Preface
As a traditional culture of the mainland, couplets are written on paper or cloth in pairs, and some are even engraved on bamboo or wood.
Couplets generally also have high requirements, requiring neatness and harmony between the couplets, which is also the charm of the Chinese national script. The couplet is also called "couplet", and in ancient times, it was often hung on the pillars of the house gate and courtyard.
Therefore, it has the common name of door pair and couplet, so it is called "couplet", and this kind of dual literature is derived from the ancient peach symbol.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, a widow and a Xiucai finally tied the knot because of couplets, which also reflects that couplets play a very important role as a social culture in ancient times.
So what is the content of this couplet, and what is the story between the widow and Xiucai?
1. My Fair Lady is a gentleman
This widow's name is Xiangning, born in a scholarly family, and her father is a well-known local private school teacher, Xiangning has followed her father to read and write since she was a child.
In ancient times, it was said that "a woman is virtuous if she is not talented", and she only needs to teach her husband and children, but for Xiangning, she is full of great interest in reading, and often delves into scriptures.
Xiang Ning is very intelligent, especially in literature has a high talent, although some poems are very tongue-twisting, but Xiang Ning can read a few times by heart, and will also express some of her own opinions and opinions.
Even Xiangning's father will think that Xiangning's knowledge in literature is incomparable to some men, and he also feels sorry for Xiangning.
Xiangning has been raised in the boudoir since she was a child, not only her appearance is delicate, but also very fresh and refined, this temperament is like the innate nature of a reader, "there is poetry and books in the belly".
Xiangning rarely goes out, but every time she goes out, she will definitely win everyone's praise, because she has a good appearance and elegant manners, she is a typical lady, and she is also sought after by many men, and she is the favorite object of men.
But Xiangning didn't care about the pursuit of these men, because in her heart, the most important thing is to write poems and paintings, or the greatest pleasure on weekdays is to find the right pair.
Due to Xiangning's high level, brothers with average levels can't match her, so they often avoid her, which also makes Xiangning a talented girl of this generation.
As the so-called "My Fair Lady, Gentleman is Good", Xiangning can not only memorize hundreds of poems, but even be able to export chapters, and the reputation of talented women coupled with delicate appearance has attracted the pursuit of many marriageable men.
asked matchmakers to come to Xiangning's home to propose marriage, but Xiangning, who was full of poetry and books, did not respond to these men's pursuits, and was very angry, and rejected all men's pursuits.
Xiang Ning is full of poetry and books, so for the person she likes, she naturally hopes to find a person who fits her heart and her soul.
In the end, Xiangning met a scholar named Zhang Mengyou, and the two had feelings for each other in conversation, and finally tied the knot and lived a happy and beautiful life.
But the good times didn't last long, due to the war, the men in the family were arrested and sent to the army, Xiangning and Zhang Mengyou separated, and Zhang Mengyou also set foot on the battlefield.
Second, Xiucai is out of the next link
Xiangning looked forward to her husband's triumphant return every day, waited for her husband to come back and reunite with the family, spring went to autumn, and finally waited for the army to return to the dynasty, but it brought a huge bad news to Xiangning.
Her husband died on the battlefield and died as a teenager, and now only the soul of a hero remains, and Xiangning has become a little widow.
So Xiangning's parents and brothers hope that she can remarry while she is young, but the marriage is not in a hurry, and after seeing each other, she has not met her lover.
And Xiangning has no intention of remarrying, but "the love of her parents is far-reaching", in the eyes of her parents, her life will be difficult in the future.
Just persuade Xiangning to marry when she meets the right person, although her parents also hope that her daughter can live a happy life, but now even her livelihood is a problem, so I still hope she doesn't pick again.
However, Xiangning said: "I don't meet a confidant, but I keep the Baizhou Festival." In this way, she showed her intentions, and it was okay if she couldn't meet a confidant, but she would definitely keep etiquette for her deceased husband and would not remarry.
However, in such a feudal society, life is indeed very difficult, and in order to survive, Xiangning can only take on sewing work, or help others pulp and wash clothes to make a living.
In the hard work, the body has not only lost a lot of weight, but even the slender hands that used to write poems have now become very rough.
Whenever the Spring Festival is approaching, looking at the lively sound of laughter in the neighbors around me, I also feel desolate in my heart, and I sigh: "It's sad every year, it's sad every year, it's sad every year." ”
And wrote this sentence on the door, but it was precisely because this sentence only had the upper link, but not the lower link, that it attracted the attention of people who came and went, including a Xiucai named Du Tianrui.
He went to Beijing many times to catch the exam, only for the top prize in high school, but he was repeatedly frustrated and failed, and now he sees that this couplet only has Shanglian, combined with his current situation, he can't help but feel emotional.
So he wrote the following couplet: "Nothing is done, nothing is done, everything is done." So judging from these two sentences, it is very neat as opposed to the upper link of Xiangning.
The tragic state of mind expressed by Shanglian Xiangning corresponds, although Du Tianrui's lower link also has a trace of regret and has achieved nothing, but the last sentence also expresses an optimistic and open-minded attitude, and there will be a day of success if nothing is achieved.
Therefore, it is also an encouragement to Xiangning, hoping that she can face life with an optimistic and positive attitude and not feel sorry for herself.
3. Forge a good relationship
After Du Tianrui wrote this poem, he did not leave immediately, but found a place to rest, when Xiangning walked out of the door, he found that there was one more couplet, and he couldn't help but sigh that this is very good.
So he hurriedly inquired who was right, and after hearing that it was Du Tianrui, a talent, he found him, and the two came into contact several times, and they both appreciated each other's knowledge very much, and they came together in love.
Xiangning remarried Xiucai as his wife and lived a loving and happy life, and Xiucai Du Tianrui also embarked on the road to Beijing to take the exam again with the help of his wife.
Du Tianrui and Xiangning have both gone through hardships and experienced the trough in their lives, but fortunately, their inner perseverance allowed them to keep the clouds open and see the moon, find a lover, and become a high school jinshi, making up for the regrets in their hearts.
It is this couplet that makes the two get married, although it is written about the different states of mind of the two people, compared to the misery of Xiangning's upper couplet's life, although Du Tianrui's lower couplet also expresses the bitterness of achieving nothing, but in the end it also expresses the open-mindedness and relief in the heart.
The mind suddenly became broader, which is also an encouragement to Xiangning, and an optimistic and positive attitude towards life.
So this couplet also resonated with many people and slowly spread, and the story between Du Tianrui and Xiangning has also become a good story.
There are also many stories about couplets, and the couplets are also interesting, but in fact, they still have to have a profound cultural heritage, which not only requires the text to be refined, but also very particular about the structure and grammar of the battle, and not child's play.
For example, "the sky is against the earth, the rain is against the wind, and the mainland is against the clear sky", if the battle is not neat, it will inevitably make people laugh at random, in the Han Dynasty, one of the most literary representatives is Han Fu.
Han Fu is also very particular about the neatness of the battle, so the Spring Festival couplets at that time were also inherited from the characteristics of the Han Fu, and in the classical Chinese culture, ancient poems and couplets have similarities, and they have not only been of great significance, but also played a great role in their influence.
Couplets are a treasure in Chinese culture, and they are pasted every New Year in order to have a good fortune in the coming year, and they are also one of the traditional cultures of the mainland.
epilogue
This is the cultural charm inherited for thousands of years, but also the indelible cultural imprint in the hearts of every Chinese, the couplet culture has a long history, not only can cultivate sentiment, but also become an opportunity for cultural exchanges among ancient people, and spread a good story.