I saw a book review and a friend asked about couplets. I found some information and sorted it out. It was very interesting to read it carefully. I will share it with everyone. It is reproduced from the study of couplets of Chinese historical figures written by Zhao Xuesong.
1. Couplets as the quintessence of the Chinese nation
Couplets, like rhymed poetry and Peking Opera, all belong to the "national quintessence" of Chinese culture. The reason why they are called national quintessence is because they are only owned by Chinese culture and are the long-term cultural construction of the Chinese people (including ordinary workers and intellectuals).
, a cultural style created, developed and continuously improved in cultural inheritance; it has a close and inseparable relationship with China's economic environment, social ecology, spiritual character, national psychology, folk customs, cultural genes, etc., and is the core of this piece of China.
Flowers nourished by the land, unique and unique. For foreigners, through continuous edification, they can go from being unfamiliar and estranged to accepting and appreciating China's national quintessence. They can even imitate and learn through continuous appreciation and play. But this kind of
Imitation and learning must also be carried out in a purely Chinese way. Once you break away from or abandon the pure Chinese way, you will not be able to enter such cultural symbols, let alone use them. Therefore, we can say this: any foreigner,
No matter how familiar he is with China's national quintessence, he cannot transplant it into the cultural styles of other countries, let alone integrate it with the culture of other countries. This is because national quintessences such as couplets, rhymed poetry and Peking opera are
Not to mention the cultural psychology and national complex formed by them, it is just the square Chinese characters and pronunciation methods they use. The so-called parallel couplets and the so-called correct words and accents are no reference for any language and writing outside of Chinese culture.
There is no way to imitate it.
According to the views of some scholars during the May 4th Movement, the quintessence of the country refers to the essence of national culture. Mr. Lu Xun once said: "Literally speaking, it must be something unique to one country and not available in other countries. In other words
, is something special..." But in that era of severe national calamity, what Lu Xun particularly hoped for was the reform and revitalization of the country, the destruction of the entire society, the eradication of the old and the creation of the new, so he was "organized" by scholars who turned a deaf ear to the outside world.
He was very dissatisfied with the slogans and actions of "preserving the national quintessence" and "preserving the national quintessence". He sarcastically said: "...but being special is not necessarily good, so why should it be preserved?" In his eyes, things like braiding, foot binding, opium, and mahjong are all in China.
It is a "special" thing. Therefore, Mr. Lu Xun used "national quintessence" as a pungent and ironic derogatory term in his essays. Nowadays, the decadent and backward national customs of the feudal era, such as pigtails and foot binding, have long been
With the decline and destruction of that era, it has become a historical relic that will never reappear. The construction of Chinese civilization and Chinese culture in the new era and new century requires us to be tolerant and tolerant of the excellent traditional culture and modern culture of ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad.
, eclectic learning, reference and absorption, and regard it as a healthy factor that meets the needs of new civilization and cultural construction. The past is used for the present, and the foreign is used for China. As the "essence of national culture", the quintessence of the country should be regarded as this type of factor
An important part of China. Some people once said that China has three major national quintessences, namely traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese painting and Peking opera. Others classified the Chinese national quintessence into four major categories, and the projects of these four major categories are different for different people. For example,
Some people add cooking to the above three major items; others add martial arts... In addition, some people include Spring Festival couplets, poetry, paper-cutting, riddles, cross talk, calligraphy, national costumes, etc.
The category of national quintessence. If we follow the two previous definitions of "unique" and "essence", all of the above can be worthy of being included in the ranks of national quintessence.
China’s national quintessence is a cultural pattern bred and formed in the long-term historical and cultural ecology of our land. To inherit, carry forward and promote it, it is essential to conduct extensive, detailed and in-depth research on it.
Including the origin and flow of its origin, formation and development... People have actually been exploring the formation, development and characteristics of couplets for a long time and have discussed them in detail. The solid evidence makes people enlightened. However, the author is engaged in couplet writing
After several years of research and study, on the basis of absorbing the achievements of Fang's family and borrowing other people's opinions, I have also formed some crude opinions of my own. I would like to record them in writing without being presumptuous, so that we can learn from each other and learn from colleagues.
2. The origin of couplets
There are different opinions on the origin of couplets. Some say it dates from the Ming Dynasty, and some say it originates from the Five Dynasties. "Collection of Ancient and Modern Couplets" published by Fujian People's Publishing House has a relatively complete summary of the origin of couplets. This book
It is said that as early as before the Qin and Han Dynasties, Chinese people had the custom of hanging peach charms in front of their homes during the New Year. The so-called peach charms are the names of the legendary ghost-conquering gods "Shen Tu" and "Yulei" written on two peach boards respectively.
and then hung them on the left and right main doors to drive away evil spirits and avoid ghosts. This custom lasted for more than a thousand years. Until the Five Dynasties period, Meng Chang, the last emperor of the Later Shu who loved literature and was arty, only inscribed on the palace gate every year.
Feeling dissatisfied with the old-fashioned way of naming the two great gods, he wanted to come up with some fresh ideas. So, "Every year (at the end of the year), the bachelor is ordered to write a word, inscribe a peach charm, and place it near the door of the bedroom." What are these words?
