Couplets, also known as couplets or antithetical couplets, are antithetical couplets written on paper, cloth or carved on bamboo, wood, or pillars. The language is simple and profound, with neat contrasts and harmonious levels. Each word is one word. Sound is a unique art form of the Chinese language. According to legend, the couplet originated from Meng Chang, the lord of Shu after the Five Dynasties. It is a cultural treasure of the Chinese nation. Introduction: Couplets, also known as couplets and antithetical couplets, are a type of antithetical literature that originate from peach symbols and also rhyme. Couplets can be roughly divided into poetic couplets, spring couplet customs and prose couplets, with strict distinction between large and small parts of speech. The antithesis of traditional couplets is neater than that of so-called poetic couplets. With the rise of poetry in the Tang Dynasty, prose couplets were excluded. Prose couplets are generally informal, do not avoid heavy words, do not overemphasize the corresponding parts of speech, and do not lose the contrast. Couplets have a long history and are said to have originated from Meng Chang, the lord of Shu after the Five Dynasties. His inscription on the peach charm board at the door of his dormitory is "New Year's greetings, the festival is called Changchun", which is called "inscription on peach charms" (see "Shu 梼杌"). This is the earliest couplet in my country and also the first Spring Festival couplet. (See "Manhua Couplet" in "Application Writing" Issue 1, 1987) The second couplet uses foreign objects to respond to it, either to reconcile its meaning or to refute its meaning. Couplets with profound meanings and prose couplets cannot be said to be impossible. Features: 1. The number of words should be equal and the sentences should be consistent. Unless the position of a certain word is intentionally left vacant to achieve a certain effect, the number of words in the upper and lower couplets must be the same, no more, no less. Second, verb to verb, adjective to adjective, quantifier to quantifier, adverb to adverb, and relative words must be in the same position. Third, the levels must be consistent and the tones must be harmonious. Divided according to rhymes, if the rhyme foot of the first couplet is a flat tone, then the rhyme foot of the second couplet should be a flat tone, which is called "Lei Qi Ping Fa". On the contrary, if the rhyme foot of the first couplet is a flat tone, then the rhyme foot of the second couplet should be a flat tone, which is called "Ping Qi Ping Fa". ". Both are essential requirements. Fourth, the content must be relevant and connected from top to bottom. In the Ming Dynasty, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang vigorously advocated couplets. After he established his capital in Jinling (now Nanjing), he ordered ministers, officials and ordinary people to write a couplet on their door before New Year's Eve. He personally wore casual clothes and went on tour, going door to door to watch and entertain himself. The literati at that time also regarded composing couplets as an elegant pleasure, and writing Spring Festival couplets became a temporary social fashion.

[Edit this paragraph] Origin

Philosophical exploration: couplets are the literature of antithesis. This parallel symmetry of language and characters is very similar in the nature of thinking to the so-called "Tai Chi generates two rites" in philosophy, which divides everything in the world into two symmetrical halves of yin and yang. Therefore, we can say that the philosophical origin of Chinese couplets and the deep national cultural psychology are the dual concept of yin and yang. The dualism of yin and yang is the basis of the ancient Chinese worldview. To grasp things with the dualistic concept of yin and yang is the way of thinking of the ancient Chinese. This idea of ??the duality of yin and yang has a far-reaching origin. The hexagram symbols in the "Book of Changes" are composed of two lines of yin and yang. The "Book of Changes" states: "One yin and one yang are called Tao." Laozi also said: " All things carry yin and hold yang, and the qi is in harmony." ("Laozi" Chapter 42.) Xunzi believed: "The combination of heaven and earth brings about the creation of all things, and the combination of yin and yang causes change." ("Xunzi Theory of Rites") "Huang." "The Old Silk Book" states: "The way of heaven and earth consists of left and right, yin and yang." This concept of yin and yang is not only an abstract concept, but also widely infiltrated into the ancient Chinese people's understanding of everything in nature and human society. Understanding and explaining. "Book of Changes? Xu Gua Zhuan" "There is heaven and earth, then there are all things, there are all things, then there are men and women, there are men and women, then there are couples, there are couples, then there are fathers and sons, there are fathers and sons, then there are monarchs and ministers, there are monarchs and ministers, then there are up and down, there are up and down, then there are etiquette, there are "At a loss." In "Yi Zhuan", various specific objects are used to symbolize the two Yao of Yin and Yang. Yin represents Kun, earth, woman, woman, son, minister, abdomen, lower body, north, wind, water, color, flower, black and white, suppleness, etc. Correspondingly, Yang represents Qian, heaven, male, father, king. , head, upper, south, thunder, fire, mountain, fruit, red and yellow, vigorous, etc. This ubiquitous concept of yin and yang has penetrated deeply into the subconscious of the Han nation, thus becoming a national collective unconscious. One of the important characteristics of the concept of yin and yang in national psychology is the persistence and fascination with things that appear in the form of "two" and "pair". "Things are born in two... bodies, with left and right sides, each with concubines and lotus roots.

