Interesting Talk about Couplets·Xuan Ye
Xuanye (1654～1722), Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, was a Manchu. The third son of Emperor Shunzhi, he succeeded to the throne at the age of 8 in the 18th year of Shunzhi. He sent troops to put down the "Rebellion of the Three Feudatories", sent troops to unify Taiwan, regained the lost land in Heilongjiang and signed the "Treaty of Nerchinsk" with Russia, quelled the Galdan and Tibetan rebellions, and was rewarded Reclamation of wasteland, together with Qianlong, was called the "prosperous age of Kangxi and Qianlong". In the 61st year of Kangxi's reign, he died in Changchun Garden at the age of 69. Buried in the Eastern Tomb of the Qing Dynasty, he was given the posthumous title of "Emperor Ren". Emperor Kangxi was fond of calligraphy and painting since childhood, especially Dong Qichang's calligraphy. He often wrote letters for ministers and foreigners, and many of his works were circulated. There are also excellent works of couplets from time to time.
The four towns have more than one heart, and the troops are stationed on the two islands, and they dare to fight for half of the territory to the southeast
The kings have no land, and they are willing to fight in one corner, only to know that there is a lonely loyalist overseas
This is Xuan Ye's couplet to save Zheng Chenggong. As a feudal emperor of the Qing Dynasty, he was able to objectively evaluate Zheng Chenggong, who persisted in resisting the Qing Dynasty, and expressed his admiration and praise for this national hero at every turn.
In July 1662, Zheng Chenggong died of illness in Taiwan. Zheng's descendants moved his body to his hometown in Fujian. Kangxi personally ordered officials to escort the coffin all the way and write this couplet. Although the whole couplet has only 32 words, it has rich connotations.
After the Qing soldiers entered the customs, the generals of the four towns in the Ming Dynasty became alienated. However, Zheng Chenggong refused to surrender. He used Xiamen and Kinmen Islands as bases to launch his Northern Expedition. He went up the river from Chongming, conquered Zhenjiang, and besieged Nanjing. He later failed and returned. The first couplet summarizes this fact. On March 1, 1661, Zheng Chenggong led 25,000 soldiers on board the ship and set off to recover Taiwan, which had been occupied by the Dutch colonists for 38 years. After Zheng Chenggong regained Taiwan, he implemented the New Deal and still insisted on resisting the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty. This is what Emperor Kangxi praised in the second couplet: "Only when you have the will to resist in a corner can you know that there are lonely loyalists overseas."
Statue of Emperor Kangxi Xuanye
High pines and lush branches
Cranes with old feathers
Xuanye valued the scholar Chen Menglei very much and specially rewarded him There is a house named "Songheshanfang" and this couplet is written by the emperor. "Song Gao" refers to Chen Menglei's integrity and achievements. "The branches and leaves are luxuriant", praising his many students and his wide influence. "He Zhi" means praise for noble conduct and outstanding performance. "Feather-new" refers to his continuous self-improvement and new progress in academic attainments. At the same time, he hopes that he can make further progress, become more accomplished and make greater contributions. In addition, "pine" and "crane" are both mascots that wish people longevity. "Pine and crane extend life" and "pine and crane extend life" refer to this.
Regular script five-character couplet Xuan Ye