couplets, also known as couplets, originated from Taofu, which is a kind of dual literature. They can be roughly divided into poetic couplets and prose couplets, and the big and small parts of speech are strictly distinguished. It can be seen that it is a fundamental mistake to say that "couplets originate from regular poems". The antithesis of traditional couplets is more neat than the so-called poetic couplets. With the rise of poetry in the Tang Dynasty, prose couplets were excluded.
Prose couplets are generally informal and even-handed, and don't avoid heavy words. They don't overemphasize the couplets with the same parts of speech, but they don't lose their opposites.
The rhyme of couplets
Couplets have a long history, and it is said that they originated from Meng Chang, the master of Shu after the Five Dynasties. His inscription "New Year's Eve, Qing Yu, FestivalNo. Changchun" on the peach symbol board at Bedside Gate means that the text "inscribed the peach symbol" (see Shu Lang). This is the earliest couplets in China and the first Spring Festival couplets. (See "Random Talk Couplets" in Applied Writing, No.1, 1987)
The formal name of couplets, commonly known as couplets, is a unique Chinese language, literature and art form, which is loved by people from all walks of life. To sum up, couplet meter is six elements, also called "six phases", which are divided as follows:
First, the number of words should be equal. The number of online words is equal to the number of offline words. The number of words in each clause of the long couplet is equal. There is a special situation, that is, the number of words in the upper and lower couplets is intentionally different. For example, in the Republic of China, someone ridiculed Yuan Shikai's couplet: "Yuan Shikai is eternal; Long live the people of China. " The words "Yuan Shikai" in the first part and "China people" in the second part are "sorry", which means that Yuan Shikai is sorry for the people of China.
Reduplication or reduplication is allowed in couplets. Reduplication and reduplication are commonly used rhetorical devices in couplets, but attention should be paid to the consistency of the upper and lower couplets when overlapping. For example, in the Ming Dynasty, Gu Xiancheng titled Wuxi Donglin Academy Union: the sound of wind and rain reading, and the sound was heard; Family affairs, state affairs, and everything in the world are concerned.
However, "homonym" and "heteronym" should be avoided as much as possible in couplets. The so-called homonym means that the same word is opposite in the same position in the upper and lower parts. The so-called heterotopic heavy word means that the same word appears in different positions in the upper and lower links. However, some function words are allowed to have homonyms, such as Geling couplet in West Lake, Hangzhou:
The Song of Peach Blossoms and Flowing Water;
between the shade and the grass.
The word "Zhi" in the upper and lower parts is duplicated in the same place, but it is ok because it is empty word. However, there is a special format of "ectopic mutual weight" (called "transposition case"), such as Lin Sen holding Dr. Sun Yat-sen's couplet:
one person is eternal;
one person through the ages.
Second, the parts of speech are equivalent. In modern Chinese, there are two parts of speech, namely, content words and function words. The former includes nouns (including locative words), verbs, adjectives (including color words), numerals, quantifiers and pronouns. The latter includes adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, auxiliary words, exclamations and onomatopoeia. Part-of-speech equivalence means that words or phrases with the same position in the upper and lower parts should have the same or similar parts of speech. The first is the rule of "real to real, virtual to virtual", which is the most basic rule and has the widest meaning. In some cases, just follow this. Secondly, the corresponding rules of parts of speech, that is, the above 12 types of words correspond to each other. This rule should be followed in most cases. Thirdly, the rule of semantic correspondence refers to putting the same type of things expressed in Chinese characters together for confrontation. The ancients noticed this rhetorical method long ago. In particular, the nouns are divided into many small categories, such as astronomy (sun, moon, wind, rain, etc.), season (day and night, etc.), geography (mountains, rivers, etc.), official offices (towers, doors, etc.), vegetation (trees, peaches, plums, etc.), birds (chickens, birds, cranes, etc.) and so on. Finally, the corresponding rule of adjacent categories, that is, words with adjacent categories can be paired with each other. Such as astronomy to the season, astronomy to geography, geography to the palace and so on.
thirdly, the structure is commensurate. The so-called structural proportionality means that the grammatical structure of the upper and lower conjunctions (or the structure of their phrases and sentence patterns) should be as same as possible, that is, the subject-predicate structure is opposite to the subject-predicate structure, the verb-object structure is opposite to the verb-object structure, the partial structure is opposite to the partial structure, and the coordinate structure is opposite to the coordinate structure, and so on. For example, Li Bai's title is Yueyang Tower in Hunan:
Water and sky are one color;
the wind and the moon are boundless.
both the upper and lower parts of this couplet are subject-predicate structures. Among them, "water sky" and "wind moon" are both parallel structures, and "one color" and "boundless" are both positive structures.
