As one of the epics of the Han nationality in the pre-Qin period, it traces the deeds of Hou Ji, the ancestor of the Zhou Dynasty, and mainly describes the magic of his birth and his special talent in agricultural planting. In mythology, Hou Ji is regarded as the god of agriculture. The content written in this poem has both historical factors and some mythological factors.
The Book of Songs is the first collection of poems in the literary history of Han Dynasty. It had a far-reaching impact on the development of poetry in later generations and became the source of the realistic tradition of China's classical literature.
original work
Jue gave birth to the people and became Wei Jiangyuan. What about strangers? Sacrifice is a blessing, and there are no children. , Xin, You Jie, You Zhi. It carries the earthquake, the birth, the education and Hou Ji.
Today is my birthday, my husband. Nothing is wrong, nothing is harmless. What spirit, restless. I can't go to Baikang, but I have children.
Birthday alley is written by cattle and sheep. A flat forest, born to be cut down. The ice and snow at Christmas are covered with birds. The bird left, but Hou Ji spoke loudly. This is a real sigh, this is a road.
I was born crawling, and I was embarrassed to eat. This is a good thing, this is a good thing. Embarrassment of grain service, hemp and wheat, and melons.
Hou Ji's birthday, there is a way. There is much grass and yellow hair. Real square, real bud, real seed, real hair, real show, real good, real clever, real chestnut. There is a family.
A good kind of birth surrender: Weiwei, Weiwei. The constant harvest is an acre; What remains unchanged is whether it is negative or not. Back to Zhao Si.
How about celebrating my birthday? Or beat or beat, or raise or something. Interpretation of Babalj, Floating and Floating. Carrying a plan, carrying it, and sacrificing the fat man with Xiao. Take the jackal as the jackal, and make yourself strong by burning, so as to raise the age of the successor.
There are more than beans in Ansheng, and the fragrance of beans begins on the chessboard. God lives in Xin, but when Hu stinks. House, ordinary innocence and regret, that's it.
Sentence annotation
[1] This article is selected from The Book of Songs, which is also one of the epics of the Zhou Dynasty. This poem traces the story of Hou Ji, the ancestor of Zhou Dynasty, and mainly describes the magic of his birth and his special talent in agricultural planting. In mythology, Hou Ji is regarded as the god of agriculture. The content written in this poem has both historical factors and some mythological factors. Jue: First, demonstrative pronouns. The meaning of these two sentences is that Jiang Yuansheng gave birth to Zhou Min. People: People refer to Zhou people.
[2] When: Yes.
[3] Jiang Yuan (yuán): the princess of the legendary ancient emperor (Di Ku) and the mother of Hou Ji, the ancestor of the Zhou Dynasty. Jiang is a surname. "Yuan", also known as "Yuan", is posthumous title, taking its original meaning. The above two sentences say that Jiang Yuan was born in the Zhou Dynasty, which means that he was born in Hou Ji.
[4] Yan (y Ρ n) sacrifice: a kind of wild sacrifice. When offering sacrifices, smoke is raised with fire. This refers to the worship of the Emperor of Heaven. One theory refers to the worship of the suburbs (méi). Qi is the god of seeking children and offering sacrifices to the suburbs.
[5] Fu: the loan word of "Fu (fú)". No children and no women means no children and no women, or no children and no women.
[6] Shoes: Practice and step on. Emperor: Emperor of Heaven.
[7] Wu: refers to the footprint. Xiao Min: Thumb, "Wu Min" is the toe of footprint.
[8] Xin: Happy. The story that Jiang Yuan gave birth to Hou Ji in the footsteps of giants is a legend of Zhou people. (First, the repertoire is part of the sacrificial ceremony, that is, the symbolic dance. The so-called emperor is the body representing God. The corpse danced in front, followed by Jiang Yuan, dancing in the footsteps of the corpse. )
[9] Interface: Same as "Qi (Qi)", rest. This sentence means to rest after sacrifice.
[10] Earthquake: Pregnancy is pregnancy. Su Su: Sue, it means observing prenatal education.
[1 1] Shiwei Hou Ji: Hou Ji. Hou Ji is also known as the abandoned child.
