"China's First Invention" - Chopsticks and its Philosophy

- Also on the new weapons of the great ideological rejuvenation and reunification of the Chinese nation

When the "four major" Western When the "invention" of the manned spacecraft, the atomic bomb, cloning, and the Internet industry became popular in the world, the country known in history as possessing the "four great inventions" of the East disappeared. This is because the sages who were the first to invent paper, printing, gunpowder, and the compass failed to bring permanent honors to the descendants of the Yan and Huang Dynasties. Once upon a time, the West's papermaking and printing technology surpassed China's. The compass allowed us to discover the New World and many colonies. Gunpowder and foreign guns and cannons finally opened our doors. Not only that, China's four small inventions - ceramics, spinning wheels, cloisonne, seismometers, and four quintessences of China - silk, tea, traditional Chinese medicine, and Peking Opera are also deteriorating. It's no wonder that many Chinese people are worried about the situation and lament that China has as many regrets as there are modern inventions. . Is there not a great invention from ancient China that can inspire the pride and self-esteem of our contemporary compatriots?

Talks in Heaven - The First Invention

Faced with this puzzling and puzzling problem, I really don’t know how to explain it to my children. I am just relying on years of traditional patriotism education, so I am almost paranoidly confident that China, with its five thousand years of civilization, must have a creation that precedes the four great inventions of ancient times and is superior to the origins of foreign civilizations. Otherwise, why would the largest ethnic group in the world be able to thrive on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean and the southeastern part of the Asian continent? Natural selection and competition, the survival of the fittest. What kind of carrier and how should the strength and wisdom adapted to the survival and development of this great ethnic group be passed down?

Following the first survival needs of living entities, trace back to the country where food is the most important thing for the people, since the ancestors of Huazong and Han Dynasty learned how to cultivate slash and burn farming and changed the primitive bad habit of eating hair and drinking blood. A certain need when taking chestnuts from the fire and eating from the soup. Since the high temperature of flames and hot soup did not allow the habit of reaching out to grasp, substitutes for fingers appeared: an arrow, a spear or a branch. Obviously, a single arrow only has the functions of piercing and picking, which is far less convenient than holding it with two fingers. The most simple thinking of the ancestors already understood that the dexterous thumbs can be extended by using two branches. What's more, the skills of the ancestors in hunting and labor have trained their fingers to use them freely. They can hold two small branches in their hands and use their best. It is capable of inserting, piercing and picking tongs, scooping, stirring, and pulling. It can also be used for hand-feeding, scooping, frying rolls, grilling, and frying. There are really eighteen kinds of cooking skills at hand. It can be inferred from this that the first invention of the Chinese and Han ancestors was born. The reason why it is called an invention is that chopsticks fully comply with the three laws given to inventions today: novelty, creativity, and practicality, and they also have inexhaustible raw materials that can be used for mass production. Therefore, it can be further concluded that apart from the invention and creation of bows, arrows, spears and certain agricultural tools by our ancestors, the first folk daily necessities were none other than chopsticks. With the popularity and extensive use of chopsticks, the materials used to make chopsticks have gradually evolved into branches, wooden strips, bamboo branches, bamboo strips, bone strips and tooth strips. Its shape and length also gradually formed rules. Its length is due to primitive tribes and the custom of gathering around food containers. It must be of a certain length to reach out and pick up food. This length must be convenient for the wrist to move radially between the food container and the mouth. The radius of movement of the arm is also restricted by the two fulcrums from the wrist bone to the elbow bone. Therefore, the length of the forearm has generally become the standard length of chopsticks. This insight is very important. Is the concept of length of our ancestors really related to chopsticks? In fact, primitive people's initial confirmation of distance and length was often based on ergonomic principles and self-scale, including fists, fingers, strides, and by extension the range of spears and arrows. However, this The analogy method is obviously not as convenient as chopsticks. The birth of chopsticks not only determined the custom of gathering around meals, but also determined the diameter and width of square and round tables for gatherings based on the length of chopsticks plus arms as the radius, and determined the conventions of the length of the table perimeter and the number of diners in the space. In the end, chopsticks became the original size unit of length. One foot is approximately equal to the length of the forearm plus the fist. The original chopsticks were roughly the same.

