Why buy things and eat things, instead of buying north and south, eating north and south?
When Qianlong went to court one day, he saw that Ji Xiaolan was delayed, so he decided to embarrass Ji Xiaolan and make him ugly.
After a while, Ji Xiaolan ran over in a panic, and Qianlong asked Ji Xiaolan, "Why did you go?" ”
Ji Xiaolan said, "The minister went to buy something, but he delayed the time, and he hoped that His Majesty would atone for his sins." ”
When Qianlong heard Ji Xiaolan say this, he had a way to embarrass Ji Xiaolan in his heart, and he said to Ji Xiaolan: "Ai Qing is the first talent of the Great Qing Dynasty, so do you know why the people say 'buy things' when they are shopping, not 'north and south'?" ”
Ji Xiaolan smiled after listening to it, and he answered wittily.
During the Southern Song Dynasty, When Zhu Xi saw his good friend Sheng Wen carrying a basket to buy vegetables, Zhu Xi asked him: "Lao Sheng, why are you going?" Sheng Wen said, "Buy something and go." ”
Zhu Xi asked, "If you go shopping, can't you sell the north and the south?" ”
Sheng Wen shook his head when he heard this and said, "No." ”
This aroused Zhu Xi's curiosity, and he hurriedly asked, "Why can't you?" ”
Sheng Wen explained it this way. Chinese culture pays attention to the theory of the five elements of yin and yang, and the geographical orientation - east, west, south, north and middle, corresponds to the five elements - gold, wood, water, fire and earth, wood in the east, gold in the west, water in the north, fire in the south, and earth in the middle.
When the ancients went shopping on the street, they carried bamboo baskets in their hands, and bamboo baskets could only hold wood and gold, and could not hold water, fire and soil, so people said that they were buying things when they shopped, because they could only buy molded items such as wood and gold, and could not buy water, fire and earth, which were not formed.
This is how the ancients said that shopping was a purchase according to the five elements of yin and yang.
After Ji Xiaolan finished explaining, Qianlong and the minister listened with relish, listened to Jun's words, and read ten years of books, and although Qianlong wanted to embarrass Ji Xiaolan, he still admired him very much.
In addition to the five elements of yin and yang, there is another explanation. During the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an City was very lively, because there were East Market and West Market, which were bustling with traffic and had a lot of doors.
When the people of Chang'an City buy goods, they will come to the East Market and the West Market, and over time, the people will go shopping in the East Market and the West Market, which will be simplified to buying things, and the East Market and the West Market will become synonymous with things.
Chinese culture is broad and profound, with a long history, and every detail of life has profound meanings, reflecting the wisdom of the ancients everywhere. Dear officials, do you think that "buying things" comes from the five elements of yin and yang, or from the East Market and the West Market, and you are welcome to express your views!