[12] Birthday: a phrase with the meaning of lamenting beauty. Michelle Obama: Men. Mijue Month: indicates that the month of pregnancy is full.
Sir: First birth, first delivery. Such as: the same as "and". David Attenborough: It's slippery. The first child was born smoothly.
[14] Li: crack. Deputy (p √): Split and cut. Life is smooth sailing and you won't break the door.
[15] Zhu (zāi): a variant of "disaster".
[16] Hz: significant. This sentence means that it is supernatural because of the above situation.
[17] Ning and Kang: Both say "An", which means, "Will God not reward my sacrifice?" This is about Jiang Yuan's fear. Although the trip is great, having a baby is a strange thing. Jiang Yuan suspected that it was an ominous sign, so she said "I actually gave birth to a child" below.
[18] Actually: in vain. It's no use raising a child if you dare not raise it. The meanings of the three sentences here are closely related to the next chapter.
[19] Zi (Zhi): that is, "set" and "release".
[20] Pass: Narrow. Abandon the baby in a narrow alley.
[2 1] Fii: hidden. See "Xiaoya Cai Wei".
[22] word: breastfeeding.
[23] Lin Ping: The forest on the plain.
[24] Meeting: Coincidence. It's inconvenient for someone to cut wood.
[25] melon (gū): cry.
[26] Reality: the same as "elegance" is the solution of "yes". Tan: Long. Xū: Big.
[27] Load: Full. The above two sentences say that the baby cries more and more.
[28] Creep: the ancient sound "must". Crawl: Crawl on the ground.
[29] Ambiguity: knowing meaning. Ben: As the old saying goes, "reverse" is known. Keqi Kezhen: It means identifiable.
[30] Same as "already".
[3 1] Just: ask. The above three sentences mean that Hou Ji is smart when he can crawl and can beg for food by himself.
[32] Polygonum (Y): cultivated.
[33] Zizania latifolia: soybean. The word "country" in this sentence runs through "harmony and righteousness" and "land".
[34]? Pèi: that is, "fèi", lush.
[35] Battle: Shuowen was cited as Ying and Wojian.
[36] Sue: Beautiful.
[37] Meng: lush land.
[38]? Baě ng: Shuowen is quoted as "Baě ng", which is full of fruit. The above five sentences mean that Hou Ji loves to plant when he knows the game, and the melons and grains he grows are good.
[39] stage: help. The above two sentences mean that Hou Ji's harvest contributes to his success, which means the following things such as planting grass.
[40] fú: Pull.
[4 1] Yellow hair: nail bone.
[42] Party: neat.
[43] Bud: Lush.
[44] Species: Same as "swollen", covered with fat.
[45] (yü u): The seedlings are growing. Extended to excellent. The biography of Han Dong Zhongshu: "Today's doctors are the first." Later, "stand up first" means that people's talent is beyond their peers.
[46] hair: Shu hair. Show: the first ear.
[47] Firmness: Full granules.
Glumes: Hanging panicles. Chestnuts: that is, "chestnuts", many. The above five sentences describe the beauty of grains according to their maturity, which shows the diligence of cultivators.
[49] Tai (tái): Place name, also called "Yi", has the same pronunciation. Taikoo Shing is located in the southwest of Wugong County, Shaanxi Province. Hou Ji has settled in Thailand. According to legend, in the Yu Shun era, Hou Ji assisted Yu and was sealed in Tai.
[50] Health is a godsend.
[5 1] Mi (jù): black millet.
[52]Mow(pρ): a kind of black millet. Erya Cao Shi: "Well, one yard is two meters."
[53] men: chimiaojiagu (solid color of leaves at birth). Mi (qǐ): Bai Gu (pale at birth).
[54] Constant (gèng): times; It is full. The word "unchanged" has been planted all over the world.
[55] Whether to harvest, in mu.
[56] Ren: Hug.
[57] Zhao: The beginning. The above five sentences are about planting four kinds of grains, harvesting their ambitions when they are ripe, and then offering sacrifices to God.
[58] Ba (y m 4 o): Shuo Wen cited as "ladle", take it out.
[59] whatever (róu): through "kneading", kneading.
[60] Interpretation: Taomi. Mimi: Also called "Mimi", it explains the sound of rice.
[6 1] Xuan: Same as "steaming".
