示華貴。它與山西聞喜西周晉墓所出「刖人守囿」六輪青銅挽車在形制與裝飾上極為接近，或有源流關係。無論作何解釋，其小巧體量、複雜構造與高度藝術性，都使其難以歸入傳統廟堂禮器之列。

這是SACA學會長期關注的「弄器」範疇。自《商周筆記》vol.03討論哈佛大學藝術博物館所藏商代四足龍首觥開始，到《青銅筆記》vol.44梳理戰國至西漢袖珍錯金方壺，SACA多次指出：弄器多尺寸較小、鑄造工藝複雜、藝術性極高，常出於高等級（尤其女性）墓葬，或盛放液體、胭脂，或供近距離把玩欣賞，或作為微型儀式用具。它們模糊了禮器與生活器、實用與象徵的邊界，體現了貴族「玩物養志」的審美與精神世界。弗里爾博物館藏「子之弄鳥」銘文鳥尊、故宮「君子之弄鬲」等，皆屬此類。圓頂山這件蟠龍紋銅車形器，以可轉動的鎖鳥、攀爬的虎熊、可行走的車輪，將機械機巧與動物象徵融為一體，正是春秋秦人弄器的精彩實例。它顯示秦人在西垂故地仍能鑄造結構極為複雜的器物，並對蟠龍紋情有獨鍾，標誌著秦國青銅工藝進入模印法流行、個性鮮明的階段。

若將此器置於「春秋戰國」系列的文章矩陣中，它與前篇《vol.14 「秦人」卜甲》形成清晰的對話。周原卜甲以二字將「秦人」寫入西周王室的占卜記錄；圓頂山車形器則以精緻的物質形態，展現春秋中期秦貴族在西垂故地的生活與喪葬想像。從文字命名到器物創造，從周原核心到西垂邊陲，兩件器物共同勾勒出秦人從被記錄的群體，逐漸發展出獨特物質文化與審美語言的軌跡。

不以單件器物孤立論述，而以時間、空間、類型與研究脈絡交織成網，讓每一件文物都成為理解早期中國文明複雜性的節點。

Coiled Dragon Pattern Miniature Bronze Cart (Nongqi)

Mid-Spring and Autumn period (first half of the 7th century to first half of the 6th century BCE)

Height 8.8 cm, length 15.0 cm

Excavated from the Yuandingshan site, Li County, Gansu Province

Collection of the Li County Museum

This palm-sized four-wheeled bronze cart is the star piece of the Li County Museum. The body is a hollow rectangular box. The top consists of two hinged lids: one surmounted by a squatting bear knob, the other by a kneeling human figure (the head restored). At the four corners of the lid edge are rotatable birds that function as a lock—when the birds face inward the lid is secured; when they face outward it can be opened. Four tigers climb the corners of the sides. Below is an axle with two pairs of wheels, each with eight spokes, complete with hubs and linchpins; after more than two millennia the wheels still turn. All five exterior faces are densely covered with coiled dragon (or coiled serpent) patterns. Structure and decoration are perfectly integrated, and the mechanical ingenuity is remarkable.

In 1998 the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the Li County Museum conducted a salvage excavation at the Yuandingshan Qin aristocratic cemetery. Located in Zhaoping Village, Yongxing Township, Li County, the site lies only about three kilometres across the Western Han River from the Dabuzishan Qin ducal cemetery. It is regarded as an early Qin “guoren” (lineage members) cemetery that, together with the ducal tombs, guarded the old capital of Xichui. The tombs date mainly to the mid-Spring and Autumn period and yielded ritual sets of five or seven ding, indicating high-ranking aristocratic occupants. This cart-shaped vessel came from one of these tombs.

Scholarly opinions on its function diverge. Some see it as a jewellery or cosmetics box for a noblewoman. Others interpret it as a miniature funerary hearse (mingqi)—in pre-Qin aristocratic funerals the spirit coffin was drawn by relatives and retainers pulling ropes, without horses, hence the absence of shafts and the use of four wheels for stability, together with a lid and rich attachments to convey dignity. It closely resembles the six-wheeled “Yue ren shou you” bronze cart from a Western Zhou Jin tomb at Wenxi, Shanxi, suggesting a possible lineage of form. Whatever the precise function, its miniature scale, complex construction and high artistry place it outside the category of standard temple ritual vessels.

This is precisely the category of nongqi (“play objects” or refined personal bronzes) that SACA has long examined. Beginning with Shang-Zhou Notes vol. 03 on the Shang four-legged dragon-head gong in the Harvard Art Museums, and continuing through Bronze Notes vol. 44 on Warring States to early Western Han miniature gold-inlaid vessels, SACA has repeatedly observed that nongqi are typically small, technically sophisticated and highly artistic. They often appear in high-ranking (especially female) tombs and may have held liquids or cosmetics, served for close appreciation, or functioned as miniature ritual items. They blur the boundaries between ritual and personal objects, utility and symbolism, reflecting an aristocratic aesthetic of refined play. The Freer Gallery’s bird zun inscribed “zi zhi nong niao” and the Palace Museum’s “junzi zhi nong li” are classic examples. The Yuandingshan cart, with its rotating locking birds, climbing tigers and bears, and still-functional wheels, is an outstanding Spring and Autumn Qin instance of the type. It demonstrates that residual Qin nobility in the western homeland retained the ability to cast highly complex objects and shows a distinctive preference for coiled-dragon patterns, marking a phase in which Qin bronze technology embraced mould-impression techniques and developed a clear regional identity.