There is no record of the words in history books, but later generations can guess that they are all interesting and literary words, not just the dry names of two gods. In the first year of Meng Chang's fall, that is, in 934 AD
Before the Spring Festival of 2010, he created what is known as the earliest Spring Festival couplet in Chinese history. "History of the Song Dynasty: Shu Family": "In the last years of the year, the scholar Xing Yinxun wrote a poem. Chang said that he was not a craftsman, so he wrote in his Mingbi: '
The new year is full of Yuqing, and the festival is called Changchun." Meng Chang, like Li Yu, the later leader of the Southern Tang Dynasty, both lost the country passed down by their ancestors to Zhao Kuangyin. Meng Chang's country fell a full thirty-four years earlier than Li Yu. Li Yu's role as
The king who subjugated his country wrote eloquent poems that could be passed down through the ages. Meng Chang lacked Li Yu's talent and could not write the kind of things that would shine through the ages. His mediocre imagination could only work hard on carving poems and sentences, but he was
It can be said that his two couplets with dry meaning actually created a new style in Chinese literature. Zhao Kuangyin destroyed Meng Chang's country, but the habit of posting Spring Festival couplets advocated by Meng Chang
It became an indispensable folk tradition after the Song Dynasty. There is Wang Anshi's poem as evidence: "The sound of firecrackers eliminates the new year, and the spring breeze brings warmth to Tusu. Thousands of households always replace the old talisman with new peaches." Wang Anshi
The title of this poem is "Yuan Ri", which means the so-called New Year's Day today. The poem records that when people celebrated the Spring Festival, they still hung peach charms in front of their homes according to the custom that had been passed down for many years. However,
According to the understanding of the author of "Collection of Ancient and Modern Couplets", the peach symbols in Wang Anshi's poems should be new-style Spring Festival couplets rather than old-style peach symbols. However, in Wang Anshi's time, the name Spring Festival Couplets had not yet been officially born, so people still followed the traditional custom.
Just call it "Peach Talisman".
The literary form of Spring Festival couplets was officially recognized by the government after Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor. Zhu Yuanzhang made Jinling his capital. In order to express the meaning of universal celebration, before New Year's Eve, he ordered the ministers, scholars and common people to put a Spring Festival couplet in front of their homes, and personally went out incognito.
, going from house to house to watch and entertain. By this time, he was no longer like Meng Chang, who only cared about "receiving Yu Qing" by hanging up good words and couplets in front of his house, and asked everyone to follow him to join in the fun. Moreover, it turned out that
They were painted or written on peach wood board, which was finally replaced by red paper at this time. Since then, couplets have officially entered the halls and become a literary style favored by scholar-bureaucrats and even common people, which has been passed down to this day. Regarding Zhu Yuanzhang and
The story of the couplet is recorded in "Zhao Yunlou Miscellanies":
The installation of Spring Festival couplets dates back to the Ming Dynasty at Xiaoling Mausoleum. At that time, Taizu was in Jinling, and on New Year's Eve, a decree was issued that a Spring Festival couplet must be added to the doors of the houses of ministers, officials, and common people. Taizu personally went out for a visit, thinking it was amusement. Occasionally, he saw them
There was no one in the family, so I asked and found out that the person was a castrated piglet (i.e., a piglet), but he had not yet heard of it (asked someone to write it for him). Taizu wrote in a big book:
Split the road of life and death with both hands,
Cut off the root of right and wrong with one knife.
I wrote and went away. The successor Taizu came back, but he didn't see the post, so he asked about it. The answer was: I know it is an imperial letter, hang it high in the middle hall, burn incense and consecrate it, as a sign of good fortune for the new year. Taizu was very happy and gave thirty taels of silver.
I want to move my business.
The records in this book have been circulated for a long time, and it is difficult to distinguish the authenticity. Before Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor, he had not read for a few days. After he settled in Nanjing, he did learn some things. However, he had extraordinary intelligence, occasional inspiration, and made mistakes.
There is no doubt that such a pair of couplets is not satisfactory and is slightly better than a jingle. However, since then, there is no doubt that couplets have become an important folk custom during the Chinese New Year.
3. The predecessor of couplet (one)
The origin of every literary style does not arise out of thin air. Generally speaking, it must rely on a certain "paradigm" - let's borrow a philosophical concept to express the author's meaning - as the mother of its own birth.
Just like novels were born from scripts, Song poetry was born from Tang poetry, and Xiaoling of the Yuan Dynasty was born from Song poetry... So what is the matrix that gave birth to couplets? Some people say that like Song poetry, its predecessor is Tang poetry, and indeed it has
It makes sense.
First of all, the origin of the couplets is very close to the era when Tang poetry flourished. As mentioned earlier, the first couplets were written by Meng Chang, the king of Shu after the Five Dynasties, which was only three to forty years before the fall of the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty was a great peak in the history of Chinese poetry.
, the poets at that time were as countless as the sands of the Ganges River; the "Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty" that has survived to this day alone contains more than 48,900 poems. From the early Tang Dynasty, the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the middle Tang Dynasty to the late Tang Dynasty, more than 200 poets emerged.
A large number of outstanding poets have been shining on our ancient country like stars in the sky, such as Chen Ziang, Wang Bo, Zhang Jiuling, Meng Haoran, Wang Wei, Jia Dao, Li Bai, Du Fu, Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, Bai Juyi, Li He, Du Mu
, Li Shangyin, Wen Tingyun, etc., the poetic works of some great poets have even been recited and read wherever there are wells (that is, wherever people live). This shows that the coverage and influence of Tang poetry are extraordinary.
After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, the country fell into division, and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms emerged. Dynasties changed, and the once energetic and powerful poetry spirit of the Tang Dynasty also declined. However, a cultural style that had been finalized
However, it did not change with the change of dynasties in society. Tang poetry was still within the original territory of China and circulated in several new countries like the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. In the subsequent development, it gradually evolved with the times.
And evolution. "Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty" actually includes not only the poetry of the Tang Dynasty, but also the poetry of the Five Dynasties, which illustrates the inseparable relationship between the literature of the Five Dynasties and the literature of the Tang Dynasty. Meng Chang's two lines inadvertently created the
It can be said that the couplets that created a new literary style were produced under this background.