[62]? Gone with the wind: the article is quoted as "Zi (fú)", and the hot air rises. The above four sentences are about rice and wine to be used for sacrifice.
[63] Wei: thinking. I miss sacrifice.
[64] Xiao: Artemisia.
[65]? Sacrificial fat: that is, beef intestine fat. Incense and beef intestine fat are burned together for sacrifice to get its fragrance.
[66] (dρ): ewe. Di (bá): Sacrificing to the Road God. Because we want to go to the suburbs to worship the gods, we should first worship the Taoist gods, which is what is said in Shuowen: "If you want the Tao, you must first sue its gods." Take a ram as a sacrifice and use it as a sacrifice.
[67] Jiao (fán), fierce: barbecue. The meaning of this sentence is to burn Xiao and fatty.
[68] years old: ancient books are like "snow". Heir: Next year. Sacrifice is for prosperity in the coming year, which means praying for a bumper harvest in the coming year.
From the yellow emperor to the fourth generation. No, Goshen. "
[69] Ang: Me.
[70] Beans: Wooden meat containers.
[7 1] Deng: Wadou.
[72] Home: Ann. Sim: Enjoy it.
[73] Hu: He. Smell: Breathe. That is to say, the fragrance of "its fragrance begins to rise" on it.
[74] Qi: Sincerity. Time: At the right time. Why did that sweet smell come so timely? This is a compliment.
[75] Up to now: Up to now. The above three sentences mean that Hou Ji initiated the sacrificial system of Zhou people. Until later, Shu almost didn't get caught in the sky and held a grudge.
Full text translation
People's livelihood comes down first because Jiang Yuan can live.
How to have ancestors? Pray for the gods to sacrifice to the Emperor of Heaven, and pray for children to be childless.
When you step on God's thumb print, God will bless you with good luck.
The fetus is motionless, once born, it will be raised frequently, and the child is Zhou Houji.
10 pregnant overdue, the first child went very well.
The birth door is unbreakable, safe and healthy, which has shown great inspiration.
God comforted him in his heart, and he came to enjoy it wholeheartedly. He is glad that he has a son.
Newborn babies abandon lanes and feed cattle and sheep well.
Then he threw the baby into the forest and was rescued when he met a woodcutter.
And put it on the baby's ice, and the big bird warmed his wings.
The big bird finally flew away, and Hou Ji was crying.
The crying was long and loud, and kept ringing all the way.
Hou Ji is good at crawling around, sensible and smart, and has the ability to feed.
Soybeans can be planted soon, and the growth is gratifying.
Miao Qing, which is rich in grain, is thriving and full of fruits and vegetables.
Hou Ji cultivates the fields, and there are ways to distinguish the soil quality.
Remove all the dense weeds and choose Jiahe to sow well.
Soon the new seedlings sprouted and the seedlings rose carefully.
The jointing and heading are firm, the seeds are full and the quality is excellent.
When the ears are heavy, the harvest is good, which is the treasure to support the family.
God cares for the good seeds, and all the seeds are harvested, all the white rice in Redmi.
There are mowers everywhere. They are busy harvesting and stacking.
Redmi was born with white rice everywhere, carrying a warehouse full of it, and busy with farm work to worship his ancestors.
How about sacrificing ancestors? There are rice, rice, young grain and chaff.
Shasha Taomi noisy, steamed rice, steaming.
Prepare the sacrifice plan, burn incense with Artemisia butter.
This big, fat ram was skinned, burned and roasted for God's enjoyment, praying for a more fruitful year in the coming year.
Sacrifices are placed in bowls and plates, and wooden bowls and clay pots come in handy.
The aroma filled the whole hall, and God enjoyed it.
The food was really delicious, and Hou Ji was the first person to enjoy the ceremony.
Pray for God's protection from disaster, and it still does.
Creation background
Sheng Min, selected from the eleventh chapter of The Book of Songs, is a historical narrative poem about the origin, development and founding of the Zhou clan, and traces the story of Hou Ji, the ancestor of the Zhou Dynasty, who was born to the king of Wu. At that time, agriculture had been separated from animal husbandry and completed the first social division of labor.