The situation is different when it comes to the Chinese saying "Construct good ideas; Write wonderful sentences". You see, the number of words is the same, the part of speech is the same, the sentence structure is the same, the syllables are the same, the oblique and oblique are basically consistent, and the writing is completely neat and symmetrical. Therefore, the English phrase "think good thoughts; write good words." is not a couplet, while the Chinese phrase "think good thoughts; write good words." can be called couplets. Other theories about the origin of couplets. Couplets originated in the Qin Dynasty and were called Taofu in ancient times. Regarding the earliest couplets in my country, Mr. Tan Chanxue wrote an article in the fourth issue of "Literary and Historical Knowledge" in 1991 and pointed out that the earliest couplets in my country appeared in the Tang Dynasty. She relied on the Dunhuang posthumous note No. 0610 of Stein unearthed from the Sutra Collection Cave of Mogao Grottoes as evidence: Years: The Three Yangs began to spread, and the Four Seasons began to unfold. Good fortune is new, longevity is extended. Also: Three yangs begin, and the four seasons bring auspiciousness. May blessings extend to new days and celebrate longevity without borders. Beginning of Spring: Bronze Hun begins to celebrate, and Yulu begins to regulate Yang. Five blessings eliminate three misfortunes, and there will be hundreds of disasters throughout the ages. Baoji can ward off evil, and Ruiyan can solve the problem of auspiciousness. At the beginning of spring, the wealthy descendants of the family prosper. Also: Three Yangs begin to spread, and Four Meng (Meng) begin to bloom. □□The old one is here, and the new one is here for good luck. There will be many celebrations every year and no disasters every month. Chicken □ wards off evil, and Yan restores wealth. The door god guards, and the evil ghost hides. With the book on my side, I am in good health! In fact, this is only the earliest extant couplet. The couplet originated from rhythmic poetry. In fact, it is a phenomenon of passing on falsehoods and is Ji Xiaolan's wishful thinking (see the opening chapter of volume one of "Couplets Cong Hua": "I heard the words of Master Ji Wenda: The beginning of the couplets" Yu Taofu, Shu Mengchang's "Yu Qing" and "Changchun" are the oldest couplets.") Zhao Zhixin, the author of "Tone Diagram" clearly pointed out: "Two sentences are a couplet, and four sentences are a quatrain (sentence), which began in the Six Dynasties, Yuan ( "Original) is not a modern style." Wang Euzhi said that the couplet originated from the saying of rhymed poetry, which is like "decapitating the head and cutting off the feet, mutilating the human physiology" ------ "Qing Shi Hua" The couplet originated from the symmetry of Chinese characters and sounds, and it should appear Before the Zhou Dynasty, the development of papermaking and calligraphy made couplets an independent style. Mr. Tu Huaijuan reiterated that "it is the couplets that complete parallel prose and rhythmic poetry." It is precisely because of the dual layout of the couplets that the dualization of the four tones can be achieved, forming the so-called Ping and Ze. The four tones are summarized by the complete induction method, while the flat and tones are summarized by the incomplete induction method (see He Weitang's "Yongming to Modern Style"). Chen Xueyi advocated that "the rhythm should be followed but the use of contrasting work and stability skills should be followed, regardless of the four tones." "Ping and peace." Chen Deshu, president of the Jiangsu Provincial Couplet Society, advocates dividing couplets into scattered couplets, communication couplets and regular couplets. Zhou Xi (Wei Fu), a professor at Sun Yat-sen University, advocated that the compatibility of rhythm and material should be considered in creation. These are very valuable experiences