Secondly, the form of couplets was deeply influenced by Tang poetry. The Tang Dynasty was a period when a new poetry style in China - rhymed poetry - was fully mature. Before the Tang Dynasty, Chinese poetry also had a certain format, but after all, it was not rigorous and standardized enough.
There are no strict rules in terms of the length, rhythm, and counterpoint of poems. When poets write, they just follow a common convention, but there is no unified standard. It was from Tang poetry that Chinese poetry entered the stage.
It ushered in a "metrical" era that emphasized rules and regulations. Generally speaking, the metrical poetry of the Tang Dynasty can be divided into four types: five-character rhymed poetry, five-character quatrains, seven-character rhymed poetry, and seven-character quatrains. These four forms of poetry are not only
There are certain rules in the number of words and sentences, and it also includes strict antithesis and rhyme. The antithesis also includes the antithesis of parts of speech and the antithesis of phonology. Especially for rhythmic poetry, a total of eight lines of poetry are divided into four matching pairs.
Coupled sentences are called first couplet, chin couplet, neck couplet and tail couplet. The writing requirements for chin couplets and neck couplets are the most stringent. There are clear regulations on which words in a sentence use flat tone and which words use oblique tone. If some sentences should
"Ping Qi Qi Fa", and some should "Zuo Qi Qi Fa" and so on. These characteristics of Tang poetry not only affected the creation of later generations of lyrics, music, and Xiaoling (researchers on the history of poetry in later generations have some words,
Songs, etc. are also called metrical poems), which of course also affects the creation of couplets - the "counterparts" that must be adhered to in the creation of couplets can be said to be directly derived from the metrical poems of the Tang Dynasty, such as the folk enlightenment of children in the writing of couplets.
When teaching children, we use such "rhymes" as "wind versus rain, summer versus autumn" and so on. This kind of enlightenment tells children that the contrast includes not only parts of speech and meanings, but also phonology. For example, "
"Wind" and "Rain" are both nouns expressing natural objects, and in terms of tone, "Wind" is a flat tone, and "Rain" is an oblique tone; "Xia" and "Autumn" are both nouns indicating the names of seasons, and "Xia" is an oblique tone.
, "Autumn" is a flat sound...
Although the writing of couplets was greatly influenced by the rhymed poetry of the Tang Dynasty, we cannot but see that it was actually influenced by various poetry forms before the Tang Dynasty. The most obvious example is that its sentence structure is definitely not limited to five-character and
Seven words, ranging from two words to seven words or even multiple words. Moreover, by combining various sentence patterns of poetry, it even creates long couplets of up to a hundred words. The twists and turns of the hundred-word long couplets,
It is swaying and colorful, and can contain rich life content and thoughts and feelings that an ordinary poem cannot contain.
The shortest couplets I have seen are two-character couplets, such as the couplets between Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, and Xie Jin, a scholar of the Imperial Academy:
Color is difficult;
easy.
When Zhu Di was studying, he read the word "color is difficult" in the book. He thought it was difficult to find the corresponding words for these two words. Unexpectedly, Xie Jin immediately replied: "Easy". Xie Jin's answer included two meanings
, Firstly, it is not difficult to say "color is difficult", and secondly, "easy" itself forms a stable contrast with "color is difficult". "Color" and "face" both refer to a person's appearance, and "color" refers to a person's appearance.
"Difficult" and "Easy" are exactly a pair of matching adjectives.
It is difficult to count the longest couplets. Since the publication of the 180-character "Kunming Daguan Tower Long Couplet" written by Qing Dynasty Sun Yanweng, imitators have emerged one after another. From the Qing Dynasty to modern times, some people have already created more than 200 characters.
There are even couplets with thousands of words. The couplet in praise of the Great Wall written by Hua Wu, a modern man, has a total of 1,000 words. This couplet won the 1985 Spring Festival National Competition Award. Zhong Yunfang, who was also a Qing Dynasty person like Sun Yanweng, titled Sichuan Jiangjin
Linjiang Tower Couplet is 1612 words long, which is almost equivalent to an article.
It can be seen from the above two couplets that the sentence pattern of the couplet has actually greatly surpassed the style of the Tang Dynasty's verses, and even surpassed the sentence patterns of poetry in previous dynasties. The couplets of later generations are no longer just an extension of poetry, they are in the sentence
The style also absorbs elements from prose, parallel prose, Song lyrics, Yuan operas, folk sayings, and spoken language. Even modal particles and function words - and even onomatopoeia - can be incorporated into the writing of couplets as needed. Therefore, Meng Chang
The first couplet I wrote may have come directly from Tang poetry in form, but as the art of couplet matured, it had many "predecessors", which were eclectic and developed its own style. It can no longer be regarded as just Tang poetry.
Variations. Here are a few examples collected to prove that what the author says is true.
Stop! What are you doing behind my back? You are so bold, and you want to hide it from me;
Think about it! Which one should I spare here? Turn around quickly and don’t harm anyone.
——Couplet from City God’s Temple
The so-called City God is the god in charge of the city in superstition in the past, which is equivalent to the projection of the county magistrate or the prefect in the underworld. In the past, one of the main responsibilities of the government officials was to resolve cases, and the same was true for the City God. Folks also believed that all gods knew about it.
The ability of the government officials to solve cases that ordinary people cannot know may not be clear because they cannot know people's secret behaviors, but the city god is able to know everything. It is impossible for anyone to do bad things secretly without telling him.
The couplet borrows the tone of the City God to warn those with evil intentions not to take any chances. It should be noted that if you don’t want to know God, you have to do nothing. In terms of language, this couplet uses the form of folk colloquialism.
, with its playful and comical characteristics, showing the eclectic language style of the couplets.
Humph, you bitch is so stupid. If I had not gone straight to the top, why would I have had a color TV?
Bah, you are so foolish. I sewed the cuckold myself, and that's why I got the cuckold.
