I don't know when Guan Yu's "green hat" image began to penetrate people's hearts. In addition to commentaries and comic strips, even in the extremely elaborate TV series "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", there is also a scene of Yu (Lu Shuming) wearing a green robe and a green hat.
It should be noted that the issue of the attire of the characters of the Three Kingdoms is rarely mentioned in the history books. It is Guan Yu's "green", and it is all interpreted by posterity. This makes people wonder: why guan yu, who is deeply admired by the people, is wearing a "green hat" with a pejorative meaning?
Above_ Guan Yu (160-220), the original character Changsheng, later changed to the word Yunchang
First, the source of the green hat: green scarf
The shaping of Guan Yu's image is inseparable from the novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". The 66th time in the original work, Guan Yu went to the meeting with a single knife: "The ship gradually approached the shore, saw the cloud long green scarf and green robe, sitting on the boat, leaning on the side of the Zhou Cang holding a large knife." The "green scarf and green robe" mentioned here is the main source of Guan Yu's "green hat" image in later generations.
However, Guan Yu wearing a "green scarf" on his head was not the first of Luo Guanzhong. In the meta-miscellaneous drama "Guan Yun Grows Up and Breaks the Worm You", there is already a description of "molding me to wear this pair of golden armor, and I can wear a green scarf". It can be seen that Guan Yu originally wore a "green scarf" instead of a "green hat".
Here's the problem: many people equate "green scarves" with "green hats." Although cyan has a green meaning, this does not mean that they can always be conflated.
Above_ The image of Guan Yu in the "Green Robe and Green Scarf" painted by Utagawa Kuniyoshi in "Guan Yu Baqiao Picks The Robe"
In ancient times, there was a distinction between "positive color" and "intermediate color". Cyan is the positive color, which can be seen from "blue is better than blue", and its original meaning is blue, blue ore or grass and wood color, and later extends to the meaning of green and black. Black is also a positive color, but green is a lower "intermediate color" and is not popular.
For example, in the "Book of Poetry and Shao Feng", it is said: "Green clothes and yellow clothes, the heart is worried." "Green is the intercolor color, which matches the color of the top; yellow is the positive color, but it becomes the color of the bottom (dress). The author uses "upper and lower heterogeneous positions" to allude to the loss of the wife's position and the concubine's position, so he is worried.
In later generations, green is still used by the "untouchables". Yan Shigu's ancient commentary on the "Book of Han and the Biography of Oriental Shuo" says: "Green Man, the clothes of the untouchables." Tang Yanling ordered Li Feng to use the green turban as a means of punishment: "The officials are guilty, and they are not punished with a staff", but they were ordered to wear a green (blue) turban to show humiliation, so everyone "thought that they were ashamed, and they all encouraged each other, and did not dare to disobey."
Although cyan is a positive color, it has also fallen into the clouds. Liu Bang regarded himself as the "Red Emperor" and advocated fire virtue; the previous Qin Dynasty chongshui de was black. Cyan has the meaning of black, and it also became a symbol of "untouchables" in the Han Dynasty.
Above_ Han Gaozu Liu Bang (256 BC – 195 BC)
Since the Tang and Song dynasties, Taoism has flourished, and judging from the daily attire of Taoist priests "wearing green scarves and wearing green scarves", the green scarves do not seem to have much derogatory meaning. Not only that, but its status has also rebounded, and it is already far above the green hat. Why?
According to the "Song Shi Youfu Zhi", "If the Great Dynasty will appoint the crown prince and the princes and ministers, they will set up five seats in the Daqing Palace court, which will be the ceremony of filling the court... Where jade is decorated with green, gold is decorated with silk. ”
As a kind of car, it was commonly used on important royal occasions, it was originally yellow, but it was changed to cyan after the Sui and Tang dynasties. The courtesy official had spoken to Emperor Huizong of Song to restore the ancient system and change the jade to yellow, but was immediately refused. From this, it shows the Song people's preference for cyan.
So, the cyan that restored its status in the Song Dynasty, is it green in the end?
