Bao Ding () was the twelfth ruler of Predynastic Shang. Succeeding Bao Bing, he was the fourth of the Six Spirits () and deified in the Religion of the Shang dynasty. After his death, he was succeeded by Shi Ren. Until oracle bones were unearthed in the 20th century, little was known about his life and status outside of lineage in Records of the Grand Historian.
Bao Ding is written as in Oracle Bone Script, where is pronounced as bào rather than fÃÂng. This is because it describes a bao-sacrifice (e.g. Ã¥ÂÂäºÂæ²³ - To perform a bao sacrifice to the river deity He). The ding 丠in Bao Ding's name was quite a common use of a Heavenly Stem, implying a sense of prestige seen in naming schemes with rulers like Wu Ding. Furthermore, as all sacrifices to Bao Ding were conducted on ding days, it may also have been used to dictate on which day rituals should be conducted towards him.
In Records of the Grand Historian, Sima Qian writes Bao Ding as ; as and carry the same meaning in Shang ritual contexts, they are essentially synonyms.
Didier (2009) disputes that the bao in the names of Bao Yi, Bao Bing, and Bao Ding could have been kou å£ with its left stroke missing.
Bao Ding predates the Late Shang period; therefore, all mentions of him are in the context of ancestor veneration rituals through scapulimancy performed by Shang dynasty religious practitioners. As one of the Six Spirits, Bao Ding would have received consultation requests and sacrifices on matters important to the ruler. Additionally, his wife, Bi Geng (), would also receive sacrifices on account of being Shi Ren's mother.
In the Religion of the Shang dynasty, Bao Ding was the last of the "Three Baos" , the others being Bao Yi and Bao Bing. They occasionally received sacrifices as a group entity, sometimes with the "Two Shis", Shi Ren and Shi Gui and/or Shang Jia in tow: <blockquote> ä¸ÂÃ¥ÂÂäºÂ示æ¨ä¸Âç²ð«¹ÂçÂÂÃ¥ÂÂç¥ÂãÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ<br> If the King performs the ritual of pouring wine for the Three Baos, Two Shis, and Shang Jia, will we receive their protection? Result: Auspicious! </blockquote>
In Records of the Grand Historian, Sima Qian ordered the Three Baos incorrectly, in the order of; Bao Ding, Bao Yi, and, finally, Bao Bing. This error was noticed and corrected by Wang Guowei in 1917 upon reviewing oracle bone evidence. While this did confirm Sima Qian had the right names and thus records lost today, it cast doubt on their historical accuracy. This was one of the first cases of comparative analysis between oracular and classical evidence. When the rulers are ordered correctly, they match the standard Heavenly Stem order: æ¥习(Bao 2)ãÂÂæ¥丠(Bao 3)ãÂÂæ¥丠(Bao 4).
Unless sacrifices are made to the Three Baos as a group, every sacrifice made to Bao Ding was made on an Ding day, corresponding to his temple name. For example: <blockquote> ä¸Âå¯åÂÂè²ÂçÂÂè³ÂÃ¥ÂÂä¸Â彡æÂ¥ç¡尤<br> On the Dingmao day, a divination occurred. Test: If the King performs a bin ritual with Bao Ding and does a rong sacrifice, will there be no misfortune? </blockquote>
On one occasion, a sui-sacrifice made to Yi Yin was conducted on the same day in which Bao Ding was to be venerated: <blockquote> ç²寠è²Âä¼Âæ²éÂÂÃ¥ÂÂä¸ÂæÂÂ¥<br> On the Jiayin day, it was charged: A sui-sacrifice for Yi will coincide with the Bao Ding's day. </blockquote>