However, in the case of equivalent parts of speech, the requirements of some similar or special sentence structures can be relaxed appropriately.
the fourth is the corresponding rhythm. That is, the places where the upper and lower links stop must be consistent. For example,
don't let spring and autumn be a good day; It's the hardest thing for an old friend to come.
this is a pair of seven-character short couplets, and the rhythm of the upper and lower couplets is exactly the same, both of which are "two-two-three". Longer couplets must have a corresponding rhythm.
fifth, it is even and harmonious. What is leveling? The classification of flat tones in Putonghua, in short, is flat tone and rising tone, flat tone and flat tone. Among the four ancient tones, the flat sound is flat, and the rising, going and entering sounds are silent. There are two aspects in the harmony of level and level:
(1) The level and level are opposite. Generally speaking, it is not required that the characters are opposite, but it should be noted that the upper and lower endings (feet) should be opposite, and the upper part should be different and the lower part should be flat; The words at the end of the phrase or at the rhythm point should be flat and opposite; The ending word (sentence foot) of each clause in the long couplet should be flat and opposite.
(2) The upper and lower couplets alternate in their own sentences. Yu Dequan, a contemporary couplet writer, summed up a set of "horseshoe rhyme" rules. Simply put, it is "flat and even", which goes on like the rhythm of horseshoes, such as:
Shushan has a road service as the path.
○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○967
○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○967 The word "Xue" is entered according to Pingshui Rhyme Department)
The problem of antithetical couplet is not absolute, and it can be flexible in many cases. If there are overlapping words, compound words, palindromes, humor, phonology and so on in couplets, it can be decided according to the specific situation. Some exceptions can be made when it is necessary for the union.
six is content-related. What is a couplet? It is both "right" and "linked". The words mentioned above are equal in number of words, equivalent in part of speech, same in structure, corresponding in rhythm and even in harmony, all of which are "right", but they are still short of a "couplet". "Lian" is about content relevance. Between the upper and lower couplets of a couplet, the content should be related. If the upper and lower couplets each write an unrelated thing, and the two cannot reflect, connect and echo, it cannot be regarded as a qualified couplet, or even a couplet.
But there are exceptions to any rule of couplets, and so is "content-related". There are two kinds of extremely special couplets in couplets. First, "there is no love for each other". The couplet of the upper and lower parts is neat word by word, but the content is irrelevant (or specious), and the comparison of the couplet of the upper and lower parts can cause unexpected interest. Such as:
The tree has half found its axe;
it's totally irrelevant.
In the upper and lower links, "tree" and "fruit" are all vegetation; " "It's all empty word;" Half a "one" is a number; " All searches for ""dots "are escaped as verbs;" Hugh ""No "is empty word;" "Both" and "Xiang" are empty word; " The axe "gan" is an ancient weapon. The All-China Federation is even more unexpectedly interested in using spoken language to compare poems.
the second is to chant the poem clock separately. The upper and lower couplets chant two unrelated things respectively; Word for word, word for word, neat; Connect two things from a certain point through conjunction. There are some similarities between the poems and bells in the verse, and they are also similar to riddles, but there are many differences. Interested friends can study them further.