Above_ Guan Yu's film and television drama image
Second, the green scarf: it is actually blue
The answer is no. The description of cyan in the Southern Song Dynasty Wen Tianxiang's "Five Colors Endowment" is: "The emperor's hope for Wuyang, the distant mountains and the rain; the farewell of wang and grandson nanpu, the grass is even in the sky." "When the rain is clear, it is azure (blue); the color of the grass and trees is green." However, since green is still the standard for "untouchables", in mainstream occasions, cyan should be blue.
For example, blue and white porcelain is blue; and in the modern song of the same name, which is highly sung, there is also a description of "azure and other smoke and rain". In addition, the Song people's drawing of Guan Yu's knife is one of the ironclad proofs that the green scarf is originally blue.
Above_ Song Guan Yu raised his knife and stood up
With Emperor Huizong of Song as the link, it is not even difficult to speculate on the origin of the image of Guan Yu wearing a "green scarf".
According to the "Spring and Autumn of the Lü Dynasty": "Where the emperor will be Xingye, the heavens will first see the people." Emperor Huizong of Song believed in Taoism, so there were courtiers who "prescribed the right medicine" and cooperated with Zhao Tuo to create "Xiangrui". For this reason, the monarch and the courtier often tacitly agree, and opening his mouth is nonsense.
According to the Qingbo Magazine, "Your Majesty said to his subjects: 'See the characters?' 'The subject saw that there was a stream of paths, a boy, and a man with a banner and a knot and a cover of one after another out of the clouds. There are more than a thousand people, all of whom are long and long. There are chariots, many blues, and the drivers are not horse-like, like dragons and tigers..." In order to cater to Emperor Huizong of Song, the courtier simply described the Taoist chariots as the "royal equivalent" of cyan.
Because of this, later generations would use the name of Emperor Huizong of Song to promote Guan Yu to enter Taoism and "become a god". It is said that during the Chongning period, there were dragons in Xiezhou's salt pond to do evil, so Emperor Huizong of Song invited Zhang Jixian, a thirty-generation heavenly master, who summoned Guan Yu, a Xiezhou man, to help him cut the jiao with Leifa. Emperor Huizong of Song was overjoyed to hear this, and in the name of his own era name, he enfeoffed Guan Yu as the Taoist Chongning Zhenjun.
Above_ Zhao Tuo (1082-1135), also known as Emperor Huizong of Song
This story is from the "Great Song Xuan and Testament", based on it in the novel "Water Margin" No. 1, there is also Zhang Tianshi praying for the plague for Song Renzong. The Void Jing Heavenly Master mentioned here is Zhang Jixian, the Virtual Jing True Man who summoned Guan Yu. However, why did Zhang Tianshi in the era of Emperor Renzong run to the song Huizong period?
This is probably because: the meta-miscellaneous drama "Guan Yun Grows Up and Breaks the Worm You" and the story of "Zhang Jixian summoning Guan Yu to solve the pond and slash jiao" in "The Great Song Xuan and the Testament" has been merged. The evil jiao became the embodiment of Xuan You, and they were all the objects of "violent beating" by Guan Yu. Therefore, in the 112th episode of the "Water Margin", when the big knife Guan Sheng (a descendant of Guan Yu) fought against Qian Zhenpeng, there was a description of "just like Guan Yu breaking the clams".
The confluence of the two stories, coupled with the Taoist preference for cyan, allows Guan Yu to wear a green scarf and gold armor in the Yuan miscellaneous drama, which is retained in the image of "Chongning Zhenjun".
Above_ In Utagawa Kuniyoshi's painting depicting Guan Yu's "Scraping Bones to Cure Poison", Guan Yu wears a green scarf on his head
In addition, the salt pond was an important part of the ancient economy, and Guan Yu became not only the protector god in the hearts of the people, but also the god of wealth in Taoism. It is the statue of Guan Sheng Emperor in the Temple of Wealth in the Later Life, and guan Yuqing (blue) scarf and golden armor are often dressed.
At this point, it is certain that Guan Yu's original image is not a "green hat", but a blue "green scarf". If this is the case, why is Guan Yu's hat "green" again?
Above_ Statue of Emperor Guan sheng in the Taoist Temple of the Temple of Wealth in Shanghai
Third, Luo Guanzhong: I don't carry this pot
Is Guan Yu wearing a "green hat" on his head, is it a fabrication of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms?