Then I realized that the most civilized feast in the world is not about dancing with knives and forks, skillfully using two exquisite chopsticks to make relative movements at will. It can be seen that the original relative method of "Yanhuang Stan" is thousands of years earlier than that of Westerners.

Isn’t it just the primitive law of relativity? The Chinese have realized too many things from just a pair of chopsticks, and from this, they have formed their unique chopstick emotions and philosophy. It is no exaggeration to say that throughout the thousands of years of Chinese civilization history, there is nothing greater than the invention of chopsticks. If the author describes chopsticks as a carrier of emotion and cultural inheritance, and as the "first invention" in ancient China, will anyone criticize me for being shallow and biased? Yes, ever since one day more than ten years ago, when I couldn’t eat enough and was forced to bite my chopsticks like a wolf due to hunger and cold, I suddenly realized that I immediately held the chopsticks in my hand, and a madman suddenly had a whim. I couldn't help but hold the broken chopsticks as if I had found a treasure. Yes, the broken chopsticks made me suddenly think of two fables about chopsticks. One of them is: before the Zhou Dynasty destroyed the Shang Dynasty in BC, the world was in chaos, and righteous generals from all over the country gathered to nominate leaders and the disputes continued. A certain general immediately ordered everyone to pick up the chopsticks on the dining table and break them. Sure enough, they broke easily. The general once again held a pair of chopsticks in his hands but they couldn't break. He then understood that everyone should stick together and help each other. Everyone was convinced and proclaimed him King Wu of Zhou, and the Shang Dynasty was destroyed in the Western Zhou Dynasty. The second one is about: In ancient times, a large family often had troubles due to uneven food intake due to its large population. Parents specially made three-foot-long bamboo chopsticks for this purpose and ordered family members to use them to eat. Unfortunately, the chopsticks are long and I cannot feed myself, so I can only feed the food to the people at the opposite table. Parents therefore understand the family rules of "give to others what you want first" and "don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you". By understanding the rules and principles, troubles disappear. "Chopsticks are so extraordinary. I should establish a legacy for chopsticks and a monument for my ancestors! After all, it took these ordinary but extraordinary chopsticks for forty years to accompany my meals. I understand that our compatriots use chopsticks to miss their loved ones during festive seasons." The ultimate virtue. It turns out that people are like chopsticks, and the chopsticks spread out are the Chinese characters for human beings..." After writing an article that seemed to be written in a fairy tale, my writing became more and more full of thoughts.

The Story of Luo Shi - Chopstick Emotions

It is unknown when and when the first pair of Chinese chopsticks were invented, and who invented them. Due to limited knowledge and evidence, the author can only fabricate the history of chopsticks in a fantasy way. Although it has taken more than ten years of research and exploration, several articles about chopsticks have been written and published during this period. Among them are the signed article "Philosophical Reflections on Neo-Expressionism in Art" published in the scholar forum column of "China Reform News" on July 16, 1998; and the "Harrow Lecture on Neo-Expressionism" delivered at Beijing University in October 1996 ; and the front-page article "First Published - Chopsticks and their Philosophy" published in "Science Times" sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the National Natural Science Foundation on December 23, 2000 attracted attention. In accordance with the principle of taking responsibility for writing, I bravely took on the responsibilities related to Luo's chopstick theory, and took the trouble to take the chopsticks that my compatriots chewed, stretched and retracted as research objects and topics. I know clearly that there is no historical data or evidence, but I rely on my imagination to assert various myths about chopsticks. Even though this inference is extremely reasonable, its academic value is inevitably questionable. Therefore, I would rather hope that the people who write the counter-evidence will analyze or jointly discuss it, otherwise I will have to allow the author to talk endlessly in the "Luo Shi Monogatari" chapter. What exactly is the "chopstick complex"?

