According to the 2nd century
Shuowen Jiezi dictionary (說文解字), the
Chinese character "" (
yīn) originally referred to "vibrant music-making". Although frequently used throughout written history to refer to both the Shang dynasty and its final capital, the name
Yīn () appears to have not been used in this way until the succeeding
Zhou dynasty. In particular, the name does not appear in the
oracle bones, which refer to the state as
Shāng (), and its final capital as
Dàyì Shāng (大邑商 "Great Settlement Shang"). Among surviving ancient Chinese historical documents, Yin is described as the final capital of the Shang dynasty. There is some disagreement, though, as to when the move to Yin took place. Both the
Book of Documents, (specifically, the "Pan Geng" chapter, which is believed to date from the late
Spring and Autumn period), and the
Bamboo Annals state that Shang king
Pan Geng moved the Shang capital to Yin. The Bamboo Annals state, more specifically, that during his reign Pan Geng moved the capital from Yān (奄; present-day
Qufu, in present-day
Shandong Province), to a site called Běimĕng (), where it was then renamed to Yīn (). (Conversely, according to the
Records of the Grand Historian of
Sima Qian, Pan Geng moved the Shang capital from a location north of the
Yellow River to Bo , the capital of Shang dynasty founder
Tang, on the south side of the river—a location inconsistent with the location of Yin.) Regardless, Yin was clearly established as the Shang capital by the time of Shang king
Wu Ding. Wu Ding launched numerous military campaigns from this base against surrounding tribes, thus securing Shang rule and raising the dynasty to its historical zenith. According to the traditional accounts, later rulers became pleasure-seekers who took no interest in state affairs.
Di Xin, the last of the Shang dynasty kings, is particularly remembered for his ruthlessness and debauchery. His increasingly autocratic laws alienated the nobility until King
Wu of the
Zhou dynasty was able to gain the support to rise up and overthrow the Shang. The Zhou dynasty established their capital at
Fenghao near modern-day
Xi'an, and Yīn was abandoned to fall into ruin. These ruins were mentioned by
Sima Qian in his
Records of the Grand Historian, more precisely in the
Battle of Julu, and described in some detail by
Li Daoyuan in his
Commentary to the River Classic, published during the
Southern and Northern Dynasties period (420–589 CE). Thereafter, the once-great city of Yīn was relegated to legend along with its founding dynasty until its rediscovery in the final years of the
Qing dynasty. ==Archaeological discoveries==