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Text丨Editor: Literature and History
Preface
In China's rural areas, colloquialisms, as a carrier of traditional culture, carry a wealth of historical wisdom and life experience. These sayings not only relate to weddings and funerals, but also go deep into the elaboration of architectural feng shui. For example, there is a saying about the pattern of doors and windows when building a house: "Big mouth to small mouth, family is ruined, people and wealth are scattered". The "big mouth" here refers to the door, and the "small mouth" refers to the window. The ancients believed that the doors and windows were opposite, such as eating big and small, which was a symbol of bad luck, which would lead to poor fortune and even family decline. But from a modern perspective, does this statement still have scientific or practical significance, and how do we make sense of these traditional beliefs that are deeply rooted in the folk?
In China's rural society, the origin and development of Feng Shui is closely linked to the culture of farming. Over a long period of time, farmers have developed a unique set of geographical wisdom in close contact with nature, and this knowledge is often passed down from generation to generation in the form of oral colloquialisms.
Ancient Chinese society placed great emphasis on the art of Feng Shui. Especially when choosing a residential location and building layout, it is believed that a good feng shui layout can bring prosperity and tranquility to the family, while unfavorable feng shui can lead to family misfortune and loss of wealth. This emphasis on the location of the dwelling reflects the ancient people's deep understanding of the harmonious coexistence of the natural environment.
The systematic development of Feng Shui can be traced back to the Warring States period, as a comprehensive metaphysics that integrates various disciplines such as astronomy, geography, and architecture, aiming to seek the philosophical concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. This idea of "the unity of man and nature" runs through the entire practice of Feng Shui, emphasizing that the human living environment should be in harmony with the laws of nature.
Feng Shui also penetrates into all aspects of agricultural production. For example, in the selection of fields and the layout of water conservancy projects, farmers will consider feng shui factors. They believe that a proper feng shui layout can not only increase the yield of crops, but also ensure the safety and harmony of the village.
Feng Shui also plays an important role in the construction of the village. When villagers build houses and plan villages, they often rely on Feng Shui principles to determine the orientation and layout. For example, the main road of the village usually avoids going straight to the gate of the residents to prevent the "evil gas" from intruding.
Although some of the ideas of Feng Shui seem outdated due to the development of science and technology, the ecological wisdom and respect for the environment behind it are still worth pondering in modern society. Feng Shui is not only a part of ancient Chinese culture, but also a pursuit and yearning for a harmonious lifestyle.
In traditional Chinese architectural feng shui, the concept of "big mouth to small mouth" carries a rich cultural meaning. The "large opening" here refers to the main entrance of the dwelling, the main entrance, the main entrance, while the "small opening" refers to the window. This concept was particularly important in the design of ancient dwellings, especially when constructing traditional houses such as the courtyard houses in Beijing, where the consideration of the layout of doors and windows was crucial.
When people in ancient times built a dwelling, they usually did not just build a single house, but would consider the layout of the entire courtyard, including the relative position of the main house and the side houses. In such a design, the correspondence between doors and windows becomes a key consideration. This is not just the pursuit of architectural aesthetics, but also the basic principles of Feng Shui.
According to ancient Feng Shui, the door was seen as the "air outlet" of the dwelling, responsible for bringing in the air flow from the outside, while the window was the regulating point for the air flow from the inside. If the doors and windows are facing each other directly, the so-called "air rush" is formed, which is believed in Feng Shui to disrupt the balance of aura in the house. In the long run, such a layout is believed to lead to a decline in the family's fortunes, and even bring adverse economic and health effects.
The ancients also took into account a variety of other factors when designing their homes, such as topography, sunshine in all seasons, ventilation and lighting, etc., all in order to create a harmonious and comfortable living environment. The layout of windows and doors is only one of the many considerations in this process, but its importance cannot be overlooked.
To sum up, the concept of "big mouth to small mouth" is not only a simple architectural term in traditional Chinese culture, but also embodies the deep understanding and pursuit of the ancients for a harmonious living environment, family fortune, and health and longevity. Although some traditional ideas may no longer be applicable over time, these ideas are still a valuable part of Chinese architectural culture.
In rural China, choosing a homestead and building a house is an important thing, not only about the comfort of living, but also about traditional concepts such as health and feng shui. In general, people would build their houses on a flat area and build courtyard walls around the house, which made it easy to live in and provided space for growing vegetables or fruit trees.