Not to mention the long history of "setting chopsticks to miss relatives". Before the New Year's Eve dinner, parents always fill their chopsticks with delicacies and invite the grandparents to enjoy them. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, people miss their loved ones even more, and they often place their chopsticks next to the empty wine cups of those who are absent. The first lesson for young children when they sit down to the table is how to hold chopsticks and the family training of using chopsticks to pick up food. The first time in my life that I still remember vividly was when I was hit on the head by my father because I was picking up vegetables in a forward position. I heard two chopsticks tapping on my huge forehead. When I first learned calligraphy and composition, in order to save paper and pen, I imitated my father and used chopsticks dipped in water to smear Chinese characters on a stone. A childhood fable is another one taught by my mother: "One chopstick is easy to break, but one chopstick cannot be bent." My mother was not only well-educated but also good at weaving and glass painting.

Since people can compare themselves with many zodiac signs for self-reflection, they can also compare themselves with many of their creations. In fact, the four great inventions, the four small inventions, and the four national quintessences were once the things that Chinese people were most proud of, and they have always used these creations to shape themselves and enhance their self-image and personality. It’s just that because the Chinese quintessence has been raised to an inappropriate level for a long time, once they face Westerners who come from behind in these fields, most people suddenly lose their sense of glory and self-esteem. A few people even panic and belittle themselves, changing their past self-centered attitude. Such appearance. It was at this moment that the chopsticks straightened their backs without being humble or arrogant. They not only strengthened the nerves of the Chinese people, but also showed that they were powerful enough to move the earth just like the lever described by Archimedes. Isn't it true? Who can roughly calculate how many tons of food whales have swallowed in a large country with a population of hundreds of millions in thousands of years? This astronomically heavy amount of food must not be comparable to that of the earth. The miracle is that such a heavy food can be easily taken into the mouth with only two pocket-sized levers. This is chopstick-style logical thinking, which originates from the chopstick complex, but inspires an indescribable spirit of innovation and creativity. It’s no wonder that Cangjie took the chopsticks and turned them over to compose Chinese characters. No wonder I took the chopsticks and turned them over to make yao and divination. If contemporary people don’t take the chopsticks to make them carefully, how can they be worthy of the pair that feeds him? Can chopsticks be worthy of the Chinese chopsticks that make his mouth water and his spirit refreshed? At least "The Tale of Luo Shi" is like the language of chopsticks, and it also tells many true meanings. There is no better way for us to ask ourselves what it feels like to eat everything with chopsticks! I just advise you to be careful and don't wolf down your chopsticks as the two straight lines will not turn with the gastrointestinal tract.

Fantastic Words from the Great Age - Chopstick Philosophy

When "Chopstick Philosophy", a new term alienated from the scholastic system, appeared for the first time on the white paper, this pen Therefore, it fulfills its obligatory right of interpretation and defense. It is a great honor for the author to write a philosophical article to inherit a pair of chopsticks that have been handed down from ancient times to the Chinese people. I will write about the chopstick culture and the chopstick complex, just like my ancestors first used chopsticks to sacrifice to the gods, inserting the chopsticks into three animals. Now I can insert the chopsticks into my soul and flesh. I would rather enshrine myself in the sacred temple of philosophy.