Couplets emphasize the relevance of content, but avoid the synonymy, which is called "crossing hands". The so-called "avoid synonymous opposites" refers to the relative sentences of the upper and lower parts, and their meanings should be avoided as much as possible, such as "Rising Sun" to "Chaoyang", "History of History" to "History of History", "The show of China through the ages" to "Chixian's eternal spring", "Prosperous business to the four seas" to "Prosperous financial resources to the three rivers" and so on. Of course, the crossing of individual non-central words, or the crossing of their hands, has a small proportion in the couplet, which is harmless.
custom of couplets
custom of spring festival couplets, as a custom, is an important part of the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation. In 25, the State Council listed the custom of couplets as the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage. The relevant introduction and evaluation texts are as follows:
The custom of couplets originated from the dual phenomenon of ancient Chinese. During the Western Jin Dynasty (around 29), the appearance of well-regulated antitheses can be regarded as an important symbol of its formation. In the process of more than 1,7 years' historical spread, couplets, parallel prose, regular poems and other traditional literary forms have influenced and borrowed from each other. Through the three important development periods of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, the forms have become increasingly diverse and the cultural accumulation has gradually become rich. Couplets have such general names as couplets, couplets, couplets, etc. It began in Ming Dynasty to call them couplets.
Couplets use "fu" as quantifier, and generally use two lines of sentences as a pair, which are displayed side by side and vertically, and read from top to bottom, first right and then left, with the upper couplet on the right and the lower couplet on the left. Couplets belong to metrical literature, which has various stresses, but there are no restrictions on the number of words and sentences, ranging from one word to as many as a thousand words. Its stylistic characteristics are the up-and-down comparison, the same number of words, the same part of speech, the same level and level, the corresponding diction, the rhythm and the combination of form and meaning, especially the level and level of melody and the part of speech. Couplets are concise, elegant and popular, and are called "poems in poetry".
couplets take characters as the content and calligraphy as the carrier, and there are many kinds of products, including paper mounting, frame, woodcut, stone carving and bamboo carving. During the development of couplets, a large number of related works have appeared, and there are tens of thousands of couplets.
couplets are widely used, not only in palaces, pavilions, halls and bookstores, but also in festivals, inscriptions, congratulations, mourning, tombs and other occasions. According to different functions, it can be divided into Spring Festival couplets, birthday couplets, scenic couplets, self-titled couplets and various skill couplets.
The custom of couplets is passed down and spread in Chinese-speaking areas and ethnic groups with cultural origins of Chinese characters, which is of great value for promoting Chinese culture.
The customs of couplets mainly include the following:
The customs of Spring Festival couplets. Spring Festival couplets, called Spring Sticks in ancient times, are seasonal couplets written and posted during the annual Spring Festival. The custom of Spring Festival couplets originated in the Five Dynasties, took shape in the Song Dynasty and became very common in the Ming Dynasty. In Hunan, posting Spring Festival couplets is an important custom in the Spring Festival culture. Spring Festival couplets have the characteristics of eulogy, timeliness and pertinence, and highlight the word "spring".
There are many kinds of Spring Festival couplets, which can be divided into door hearts, frame pairs, horizontal stripes, spring strips and square fights according to their usage places. The "door core" is attached to the center of the upper end of the door panel; The "frame pair" is attached to the left and right door frames; "Cross-dressing" is attached to the crossbar of the door; "Spring strips" are posted in corresponding places according to different contents; "Dou Jin", also called "door leaf", is a square diamond, which is often attached to furniture and screen walls.
wedding custom. Wedding couplets are couplets written to celebrate the wedding, which are usually posted on the gate, cave door, hall or makeup hall of the wedding home. Its content is mostly warm praise and good wishes for both parties to the marriage, with a strong auspicious and festive color.
custom of birthday couplets. Birthday couplets are special couplets for birthday celebrations of those who have passed their birthdays. Their contents are generally to praise the meritorious service and moral articles of those who have passed their birthdays, and to wish those who have passed their birthdays many blessings and a long and happy life, with warm and respectful feelings.
elegiac custom. The elegiac couplet, called mourning couplet in some places, evolved from the elegiac couplet, which is a kind of couplet used by people to express their memory and mourn for their ancestors and the dead. It is often pasted on doorways, on both sides of urns, on both sides of memorial service venues, and on wreaths. Generally, it is written in black and white with solemn, solemn and painful feelings. Through the joint language, arouse people's memory and respect for the dead.