In house design, a common layout is that the door is directly facing the back window, especially in the hot summer, this design can bring cool convection wind, commonly known as "through the hall wind". Although this tuyere design brings coolness in summer, it also has its drawbacks. Sitting at the tuyere of convective wind for a long time makes the human body susceptible to the effects of wind cold, which may cause back pain or discomfort in certain areas.
This prolonged exposure to convective winds can also lead to colds or skin problems. The skin is irritated by wind and cold, and skin problems such as itching may occur. Traditionally, it has been considered an unhealthy "evil", so special care needs to be taken to avoid being directly affected by convective winds for long periods of time when designing and laying out houses.
In some areas, traditional houses are designed to reduce the impact of wind through the hall, such as air ducts or screens to reduce the impact of direct wind. At the same time, the layout of the living room will also take into account the wind direction and wind force to avoid the main activity area facing the wind outlet.
While ventilation can bring coolness in the summer, excessive direct wind can also have a negative impact on human health. When building a house in rural areas, it is necessary to consider not only the comfort and practicality of living, but also factors such as health and feng shui to achieve a harmonious and symbiotic living environment.
In the traditional Chinese concept of Feng Shui, the phrase "big mouth to small mouth, family ruin, wealth scattered" contains profound wisdom in home layout. The "big mouth" here represents the main entrance to the home – the door, while the "small mouth" refers to the window. According to this philosophy, if the door of the home is directly facing the window, this layout is believed to have a negative impact on the family's financial fortune and fortune, which can lead to the loss of family wealth and even the decline of family prosperity.
In Feng Shui, the gate is seen as a symbol of a family's wealth, just as the ancient architectural style avoided setting up a back door to prevent the loss of wealth. Traditionally, it is believed that if wealth is entered through the door, but because the doors and windows are directly opposed, it is easy to inadvertently lose through the windows, resulting in the inability to accumulate wealth in the family.
From a practical point of view, straight doors and windows are not only bad for feng shui, but may also bring inconvenience in life. For example, when returning home at night, if the door is facing a transparent or reflective window, it is easy to have a sense of visual abruptness and even cause fright. At the same time, this layout is also prone to the formation of strong winds, and for weaker family members, long-term exposure to strong winds may affect health, resulting in frequent colds or the need to take medication for a long time.
Modern home design doesn't fully follow the traditional principles of Feng Shui, but it can still draw the essence from it, such as considering the rational layout to avoid strong winds, and also focusing on the beauty and practicality of doors and windows. For example, consider using blackout or opaque window materials when designing, or reduce the adverse impact of doors and windows by arranging furniture properly.
Overall, the saying "big mouth to small mouth, family ruin, wealth scattered" is not only part of traditional Chinese feng shui, but also reflects the ancient people's thoughtful thinking about the home environment. In modern life, although we do not have to blindly follow the feng shui layout of the ancients, understanding and referring to these traditional wisdoms is still valuable for creating a harmonious and healthy family environment.
In the tradition of building houses in rural China, although the architectural style may be simple, the rules and traditional experiences observed are quite rigorous and unique. These rules are often the crystallization of the wisdom of the long-term life practice of our ancestors, and contain profound cultural values.
There is a saying among them: "If there is a sedan chair in the family, the family will die." The implication of this sentence is that the design of the house should not imitate the shape of a palanquin, because such a design not only means bad luck, but may also bring bad luck to the occupants and even affect the safety and health of the family. This belief reflects the ancient people's view of the subtle relationship between the shape of the living environment and luck.
It should be emphasized that although these traditional concepts have their specific cultural background and contemporary significance, they do not necessarily have universal objectivity. The lessons learned from our ancestors cannot be ignored. When building a house in contemporary rural areas, it is necessary to consider not only the practicality and comfort of the house, but also its aesthetics and cultural implications. A good home is not only a place to live, but also a carrier of cultural heritage and family memory.
In the process of modern rural housing construction, modern construction technology and design concepts can be integrated on the basis of retaining traditional culture. For example, through reasonable spatial layout and material selection, it can not only ensure the structural safety of the house, but also reflect the traditional aesthetics of rural architecture. At the same time, considering the comfort and environmental protection requirements of living, modern building technologies such as the use of energy-saving materials and the design of natural lighting have increasingly become an important part of rural housing construction.
On the whole, the saying "the family has a sedan chair room, and the family will die" is not only the inheritance of the wisdom of the ancients, but also a reminder of the integration of tradition and modernity, function and aesthetics in the architectural design of modern people. Through the understanding and absorption of these traditional concepts, we can have a deeper understanding of the cultural connotation and social value of rural housing construction.