No one dares to offend or blaspheme the sages. I understand that naming a philosophy with the word "chopsticks" would indeed arouse the suspicion of disrespect. Because everyone knows that chopsticks are originally just two straight lines. If they were abstracted from their complicated functions, would these two straight lines still be so mysterious and unpredictable? The answer is yes. As the saying goes, the simpler things are, the more profound they are. The mystery of chopsticks lies between these two straight lines. The author therefore faces these two straight lines year after year, trying to discover and summarize the exact definition of chopstick philosophy. "Confronting the two chopsticks invented by the ancient Chinese, we extracted two abstract complementary straight lines from their complex material and functional appearance. Based on their parallel or cross arrangement in relative motion, they present rich philosophical implications, namely: 1. The relationship between the unity of opposites between people and objects in motion; 2. The interactive connection between a set of geometric lines and surrounding things; 3. The interpretation of ancient moral ethics and the chopstick complex teachings; 4. The relationship between practical aesthetic modeling and the golden section Formation of general principles; 5. Application of the principle of ergonomics and mechanical leverage; 6. Inference of the ancient Chinese arithmetic concept of quantity and the formation of Chinese characters; 7. The significance of two straight lines leading to innovative thinking in image thinking; 8. The ideal meaning of chopstick culture The research scope of pragmatism. These eight topics constitute the novelty, potential, intersectionality and applied research fields covered by the philosophy of chopsticks; they form the material attributes, practical value and special positioning of chopsticks, the “first invention” in ancient China. Cultural connotation and conceptual characteristics; thereby determining the research direction and purpose of this philosophical proposition - comprehensively demonstrating that the first invention of chopsticks is the empirical evidence and inheritance of China's five thousand years of civilization, comprehensively discussing the philosophy of chopsticks and promoting the national quintessence and culture of chopsticks The innovative spirit and national spirit symbolized by treasures create brands and weapons to promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and create a prosperous future for the motherland.

Because China needs special brands that symbolize spiritual and material civilization more than ever before, and special weapons that inspire the national spirit and the spirit of the times more than ever. "I had to write down such a long and solemn "definition". Fortunately, no one commissioned me to draft the new eight-legged dogma in the textbook, and I had no reason to abandon the doctrine of chopstick philosophy for the sake of simplicity. Not to mention the author's desire to explore This definition has taken a full 15 years of hard work. It is really "a text of ten thousand words and fifteen years of hard work". It has not yet been completed. I am touched by my painstaking efforts.

Not only was I moved or intoxicated, my whole body and soul were shaken by this definition. The fact that we Chinese invented and owned this pair of chopsticks is enough to show the greatness of China. Is it possible for outsiders to surpass it? Do the "Four Great Inventions" generally surpass the creator of Chinese chopsticks? Although in terms of manufacturing level, the Japanese lacquer chopsticks used by Japanese today, the Korean stainless steel chopsticks used by Koreans, and the high-end plastic chopsticks made in Nanyang used by Nanyang people Each has its own merits. However, only the bamboo chopsticks produced by the Chinese are rich in chopstick complex, chopstick culture and chopstick philosophical connotation. It is just that the word "philosophy" can be called very famous, and the Tao can be very Tao. It doesn’t hurt to write it down.

Let’s go back to the basic definition of chopstick philosophy and explain the relevant philosophical concepts from these two complementary straight lines. First of all, please allow me to return to the question. The starting point is to use more standardized words to describe the most basic relationship between Chinese chopsticks and Chinese people. In short, chopsticks invented in ancient China are Chinese tableware made of wood, bamboo, bone, teeth, metal, plastic and other materials. The user holds the chopsticks with four or three fingers of the right or left hand, and relies on the coordinated movement of the knuckles, wrists, elbows and arms to bring the staple food and dishes into the mouth according to the person's wishes and meal rules. . Therefore, the author calculated a set of relevant figures about Chinese chopsticks. This set of astronomical figures includes China's total population, total consumption, and total production of chopsticks in 5,000 years.

A. China 5,000. The population is calculated based on the annual concept: the population base is set to be 20,000 people 5,000 years ago; one generation has been reproduced every 30 years, and 166 generations have been reproduced so far; the base population has doubled every 300 years, and the total population has increased 17 times so far. Calculating based on this rule, it can be seen that the base population 5,000 years ago was 20,000 people, and 5,000 years later, the base population has reached 1,310,720,000. The total population of China in the cumulative 5,000 years is 15.79 billion people ( The calculated number is 157,900, 20,000 people ≈ 15.79 billion people)

B. The total number of dishes eaten by the Chinese population: the average life expectancy is 60 years, the average daily food is 1 kilogram, and 60 per person in a lifetime. The annual consumption is 21,600 kilograms, or 21.6 tons. Multiplying the two figures of the total per capita consumption and the total population, the total annual consumption of all Chinese people in 5,000 years is 340,964,432,000 tons. ≈340 billion tons

