Couplets are one of China people's favorite literary forms. Couplets are also called antithesis, antithesis, antithesis and antithesis. According to the different position and nature of couplets, they can be divided into door couplets, couplets, birthday couplets, elegiac couplets and Spring Festival couplets. Ancient and modern palaces, temples, pavilions, official residences, Chuanshichi Waterfall, gardens and art parks, factories, shops, houses, farmers and even utensils, paintings, newspaper mastheads, case walls, etc. Everyone likes to use couplets, which really appeals to both refined and popular tastes. There are also many funny couplets that make people applaud. This is difficult for foreign countries such as Britain and the United States to understand, but foreigners who come to China to travel and work can be seen everywhere, especially on festivals, which is dazzling. To this end, this book is specially introduced here to facilitate Chinese and foreign exchanges.
Today, China attaches great importance to economic exchanges and cooperation between China and the West. On the festive days of Sino-foreign joint ventures, it is very meaningful to write a couplet to express your wishes, goals or ambitions to the guests. Couplets are always concise, and guests can remember them immediately after reading them, and their "advertising" function is excellent. Borrowing an old pair of shoes is of great significance. For example:
Prosper the world with life and prosperity.
Caiyuanmao Sheng Da Sanjiang
"Four Seas" originally refers to the four seas of China, which means the whole country. Now, as the laurel of "Sino-foreign joint venture", its meaning can be extended beyond the four seas of China, that is, to the world. "Three Rivers" is not true. It refers to the Yangtze River, Yellow River and other major river basins in China (the "three" here refers to the majority), and refers to the whole country. Using this pair also gives people an auspicious feeling.
On New Year's Eve in old China, new couplets were posted on both sides of every household's door, which meant to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and look forward to a new auspicious year. Festive couplets are all written on red paper with a brush. Especially elegant people write on red paper with gold powder, or write black words with a brush first, and then cover the edges of black words with gold powder. The words on the couplets should be written by people who write beautifully, which not only shows the lintel, but also shows respect for the future.
It is not easy to write couplets well. You can often know a person's knowledge from a couplet, so in the old society, some examiners often took the couplet first. Either let the candidates write a pair of questions, or the examiner write the upper part and let the candidates write the lower part. If you can't answer correctly, it means that the candidate has no level and is not allowed to take other exams.
There is a story that a fisherman in ancient Hainan Province usually ferried for passers-by. One day, a little black boy was carrying two bundles of books and luggage to transfer by boat. The fisherman saw him sweating profusely and asked him where he was going. He said, "I went to Beijing for an exam." The fisherman smiled and said, "Where is your appearance?" Fishermen used to go to Beijing for exams many times before, and have been living in seclusion as fishermen, ferrying for passers-by, so they have a good appetite. He said to the little black boy, "You'd better go home before you run away in vain." Black boy insisted on going. He said, "If you must go, I'll give you a pair. If you can get them, I will put them there for free. If you can't do it well, you have to go back. Where can the level catch up with the exam? " Seeing that he was a fisherman, the black boy said confidently, "OK, you can go out!" " "The fisherman casually pointed to his bamboo cage and said," Just focus on what's here. "Then came the first couplet:" The eel is long and the eel is short. "This pair is very small and difficult to correct." But the black boy went on unhurriedly: "Turtles, soft-shelled turtles and flat crabs have no heads. That would be great. The people who came to the transition by boat applauded. The fisherman was impressed, surprised and secretly admired. Put the black boy on the boat. The black boy named "Qiu Jun" is from Fucheng, Qiongshan, Hainan, and he was smart since childhood. This time, I was the top student in the Beijing exam. I should have been the top scholar, but my fingers are a bit like duck webbed. The "number one scholar" should not only take talents, but also look at looks. So I was admitted to the third place-exploring flowers. Since then, he has been the prime minister.
Couplets are also weapons of struggle. Mao Zedong once quoted a famous couplet:
The reeds on the wall are top-heavy and shallow;
Bamboo shoots in the mountains have a thick mouth and an empty stomach.
The author of this pair of couplets is Jie Jin, a gifted scholar in the south of the Yangtze River, and the editor-in-chief of Yongle Dadian in the early Ming Dynasty.
In the winter of Yongle, the wife of Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites celebrated her birthday. Jie Jin and many other Beijing officials went to celebrate their birthdays. It is suggested that Jie Jin, who is good at writing poems and does well, write a congratulatory poem. Jie Jin proposed to him. At this time, Ji Gang, the head of the Royal Guards, said with a smile, "You are all scholars, so I'll join in the fun. Let me fix it up and see who can fix it up. Yes, I admit the punishment and drink this glass of wine. " Seeing that everyone was silent, he read: "The water ducks in the pond are called quacks with flat mouths and short feet." After reading it, he was relieved. Seeing that Jie Jin only cared about drinking and ignored it, he smiled impudently: "I was right, even my bachelor's degree was stumped. I'd better do it myself! " "The tortoise in the hole has a long neck and a hard shell," he said, shaking his head. Hearing this, the Jie Jin knew that Jigang was satirizing his short stature.
This Ji Gang turned out to be a scholar. When Judy started his army, Ji Gang joined the army. Because his flattery was appreciated, Judy became the Yongle emperor of the Ming Dynasty and made him a royal guard who held the power of life and death. Usually bullying others, hurting Zhongliang, everyone dares to speak out. Jie Jin thought, I'm going to teach him a lesson today and give everyone a break. Then, Jie Jin said with a loud voice, "Just now, Meng Weishuai sat up and took notice of him, and he was right. Although Xie is incompetent, he dare not forget the old adage of reciprocity. Now he has also sent a team to ask Wei Shuai for advice. " Ji Gang said loudly according to the correct sentence patterns, characters and words: "The reeds on the wall are top-heavy and shallow." Hearing this, the guests burst into laughter. It turns out that Ji Gang is tall and has a big skull, and most Beijing officials know his origin. I know there is a deeper irony in this part. People in those days laughed when they heard what they knew.
Ji Gang was ashamed like a prawn in the soup, flushed, but not easy to attack. He swore in his heart: revenge is never too late for a gentleman! Don't kill Jie Jin. Swear not to be human. Later, Ji Gang colluded with Hanwang, who didn't become a crown prince, and forced Jie Jin to go to prison, where he was killed.