Ancient coin with popular saying discovered in Shaanxi

By Li Ming

A rare coin dating back to the Han Dynasty was recently discovered in Baoji city of Shaanxi Province. It is a coin with the words "Yisheng Jinshen", meaning "be cautious in one's whole life", said to be a saying by the strategist Zhuge Liang in the Three Kingdoms Period.

This kind of ancient coin was popular in the Han Dynasty and was usually used for keeping away evil spirits and bringing good fortune.

Named after Zhuge's nickname of "Kong ming", the ancient coin was discovered in Baoji, Shaanxi and was made of bronze. Its dimensions are 4.4 centimetres in diameter, 0.26 cm in thickness and 27.7 gram in weight. On side of the coin features Zhuge Kongming's face and the words "Yisheng Jin shen" on the other.

This coin was known for its the words "Yisheng Jinshen"  carved by  calligraphy in relief as Zhuge Liang made a great contribution to the development of the Kingdom Shu during the Three Kingdoms period.