Birthdays of many important people in A Dream of Red Mansions often have obscure meanings. For example, Jia Baoyu's birthday is April 26th, which is marked as Flower Festival in the book. Some people think that this also implies the author's own birthday, that is, April 26th. Both Lin Daiyu's and Hua Xiren's birthdays are February 12. This day is the traditional "Flower Festival" in Jiangnan area, that is, the birthday of a hundred flowers. According to reports, Xiren's real name is Hua, and the author has repeatedly stressed that his name is beyond the ancient poem "Flower gas attacks people, knowing that it is getting warmer". It is very appropriate to regard xiren as the representative of letting a hundred flowers blossom. However, there is a cross-borrowing relationship between Lin Daiyu and her attacker. Both of them are keen on worldly fame, and Lin Daiyu herself has buried flowers twice, so Lin Daiyu also enjoys this hundred flowers birthday with Xiren. Besides, Tanchun's birthday is on March 3rd, which is the traditional "Shangsi" day in China. This day is the day when the ancients went out for an outing and engaged in activities such as repairing rivers. Wu's "Liang Lumeng" Volume II "March": "On the third day of March, the story of Qushui began in Jin. In the Tang Dynasty, Qujiang hosted a banquet, which was also this intention, and all the money was poured into the city. " This kind of drinking and hiking activity is exactly the meaning of the word "Tanchun". Then, what is the specific significance of taking Baochai's birthday on the 21st of the first month as the "crown of flowers" in the book? Ms. Cao Libo put forward a viewpoint in The Legend of Twelve Women in the Red Chamber that Baochai's birthday is "a folk day to wear heaven". In order to strengthen her argument, she quoted Zhuang Chuo's account in the Song Dynasty: According to "Chicken Ribs" written by Zhuang (Zhuang Chuo) in the Song Dynasty, "The 21st day of the first month in Xiangyang, which is called" wearing the sky ",is the day when the gown has just been lifted. The county moved to the bank of the Hanshui River, and the whole city was flooded with green boats. Women wear perforated clothes for Xiaobaishi on the beach, thread colored silk through it and hang it on their heads as good luck. " And elaborated in detail: Among them, "the day when Yunjiao Mansion lifted its robe" was the day when Zhengjiao Mansion wore heavenly clothes on the 21st of July, and the day when Zhengjiao Mansion and Hanshui Goddess met and fell in love. The custom of "Day of Wearing the Sun" has been spread from Xia Dynasty to Song Dynasty, and it has influenced so far. According to the records of Song people, it contains the contents of making love, seeking children and praying for blessings. In A Dream of Red Mansions, the author let Xue Baochai be born on the day of wearing heaven, adding a traditional color to her marriage life, that is, praying for the happiness of husband and wife and cherishing mother and son. (For the above two paragraphs, see Cao Libo's Biography of Twelve Women in a Dream of Red Mansions Pear Blossoms in Spring Rain.) This explanation may be more in line with the traditional understanding and evaluation of Baochai in a Dream of Red Mansions. But it's actually a common sense mistake. Because the so-called "Sky-piercing Festival" is a unique festival and custom in Xiangfan, Hubei Province in ancient times (see Baidu Encyclopedia-"Sky-piercing Festival"). In other words, it is a local festival. At present, there is no evidence that Cao Xueqin ever stayed in Xiangfan. Baochai in a Dream of Red Mansions is not from Xiangyang either. On the contrary, the author claims that she is from Jinling. Therefore, it is obviously unconvincing to use a local festival in Xiangyang to explain why Cao Xueqin's birthday for Baochai has the traditional color of "praying for the happiness of husband and wife, and the mother is more expensive than the child". So, when is Baochai's birthday-the 21st day of the first month? We say that this day happens to be the day after the ancient folk "Ground Wear Festival", that is, the "Day Wear Festival" where the goddess fills the sky! To explain the meaning of "ground piercing festival", we have to start with "sky piercing festival". The so-called "Tianchuan Festival" is the first traditional Han festival after the Lantern Festival. There are several sayings about time, such as the 20th, 23rd and 25th of the