Millet is the millet in the modern north, also called yellow rice, which looks like millet, yellow and sticky. Millet is today's millet, and now its crop is called millet in the north. The northwest of China is suitable for planting millet. In ancient times, millet could also adapt to the climate of drought from time to time, so millet was the most important food in a long historical period. In ancient times, the country was represented by "country", for example, Zuo Zhuan Xi Gong Thirty-three Years: "Courtesy is also the foundation of consolidating the country." Society is the god of society (see the third part), and Xiaomi is the god of the valley. "White Tiger Tongguo": "Why do you have a country? Seek happiness and reward for the world. People don't stand on the ground, and the valley doesn't eat. The land is vast and sparsely populated, and it is impossible to respect the world; There are plenty of crops, so don't sacrifice one by one. Therefore, sealing the soil (equal to piling it up) shows that there is respect for the soil; Millet is the length of grain, so it is also a sacrifice. " This prominent position of millet is determined by its importance to people's lives.
Xiaomi and Xiaomi were often associated in ancient times. For example, the Book of Songs repeatedly said that "millet is heavy and fat" (Wind in July),
The status of wheat seems to be less prominent than that of millet and millet. Wheat can be divided into barley and wheat. In ancient times, barley was called Xun (móu). "Mencius Gaozi Shang": "Today's husband plows wheat, sows it, and its land is also planted, and it is also successful. As for that day (referring to the summer solstice), it doesn't matter. " "Looking for wheat" is barley. The Book of Songs Zhou Song: "Let me come to Xun, and the son of heaven will learn." These two poems mean that the Emperor of Heaven gave Zhou wheat ("Lai") and barley, and ordered Hou Ji (Zhou's ancestor) to train all people. From myths and legends to the continuation and expansion of the Zhou Dynasty, it can be seen that this crop is closely related to people's lives.
Water bamboo is beans, which originally refers to soybeans and is also the general term for beans. Shuowen: "Ga, beans are also." Duan Yucai said, "The ancient and modern language of" Ge and Dou ","This is the Chinese interpretation of the old saying "Bi". "The Book of Songs in July": "Hippo hulls wheat." Xiaoya Little Bowl: "There are cymbals in the Central Plains, and Shu Ren adopted them. "
Because hemp seeds can satisfy hunger, hemp is included in grain. Hemp seed is also called Xun (fēn, fen), Ju (jǖ, Ju), and Tong (Xǐ,). Liezi Yang Zhu: "In the past, those people with beautiful banyan (big) and sweet pestle stems were called (praise) Xiang Hao. Xiang Hao took it and tasted it, stinging (zheé, zhe. It means that pain is in the mouth and pain is in the belly, and many people are embarrassed (Shěn, be careful. Laugh) and complain, people are embarrassed. " It can be seen that hemp seed tastes ok to the poor, but it is difficult for the rich to swallow. The Book of Songs in July: "Uncle (picks up) September". September in the summer calendar is the time when hemp seeds mature. When you pick it, you "eat (si, 4) my farmers", which shows that hemp seeds are even one of the main foods for farmers. We also use it to refer to hemp. The homonym of this plant and its fruit is very common in ancient and modern languages. )
In ancient books, we often see the names of some food crops, such as millet, sorghum, rice and cereals.
Xiaomi is the kernel of Xiaomi. "The Book of Songs Yellow Birds": "The yellow birds who make friends (birds sing) have no (other) gathering to peck me." Later, millet was used as a general term for food. Historical Records of Xiang Yu: "Zhang Han encircles huge deer, builds tunnels, and loses millet." "Everything is done by Han Feizi": "A stone is a thousand miles away, not rich; Millions of elephant people (figurines) can't be said to be strong ... A stone can't make millet, and an elephant person can't pull away (repel) the enemy. " He also said, "Take money, grain and millet as a real warehouse to prepare the army to save the hunger."
Liang is an excellent millet variety. "Xiaoya Yellow Bird": "Cross yellow bird, don't gather mulberry, don't peck me." "History of the Five Elements in the Later Han Dynasty": "At the beginning of Emperor Huan. Kyoto nursery rhymes say:' ...' Take money as the house, gold as the hall and stone as the pipe.' "The tube is the top grade in the beam.
Rice was planted in the Central Plains later than the above crops, starting from the Zhou Dynasty. There are two kinds of rice: sticky and non-sticky. At first, "rice" specifically refers to sticky people, and non-sticky people call rice (jοng, Beijing. The same stalk, japonica), also known as Li (Lian, Lian), Li (Shu, Shu) and so on. Glutinous rice is suitable for wine making. "Biography of Tao Qian in the Book of Jin": "The potential is Peng, and the public field knows the species. Said,' This is enough to make me drunk.' My wife invited me to plant rice, so I planted 50 mu of rice and 50 mu of rice. ""rice "as a general term for rice is later.
Because rice and Liang are both "noodles and rice", they are often linked together, representing exquisite staple food. For example, The Book of Songs tang style Yu Yu: "There are endless things to do. Guo: (ancient), you can't have a full meal, and your parents can't (eat). It's been a long time and it's always there. " Du Fu's "Zhuang You": "The national horse exhausts beans, and the official chicken loses rice." It can be seen that Tang's cockfighting and vault consumed excellent food.
Grain originally referred to millet, and later became a general term for food crops. "The Book of Songs in July": "In October, the crops are harvested, the millet is heavy, and the hemp is shelled." Among them, the second word "He" refers specifically to millet, and the first word "He" refers generally, while the word "He Jia" includes eight crops listed in the last two sentences (focusing on early rice and late rice, only referring to late rice and early rice). People are familiar with Li Shen's poem "Compassion for Peasants": "When the grain is cut at noon, sweat drips down the soil", and the word "grain" is also a general term. Later, "he" became the proper name of rice. Huang Tingjian's Ode to the Scenery in the South of the Yangtze River: "The corn is sent to the official warehouse", and the corn is rice, then the grain is rice. Up to now, the South still retains this title.