[Edit this paragraph] Development

Returning to Taiwan and thinking again, the figures of thousands of years of history, looking back at the Zhumen Huangge, bordering the thatched cottages , Famous people compete for fame, profitable people seize profits, saints become saints, and mediocre people become mediocre. Even the unique writing style of the scriptures is used in couplets. Take a look at the anonymous couplet of the Zhaitan Temple in Jinshan Temple, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu: One house and one rafter, one porridge and one meal, the sand is more than the grease, the traveler's blood and sweat, you do not uphold the precepts, you do not do things, It's scary, it's sad, it's sad, it's sighing; it's a day, a month, a year, the water is easy to pass, the young shadow is not strong, the ordinary heart is not exhausted, the holy fruit is not perfect, it's scary, terrible, sad, pitiful. The unity of practicality and artistry: As mentioned above, couplets are a form of Chinese classical literature and are of course literary and artistic. They embody the language art of Chinese characters with unprecedented flexibility and perfection in poetry, lyrics, and music. Style. The beauty of couplets lies in symmetry, contrast and unity of opposites. Wang Li said in the article "The formal beauty of language mentioned in Chinese classical literary theory", "The formal beauty of language mentioned in Chinese classical literary theory mainly consists of two things: the first is duality, and the second is rhythm." ("Long Chong Bing Diao Zhai Collected Works" p. 456). Couplets pay attention to contrast and balance, embodying the formal beauty of classical literature. Yan Shu, a poet in the Northern Song Dynasty, has a famous work "Huanxisha": "A new song and a glass of wine, the weather last year is the same pavilion, when will the sunset come back. Helpless, the flowers fall away, the familiar swallows return, and the fragrant path of the small garden wanders alone. Among them, " There is no choice but the flowers fall away, and the swallows return as if they were familiar before." This is a famous saying through the ages.

Couplets have always been regarded as a game of pen and ink by many people. Although this is a prejudice, it also illustrates the playful nature of couplets. Since couplets pursue confrontation, the more stable and clever the pairings are, the better. This is not only a literary creation, but also contains elements of thinking games and language games. If we simply focus on getting things right and getting things right, it will simply become a battle of talents in Chinese and a battle of wits in thought. In fact, there are many playful couplets purely for the purpose of amusing and testing one's wits. They often make use of the special circumstances of the pronunciation, shape, and meaning of Chinese characters, and use various rhetorical techniques and ingenious ideas to compose them. Become. Gamelike couplets were very common in the Song Dynasty. Su Shi once created many playful couplets and left many anecdotes. Since then, pairing has become an important way for literati and even ordinary people to test their wits, and it has become a part of our country's traditional culture. Zhu Yuanzhang, Liu Ji, and Xie Jin in the Ming Dynasty, and Qianlong and Ji Yun in the Qing Dynasty were all masters who were keen on playful couplets. Couplets are playful, but this does not mean that they become a game. In fact, couplets are both a playful language art and a literary seriousness. Couplets are hung on extremely solemn and elegant occasions, such as historical sites, temples, tombstone forests, academies, guild halls, and government offices. People use couplets to play witty games, and they also use couplets to express emotions, comment on history, and write about scenery. In the late Qing Dynasty, a man named Zhao Fan inscribed a couplet in Wuhou Temple in Chengdu. Lian Yun said: If you can attack the heart, the side will disappear. From ancient times, we have known that soldiers are not warlike. If you do not assess the situation, it is a mistake to be lenient and severe. Later, when you govern Shu, you need to think deeply. This couplet not only summarizes the characteristics of Zhuge Liang's military use in Sichuan, but also provides an overview of Zhuge Liang's strategy in governing Sichuan. It uses it to put forward his own political opinions on positive and negative, lenient and strict, peace and war, civil and military aspects. It is very philosophical and contains profound dialectics. Thought provoking. Compared with any outstanding philosophical poem in history, it shows no weakness. Since this couplet came out, it has received rave reviews. What people "fancy" is the depth and seriousness of this couplet. When Mao Zedong visited Wuhou Temple in 1958, he looked at this couplet very carefully and spoke highly of it. This is Chinese couplets, a special art form full of contradictions and unity of opposites.