C. The total number of chopsticks produced in China in 5,000 years: assuming that the average life span of Chinese people is 69 years, the average annual use of chopsticks is 60 pairs per person. . It is known that China's total population in 5,000 years was 15.79 billion. Multiplying the total population and per capita chopstick usage, it is estimated that the total number of chopsticks used by all Chinese people in 5,000 years was 947.4 billion pairs. Suppose the total output of chopsticks in China is the total usage plus the inventory turnover of 10, that is, the total output = the total usage of 947.4 billion pairs, the total inventory turnover of 94.74 billion pairs, and the total total production is 1042.14 billion pairs ≈ 10,000 Billions of pairs.

The conclusion is: In the 5,000-year history of civilization, the Chinese have produced about 1 trillion pairs of chopsticks for a total population of 15.99 billion, used chopsticks to accompany meals, and transported 340 billion tons of food!

Astronomical figures, if you think of other related figures of chopsticks, such as total output value, total material consumption, total weight, etc., it will make the world even more stunned. You might as well do an interesting math problem and calculate the total length of China's total chopstick production in 5,000 years.

It is known that the total output of chopsticks in 5,000 years was 1 trillion pairs and 2 trillion pieces. If the average length of each chopstick is set to 0.25 meters, then the total output multiplied by the length of each chopstick, the product is 500 billion meters, and It is 500 million kilometers long. It is known that the length of the earth's equator is about 40,000 kilometers, so the total length of Chinese chopsticks can circle the equator 12,500 times. It is also known that the total length of all longitude and latitude lines on the earth is about 1.2 million kilometers, so the total length of Chinese chopsticks is about 416 times the total length of the earth's longitude and latitude lines! Chinese chopsticks that are 416 times the total length of the longitude and latitude lines. It can tightly tie the earth into 12,500 circles...

Is this the chopstick invented by the ancient Chinese, excluded from the great inventions, and able to tie the earth to death?

Is this the first invented chopstick that combines 18 functions, several materials, and several patterns, and can be used as tableware, gifts, and sacrificial vessels?

Is this the chopstick that gave rise to incense sticks, ruler pens, chip gossip, fence purlins, abacus characters and even the ancient Chinese arithmetic -×÷gt;lt;=?

Now we can analyze chopsticks as two straight lines moving relative to each other. It is relative and cannot become chopsticks without one of them; it is unified, using two straight lines to form a simple and great creation; it is moving, completing choices according to people's subjective wishes in parallel and cross movements. , obtain, transport, and change the location and existence of objects to achieve the most basic survival needs of the human body. Based on chopsticks, the Chinese ancestors had a simple but profound understanding of the narrow relative concept of facing two fingers and extending into two chopsticks. Based on the fortune of these two geometric straight lines, it has a wide range of existence and interaction with the surrounding things. Due to the adaptation and realization of the survival need of food, it stimulates and causes the improvement and perfection of the surrounding things and the creation of new relationships. Motives and motivations, derived from one thing, new things that are similar or can be used as substitutes, promoting the development process of material civilization in primitive societies. It is precisely because chopsticks are used and controlled by people from all walks of life in China, and they play a mediating and carrying role in a land where food is the most important thing for the people, that they play a role in various teachings in this land of etiquette and justice. The character who cannot act rashly has gradually developed a specific cultural connotation and national complex with chopsticks. Regarding the folk custom of "thickness carrying virtues" advocated by the ancestors, the wording is actually slightly changed to "thicknesses conveying virtues", which more truly reflects the materialistic thought of using things to convey virtues in the era of Tiangong's founding of things. . It can be imagined that in the early days when creation was so crude, the invention and improvement of every tool, weapon, and object among the people often required countless people to perfect it countless times. Before human applied science was comprehensively understood, why did our ancestors invent and choose the shape of chopsticks as the main tableware shape, instead of spoons, forks, knives and the like. The position of the fingers holding the chopsticks is neither the highest nor the lowest. It happens to be at the middle and upper part of the total length of the chopsticks, approximately at the golden section. How to calculate the success principle of this positioning point may never be known to future generations. . But with chopsticks in hand, the fingers, wrists, elbows, arms, head, neck, eyes and mouth are so coordinated and integrated, and the bowls, chopsticks, dining table, cups, plates and dishes are so coordinated and integrated, which is completely in line with the principles of modern ergonomics and perfectly reflects the people-oriented and self-centered concept. Mainly, food-centered design concept. Looking at the two small chopsticks in hand, the mechanical fulcrums of the knuckles, wrists, and arm joints and the force-distance arms are designed to be impeccable. The person holding the chopsticks eats in a moderate manner, at the right distance and at the right distance. He lifts his weight with ease and is not involved in elegance or vulgarity. He can actually eat tons of delicious food in his life. I really don’t know how to thank the famous inventor. Speaking of the leverage of chopsticks, We cannot but mention the famous saying of Archimedes, the great mathematician. But who among the world can dare to move the earth with two small wooden and bamboo strips? Although the weight of the earth is unknown, the lengths of the equator and longitude and latitude lines are not immeasurable. If you think of chopsticks as a long thread and weave it into a huge net bag, the earth can be trapped in the net like a watermelon. If Archimedes had known better, he might have been more impressed by the ability of a pair of chopsticks to deduce the quantitative concepts in ancient Chinese mathematics and the prototype characters of digital Chinese characters. If this new theory can be established, UNESCO should really regard Chinese chopsticks as extremely precious living fossils and human heritage.

