Why did Zhuge Liang have seven grains of rice in his mouth after his death?

The saying that Zhuge Liang had seven grains of rice in his mouth after his death originated from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In chapter 114 of this book, it is written that Zhuge Liang died in Wuzhangyuan without success, but in order to make the Shu army retreat in an all-round way, he told Yang Yi: "After my death, you should not immediately send out mourning in a big way. You should make a big niche where my body can sit. Give me seven grains of rice in your mouth and light a lamp at your feet. The army will be quiet as usual, so don't mourn. " My ghost started in town. "

In the Han Dynasty, there was a concept that "things die like things live", and the dead should be treated with the same respect as before. The author thinks that this plot of Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms is influenced by this concept to some extent. There is something in the mouth of the deceased, and it is also rich to let the deceased go to the underworld.

"History of Etiquette in the Later Han Dynasty" said: "Far away from home, there are pearls and jade in the rice as a gift." The victim had something in his mouth. This is one of the ancient funerals. It is called "containing rice", which means putting pearls, jade, grains or coins into the mouth of the deceased. According to the identity of the deceased, the things placed are different. "Li Zhou Emperor Xie Ren" said: "Jun uses beams, medical millet, and scholars use rice"; As for the content, "the emperor used real pearls, princes used jade, doctors used jade, scholars used shellfish, and Shu Ren used solid grains". That's why the rice in Zhuge Liang's mouth conforms to his identity.

As for why it is "seven grains", it may be related to some ancient concepts of ghosts and gods in China. The ancients thought that seven days was a cycle of the moon, and the Big Dipper in the astrolabe was also a very important representative. Zhuge Liang has seven grains of rice in his mouth, probably because he wants to leave his soul in the astrolabe in a way. This is also a re-description of Zhuge Liang's image of "knowing astronomy above, geography below, and being wise and close to demons".

According to historical records, Zhuge Liang died of overwork on the way to the fifth Northern Expedition. Like the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it is a secret not to mourn. It deceived Sima Yi with the truth of Zhuge Liang's death and made Wei Jun retreat calmly. It can be seen that although Zhuge Liang's death may not have so many dramatic plots, the intelligence of Zhuge Liang and his successors Yang Yi and Jiang Wei is undeniable.