first month. In the past, most areas set it on the twentieth day of the first month. The Sky-piercing Festival, also known as "Sky-mending Festival" and "Sky-mending Festival", originated from the fairy tale of the goddess mending the sky. Legend has it that on the twentieth day of the first month, Nu Wa refined five-color stones from Kunlun Mountain to fill the sky. This myth comes from "Huainanzi Lan Mingxun": the four poles in ancient times were abolished, Kyushu was split, the sky was not covered, and the ground was not contained; Fire never goes out, water never stops; Wild animals eat people, while birds prey on the old and the weak. So nuwa refined five-color stones to make up the sky, and the broken claws were enough to set up four poles, killing the black dragon and helping Jizhou, and accumulating reed ash to stop the lewd water. Tianbu, four poles are positive; Water is dry, Jizhou is flat; When a cunning worm dies, it destroys people's livelihood; Return to the state and embrace the sky. Wang Jia of the Eastern Jin Dynasty wrote in the Collection Notes: "The 20th day of the first month in Jiangdong custom is the day to wear the sky, and red silk cake bait is put in the house, saying that it is necessary to wear the sky. Legend has it that The goddess patching the sky. " There is also a record in the Chronicle of Jingchu in Liang Zonggu of the Southern Dynasties: "On the 20th day of the first month in the south of the Yangtze River, HongLing pancakes were put on the house, which is called" mending the sky ". Li Gou, a native of Cheng Nan (now Nanchang, Jiangxi) in the Song Dynasty, wrote: "On the 20th day of the first month, pancakes were placed in the house, which is called a poem for mending the sky. "The emperor just a few years, Xia Dong nature. The only idle girl in the world is a pancake. " It can be seen that this festival has been popular in Jiangdong since the Eastern Jin Dynasty at the latest. Its main custom is women's pancakes, which are hung on the house with red silk thread to commemorate the goddess' achievements in mending the sky. "Huainanzi Lan Mingxun" said that the disaster of "going to the ancient times" is "the sky does not cover, and the earth does not carry it". Since there is a festival of "mending the sky", correspondingly, there should also be a festival of "mending the land". Generally, this day is set on the day after the "Tian Chuan Festival", which is Baochai's birthday-the 21st day of the first month. Song? 6? 1 ge (word Lu Qing) "Moshanxi? 6? 1 Day Wear Festival and Zhu Xing's two poems "Cloud:" A day has passed, which is famous. Cross the stone and clear the waves, follow the competition, and have fun in the new year. " Jiangnan folk proverbs also have the so-called "20 days to wear, 2 1 day to wear". It can be seen that the 21st day of the first month is the "Ground Penetration Festival", also known as the "Ground Penetration Festival". Obviously, the old "Ground Penetration Festival" on the 21st day of the first month and the "Sky Penetration Festival" in Xiangfan, Hubei Province both evolved from the "Sky Penetration Festival" on the 20th day of the first month. But the former is popular all over the country, including Jiangnan, with the Tianchuan Festival, while the latter is only produced and popular in Xiangfan, Hubei. Therefore, when discussing the significance of Baochai's birthday, we can only take the former interpretation and abandon the latter. As mentioned earlier, the "Ground Penetration Festival" on the 21st day of the first lunar month in the old days was just a festival derived from the "Sky Penetration Festival" to commemorate the goddess of mending heaven. As we know, the book A Dream of Red Mansions begins with the story of the goddess mending the sky: when The goddess patching the sky was in China, Jia Xu criticized: mending the sky to help the world, don't be serious, use common sayings. On the edge of barren hills: ridiculous. The ridiculous cliff edge was criticized: ridiculous. When you are trained to be twelve feet tall, you should always be twelve women. Fang Jing twenty-four feet batch: take care of the deputy twelve women. 