This couplet depicts the ugly faces of a couple who rely on their looks and nepotism to obtain official positions and are greedy for money and bribes. It has the effect of dissecting the skin and bones and penetrating into the wood. The first word of the upper and lower couplets begins with a modal particle to enhance the expressive effect.
of.
Let’s look at the couplets using modal particles:
Showing off one's hair and wielding a sword with great power, the immortals and Buddhas have no ears;
There is a way to subdue the dragon and subdue the tiger, and it will be like a turtle or a snake.
There are only a few couplets of 20 words, but a total of six modal particles are used.
It can be seen that the predecessor of couplets is definitely not limited to Tang poetry. With the continuous development of the art form of couplets in practice, it has already had the ability to accommodate all things, and it is precisely because of this that it can thrive and grow into a
An independent literary and artistic style.
2. Couplets about historical figures
1. Classification of couplets of historical figures
As mentioned earlier, couplets about historical figures are a very important and numerous type of couplets. Because of their importance, their existence has been endless since the existence of couplets, and they are popular; because of their large quantity, so
It is almost impossible to exhaust them all by collecting them. There are many differences in this type of couplets, both in terms of writing and style. Couplets about historical figures may appear in many types of couplets, such as Liang Zhangju's "Couplets"
Among the ten categories of couplets mentioned in "Cong Hua", they are story category, temple ritual category, temple category, scenic spot category, good story category, mourning category, etc. Most of the couplets of historical figures appearing in the above categories belong to the introduction category.
Life, praise deeds, and praise merits. In addition, there are some couplets about historical figures that are different from them. For example, some couplets that appear in a nostalgic way, although they often have the meaning of praise, exclamation, and remembrance, but
The main intention is to use the wine cup of the ancients to pour out the wine cup of oneself. In other words, the author relies on the stories of his predecessors (or others) to write his own emotions. Of course, personal emotions may not have anything to do with the times or society.
In many couplets, those that express personal feelings actually also contain touching aspects such as concern for the country and the people, sadness for the current situation, deep ambition, high ambition, etc. Many couplets that are self-titled and self-encouraging,
Historical stories of historical figures are often used to describe one's aspirations and express one's feelings, which mostly fall into this category. There are also many couplets of characters, which may not contain much lofty artistic conception, but through unique and ingenious artistic techniques and humorous expressions, they have become fascinating.
Favorite humorous couplets. In addition to the above, character couplets can also adopt a critical stance like other couplets to carry out sharp and pungent crusade against those historical sinners and sycophants.
Satire and ridicule; but for those who are not really evil, but are contrary to common sense and human ethics, and go against customs and morals, they can also be exhorted, ridiculed, and criticized.
However, in terms of the distribution of couplets of historical figures, what people see most often is the part preserved among the many places of interest. Many places of interest have traces left by the ancients. On the one hand, these places can be visited, and on the other hand, they can
On the one hand, you can nostalgic for the past. And one of the most important contents of nostalgic for the past is naturally the memory of the deeds, sentiments and spirits of ancient celebrities. Among the places of interest, a large number are temples, halls, pavilions, pavilions, palaces, and ancestral halls that commemorate the ancients.
Pavilions, gardens, buildings, terraces, corridors, temples, etc., as well as tombs, graves, stele, tablets and the like - this is also a Chinese characteristic that is different from any other country in the world. The remains of the ancients left in these places are recorded
The memories of future generations are almost everywhere. It can be said that the spirit of ancient Chinese culture has been preserved to a large extent by these ancient relics, and the couplets posted and hung in these places have gradually accumulated and accumulated over many years.
It has enriched and played a huge role in introducing, publicizing and promoting ancient Chinese culture and civilization. We can say without hesitation that in China’s national quintessence - couplet culture, couplets about historical figures are the most valuable.
, is also the most meaningful part and the part that should not be ignored when we study the couplets.
As mentioned before, the couplets about historical figures have many characteristics in terms of form and content. When we study this part of the couplets, it is definitely necessary to classify them in detail for the purpose of interpretation and understanding.
, to see what happens.
I think the couplets of historical figures can be roughly divided into the following categories. The first is to introduce deeds, praise merits, and praise the spirit; the second is to express feelings through the past and use history to describe aspirations; the third is to use the names of historical figures to express
The author's humor, wit and cleverness are quite literary; the other type is critical and sarcastic. For the convenience of the following text, I will give specific names to these four character couplets with different contents, which will include the following:
One kind of character couplets is called "sacrificial couplets" (it can also be called "commemorative couplets"), the second kind is called "metaphorical couplets", and the third kind is called "smart couplets"
"; The fourth type is called "sarcastic couplets". This is just a way of classifying the couplets of historical figures. In addition, they can also be divided into two types according to the objects they reflect: A.
, couplets with ancestors (or elders) as the object; couplets with peers as the object; couplets with the juniors as the object. B, couplets with others as the object; couplets with oneself as the object; couplets with others and oneself as the object at the same time
Couplets; C, couplets targeting a single person; couplets targeting two people; couplets targeting multiple people.
These categories actually overlap. Among all the couplets of historical figures, the ones with the widest scope, the largest number, and the most important significance are the memorial couplets (and the memorial couplets mostly use ancestors, others and singles).
human objects), so this book will focus on research and analysis of this type of couplets.
2. Memorial couplets (Part 1)
China has a history of civilization of five thousand years. No matter where you go on the land of China, you can explore the remains left by our predecessors. They raised an ancient nation here many years and generations ago.
They live on the land. Their bodies are no longer there, but their souls, the material civilization and spiritual civilization they created have still survived to this day, becoming the basis for our inheritance, development and continuous progress. Their origins of drinking blood and the pioneering of the road,
The continuation of hard work, arduous success and creation have all left a deep imprint on the blood of our nation. Some of their names have even become the totem and symbol of a nation. "The mountains stop, and the scenery stops."
