To explain the origin of "originator", we must first start with the word "bi". The original character of "bi" is "自". In ancient times, "zi" meant nose. In oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions, the word "zi" is written like a human nose. At that time, the pronunciation of "zi" was the same as the pronunciation of "bi", so Xu Shen said in "Shuowen Jiezi" : "Zi, pronounced as nose."

It should be said that the original meaning of "Zi" is nose. People often point to their noses when talking about themselves, so "Zi" also has the meaning of "自". ” means, becoming the first person pronoun. The meaning of "自" was later widely used, and as a result it became inconvenient to refer to its original meaning - nose. Therefore, people created another pictophonetic character: adding a phonetic symbol "畀" under "zi" to form a new character "bi". From then on, "zi" and "bi" had a division of labor, each referring to their respective roles. meaning. Because the extended meaning of "自" is "from", which is further extended to the meaning of "beginning", "bi" also inherits the meaning of creation and beginning. There is a saying in "Hanzhi Kao·Shuowen" that "the first born son is now called the nose", which means that the first born son is called "the nose", which means "initial". Therefore, the earliest ancestor and founder is called the "originator".

In order to vent anger and dissatisfaction with someone, they often call them "shameless", which means that the person has no regard for face and no shame. But he won’t scold him for being “shameless”. Why is that? This is mainly due to the difference between written and spoken language. "Mien" is a written term and is mostly used in literary works. In contrast, "face" is a spoken term and often appears in oral conversations. For example, in daily conversations, we will say wash and wipe face, but rarely say wash and wipe face. As the saying goes, someone's face is thicker than the city wall. If you say that your face is thicker than the city wall, you will lose the lively effect of spoken language. The meaning to be expressed in spoken language can also be expressed in literary language in writing: for example, being shameless in literary works can be said to mean disregarding face; washing one's face can also be said to be cleansing one's face, etc. In addition, the pronunciation of "shameless" is sonorous and powerful, which is much tougher than "shameless".

In fact, face was not entirely a spoken word at first. Before the Ming Dynasty, "face" and "face" were both written terms and often appeared in literary works. For example, Cen Shen, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, has a poem: "The flowers on the shore are still ashamed of themselves and blushing", Li Qingzhao's lyrics: "The fragrant face is half-opened and charming", Bai Juyi "still holding a pipa and half covering his face" and Cui Hu "the peach blossoms on the human face complement each other red" are all Use face and face into literary words. Only in later generations did the distinction between spoken and written language gradually emerge.

The meanings of face and face are similar now, but they had different meanings in the past. The word "face" came out later, probably after the Wei and Jin Dynasties. It originally meant cheek, and often refers to the part of a woman's cheek that can be powdered. For example, in Bai Juyi's "The Resentment of Zhaojun", "the eyebrows are pinned and the daisy is stained, and the face is flushed" refers to this part. In addition, "face" also means "eyelids" in ancient times, which is eyelids. Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties wrote a poem in "Dai Su's State Wife": "Looking at the silk before it is finished, tears are like silk on the face." The "face" here refers to the eyelids. The range of the face is larger than the face, including the entire front of the head, and the face is only a part of the face. Over time, the semantics of face gradually expanded, and the meaning of face is basically the same.

Children like to hook their fingers to swear. They often hook their fingers and recite solemnly: "Hang yourself with a hook, and it will not change for a hundred years!" They solemnly show that they keep their promises and keep their words. Couples are fond of each other, and besides being romantic, they also like to cross their fingers and say vows to witness their undying love.

There is no precise and credible information on the origin of this hook-finger oath. Some people even believe that hook-finger was introduced from the West and originated from a love legend in the West caused by a man and a woman hooking their fingers. This statement seems conclusive, but it is difficult to be completely convinced because of the lack of factual basis.

The origin of the hook finger may be related to the function of the finger. Fingers, with the meaning of "purpose", represent one's inner thoughts and intentions. The hooking of fingers means communicating inner thoughts. In addition, Chinese people have a form of swearing by pointing to the sky, so "pointing" plays an important role in the oath. In the oath of alliance, the fingers must be solemnly signed and stamped, and sometimes the fingers must be cut to bleed blood to form an alliance. In view of this, people simply hook their fingers to express an oath, and at the same time communicate with their fingers to express mutual recognition of their hearts. Sometimes the two people's thumbs rub against each other as a seal and signature and use this as evidence.

In fact, the index finger was really related to eating at first, but it did not mean eating the finger. The ancients used to use this finger to test the hotness and coldness of soup, food, and taste, and then put it into their mouths to suck. It is not surprising that the ancients did this, because people in ancient times grabbed things directly with their hands and ate them. Therefore, the ancients specially Call this finger your index finger. The reason why the index finger was chosen to do this job may be because compared to other fingers, the index finger is more flexible and is very convenient for tasting food.

Speaking of the index finger, there is an interesting story. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Zheng Guogui Qi Zigong (the nickname of Song Dynasty) would have a strange smell every time if his index finger jumped. When he was on a mission to the State of Jin, he moved his index finger greatly, and he ate the stone flower fish; when he was on a mission to the State of Chu, he moved his index finger greatly, and he ate swan meat; later, before eating albizia tangerine, he also moved his index finger greatly, and it worked repeatedly. From this point of view, there is really a deep connection between the index finger and food.

It is often said that someone's wallet is bulging, which means that the wallet is full (making a fortune). This meaning of the wallet is related to its function.

Purse refers to some bags, belts or decorative items worn around the waist. They were originally accessories worn by the court nobles. Because of its bright color and exquisite and beautiful embroidery, it has won people's love. An exquisite purse, from the form, pattern, embroidery to wiring and cloth color, has been carefully conceived and executed, and the maker's emotion and effort have been poured into it. Later, purses also became a symbol of status and glory. Emperors of the Qing Dynasty used embroidered purses as prizes and awarded them to ministers and attendants to show their favor.