36,501 stone. The emperor only spent 36,500 yuan, and Jia Xu approved: weeks and days. There is only one piece left that is useless, and many stories are born because of this piece being useless. On that day, although we didn't use this to mend the sky, we had to mend the pit and level the ground, so we didn't need this nonsense. Abandoned at the foot of the mountain. Wei Jia raised an eyebrow in approval: Great! It's no use asking yourself to fall in love. Who knows that this stone is spiritually enlightened after being tempered, and it has been recognized by JOE: It's great to be enlightened by nature after being tempered! Life can't be learned. Seeing that all the stones can make up the sky, I can't be selected alone, so I feel sorry for myself and cry day and night. According to the story, Jia Baoyu, the hero of the novel, was reborn from such a hard stone that filled the sky. It is precisely because of his "love" and "uselessness" that he fell into the world of mortals and experienced some human joys and sorrows. As the saying goes, "Nothing can mend the sky, and glad you came has been in the world of mortals for many years"! Since "mending the sky" cannot be done, why not "mending the land"? In fact, Zhi Yanzhai just approved the cloud: Source: (/s/blog _ 466bb8630100c0x7.html)-Baochai's birthday note _ Zheng Wuji _ Sina blog left this piece and gave birth to many stories. On that day, although we didn't use this to mend the sky, we had to mend the pit and level the ground, so we didn't need this nonsense. This coincides with Baochai's birthday. Looking at the book A Dream of Red Mansions (including the tips about lost articles in the last 30 chapters of Zhi Pi), Baochai's actions in his life have exactly two connections with the significance of "mending the sky": First, Baochai hopes Baoyu can study as an official and eliminate corrupt officials like Jia Yucun by mastering power. As the saying goes, "chrysanthemum is used when the wine is not fishy, and ginger is needed to prevent cold accumulation", which coincides with what Fat Review said. Secondly, under the condition that the hard stone has no material to "fill the soil", Baochai made a "paving stone" herself, paving the way for the hard stone to lead to the birth of consciousness and return to the wild. So we can see a phenomenon in the book: although Jia Baoyu can't "remonstrate", he can "report". Although Baochai failed to persuade Baoyu to set up a career according to his original wishes, eliminate corrupt officials and make up the potholes in the ground. But she can still use her spirit of "incense can be cold, and everything in the world can't be cold" to pave a smooth road for the understanding and return of the hard stone! In fact, when the novel is written back to Baochai's birthday, the author only asks Baochai to draw Baoyu's first meditation in the book with a poem "Parasitic Grass in the Mountain Gate": when the first banquet was served, the grandmother ordered Baochai to order. Baochai ordered "Lu Zui Wutai Mountain". Baoyu said, "These plays are better." Baochai said, "You've listened to the play for nothing these years. Where do you know the benefits of this play? Good ostentation and extravagance, better writing. " Baoyu said, "I have never been afraid of this excitement." Baochai said with a smile, "If you say this is a lively scene, you still don't know anything. Come here, I'll tell you whether the play is lively or not. It's a set of northern "Eye-catching Lips", which is forceful, cadence and rhythm, needless to say, except that there is a "parasitic grass" in that word, which is beautifully filled. How do you know? " Seeing that he spoke well, Baoyu came forward and begged, "Good sister, read after me." Baochai read, "A hero cries, and it comes from a scholar. Thank mercy for shaving under the lotus stage. No edge method can be separated instantly. Naked people come and go and don't care. Where can I ask for a roll of cigarettes and an umbrella? Any of my shoes is broken! " Hearing this, Baoyu clapped his hands and cheered, and surrounded the circle, boasting that Baochai didn't know how to read. Lin Daiyu said, "Watch the play quietly. You haven't sung "The Gate of the Mountain" yet, but you're dressed up like crazy. " Xiangyun smiled, too. During this period, Baoyu was an enlightened madman, but what about Baochai? In her own words, she is the "culprit" who led Baoyu to "realize Tao". Take a closer look at Baochai's sentence: "If you want to say this is lively, you still know nothing. Come here, I'll tell you whether the play is lively or not. " That smug voice reminds people of Laozi's famous saying: "Everyone is bustling. If you enjoy too much, it is like stepping on a spring platform. I am alone, unpredictable and chaotic, like