The novel does depict Yu wearing a green robe, see the 5th time in the original book: "The green dragon sword can be frosted and snowy, and the parrot battle robe is flying butterfly." Parrots are often green, it can be known that Guan Yu's robe is green but only this, Guan Yu wearing a "green scarf" has appeared once, but there is no so-called "green scarf" or "parrot color" turban.
Moreover, the "green scarf" described by Luo Guanzhong should be blue.
In the novel "Water Margin", Guan Sheng, who is a descendant of Guan Yu, has a reference to Guan Yu. See the 76th time of the original work: "The blue indigo scarf is full of light, and the jade robe is a cluster of flowers." The image of the "martial saint" here is wearing a blue scarf and a green robe.
Note: "Water Margin" has a lot of "Three Kingdoms elements", the big knife Guan won the courage of Guan Yu, and the haired Duke Zhu Tong won the righteousness of Guan Yu. However, because the order in which "Water Margin" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" were written is provisionally inconclusive, it is really difficult to say who "referenced" the image of whom between Guan Yu and Guan Sheng.
It is said that Luo Guanzhong participated in the compilation of the Water Margin; even if not, in the mainstream view, Luo Guanzhong was still a student of Shi Nai'an. In either case, Luo Guanzhong must be quite familiar with "Water Margin", so "Green Turban" can only be "Blue Turban".
Above_ Luo Guanzhong (c. 1330 – c. 1400)
In addition, under the impetus of the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty, "green hat" has completely become a humiliating word. How could Luo Guanzhong, who lived at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, use the "Green Scarf"?
Then again, since it is not the "pot" of the novel, how did Guan Yu's "green hat" image come about?
According to the "Yuan Dian Zhang, Ceremonial Dress Color", "By the fifth year of the Yuan Dynasty, zhun Zhongshu Province, the home of prostitutes, parents and relatives of men wrapped in green scarves." I think that the "green scarf" mentioned here has the meaning of "green scarf".
Also in the Yuan Dynasty, as the "spirit turtle" in the Han worship culture, it was also knocked off the altar and became more and more unbearable. There is a green-headed turtle in Wudi, and some good people associate it with a prostitute who wears a "green scarf", which gives rise to the humiliating use of "green haired (hat) turtle".
Affected by this, it is inevitable that some people will directly equate "green scarf" with "green scarf". In some later commentaries, there is a description of Yu "wearing a parrot green scarf and wearing a parrot green robe". Under the false rumors, Guan Yu's "green hat" image has become more and more popular.
Above_ Guan Yu in the "Green Robe and Green Scarf" in "Guan Yu Tackle General Map" (Ming Dynasty Shang Xi operated a silk color painting)
What is more coincidental is that cyan was once reduced to the standard of "untouchables" in the Han Dynasty, and was once confused with green.
In later generations, the famous general Guan Yu at the end of the Han Dynasty was made a "commoner", so the novel will write that Guan Yu is wearing a green robe. In this way, it is inevitable to misunderstand: Guan Yu, as a commoner, was mistaken for a green "green scarf" and was a common "untouchable" outfit in the Han Dynasty, so it was not natural for him to wear a "green hat"?
It seems that it is this theory of "self-justification" that has once again promoted the spread of Guan Yu's "green hat" image. However, as a famous general of a generation, Guan Yu, who was also held to a high position by the three religions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, has long become the embodiment of loyalty and righteousness. In this way, he really should not be put on a "forgiveness color" hat.
Author: Yingzhou Haike Correction/Editor: Lilith
Resources:
[1] Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms
[2] Shi Nai'an,"Water Margin"
[3] Anon. "The Great Song Dynasty Xuanhe and the Testament"
[4] Written by Zhou Xuan, Liu Yongxiang proofreading "Qingbo Magazine Annotations"
[5] Cheng Minsheng, "The Development and Widespread Use of Cyan in the Song Dynasty"
[6] Chen Yimin, "Green Hat" Examination
[7] Liang Jingjing, "Research on Guan Gong Opera in Yuan Miscellaneous Drama"
The text was created by the History University Hall team, and the picture originated from the Internet and the copyright belongs to the original author