China has been a country of etiquette since ancient times, and its attitude towards life and death is also very important. Especially for the royal family, respect and remembrance of the deceased are reflected in various funeral rites.
One of the incomprehensible customs is that before the ancient concubine is buried, not only to place jade in the mouth, but also to block the anus with jade, and even the other nine tips must be sealed with jade.
What is the reason for this?
In fact, this is not the superstition of the ancients, but has profound scientific principles and cultural connotations, which reflects the wisdom and respect for life of the ancients.
01
Prevent corpse decay and produce corpse fluid
The level of science and technology in ancient times was relatively backward, and without modern preservatives and refrigeration equipment, corpses were easily stinking and decaying in a short time.
Especially in summer or humid and hot areas, the corpse will quickly swell and change color, and foul-smelling corpse fluid will ooze from all parts of the body.
This is a great insult and insult to anyone, let alone concubines of honorable status.
They enjoyed prosperity and wealth during their lifetime, and they must maintain decency and dignity after death.
Therefore, before they are buried, they must block their anuses and other nine tips with jade to prevent the corpse fluid from flowing out.
Jade is not only beautiful but also hard and durable, which can effectively seal the openings of the body.
The ancients believed that jade had the function of embalming, not only jade clothing specially made for the preservation of corpses, but also the nine tips mentioned above.
It is recorded in the "Rites of Zhou": "Bi Qiang to collect the corpse", which refers to covering the mouth and body of the deceased with jade chips.
It is also recorded in "Holding Puzi": "If the gold and jade are in the nine tips, the dead are immortal."
Nine trick plugs are more common, and nine tips plugs generally refer to eye covers, ear plugs, nose plugs, jade mouth plugs, jade plugs and jade yin covers.
In addition to blocking the anus and other nine tips with jade, the ancients had some other ways to prevent corpses from decaying and producing corpse fluid.
For example, when washing the remains, alcohol or other liquids will be used for disinfection and sterilization; When placing the remains, the coffin will be made of wood with its own aroma, such as nanmu and pine, to isolate the smell; Even soak the corpse with mercury to dry and harden.
So why did the ancients pay so much attention to the cleanliness of corpses?
02
The anus is blocked to preserve the image of the corpse
In fact, the respect and remembrance of the deceased by the ancients is not only manifested in funeral etiquette, but also in the care for the soul of the deceased.
The ancients believed that after death, the soul did not disappear, but entered another world and joined the ancestors.
This world is connected to the living world, and the deceased can perceive the emotions and actions of living loved ones, and can also influence the fate and well-being of living loved ones.
Therefore, the respect and remembrance of the deceased by the ancients is actually a respect and blessing for themselves and their families.
Under this concept, the ancients hoped that the deceased could enter the world of the soul peacefully without suffering any pain and humiliation.
Therefore, they will keep the body intact and clean as much as possible so that the soul of the deceased is not harmed or upset.
At the same time, they also hope that the deceased can maintain their original image and temperament, so as not to lose their identity and status in the soul world.
Therefore, they would block the anus and other nine tips with jade to prevent the corpse fluid from flowing out and ruin the image of the corpse.
From this point of view, the practice of blocking the anus with jade is not a cruel or meaningless act, but a kind of care and respect for the soul of the deceased.
This reflects the wisdom and emotions of the ancients.
In addition, the reason why I chose to use jade in this process actually has a deep meaning behind it.
03
The symbolism of jade
Ancient jade is not only a beautiful handicraft, but also a symbol rich in cultural connotations.
Jade has multiple symbolic meanings in traditional culture, reflecting the religious beliefs, political ideals, moral concepts, aesthetic tastes and other aspects of the ancients.
Symbols of religious significance.
The ancients believed that jade was a divine gift from heaven and had the spirituality to communicate the ghosts and gods of heaven and earth.
Therefore, jade is used as a ritual vessel to sacrifice the four directions of heaven and earth to express reverence and prayer to the gods. Jade was also used as a ceremonial guard to show the divine authority and dignity of the ruler.
A symbol of a position of power.
Because of its rarity, preciousness, toughness and other characteristics, jade has become a symbol of imperial power, wealth and dignity.
Ancient monarchs did not hesitate to start wars or make diplomatic deals in order to possess beautiful jade. The Jade Seal is the most famous symbol of power, and whoever owns it is the true son.
A show of wealth.
Jade is not only a precious treasure, but also a way to display identity and status.
Ancient wealthy people liked to wear or collect all kinds of jade treasures to show their wealth and taste. Jade is also used as a gift or tribute to pay homage or favor.
Cultural symbols of virtue.
The ancients associated jade with virtue and gave it an aesthetic value of moral significance.
They believe that jade has good qualities such as warmth, smoothness, tenacity, and purity, just as a gentleman should possess virtues.
Therefore, the ancients often used jade as a metaphor for the virtue of a gentleman or a gentleman, such as "a gentleman has no reason, jade does not go away", "a gentleman is like jade" and so on.
Jade is synonymous with all good things.
The ancients had deep emotions and unique aesthetic pursuits for jade, and regarded jade as a symbol of all spiritual and material beauty.
Therefore, the ancients often used jade as a metaphor for many beautiful things, such as "qiongjing jade liquid", "qinse pipa", "qinqi calligraphy and painting", "qinse and ming" and so on.
It can be seen that jade has rich and profound symbolic significance in traditional culture, reflecting the ancients' understanding and perception of nature, society and life.
Jade is not only a material cultural heritage, but also a spiritual cultural heritage.
epilogue
It can be seen that the anus was blocked when the ancient concubine was buried, which reflects the wisdom of the ancients.
This method not only prevents the corpse from decaying and maintains the image of the corpse, but also expresses respect for the deceased and the expectation of the afterlife.
From these details, we can get a glimpse of the minds of the ancients and also feel their culture.
Of course, with the development of the times and the advancement of science, we no longer use this method to deal with the dead.
However, respect for the deceased has not changed.
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