So how do you remember this knot? Can it really help our ancestors write things down? At present, there are two views on this issue in academic circles.
Statement 1: A knot only represents one thing. As for what it is, only those who tied the knot can recall it.
This statement is relatively common. According to an ancient book, there is such a record: "Those who have great events will have a big knot; Small things, small knots, how many, with the number of things ",meaning to record big things, make a big knot, and record small things, make a summary. The number of knots represents the number of things. However, this statement is somewhat confusing. If it is really so memorable, then things in the near future may be remembered by memory. If it were a little longer ... it is estimated that our ancestors would all have a bunch of knots in their minds and look stupid.
It is obviously impossible to record something and spread it in this way, because the information source is too simple, just a knot with different sizes at most. Therefore, if we think that knotting notes are recorded in this way, then the notes here should mean "remembering things" for reminding, not "remembering things" for communication. Such notes have no function of later writing. For example, I have three things to do today. I tied three knots to remind myself. It should be reasonable to untie a knot after finishing one thing.
Statement 2: Structure note-taking was a very advanced note-taking method at that time, and the origin of characters was the evolution of structure.
This statement is relatively more convincing. Why do you say that? There is such a record in the Book of Changes: "After the ancient times, the sage can use books easily." It can be seen that knotting notes are not only a simple counting and reminding function, but also a function of transmitting information. Counting and reminding are just the most basic knotting functions.
Many people who hold this view think that knotting notes is a very complicated method of taking notes, just like our current writing, different knots represent different meanings. For example, the size, color, material, thickness and vertical and horizontal of the knot can be given different meanings. In this way, just as a sentence is composed of multiple words, a string of knots is also composed of knots with different sizes, colors, materials, thicknesses and vertical and horizontal to achieve different meanings.
For example, we need to record that a person has caught three tiger cubs. You can tie a hemp rope under a thick rope (if it represents a person), tie three knots on the hemp rope (if it represents three little things), and then tie a pinch of tiger hair at the end of the rope, indicating that this thing is a tiger. In this way, it was recorded. This is only the simplest example, and the meaning represented by the knot is also assumed by us. It may not be rigorous, but it can be seen that it is feasible to record something in this way.
If this goes on, different knots will gradually have different meanings and become the basic unit of expressing one thing, which is equivalent to the basic expression unit of later generations-words. However, due to the limitation of conditions, there were few knots at that time and the records were relatively simple. But it has the function of writing notes and transmitting information.
However, this recording method is too complicated and difficult to save. The content of the account is also very simple, which can't meet the increasingly high recording requirements of human beings. Eventually, it was gradually replaced by words and gradually disappeared in the long river of history. It is undeniable that this is a set of "civilization codes" of human beings before the invention of writing!