Literary appreciation
The traditional poetry of the Han nationality has a long history, but the epic dominated by narration has been underdeveloped. Therefore, several epic works in The Book of Songs have attracted the full attention of modern scholars. The article "Sheng Min" in "Daya" is such a work. "Preface to Mao Poetry" says: "A stranger" respects his ancestors. "Hou Ji was born in Jiang Yuan, and his civil and military achievements began in Hou Ji, so he pushed it to match the sky. Zhou Li is a long poem of Zhou people telling the story of ancestor Hou Ji's sacrifice, which is full of legend. The detailed description of agricultural production also reflects that agriculture was separated from animal husbandry at that time and completed the first social division of labor.
This poem consists of eight chapters, each with ten or eight sentences. The whole poem consists of cross-sentence chapters and eight-character chapters alternately. Except for the first and second chapters, each chapter begins with the word "birthday", and the format is rigorous. From the perspective of expression, it is purely fu, not fake, vivid and meticulous, and has a strong record. However, judging from its content, although the latter chapters write that Hou Ji is engaged in agricultural production with rich flavor of life, he still can't get rid of the magical and illusory atmosphere shown in the previous chapters about Hou Ji's life experience, which invisibly enhances his artistic charm.
The first chapter of this poem is about Jiang Yuan's magical idea. The most crucial sentence in this chapter is "follow the emperor's symplectic". There are different opinions on the interpretation of this sentence, which has always been one of the most interesting issues for scholars who annotate the Book of Songs. Mao Chuan explained this sentence in the ancient sacrificial ceremony of Gao Yun (a god worshipped by ancient emperors for seeking sons), saying, "The mother of Hou Ji (Jiang Yuan) deserves the emperor of Gao Xin (Di Ku). ..... The ancients must set up suburban villages. When the mysterious bird arrives, a big prison will be set up in the suburban village, and the emperor will go there himself. Empresses and concubines will command the Nine Palaces, which is the imperial gift of the emperor, and bring bows and arrows in front of the suburban village. " In other words, the emperor of Gao Xin's family led his princess Jiang Yuan to pray to the God of Reproduction. Jiang Yuan followed the footsteps of Gao Xin's family and performed traditional ceremonies, so she felt pregnant and had a child. In the Tang Dynasty, Confucius also insisted on this theory. However, Zheng Xuan's notes in the Han Dynasty were different from those of Mao Chuanzhi, who claimed that Jiang Yuan was pregnant and gave birth in the footsteps of the Emperor of Heaven. Zheng Xuan thought, "What about Hou Ji, the son of Jiang Yuan? Is to get rid of their childless disease, get its blessing, and worship God in the suburbs. Emperor, god also; Min, thumb also. ..... When paying homage to Uncle Jiao, there were traces of a great god. Jiang Yuan can't walk with her thumb, but her body and mind are new Xin Ran, and her left and right sides have stopped, as if someone felt herself. " So he was born. "This explanation shows that it is a myth that the sacred lineage of the king comes from the Emperor of Heaven. But in later generations, Zheng Xuan's explanation was denied by Wang Chong, Hong Mai, Wang Fuzhi and others. Modern scholar Wen Yiduo once wrote a special article on this issue, arguing that the truth reflected in this myth is that "only when you have sex with people in farming can you have a body. Later generations say that you have sex with people, but you have to be different, but they say that you have traces of the emperor." He adopted Mao Chuan's statement about Gao Qi ceremony and explained it from the perspective of cultural anthropology: "Going up to the clouds to worship and going down to the clouds to follow is a part of the ceremony, and doubt is a symbolic dance. The so-called' emperor' actually represents the body of God. The corpse danced in front, followed by Jiang Yuan, who practiced the trace of the corpse and danced. Sure enough, it was coke, so he said,' Walk the emperor's heart'. He also said that he was happy to dance with the body. "Speak" and "Speak", which is pronounced by Lin Yiguang as "Yi (qí)", and the rest are true. "After Gaiwu danced, she stopped in a claustrophobic place and got pregnant. Besides, footprints are just a symbol, so it seems futile to try to bridge the gap between illusion and fact, such as Rainbow Fudge and others. Symbolic meaning is accomplished by imitating rituals, such as dancing, and language itself can also accomplish symbolic meaning, such as carols originally derived from rituals; It is precisely because of the expansion of language expression ability that myth transcends reality and poetry has magical charm.