Placed within SACA’s “Spring and Autumn–Warring States” series matrix, this vessel enters into dialogue with the preceding vol. 14 “Qinren” Oracle Bone. The Zhouyuan oracle bone records the name “Qinren” in the Western Zhou royal divinatory archive; the Yuandingshan cart materialises the life and funerary imagination of mid-Spring and Autumn Qin aristocrats in their western homeland. From textual naming to object creation, from the Zhouyuan core to the Xichui periphery, the two pieces together trace the trajectory by which the Qin people moved from a recorded group to one that developed its own distinctive material culture and aesthetic language.

FAQ：蟠龍紋銅車形器

一、這件器物為什麼被稱為「弄器」？

弄器是指體量較小、鑄造複雜、藝術性極高、難以簡單歸入廟堂禮器的青銅器。它們常出於高等級墓葬（尤其女性墓），可能用於盛放首飾、化妝品，或供近距離把玩，或作為微型儀式用具。SACA在《商周筆記》與《青銅筆記》系列中多次討論此類器物。這件車形器以可轉動鎖鳥、攀爬動物與可行走車輪，完美體現弄器「機巧與象徵並重」的特質。

Why is this object classified as a nongqi?

Nongqi refers to small-scale, technically complex and highly artistic bronzes that do not fit neatly into the category of standard temple ritual vessels. They frequently appear in high-ranking (especially female) tombs and may have held jewellery or cosmetics, served for close appreciation, or functioned as miniature ritual items. SACA has discussed the category extensively in the Shang-Zhou Notes and Bronze Notes series. This cart, with its rotating locking birds, climbing animals and functional wheels, exemplifies the nongqi combination of mechanical ingenuity and symbolic richness.

二、它的具體用途是什麼？學界有哪些主要觀點？

主要有三種看法：一、貴族女性的首飾或化妝品盒；二、喪禮中使用的微型挽車明器（運送靈柩的牽挽之車，故無轅而用四輪）；三、供把玩的精緻玩具或象徵物。目前尚無定論，但無論哪一種解釋，都指向其高度個人化與象徵性的性格。

What was its precise function? What are the main scholarly views?

Three main interpretations exist: (1) a jewellery or cosmetics box for a noblewoman; (2) a miniature funerary hearse (mingqi) used in aristocratic funerals to transport the spirit coffin (pulled by people, hence no shafts and four wheels for stability); (3) a refined plaything or symbolic object. No consensus has been reached, but all interpretations emphasise its highly personal and symbolic character.

三、圓頂山遺址在早期秦文化中的地位如何？

圓頂山與大堡子山秦公陵園隔河相望，被視為秦人早期國人墓地，與公陵共同構成西垂故都的核心區域。它證明即使秦都東遷關中後，仍有公族留守西垂，並能鑄造高工藝水準的器物。

What is the significance of the Yuandingshan site in early Qin culture?

Yuandingshan lies opposite the Dabuzishan Qin ducal cemetery across the river and is regarded as an early Qin lineage cemetery that, together with the ducal tombs, formed the core of the old capital Xichui. It demonstrates that even after the Qin capital moved east into the Guanzhong plain, residual nobility remained in the west and retained the capacity to produce highly sophisticated bronzes.

四、這件器物如何體現秦人青銅工藝的特點？

結構複雜（可轉動鎖鳥、可行走車輪）、動物附飾張揚（熊、人、虎、鳥）、紋飾以細密蟠龍紋為主，顯示秦人對模印法的熟練運用與對動態動物造型的偏好，標誌秦國青銅工藝進入個性鮮明的發展階段。

How does this vessel reflect the characteristics of Qin bronze technology?

Its complex structure (rotating locking birds, functional wheels), bold animal attachments (bear, human, tiger, birds) and dense coiled-dragon patterns demonstrate mastery of mould-impression techniques and a preference for dynamic animal forms, marking a phase of distinctive regional development in Qin bronze craftsmanship.

五、它與SACA此前討論的「秦人」卜甲有何關聯？

卜甲以文字將「秦人」寫入西周王室記錄；車形器以物質形態展現春秋秦貴族在西垂的生活與想像。兩者構成從「被命名」到「自我表達」的完整敘事鏈，是SACA文章矩陣思考的典型體現。

How does it relate to the “Qinren” oracle bone previously discussed by SACA?

The oracle bone records the name “Qinren” in the Western Zhou royal archive; the cart materialises the life and funerary imagination of Spring and Autumn Qin aristocrats in their western homeland. Together they form a narrative arc from being named to self-expression—an example of SACA’s matrix approach to interconnected research.

六、目前研究還有哪些未解問題？

墓主性別與具體身份、器物是否曾經實際使用、與晉地同類挽車的精確源流關係，以及「弄器」概念在秦文化中的適用邊界，仍有待更多材料與研究來釐清。

What questions remain open?

The gender and precise identity of the tomb occupant, whether the vessel was ever used in life, the exact relationship with similar carts from Jin territory, and the precise boundaries of the nongqi concept within Qin culture all require further evidence and research.