They have unashamedly become role models, models and role models for future generations. To always remember their names is to never forget the roots of the nation, and to always inherit the genes of perseverance, strength, tenacity and loyalty, and to always magnify the vastness.
The spirit of broad-mindedness, integrity and generosity.
This land is so ancient and timeless, and there are so many historical relics that in every province, every city and even every county in the country, we can almost find places to pay homage to our ancestors. Among these places, all of them
Places that allow people to publicly pay homage are not only dedicated to the ancestors and elders of a family, but also to those who have created something in history, who have benefited the place, and who have made contributions to the people, which is enough to serve the people.
People who left their names in the history of history. People build such places not only to entrust their emotions, but also to let a great spirit take root in the soil and stay forever. From the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor in Shaanxi to Hunan
The Mausoleum of Emperor Yan, from the Quzi Temple on the shores of Dongting Lake to the Du Fu Thatched Cottage in the suburbs of Chengdu, from the Bao Gong Temple in Hefei to the Tomb of Yue Fei in the West Lake, to the modern Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and the Huanghuagang Martyrs Tomb... these scenic spots, these sites, these histories
Places where characters left their clothes, footprints and character have become holy places that attract travelers and gather descendants. People linger here, see the scenery and think about their ancestors. What they feel and absorb,
It is more than just a momentary tremor of the soul and the aesthetic pleasure of this situation. This kind of experience, what this kind of experience brings to many of them will be an unforgettable and eternal enlightenment, education and gratitude. So, what gave birth to this
It is a kind of soul trembling, aesthetic pleasure and profound revelation, huge education and eternal gratitude. In addition to other contents of the memorial site, the role played by those indispensable character couplets should not be underestimated.
Mr. Yu Youren, the veteran of the Kuomintang, once wrote the couplet "Ancient Huangdi Temple in Qingcheng Mountain" for Qingcheng Mountain. It is now copied here and shared with readers:
The grass grows in ignorance, and four hundred trillion children and grandchildren fly across the world;
Asking what is the way of Longqiu, it is the guardian of China with five thousand years of culture.
The author of the couplet, Mr. Yu Youren, was an official in the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty and one of the earliest members of the Tongmenghui. He followed Mr. Sun Yat-sen in the revolution and opposed the imperial system. He had a high prestige in the Kuomintang. He served successively as deputy minister of the Ministry of Transportation of the Nanjing Provisional Government and the National People's Congress.
Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in Shaanxi, Director of Audit, Director of Supervision of the Kuomintang Government, etc. In this couplet, Mr. Yu Youren praises the legendary ancestor of our Chinese nation, the Yellow Emperor, for his immortal merits of opening up chaos, mowing grass, and enlightening ignorance.
Let’s summarize it in just five words. Then, from the macro perspective that the development and evolution of five thousand years of civilization all started here, the admiration and inheritance of the descendants of Yan and Huang for their ancestors are expressed in a confident and heroic tone.
Show it.
If people travel to Sichuan, their travel route is generally as follows: after leaving Chengdu, you can go up to Qingcheng Mountain. Then, go to Dujiangyan to see the earliest and greatest project in the world's water conservancy history, Dujiangyan, which was built more than 2,000 years ago.
Erwang Temple.
The Erwang Temple is located on Yulei Mountain on the east bank of the Minjiang River in Dujiangyan. It is a temple built to commemorate Li Bing, the governor of the Shu region of Qin, and his son Erlang. The temple was originally built in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and was originally named Chongde Si. After the Song Dynasty, it became a feudal temple
The rulers of the dynasty decreed that Li Bing and his son be crowned kings, and the name was renamed the Erwang Temple. Before the construction of water conservancy facilities, the western Sichuan plains around the Minjiang River had been harmed by floods, frequent disasters, and grain failures. Since Li Bing designed and led the people to build the Dujiangyan Irrigation System,
After that, it became a granary that was not afraid of floods and droughts and ensured harvests for thousands of miles. Sichuan was called the "Land of Abundance" by later generations, and Dujiangyan's achievements were the first to bear the brunt. The location of Dujiangyan was originally very difficult to build water conservancy facilities, especially at the time when production was backward.
Under the conditions of technological and technological conditions, the treatment plan proposed by Li Bing was to "excavate the beach deeply and construct the weir at a low level." The Dujiangyan Irrigation Project built using this plan has been preserved and used without damage to this day. It is one of the world's most famous water conservancy projects in history.
Only. In this temple, there is a couplet:
One door and two Yu;
Six words for a thousand years.
This couplet is very concise, but the sentiment expressed is extraordinary. The first couplet praises Li Bing and his son for their achievements in water control, and compares them with the legendary Dayu. The praise cannot be higher. The second couplet specifically comments on Li Bing.
With his experience in water control, he believes that the method of "deep digging of beaches and low construction of weirs" has passed the test of thousands of years and will continue to be passed down and bequeathed to future generations. This couplet is about Li Bing and his son.
, which is not common in memorial couplets. Some people commented that the characteristics of this couplet are: concise, easy to read and remember. The author believes that its most important characteristics are high summary and precise comments.
From the two examples listed above, we can see that memorial couplets are indeed the best way to express people's admiration for their ancestors and immortal figures among their ancestors. Moreover, the emotions seeping out between the lines are full of solemnity.
And the characteristics of solemnity, piety and respect.