With the development of folk embroidery art, purses have gradually become popular among the people. Their main function is to give gifts to relatives and friends during festive occasions, or as tokens of love between men and women, and to offer tribute to gods and Buddhas. To show piety.

Purches are not only works of art, but also have practical functions. It is mainly used to store small items and spices for personal use. Depending on the contents, many kinds of purses have evolved, such as money purses, incense purses (also known as sachets or incense tubes), sewing purses, cigarette purses, fan bags, spectacle bags, finger bags, key bags, and handkerchiefs. Bags and other embroidered accessories, etc. The functions of wallets are very similar to current wallets, so it is very appropriate to use a bulging wallet as a metaphor for having money.

There is a sentence in "The Songs of Chu: Zhaohun": "There are more xiangqi (bamboo chips used for Liubo chess) than Liubo." This is probably the earliest record of the word "xiangqi" . But the chess here refers to the Liubo chess pieces made of ivory, which is not the same thing as the chess we call today.

The invention of chess may have been in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Yu Wenyong, Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, wrote the book "Xiang Jing". He was very proud of his work, so he summoned hundreds of officials to explain it to them personally and ordered people to make annotations. It is a pity that this book has been lost long ago. From the records of the time and later generations, we can get a rough idea that it is a book about chess. "Sui Shu·Jing Ji Zhi" lists it in the category of military books, along with "Chess Position" and "Zabo Opera" The juxtaposition of other books can also prove this point. Yang Shen, a scholar during the Zhengde and Jiajing years of the Ming Dynasty, said in "Danqian Zonglu": "Emperor Zhou Wu's "Xiang Jing" has the images of the sun, moon and stars." In other words, "Xiang Opera" is based on the images of the sun, moon and stars. of. So, how did it evolve into chess in later generations?

British scholar Joseph Needham believes that this is the result of processing by Indians. He believes that Xiangxi opera in the Northern Dynasties has chess pieces that symbolize the sun and the moon, as well as chess pieces similar to the "general" and "handsome" in Chinese chess. He believes that the "cannon" that appeared in the Five Dynasties and the Northern Song Dynasty was originally a chess piece that represented an erratic comet. After this kind of chess game was introduced to India, it evolved into a war game around the 7th century (the early Tang Dynasty in China); the four chess pieces of "elephant", "horse", "rook" and "soldier" were the composition of the Indian army at that time. part. The chess modified by the Indians was transmitted back to China and then to Europe via Persia and Arabia, giving rise to two chess systems, the Chinese and the Western ones.

Xiangqi in the Tang Dynasty was close to the form of modern chess; in the Northern Song Dynasty, the regulations changed; after the Southern Song Dynasty, it gradually took shape. At this time, chess has become farther and farther away from the original image of the sun, moon and stars. However, Indians, Arabs and Europeans do not seem to have forgotten its astronomical meaning and all use chess for astrology. A Latin poem from the 13th century once assigned astrological symbols to each chess piece. Although the two chess systems have many differences in the development of later generations, the signs of their common origin are still obvious: pawns advancing but not retreating, knights moving in the sun, bishops moving diagonally, generals or kings moving one square at a time, etc. This is their biggest similarity. It can be said that chess is the product of cultural exchanges between the East and the West. It embodies the common wisdom of mankind.

A pair of chopsticks is extremely versatile and can express the Chinese culture’s characteristic of using simplicity to overcome complexity and using less to overcome more. But in ancient times, people didn’t use it to eat. "The Book of Rites, Qu Lishang" talks about treating guests to a meal, saying: "The meal does not wet your hands." "Wetting your hands" means that your hands are heated by friction and sweating. How to say this? The annotation of Kong Yingda, a master of Confucian classics in the Tang Dynasty, is: "In ancient etiquette, chopsticks (chopsticks) are not used for eating, but (only) hands are used. After eating with others, the hands should be clean and clean, and the hands should not be picked up temporarily. Rubbing hands together) Hands are food, which may be dirty.” It turns out that the ancient Chinese, like modern Arabs, ate with “hands” and did not use chopsticks as tableware. Eating with hands made the ancients develop the habit of washing hands before meals. "Guanzi: Discipleship" says: "The master will eat, and the disciples will feed him the food, take the sleeves, wash his hands, and then kneel down and feed him." It means: The master is about to eat, and the disciples should prepare the food, and then Wash your hands and rinse your mouth, then sit and eat on your knees. "Zuo Zhuan: The 20th Year of Duke Zhao" also records: "Hua Hai (a senior official in the Song Dynasty) and his wife must wash and eat." Flattery is also called "flattering". Why is this?

In life, we often refer to someone’s behavior of flattering others as “flattering”. There are several interesting theories about the origin of "flattering", all of which are related to Mongolian customs. First, the Mongolians have a habit that when two people leading horses meet, they should tap the other horse's butt to show respect. Second, when a good Mongolian rider encounters a fierce horse that is difficult to tame, he will pat the horse's butt. This will make the horse feel comfortable, and the rider can take the opportunity to jump on the horse. Third, Mongolians love horses. If the horse is fat and strong, its legs will be bulging. Therefore, when they see a horse, Mongolians always like to pat the horse's butt and praise it. It can be seen that this word does not have a derogatory connotation.

However, these etiquette and customs become a way of flattery and flattery for those who follow the crowd. When they see a powerful person coming on horseback, no matter how good or bad the horse is, they will rush to pat the horse's butt and compliment him. Therefore, later generations regarded "flattery" as a synonym for fawning and flattery, with a strong derogatory connotation.