an unborn baby, and there is no return." Cao Libo said in "Spring Rain Like Pear Blossoms": ... Baochai's birthday, after a lot of excitement, ended with Baoyu's epiphany, which was quite meaningful. If we abandon the traditional concept of A Dream of Red Mansions held by Ms. Cao, this statement can be said to be extremely true from the perspective of Baochai guiding Baoyu to "realize Tao" and "feel at ease even when he is gone". Because the author's purpose in writing Baochai's birthday is not to establish Baochai's position as the so-called "culprit" to Baoyu? The goddess patching the sky, leave a stone behind and discard it. On the other hand, Baochai paved the way for this stubborn stone to return to its true nature, so Baochai can also be said to be a Nuwa on the ground. Therefore, the author deliberately set Baochai's birthday on the day of "mending the ground to wear", which is a logical design. The story of a Dream of Red Mansions begins with Nu Wa's stone smelting and ends with Baochai's stone painting, which is unfortunate! In addition, there is another "cleverness" worthy of our further taste: from the perspective of folklore, the so-called custom of "mending the sky to wear" is closely related to the solar term "rain" in the 24 solar terms. Ye Chunsheng said in the "Guangzhou Four Seasons General Examination": the day of the examination is "rainy day" in the 24 solar terms, generally on February 19 of the solar calendar and around the 19th to 23rd of the first lunar month. It is a day of "water of life", and it rains most of the time, so it is called "rainy day". This is an explanation of the weather caused by the underdevelopment of ancient science. (Ye Chunsheng's A General Examination of the Four Seasons in Guangzhou, published in Lingnan Literature and History No.2, 1984) The date of "rain" in the 24 solar terms is the same, and "the day of crossing the sky" is established as an explanation for the natural phenomenon that it began to rain during the "rain" period. The myth of the goddess mending the sky reveals that the ancients attributed the rain to the sky leakage. Therefore, the myth of goddess mending the sky to control water must be combined with people's understanding of "rain" solar terms, which is the origin of festivals. Coincidentally, Cao Xueqin also mentioned the solar term "rain" when describing Baochai's "cold fragrant pill" formula: Baochai smiled and said, "You can do without this formula. If you use this formula, it will really make people obscene. Everything is limited, except the word "coincidence": white peony blossoms in spring, white lotus blossoms in summer, white hibiscus blossoms in autumn and Bai Mei blossoms in winter. In the vernal equinox of the following year, four stamens were dried and ground together with the medicinal powder. I want 12 dollars of rain, this day ... "Zhou Rui busy way:" Hey! So, it will take three years. What if it doesn't rain on this rainy day? " Baochai said with a smile, "That's why it happened to rain there, and there was no rain, so we had to wait. Twelve pieces of Millennium dew, twelve pieces of early Shuang Shuang, and twelve pieces of light snow. Uniformly mixing the four kinds of water, mixing the medicines, adding 12 yuan honey and 12 yuan sugar, making longan-sized pills, putting them in an old magnetic altar and burying them under flower roots. If you are sick, take out a pill. Decoct with Cortex Phellodendri 12 and send it down. " Zhou Rui's wife smiled and said, "Amitabha, what a shame! Waiting for ten years may not be so smart. " Baochai said, "That's amazing. Since he asked me to go, it's also a coincidence that I got it all in a year or two, and it's easy to get confused. Now it is from south to north, and now it is buried under the pear tree. " Baochai said, "It happened to rain there, so we had to wait if it didn't rain." But according to her, "it was a year or two after he said he would leave." This "coincidence" obviously implies that Baochai is predestined with the spirit of "being born" represented by monks and lame Dao. And Baochai can get together just one or two years later: "It rains twelve dollars this day ... twelve dollars for dew in the Millennium, twelve dollars for frost in the first frost, and twelve dollars for snow in Xiaoxue". Doesn't this also imply that her birthday is related to the legend of "daily wear" and "ground wear"? Then, as a secular Nuwa, Baochai's position is more and more obvious!