In China, the bronze bell has appeared in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, which is a percussion instrument. The original bells were probably developed from the Shang Dynasty. The oldest bell is from the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Like Ding, the bell is a symbol of the royal power of the ruling class and a symbol of "Bell Ming Ding Food". In the Xia and Shang Dynasties, it was popular to hang chimes, and there were strict rules for the ritual music system: the Heavenly Womb Hanging (four hanging bells), the princes Xuan Hanging (three hanging bells), the Qing Dafu judgment suspension (two hanging bells), and the Shite hanging (one side hanging bell).
During China's Bronze Age, bronze bells played an important role. So, what do ancient Chinese bronze bells look like? What are the characteristics? What are the names of the parts?
There is an article in the Zhou Li Kao Gong Ji, called "Fú Clan for the Bell", which answers this question in detail, and Zheng Xuan, a Confucian scholar and master of classics at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, made a lot of research and annotation on this article.
As a document in the Warring States period of China that describes the specifications and manufacturing processes of various types of official handicrafts, its account has great reference value.
"Zhou Li Kao Gong Ji"
1, two luan (luán) is called milling (xiǎn)
Milling (xiǎn) are the two corners under the ancient clock. Zheng Xuan explained "milling (xiǎn)" in this way. He said: "Milling (xiǎn), two corners of the bell mouth" This sentence means that milling (xiǎn) refers only to the lower two corners of the bell body.
2. Milling (xiǎn) is said to be in
Zheng Xuan explained "Yu" in this way, saying: "Yu, the bell lip above the also." It can be understood here that "yu" is the maximum width between two mills (xiǎn). Therefore, in practice, it is the mouth edge of the clock.
Bronze chimes
3. The drum of the above
Zheng Xuan believes that "the drum, the place where it is hit", which means "drum", is the place where it is struck.
4, drum on the palladium (zhēng)
On a bronze bell, what is palladium (zhēng)? Cheng Yaotian, a famous scholar of the Qing Dynasty, thought so: "The drum is the front of the upper part of the bell body, so it is called zhēng". That is to say, palladium (zhēng) refers to the upper middle section of both sides of the bell body above the drum.
5. The dance on the plutonium (zhēng).
For "dance", the famous Qing Dynasty scholar Cheng Yaotian explained it this way, saying: "The dance on the top of the bell on the zhēng is called "the dance". "On the plutonium (zhēng) is the top of the bell, and it is covered like a wⴡ (wǔ), so it is called a dance." In this way, dance is a synonym for 廡 (wǔ).
Western Zhou bronze Yong (yǒng) bell
6. Dancing on the Yong (yǒng)
What is Yong (yǒng)? Zheng Xuan, a master of Han Dynasty classics, believed that "Yong (yǒng)" was the handle of the bell. The Qing Dynasty scholar Cheng Yaotian said: "The dance is out of the top of the basket (tǒng), called the Yong (yǒng). ”
We can understand it like this:
Yong (yǒng) is used for hanging bells, and bells with yong (yǒng) are commonly known as Yong (yǒng) bells. The bells popular in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty had a jiōng-shaped beam as a button instead of a yong (yǒng) to hang the bell body, and this type of bell was commonly known as the new bell.
Bronze new bell
7. Yong (yǒng) is called the balance
Zheng Xuan, a master of Han Dynasty classics, believed that Heng referred to the handle of the bell. Heng is on yong (yǒng), and yong (yǒng) is the handle of the bell, so heng can only refer to the top of yong (yǒng).
The Qing Dynasty scholar Cheng Yaotian had a similar view on this, saying: "Yong (yǒng) Shangping is called a balance for words. "Yong (yǒng) is not straight, so it is called a balance", which means that the naming convention of "balance" comes from its 'level'. ”
8, Zhong County (hanging) is called the spin
What is Spin? Zheng Xuan, a master of Han Dynasty classics, said: "The spin genus is a species handle, so the county (hanging) is also." ”
Mr. Tang Lan, a famous Chinese philologist and historian, explained this in detail, saying: "According to the "Record", if the three points of Yong (yǒng) are long and set up for rotation, then the rotation must be yu Yong (yǒng). The meaning of the rotation is the ring, the ancient clock of the present eye, the middle of the Yong (yǒng) are protruding with a belt, and the Zhou Huan Yong (yǒng) is surrounded, and its position is exactly in conjunction with the "Record of Examination Workers", which is the so-called spiral. ”
9, the spinworm is called dry
First of all, we need to understand what is a "whirlwind"? The spinworm is a bell button in the shape of a beast. Does "dry" refer to the beast-shaped bell button?
The ancients believed: "The spinner of insects is decorated with insects, and when the xuanzhi is whirled, there are crouching bears, coiled dragons, and ward off evil spirits." "The whirling insect here is the beast-shaped bell button, and there are three main types: crouching bear, coiled dragon, and warding off evil spirits.
Copper Beast Button
10. The seal of the bell belt (zhuàn)
What is zhuàn? Zheng Xuan believes that it is something between a drum, a plutonium (zhēng), a dance, a yong (yǒng), and a balance.
11. The zhuàn is called a piece
What is a piece? A nail is a nipple that protrudes between palladium (zhēng). There are thirty-six and eighteen of the two pots before and after the first half of the bell body, which are six rows of three in each row, and the columns are interspersed with seals (zhuàn). It comes in three shapes: round table, conical or round cake.
Warring States milk nail bronze bell
12. The scenery of the name
Here, Jing should be just another name for "piece".
13. Yu Shangzhi (mí) is called a tunnel (suì)
Zheng Xuan's note: "攠 (mí), where the blow is 攠 (mí) is also harmful." 隧 (suì) in the drum, 窐 (wā) and light, like a fu tunnel (suì). ”
The mí can be explained this way: it is the part of the bell that shines with reflection due to long-term impact.
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