This is an extremely rich human heritage. The two straight lines represented by chopsticks have inspired the image thinking and innovative thinking of many generations. This infinite "two" is equivalent to all created things in the human world. The form of its linear arrangement can be interpreted as a continuous ordered arrangement of two squares of = or ‖, and it can also be interpreted as a cross-oblique and continuous disordered arrangement of gt;lt; Jingfeng Sankou, Dinggantu upper and lower, Youdaolishangong, and Dawangfu Yaomu are the basic combination phenomena. We have to think deeply when these two straight lines form a "∧" shape. After seeing the shape, who can criticize chopsticks as not being the prototype of the compass? How can we conclude that the chopstick-shaped compass has no connection with the concept of pi area? At least the shape of "Wu" is similar to three straight chopsticks. My innovative thinking formula originated from a pair of chopsticks. When I was busy inventing and obtaining national invention patents in the past twenty years, I tried to establish my own laws of innovative thinking. I accidentally looked at a pair of "X"-shaped chopsticks placed on the dining table and suddenly had an enlightenment. That's right, first, the latitude line is also a concept, and | the longitude line is also a genus concept. I put a finger through the cross point, which is the diagonal line and the concept of cross. These three lines and three concepts are enough to constitute everything. The "Chopstick Law" came about when it was my daughter's tenth birthday. I wrote a letter overnight and drew a huge "ten" in the letter. I also used associative methods to combine concepts related to "ten" such as Star Crossing Hospital. The Christian Red Cross, etc., as well as the Chopstick Law are completely poured into the lines. It is too difficult for a ten-year-old daughter to understand such profound philosophies as latitude and longitude, focus, radiation, and four-dimensional time and space from the word "ten". In fact, what I want to say is not limited to this. Chopsticks represent a kind of local traditional culture that best represents the Chinese people's ideological orientation and life values. Rather, chopsticks are the word "人" composed of two strokes. One stroke and one stroke are oriented to the spiritual level and the material level. They depend on cultural needs and economic needs. They conflict with the dual realms of impartiality and bias. They pursue the Compound maxims of idealism and pragmatism. The word "人" can perfectly resemble this ancient China that takes the Golden Mean as the way and the word "中" as the foundation of ethnic groups and countries. In fact, people-centeredness is the starting point and destination of what Chinese people call heaven, earth, and human beings. If it were not for the shackles of thousands of years of slave and feudal society, the birthplace of global humanistic thought and humanism would have been in China. Let's look at the Chinese "people" who made great achievements in the Huazong and Han Dynasties, with their heads held high, their chests held high, and their two upright legs?