In ancient China, people called people who rescued the dying and healed people's physical illnesses as doctors. By extension, those who had the talent to govern and secure the country and were able to solve problems for a country caught in internal and external troubles were called "doctors of the country." Hua Tuo
His higher ideal was to be a medical expert, so the "Book of the Later Han·Hua Tuo Biography" said that he was "ashamed to take medicine as his profession" - this reminds us of Lu Xun. Lu Xun went to Japan to study, and he was studying medicine. But
After witnessing the various facts that China suffered from imperialist aggression due to its backwardness, he resolutely gave up studying medicine and embarked on the road of "screaming" using his pen as a gun to diagnose and treat the deeply ailed soul of the Chinese nation.
Shen Nong tasted hundreds of herbs is a touching legend in ancient China. It was after he personally tasted hundreds of herbs that he invented traditional Chinese medicine and created a valuable medical heritage for the Chinese nation. But Shennong’s contribution did not stop there. He was also a farmer.
The founder of civilization promoted people to move from gathering, fishing and hunting to a lifestyle of agricultural production.
It is such a rich and profound background that highlights the theme expressed in this couplet. Although the text of this couplet is very simple, it does convey a grand artistic conception, which makes people feel admiration after reading it.
Let’s take another example, a couplet in front of Du Fu’s tomb in Gong County.
Songs always bring tears of concern for the people,
Even though I am in trouble, I still have a patriotic heart.
Du Fu was a great realist poet in the Tang Dynasty and the most dazzling superstar in the history of Chinese poetry. He was hailed as the "Sage of Poetry" by later generations. As mentioned before, the distinctive feature of his poetry is his adherence to rigorous rhythm.
When he writes his own poems, he always thinks over and over again, making sure to find the most satisfactory words and phrases. He will never be sloppy and perfunctory. "If your words are not surprising, you will never stop", this famous saying is Du Fu's high-level summary of his writing experience.
, is also a conscious requirement for his own creative process. However, the more important reason why people admire his works is that his works always put attention to the times and care for the people first. He was born in the Tang Dynasty Empire
From the prosperous age of Kaiyuan to the era of the Anshi Rebellion and the collapse of the world, he has experienced the ups and downs of war, experienced all kinds of suffering in the world, and seen the hardships suffered by the people. Therefore, his poems, especially in Chinese
, his later poetry works truly recorded what he saw and heard at that time, pouring into his writing the huge damage caused to society by the war, the profound suffering it brought to the people, and his own deep sorrow and sorrow. These touching words
His writing style has deeply touched the hearts of every reader at the same time and even later generations. Because of this, Du Fu's poems are uniquely called "the history of poetry". "I worry about Li Yuan in my poor years, and sigh at the heat in my intestines" (Du Fu: "
"From Beijing to Fengxian"). After reading such a poem, who would not burst into tears and sigh with emotion? The author of this couplet did not introduce or boast about Du Fu's life experience and poetic achievements in the slightest, but spoke directly.
A high-level summary of the essence of his poetry highlights his tall image as a "people-oriented" poet who is concerned about the country and the people.
There is another couplet in front of Du Fu's tomb in Gong County, which is written in the same way.
With loyalty and love at heart, the country's progress will be difficult, and the times will be stormy;
I plead for life for the people, but I still have the disease in my arms, and my warning poems turn into weeping ghosts and gods.
The concept of this couplet is similar to that of the previous couplet, but the pen and ink are more intense and the emotion is more profound. The couplet uses Du Fu's own poem: "The wind and rain startle when the pen is written, and the poem becomes weeping ghosts and gods", so it is more prominent.
The characteristics of Du Fu as a "sage of poetry".
2) Quote your life and promote your achievements
This type of character couplet, explained by modern literary theory, has the characteristics of "realism", that is to say, the author will concretely display the author's unique experiences and deeds in the couplet. However, the couplet is not reportage after all.
It is not a novel. It is a "variation of poetry" subject to strict format restrictions. Therefore, it must be very different from other prose art forms (including novels, reportage and general prose) in expressing the author's personal experience.
.Due to the limitations of space and format, it can only display the deeds of the subject in a highly summarized manner, selecting the highlights and finishing touches to summarize the most typical events in the author's life that are familiar to people.
Of course, quoting life stories and promoting performance is not to discuss the matter, but to form a sense of affirmation and admiration for the author. Therefore, the couplet writer sometimes introduces the author's personal performance and makes appropriate comments and discussions.
In order to enhance the momentum, character and realm of the couplets. Let’s take a look at this type of couplets.
After three inspections, it is clear that the west takes the east and the east is harmonious. Yuan Mo has already decided on the three-point tripod;
The two Sichuan provinces achieved great success, and they conquered the south and the north, and sent two commanders to stay in the army.
——Couplets at Wuhou Temple in Chengdu
Zhuge Liang (181-234) was an outstanding statesman and military strategist during the Three Kingdoms period. His courtesy name was Kongming, and he was a native of Langxie.
The above couplets summarize some of the most important deeds in Zhuge Liang's life, allowing readers to take a look at Zhuge Wuhou (Zhuge Liang was named Wuxianghou by Liu Chan, and later generations simply called Wuhou) in his vigorous and pioneering life.
It's like seeing Wuhou working conscientiously and diligently following the king's orders.
This couplet is purely a realistic couplet. It only lists a few of Zhuge Liang's well-known main achievements without adding any comments. However, because Zhuge Liang's image of illuminating the world has already penetrated into the minds of ordinary Chinese people.
, so just mentioning his deeds is enough to create an association of tallness and holiness in people's minds.
Give another example of a similar couplet.
Confucianism is not just talk, water conservancy has been accomplished, and the merits of the three rivers are that it is appropriate to eat blood;
The Confucian classics came late, and the experts concluded that they were as crazy as the Seventh Son.
