In ancient times, Yaren meant literati, elegant people. So what did the ancients mean by the four good qualities of Yaren? Let’s find out together.
What are the four good things of an elegant person?
The four good things of an elegant person are also called the four friends of a scholar. They refer to playing the zither (mostly Guqin), playing chess (mostly Go and (Chinese chess), calligraphy, and painting are skills that literati and poets (including some famous ladies) must master for self-cultivation, so they are collectively called chess, calligraphy, and painting.
Introduction to the Four Good Things
Qin: flute, erhu, guzheng, Xiao, drum, guqin, pipa, "Jasmine".
Chess: Chinese chess, Chinese Go, games, chess pieces, chess boards, etc. Books (calligraphy, seal cutting)
Chinese calligraphy, seal cutting, four treasures of the study (brush, ink, inkstone, rice paper), woodblock watermarks, oracle bone inscriptions, bells and tripods, Han Dynasty bamboo slips, vertical wire-bound books, Chinese characters, etc.
Painting (painting): Chinese painting (landscape painting, flower and bird painting, figure painting, freehand painting, etc.), modern Chinese painting (Chinese abstract oil painting, Chinese abstract traditional Chinese painting, etc.), others (interior painting ), etc.; Dunhuang murals; Eight Horses Picture, Tai Chi Picture (Tai Chi), etc.
Generally speaking, the four good friends of elegant people are also called the four friends of literati, which refers to music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Do you understand?