#以书之名#
In ancient times on the mainland, whether it was a trial by the government or a civil contract, the parties were accustomed to sign and draw a pledge on the document and then press their handprints. Some people may be confused by this, because fingerprint identification technology seems to be a product of modern technology. However, this is not the case. Although ancient China did not have "fingerprint identification" technology in the modern sense, forensic doctors have long mastered a unique set of fingerprint identification methods. Therefore, painting is not superfluous, but shows the wisdom and ingenuity of the ancients.
The history of "fingerprint identification" in the mainland has a long history, germinating in the Western Zhou Dynasty, developing in the Qin Dynasty, and forming a complete theoretical system in the Tang and Song dynasties. Even in the Yuan Dynasty, the government was able to roughly determine a person's age by fingerprints. The germination of this technology predates that of the West by more than a thousand years.
In daily life, there are frequent correspondence of documents, such as contracts, contracts, marriage certificates, registers, wills and other documents. In order to ensure the authenticity and validity of these documents, the parties need to sign the documents and have their fingerprints affixed. As the saying goes, "empty words have no evidence", words are like the wind, elusive. How can we prove the promises and covenants that we have made when time passes? In order to ensure the legal effect of the document, in addition to the signature, the "signature and drawing" of the parties is also required. The word "drawing" here was originally a form of "drawing a cross" on the back of a document to indicate confirmation. Later, this form gradually evolved into "sealing" and "fingerprinting".
In ancient China, "mudra" was also known as "hand mu" or "hand model". Take Lin Chong in "Water Margin" as an example, in order to prevent his wife from being widowed for him, he wrote a letter of resignation. At the end of the letter of resignation, he specially "played the hand model" to show that from now on, he would let his wife remarry and never dispute.
Some people may ask, since the ancients could sign, why did they add a "hand model" to the signature? The reasons for this are as follows: First, in ancient times on the mainland, most of the people were illiterate, and they did not know how to read, but they knew them.
On occasions where contracts are needed, the ancients used a unique way of "beating the hand model" as proof, which is not only an ancient wisdom, but also reflects the persistent pursuit of integrity. Each person's fingerprint is a unique mark given by nature, as unique as a snowflake. Although ancient technology has not yet developed microscopic techniques to extract fingerprints from the surface of the body, the clarity of the red fingerprints pressed after dipping the ink is still amazing. With the naked eye, the texture is clearly visible, even more difficult than calligraphy can be identified. Calligraphy can be imitated, but fingerprints cannot be copied like the human soul, so the results are more accurate.
In ancient documents, signatures and handprints often existed at the same time, as if they were double insurance. This is because ancient forensic doctors or other professionals were more likely to misjudge due to the lack of precise indicators when conducting handwriting and handwriting (including fingerprints) identification. In order to ensure fairness and accuracy, the ancients used both signature and "hand-molding" on documents.
The ancient "fingerprint identification" in the mainland can be traced back to the pre-Qin period, when there was a special "palmistry" science. By observing the direction of the palm lines, people can predict the fortune and misfortune of their life. And the ten fingerprints on the tips of the fingers are full of mysterious and interesting explanations in folk physiognomy. Some of these fingerprints are closed, some are not, and each form has its own unique interpretation in physiognomy.
With the passage of time, the ancients gradually discovered more wonderful uses of "fingerprints" in their daily life practice, and "fingerprint identification" gradually became independent from "palmistry" and became an independent science. In the 70s, Qin Jian's "Sealed Diagnosis and Cave Thieves" unearthed from the tomb of Yunmeng Sleeping Tiger Land mentioned that when the magistrates of the Qin Dynasty dealt with the tomb robbery case, they examined in detail the knee prints, elbow prints and their location and size of the suspects in the cave, which is the early written record of the mainland trace identification. In the "Bucket Book" used in ancient conscription, the fingerprints of the soldiers will also be left as the basis for identity verification.
According to Robert Heindel, a fingerprint expert and author of "The History of World Fingerprints", there was a Confucian scholar named Jia Gongyan in the Tang Dynasty of China, who was the first person in the world to study "fingerprinting". His research not only provided a theoretical basis for fingerprint identification in later generations, but also opened up a new way for human beings to understand themselves and explore unknown areas.
In the Song Dynasty, it was a brilliant era when forensic science bloomed in the mainland, and Song Ci, a famous forensic scientist, delicately depicted the splendid picture of forensic technology in the immortal work of "Clearing Grievances". Among them, what is particularly striking is the subtle method of fingerprint identification. With his countless practices, Song Ci has seen the light of day and left us a valuable legacy of forensic science, which has become a valuable asset for future generations.
The Yuan Dynasty, inheriting the forensic treasures of the Song Dynasty, went a step further and was able to roughly determine the age of the parties in the fingerprint identification. Yao Sui, a literati of the Yuan Dynasty, recorded a fascinating story in the Mu'an Collection: Pan Ze, a discerning official, encountered a confusing lawsuit while clearing the backlog of cases. A poor family, the whole family of seventeen was forced to sell themselves into slavery, and their handprints were left on the deed of sale, but they firmly denied it. After several years, the lawsuit is unresolved, and the county officials have changed one after another. Pan Ze had a discerning eye, observing that people at that time printed the horizontal stripes of their index fingers on the deeds when they pressed their mudras, regardless of gender. Through the dense arrangement of fingerprints, he gained insight into the true age of the person involved. After careful investigation, he found that the boy was only 13 years old, and the handprints on the deed of sale were all adult's. This discovery, like a sharp sword breaking through the air, instantly unveiled the veil of truth.
In ancient times, the virtuosity of this "fingerprint identification" was mainly mastered by the mysterious profession of "fingerprinting". They are ancient forensic doctors, and they have a set of secrets for solving cases that have been passed down from master to apprentice. As for the "fingerprints" in ordinary criminal and civil trials, they only need to corroborate their fingerprints with the fingerprints on the documents, so that they can see the authenticity at a glance.
The ancient "fingerprint identification" technique in the mainland actually originated from "palmistry". As early as the Qin Dynasty, officials began to observe the hand marks and foot marks of tomb robbers. By the Tang Dynasty, literary experts such as Jia Gongyan had set foot in this field. In the Yuan Dynasty, Chinese people were able to judge a person's age based on the dense lines on the tips of people's fingers. In the mainland, due to the high illiteracy rate, it is more convenient to use the method of "handprint" to draw a pledge for documents and contracts. The signature and fingerprint are double guaranteed, which not only reflects the good faith, but also enhances the legal effect. When it is necessary to verify the authenticity, it is only necessary to hand it over to those "servants" with professional knowledge in the yamen, and they will be able to see the truth at a glance.