Today, let's explore how to pronounce the four ancient characters of "觞觥觚斛", and what they each mean.
First, let's reveal the correct pronunciation of these four words. They are 觞 (shāng), 觥 (gōng), 觚 (gū), and 斛 (hú). Now, do you feel that these words are full of mystery?
"觞", in ancient times, was the name of a wine vessel, similar in shape to our current wine glasses, but more delicate and sophisticated.
This word often appears in ancient poems, such as Wang Xizhi's "Orchid Pavilion Collection Preface" has a description of "leading to the flow of the water", which means to put the wine glass in the stream, let it drift, stop in front of whom, who has to drink and compose poems, this is a kind of game between ancient literati and scholars.
This is followed by the word "觥", which also refers to a type of sake vessel, but unlike "觞", "觥" usually refers to a vessel made of animal horns, which is larger in shape and suitable for holding more wine. In ancient texts, the idiom "staggered" describes the scene of people toasting each other at a banquet, and the wine vessels are staggered, and the atmosphere is warm.
Looking at the word "gob", this word also has the meaning of a drinking vessel, but it specifically refers to a drinking vessel with a slender shape and a slightly larger mouth.
In ancient times, "goblet" was also often used as a ritual vessel, appearing on important sacrificial or ceremonial occasions. In addition, the character "Yao" also has the meaning of angular, dignified and steady, so it is often used to describe the character of literati.
Finally, there is the word "Hu", which was a measuring instrument in ancient times, similar to our current measuring cup, used to measure items such as grains or liquids.
At the same time, "Hu" is also a unit of capacity, which was often used to measure the amount of grain or wine in ancient times. In literary works, the character "Hu" is also often used to describe people who drink heavily or drink boldly.
Through the exploration of the four words "觞觥觚斛", it is not difficult for us to find that they are closely related to the ancient wine culture and etiquette culture.
These words not only represent different wine vessels and measuring vessels, but also carry the living customs and aesthetic tastes of ancient people.
Today, although these ancient wine vessels and measuring vessels have gradually faded out of our daily life, we can still feel the heavy historical and cultural heritage through these Chinese characters.
Now, whenever you see the words "觞觥觚斛", do you think of those ancient banquet scenes and the poetic exchanges between literati and artists? Let us cherish these Chinese characters that carry history and culture!