Couplets originated in the Qin Dynasty and were called Fu Tao in ancient times. With regard to the earliest couplets in China, Mr. Tan Chan-xue wrote in the fourth issue of Knowledge of Literature and History 199 1 that the earliest couplets in China appeared in the Tang Dynasty.
Couplets originated from the symmetry of characters and sounds in China, and appeared before the Zhou Dynasty. With the development of papermaking and calligraphy, couplets have become an independent style.
Couplets are short in form and concise in words, which is not only a vivid artistic expression, but also an excellent cultural heritage. Couplets are developed on the basis of ancient "Fu Tao" and "antithesis". The earliest Spring Festival couplets in China appeared more than 1000 years ago.
According to historical records, on the eve of the Spring Festival in the twenty-seventh year of the post-Shu Dynasty (AD 964), Meng Chang, the master of the post-Shu State, was good at learning couplets on weekdays, so when the new year came, he suddenly made a decree to ask ministers to write couplets on the "Fu Tao Board" to test his talents. Ministers each wrote a picture and waited patiently for the inspection. Meng Chang looked at them one by one, but he was not satisfied.
So he personally put pen to paper and wrote "Qing Yu in the New Year" on the "Fu Tao Board"; The festival number is Changchun. " This is the earliest Spring Festival couplets written by China.
A detailed explanation of the origin and history of couplets;
Couplets are antithetical literature. The parallel symmetry of this language is similar to the so-called "Tai Chi gives birth to two instruments" in philosophy. In other words, everything in the world is divided into two halves of yin and yang symmetry, and the essence of thinking is extremely similar.
Therefore, we can say that the philosophical origin and deep-seated national cultural psychology of China's couplets are binary concepts of Yin and Yang. The dualism of yin and yang is the basis of China's ancient world outlook. It is the way of thinking of ancient people in China to grasp things with the binary concept of Yin and Yang.
This idea of duality of yin and yang has a long history. The divinatory symbols in the Book of Changes are composed of yin and yang, and the Book of Changes says, "One yin and one yang is the Tao." Laozi also said: "Everything is negative and holds Yang, and it is harmonious to rush." (Chapter 42 of Lao Zi).
Xunzi thought: "Heaven and earth combine to create everything, and Yin and Yang combine to change." (Xunzi's Book of Rites) Huang Lao's silk book says: "The way of heaven and earth is left and right, yin and yang." This concept of Yin and Yang is not only an abstract concept, but also widely penetrated into the understanding and explanation of everything in nature and human society in ancient China.