鼎最早是史前时期华夏先人最常见的炊器，基本上为陶土烧制。
Ding was the most common cooking utensil of Chinese ancestors in prehistory, which was basically made of clay.
相传4000多年前，大禹治水即将大功告成之际，将天下划分为九州（冀、兖、青、徐、扬、荆、豫、梁、雍），令九州州牧贡铜，收九州之铜铸成九鼎，并将各地山川奇异之物刻于鼎身。以九鼎象征九州，表明自己乃九州之主。此后，象征天下一统的九鼎遂成中国的代名词。
It is said that more than 4000 years ago, when Dayu was about to achieve great success in flood control, the world was divided into Jiuzhou (Ji, Yan, Qing, Xu, Yang, Jing, Yu, Liang, Yong), which made Jiuzhou prefecture to collect the copper from Jiuzhou and cast it into Jiuding, and engraved the strange things of mountains and rivers in the ding. Nine tripods symbolize Jiuzhou, indicating that he is the master of Jiuzhou. Since then, nine tripods, a symbol of the unification of the world, have become synonymous with China.
由于有了禹铸九鼎九州一统的象征含义，鼎就从一般的炊器而逐渐升华为传国重器。
Because of the symbolic meaning of Yu casting the nine tripods and nine prefectures, the tripod gradually rose from the common cooking utensils to the National Heavy utensils of Huawei.
到了公元前21世纪大禹儿子启开创的夏代，青铜鼎逐渐发展成为最重要的礼器，成为国家政权、王权至上的象征，该传统甚至承袭了数千年。鼎在则国盛，国灭则鼎迁，由此反复易手，争夺不已。
In the Xia Dynasty, which was founded by Dayu's son Qi in the 21st century BC, the bronze tripod gradually developed into the most important ritual vessel, and became the symbol of the state power and the supremacy of the royal power. This tradition even inherited for thousands of years. The tripod will be prosperous when it is in power, and will be moved when it is out of power.
大禹铸造九鼎，很可能在历史上由来已久、真实存在过。因为西周初期的文献便有“九鼎”的详细记载。
Dayu cast nine tripods, which probably existed for a long time in history. Because the early Western Zhou Dynasty documents have "nine tripods" detailed records.