贝壳是一种水族类的生物外衣,它坚硬光洁,具有持久坚固的品质。雕琢的贝最早是原始人的装饰品,其作为装饰物的意义也长期存在于财富的象征之中。作为货币意义的贝币实际上是一种商品交换观念的萌生,中国社会在新石器晚期,出现了由物物交换的商业活动,转化为以贝币作为象征的等价交换,是社会结构出现重大变化的前提。本文试从贝的特征特性,贝币产生的原因、背景等来论述中国古代贝币的产生。 Shell is an aquatic biological coat, it is hard and smooth, with a long-lasting solid quality. The first carved shellfish primitive ornaments, its significance as an ornament also exists in the symbol of wealth for a long time. In the late Neolithic period, the emergence of a commercial exchange of things as an exchange of commodities means the exchange of equivalence with the symbolic value of the Coin as the symbol of the social structure The premise of major changes. This paper tries to discuss the characteristics of Chinese shellfish from the characteristics of shellfish, the reason and background of shellfish.