This is a couplet written by Lin Zexu, a famous minister in the Qing Dynasty, for Gui Youguang Temple. Gui Youguang was a famous scholar and essayist in the Ming Dynasty. He lectured on the Anting River in Jiading for a long time, and his descendants built an ancestral hall for him in the county. Gui Youguang
Youguang debuted very late, and was only admitted to Jinshi at the age of sixty. However, he made great contributions to literature. He once vigorously promoted the ancient prose of the Tang and Song Dynasties, and opposed the "Later Seven Scholars" who dominated the literary world at that time, who blindly imitated the grammar of the Qin and Han Dynasties, resulting in
The practice of rigid writing style. The famous "Tongcheng School" prose in the Qing Dynasty was also greatly influenced by it. Lin Zexu believes that Gui Youguang's contribution is not limited to academic and prose creation. He once wrote "Sanwu Water Conservancy Records", which was very important to Gui Youguang.
He played an important role in controlling water conservancy in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and he should be worshiped by people for this alone. As for his contribution to prose theory, even the "Later Seventh Son" who was criticized by him and had a great reputation had to be convinced ("
After Gui Youguang's death, Wang Shizhen, the leader of the "Later Seven Sons", wrote "Gui Taipu Praise and Preface", which greatly praised him).
Generally speaking, this couplet is also a "realistic" work that "comments one's merits". The 30-character couplet is as simple as a poem, but it generally summarizes the main experiences and deeds of Gui Youguang's life. Part 1
The words at the end of the couplet "The merits are in Sanjiang and it is appropriate to eat blood" have a slight meaning of comment, but it does not affect the basic style of the whole couplet.
(3) Promote character and demonstrate spirit
According to the author's own experience in creating couplets, this type of couplet is easier to write than the two types of couplets: macro-definition or performance promotion. The reason why I say this is because macro-definition couplets need to be drawn from the entire history.
To find the coordinates of the entire era and the entire society, it is very inclusive and covering. If the writing object does not have such a high historical status or the author of the couplet himself cannot reach the realm of grasping historical time and space, it cannot be viewed from an appropriate height.
Of course, the author cannot write a high-level work. As for the couplets that promote performance, it can be cut in a plain way, but on the one hand, the author needs to have a high degree of summary ability of the author's deeds. In addition, if the author's deeds
It has been known to ordinary people for a long time, so it is difficult to achieve new purposes and it is easy to give people a sense of staleness. However, couplets that promote character and highlight spirituality can have a high or low footing, a broad or narrow outline, and a deep or deep angle.
It can be shallow, or it can draw inferences from one instance, or it can bring out the truth from the imaginary, or it can be seen from the small, in short, it should be able to reflect the mental outlook of the subject.
Let’s look at another example.
So crazy that everyone in the world wants to kill him;
The emperor cannot breathe when he is drunk.
This is a couplet praising Li Bai. Li Bai, like Du Fu, is the greatest poet in Chinese history. In the history of literature, people call them both "Li Du". Du Fu is called the "Sage of Poetry" by later generations.
, Li Bai also has the reputation of "Poetry Immortal". Li Bai is intelligent, talented, knowledgeable, and good at chivalry. His poems are majestic and unrestrained, magnificent and heroic, full of rich imagination and romantic color.
When he was young, the name of his poem shocked the whole country. However, Li Bai was arrogant by nature and despised the powerful, even the emperor's favorite concubine and the important officials of the court. His wild and uninhibited nature made ordinary people disdain him.
Secular people down to princes and ministers were jealous and could not tolerate it. Du Fu respected his talent the most and wrote many sentences of sympathy and praise for Li Bai in his poems. For example, in his poem "Missing" he wrote: "
Without Li Sheng for a long time, it is really sad to pretend to be crazy. Everyone in the world wants to kill, but I only pity the talented person." And his "Song of the Eight Immortals in Drinking" conveys Li Bai's personality in an exaggerated style: "Li Bai's hundreds of poems about drinking wine, which are sold in Chang'an City
Sleeping in a restaurant. The emperor called me but could not get on the boat, so I claimed that I was an immortal in wine." This couplet uses two lines of Du Fu's poems. It is these two lines that most typically embody Li Bai's arrogance and arrogance.
A personality and character that cannot be tolerated in the world. The above couplet "Guandi Temple Couplet" praises Guan Yu's spirit and moral character from a high and big perspective, while this couplet about Li Bai only focuses on certain personality traits of the protagonist.
Let’s set off to highlight Li Bai’s personality charm.
4. Couplet of intelligent characters
The clever character couplets are a relatively special category among the couplets about historical figures. They are not like ordinary character couplets, which always express some personal inner emotions.
A type of couplets often only use the form of couplets to express certain intellectual dexterity and intelligence. Therefore, they pay great attention to external things, such as: peculiar sentence patterns, changes in rhyme, and word meanings.
Coincidences and so on. They show people a refreshing thing, and these things have nothing to do with emotion or meaning, but just to let you enjoy the charm of a kind of difficult gymnastics performance.
There is a couplet that was once widely circulated, which can be regarded as a typical example of this type of couplet.
The two ships were running parallel, and the oars were not as fast as the sails;
When the eight notes are played in unison, the flute cannot be as clear as the flute.
It is said that this couplet was written by a civilian official and a military general while they were drinking together. The civilian officials and military generals boasted to each other about their importance and achievements, so they quoted historical figures as evidence. The military general recited the first couplet and said: "The speed of the oar is too fast.
"Sail fast". Literally speaking, what this general said is that when rowing, it is faster to use an oar than to use a sail, because the sail can rely on the wind. Here, he used a phonetic pun to borrow
Homophony to express his true meaning. Its true meaning is: As a civil servant, Lu Su's role is not as good as that of Fan Kuai as a general. Lu Su was a famous minister of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. When Cao Cao led an army of 800,000 to the south, the ministers
When they all advocated surrender, he and the governor Zhou Yu urged Sun Quan and Liu Bei to unite to resist Cao's army. As a result, in the Battle of Chibi, the Sun and Liu coalition won a complete victory, laying the military foundation for the Three Kingdoms. In fact, Lu Su also
He once served as a military officer, and after Zhou Yu's death, he took over Zhou Yu's position. But after all, he was not a martial artist but a scholar, so the military officer still regarded him as a civil servant. As for Fan Kuai, he was Liu Bang in the late Qin Dynasty.
