A section of oracle bone inscriptions on a turtle shell from King Wuding’s time (1250-1192 BC) during the Shang Dynasty. It is housed in the National Library of China and is the earliest-known Chinese record on hailstones. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"Exploring the inscriptions will help us understand the origins of Chinese philosophy and thought, and help us figure out where our traditional culture comes from," he adds.

Song says about 4,400 single characters were found to be used among the inscriptions, and nearly 1,800 of them are still recognizable now. He says this number is also growing as research develops and he recently spotted dozens of new characters during a research trip to the Shandong Museum in Jinan and the Lushun Museum in Dalian, Liaoning province.

"Many characters have disappeared, and we cannot find their counterparts in today's Chinese writing system," Song says, explaining the difficulties. "The unrecognizable characters mainly relate to the names of people, places and forms of sacrificial rites.

"As more custodians of oracle bones begin to release their inventories to the public, research is gathering pace," he says.