The origin of couplets
Philosophical origin: couplets are antithetical literature. The parallel symmetry of this kind of language and writing is very similar to the so-called "Tai Chi gives birth to two instruments" in philosophy, that is, everything in the world is divided into two symmetrical halves of Yin and Yang, which is very similar in thinking essence. Therefore, we can say that the philosophical origin and deep national cultural psychology of China's couplets are the dual concept of Yin and Yang. The dualism of yin and yang is the basis of the world outlook of ancient China people. It is that way of thin of ancient China people to grasp things with the dual concept of Yin and Yang. This idea of duality of yin and yang has a long history. The divinatory symbols in the Book of Changes are composed of yin and yang, and the Book of Changes says, "One yin and one yang is the Tao." Laozi also said: "Everything is negative and holds Yang, and rushing to think that it is harmonious." ("Lao Zi" Chapter 42. Xunzi thought: "Heaven and earth combine to create everything, and Yin and Yang combine to change." ("Xunzi? "On Rites" and "Huang Lao Silk Book" said: "The way of heaven and earth has 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 China people's understanding and explanation of everything in nature and human society. "Zhouyi? The preface and divination biography "There is heaven and earth and then everything, everything and then men and women, men and women and then couples, couples and then fathers and sons, fathers and sons and then ministers, ministers and ministers and then up and down, up and down and then etiquette." In Yi Zhuan, various concrete things are used to symbolize Yin and Yang. Yin represents Kun, earth, female, woman, son, minister, abdomen, lower, north, wind, water, lustre, flower, black and white, submissive, etc. Correspondingly, Yang represents dry, heavenly, male, father, monarch, head, upper, south, thunder, fire, mountain, fruit, red and yellow, vigorous and so on. This ubiquitous concept of yin and yang has penetrated into the subconscious of the Han nationality, thus becoming a collective unconscious of the nation. The concept of yin and yang is manifested in national psychology, and one of the important characteristics is the persistence and infatuation with things that appear in the form of "two" and "pair". "Things are born in two ..., and they have left and right bodies, each with a concubine." ("Zuo zhuan? "Thirty-two years of Zhao Gong") "The road in the world is just one package." ("Zhuzi Genre" Volume 93) "Maturity and rebirth are right in righteousness. Treat the text, since Tai Chi out of the two instruments, nothing is nothing; Daily use, cold and heat, day and night, and all kinds of personnel-life and death, dignity, wealth, respect, up and down, length, distance, old and new, size, smell, depth, light and shade, all kinds of ends, can not be enumerated. " (Ye Xie: The Original Poem) This kind of national psychology, which is rooted in the dualistic world view of Yin and Yang, is one of the deep-seated reasons for the emergence and popularity of antithetical sentences. Many previous discussions have also noticed this connection. "Wen Xin Diao Long? Li ci: the creation is shaped, and the support must be double; God makes sense for use, and things are not isolated. My husband's heart is full of words, and I have to worry about it. You must compete with each other and naturally pair up. ..... Body implantation must be two, and words and actions are matched. ......
language roots: a pair of standard couplets, the most essential feature of which is "antithesis". When it is expressed orally, it is a verbal confrontation, and when it is written, it is a textual confrontation. What is the meaning of language antithesis? Usually, we talk about four items: equal number of words, relative parts of speech, flat and oblique contradiction, and the same syntax. The most important of the four items is equal number of words and flat and oblique contradiction. Here, the number of words is equal, which is different from the "number of words" in English, and its essence is equal syllables. That is, one syllable corresponds to one syllable. In English, the words "car" and "jeep" are equal in number, but not in syllables. In Chinese, however, "k ℉ m ℉ ch ℉" and "j ℉ p ?" are equal in number and syllables. The reason why Chinese can achieve "syllable" equality is because Chinese is a language with monosyllabic as the basic unit. Syllables, morphemes and characters are trinity. Each syllable in Chinese has a strong independence, and it has a certain length and tone. In ancient times, there were four tones: flat, rising, falling and entering. Now there are four tones: rising, falling, rising and falling, which are divided into two categories: flat and flat. A flat confrontation is a contradiction. In this way, between morphemes in Chinese (that is, between words), we can establish the antithesis of equal number of words and harmony.