His general. At the Hongmen Banquet, Xiang Yu's counselor Fan Zeng tried to take advantage of the banquet to get rid of Liu Bang, and ordered Xiang Zhuang to dance in the name of sword to find an opportunity to do it. Fan Kuai saw Fan Zeng's intention, broke into the camp with a sword, and rescued Liu Bang.
. Later, he assisted Liu Bang in defeating the rebellions of Zang Tu, Chen and Han Xin. He made great achievements and served as prime minister of the left. The position of prime minister was actually a civilian official, but Fan Kuai's life experience was a typical military commander's experience, so people have always regarded him as a military commander.
He is regarded as a typical military commander. Lu Su and Fan Kuai are people of different eras. Comparing their achievements and roles with each other is a bit like Hou Baolin's cross talk "Guan Gong vs. Qin Qiong", which is somewhat unrelated. But for the sake of
In order to win, we might as well compete like this. Faced with the military commander's boastfulness, the civil servant was naturally dissatisfied, so he wrote the second couplet to refute the military commander's argument. The civil servant said: "The clear flute is worse than the harmonious flute." Literally it means
He said that the sound of the flute is not as good as the sound of the flute, but in fact, he also used the method of phonetic puns to compare two figures in history. Xiao He, one of Liu Bang's most important advisers, and Zhang
Liang Liang and Han Xin were both known as the "Three Heroes of the Early Han Dynasty". During the Chu-Han War, he recommended Han Xin as a general and recruited the most outstanding military talents for Liu Bang. As prime minister, he stayed in Guanzhong to provide logistical support and guarantee for the war ahead.
He won the war. Later, he made suggestions and played an irreplaceable role in putting down the rebellion of kings with different surnames. Di Qing was a general in the Northern Song Dynasty. He was born in the army and worked from a soldier to a general and even a deputy prime minister. In the Northern Song Dynasty, he played an irreplaceable role in the war against Xixia.
He has repeatedly made great achievements in the war. The civil servant also borrowed allusions to elevate himself and belittle the other party. This couplet is not very "profound" in terms of creative motivation and theme, but its formal ingenuity makes it
People are known for their lively, flexible, witty and humorous tastes, and among the couplets we gave examples, this is the first couplet to express multiple people.
Why does Ruan Yuan have no ears?
Yi Yin has always been alone.
One of the authors of this couplet is said to be Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. When Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River, he met a young man on the road. He thought he was smart and wanted to test his intelligence. He first asked the young man his name, and the young man replied:
Ruan Yuan, Qianlong had an idea and immediately thought of the first couplet of this sentence. The two characters "Ruan" and "Yuan" are similar in terms of glyphs, that is, they both have the character "Yuan". But there are differences.
, that is, the character "Ruan" also has a radical, while the character "元" does not have a radical. When he came up with this first couplet, he thought it would stump the young man, because such a couplet with a person's name as its content,
It is indeed not easy to find the appropriate corresponding format. Unexpectedly, the young man only thought a little and answered the second line. Yi Yin in the second line was a figure in the Shang Dynasty. He was originally a slave and was named You Xin.
His daughter's dowry minister was named Yin. Later, the King of Shang discovered his extraordinary talent, so he promoted him to the position of "Yi" and entrusted him with state affairs. With his assistance, Shang Tang conquered
Xia Jie gained the right to rule the Central Plains. So, from the glyph point of view, the characters "Yi" and "Yin" are similar to the characters "Ruan" and "Yuan". The character "Yi" has a single character.
The character "Yin" does not have a radical when referring to a person. Therefore, when "Ruan Yuan" and "Yi Yin" are opposite each other, they appear to be a perfect match and a stable work.
The above two couplets were written by ancients, which shows that the ancients were skilled and creative in the use of couplets. Some contemporary people write couplets that are not inferior to the ancients. Please look at the following couplets.
Taibai was greedy for Li Yue wine;
The original attack was against Yuan's expansion into the city.
A careful analysis of this couplet reveals that it actually contains many more mechanisms than the previous two couplets.
Li Taibai is the great poet Li Bai of the Tang Dynasty. His name is split up and embedded in the couplet in the first couplet. Yuan Benchu is Yuan Shao, the great warlord in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Like the first couplet, his name is split up and embedded in the couplet in the second couplet.
The upper and lower couplets here become dualities. Li Bai was very good at wine. Du Fu once said in his poems: "Li Bai has a hundred poems about drinking wine", and Li Bai's own poems are even more exaggerated, saying "a hundred years and thirty-six thousand days, one day must drink"
"Three hundred cups". So it goes without saying that the author of the couplet said that he was "pleased with wine". Yuan Shao took the lead in launching an army to attack Dong Zhuo, who usurped the power of the Han Dynasty, and took the opportunity to expand his territory, once occupying Ji, Qing, You,
Merging four states. It is not an exaggeration to say that he "expanded the city" (expanded the city). The mechanism of this couplet is not only this, it also implies the name of the current person in the way of homophony. Li Yuejiu, Yingkou, Liaoning
Yuan Kuocheng is a famous gymnast of the Chinese gymnastics team and has won the world championship. Yuan Kuocheng is also a native of Yingkou, Liaoning Province, and a well-known local storytelling actor. This couplet separates the surnames in the ancient names and puts them in order to combine them into
The names of contemporary people are astonishingly crafted with ingenuity. This is also a couplet of many people.