[Edit this paragraph] Classification

Classification by purpose

1. General couplets - Spring couplets 2. Special couplets - tea couplets, longevity couplets, wedding couplets Couplets, happy couplets, elegiac couplets, industry couplets, motto couplets, complimentary couplets, question and answer couplets

Classified by number of words

1. Short couplets (within crosses) 2. Medium couplets (hundreds) Within 100 words) 3. Long couplets (more than 100 words), etc.

Classification by rhetorical skills

1. Coupling couplets: speech pair, matter pair, positive pair, opposition, work pair, wide pair, flowing pair, palindrome pair, and top pair. 2． Rhetorical couplets: metaphor, hyperbole, rhetoric, pun, question, homophony. 3. Skilled couplets: embedded words, hidden words, compound words, repeated words, radicals, analyzed words, split words, numbers.

Classification according to the source of couplets

1. Collection of sentence couplets: couplets composed entirely of ready-made sentences from ancient poems. 2. Collection of word couplets: couplets composed of words from ancient articles and calligraphy copybooks. 3. Excerpted couplets: couplets formed by directly excerpting couplets from other people’s poems. 4. Creative couplets: couplets created independently by the author himself.

[Edit this paragraph] Creation method

As the name suggests, couplets must be in "pairs", that is, they consist of an upper couplet and a lower couplet. The number of words in the upper and lower couplets must be equal, and the content must be consistent, that is, the upper and lower couplets must be "connected" together. Two unrelated sentences cannot be randomly combined to form a couplet. The subject of couplets is a comprehensive subject with complex content, diverse forms, and strict requirements for contrast and balance. This book will describe and analyze the creation methods according to the standards of couplets for reference by those who learn to write couplets. Couplets are generally written vertically, with the last character of the first couplet (oblique tone) affixed to the right (upper hand), and the last character (flat tone) of the second couplet affixed to the left (lower hand). Although the antithesis of couplets has similarities with poetry, it is more demanding than poetry. There are broad and narrow couplets. A wide pair only requires that the contents of the upper and lower couplets are connected to form a couplet, while a narrow pair must be written strictly according to the standards of "Li Weng Duiyun".

(3) "Jiao" is used in a flat tone: the cherries, apricots, peach and durians are blooming one after another, so Jiao is planted one by one by the window; the shadows of the bamboos are leaning against the willows, and the clear shade enters the house. (4) "Teach" is made in a flat tone: Chalk life is also happy, and good people are educated according to their aptitude; the garden is full of peaches and plums, full of vitality, and the spring breeze turns into rain in succession. (5) "Wei" is used as a flat tone: One is to move to Changsha, looking west to Chang'an but not seeing home; the jade flute is played in the Yellow Crane Tower, and the plum blossoms fall in May in Jiangcheng. (6) "Wei" is made in oblique tone: It was originally for the king of Han Dynasty to achieve great achievements, but he did not take himself into consideration; I had known that the rabbit would end up cooking the dog, but I regretted that I would end up fishing in Huaiyin. In addition to requiring rhyme and antithesis, couplets also have certain rules for phrases and structure. Such as: shaking red; washing green. (Single group, two-character structure) Modesty benefits; fullness invites losses. (Single group, three-character structure) Be content with what you have; be patient and content. (Single group, four-character structure) Gardenias are placed in concentric knots; lotus flowers are in bloom. (Single group, five-character structure) A branch of Conggui is full of fragrance; a piece of jade in Kunshan connects the city. (Complex group, six-character structure) The peach-leaf warbler cries wetness on the spring river; the plum blossoms and butterflies dream of cold nights when it rains. (Compound group, seven-character structure) The sea accepts hundreds of rivers, and it is big when it is tolerant; it stands thousands of feet high on the wall, and it is strong when there is no desire. (Compound group, eight-character structure) Retell the past and present; recount the joys and sorrows from the beginning. (Compound group, nine-character structure) Three thousand tigers can reach the land of Youyan; Dragons can fly on ninety-five, reopening the sky of the Song Dynasty. (Complex group, cross structure