The second and third chapters of the poem describe the birth of Hou Ji and the immortal supernatural spirit he abandoned. Hou Ji's name has been abandoned. According to the explanation in Historical Records Zhou Benji, it was because he was abandoned repeatedly when he was a baby that he got the name. This poem tells the story of his being abandoned and rescued three times in great detail. The first time, Hou Ji was thrown into an alley, and as a result, cattle and sheep came and fed him with milk. The second time, Hou Ji was thrown into the big forest. As a result, a woodcutter came to cut wood to save him. The third time, Hou Ji was thrown on the ice. As a result, a big bird fell from the sky and covered him with warm wings to keep warm. The newborn baby has gone through such a big ordeal, and finally burst into tears, and his voice is loud and powerful, echoing throughout the road, indicating that he will create brilliant achievements in the future. Historians of past dynasties have many explanations about the mystery of Hou Ji's death. The theory of abandoning a wife has emerged in Lu's poems, and this theory is found in Liu Xiang's Biography of Lienv and Zheng Xuan's Notes. Another early viewpoint is epigastric theory, which was first put forward by Ma Rong. Since then, Su Xun said dystocia, Zhu said natural delivery, Wang Fuzhi said avoid nonsense, Zang Lin said premature birth, nonsense fast pregnancy. There are also late births, freaks, not crying, suspended animation, conspiracy and so on. Modern scholars mostly set out from the perspective of folklore, and each advocated theories such as belittling men, killing men, being suitable for brothers, touching taboos and breaking the ban. The protagonist's childhood sufferings are the theme of worldwide legends and stories, and a series of abandonment and rescue are actually ritual acts. In ancient times, there was a custom to test or hone the physique of newborn babies by abandoning their babies. This practice is called "exposure method", and the legend of abandoning children is a reflection of the remnants of this custom. The myth of abandoned children is created to illustrate the sacredness of a country's founding fathers. Birth is the first ceremony for a hero (with divinity) who undertakes a sacred mission, and he must accept this test at the beginning of his life. All abandoned children's myths and legends have such a prototype model: first, they are abandoned in infancy; Second, he was rescued and grew into an outstanding figure; Third, being abandoned and rescued is magical and supernatural. The story of abandoned children in the third chapter of this poem is no exception. In addition to the magical narrative, the brushwork of this chapter is also remarkable, and the predecessors also understand this. Sun Kuang said: "Don't say that people receive, just say that birds go, which has inherent meaning." Yu Yue said, "At the beginning, I didn't say why I gave up, but when I died, I said,' Hou Ji boasted'. Its writing was in the front, but its meaning was in the back. This is the strangeness of ancient Chinese characters. " (See the direct explanation of the Book of Songs by Chen Zizhan. )
The fourth to sixth chapters of the poem write that Hou Ji has a special talent for developing agricultural production technology. He showed this extraordinary talent from an early age. Because of his contribution to agriculture, he was made Qiu. He planted a variety of crops with high yield and high quality. After the harvest, he created a memorial ceremony. These chapters contain rich historical data of ancient agricultural production, among which the crops mentioned are water bamboo, hemp, wheat, melon, millet, millet, millet and millet. The observation of plant growth cycle is also very detailed, including germination, emergence, heading and fruiting. The emphasis on weeding and sowing improved varieties is particularly obvious. This shows that Zhou people have begun to become a nation with farming as the main mode of production. In Oracle Bone Inscriptions, the word "Zhou" is written as "Tian (a little in four directions)". The field is a field, and four points are like crops planted in the field, so the naming of Zhou nationality is closely related to agriculture. According to historical records, he was promoted to be an agricultural teacher by Emperor Yao because he was good at managing agriculture, and was named Taidi when he was in the Emperor's reign. Abandoning the name Hou Ji means king, and millet is a famous crop name. Zhou people regarded millet as the ancestor, millet as the god of grain and millet as the symbol of the country, which all showed the close relationship between Zhou people and this crop. As for what kind of grain millet is, most people in the Tang and Song Dynasties thought it was just a kind of millet, while scholars and pupils in the Qing Dynasty generally thought it was sorghum, which was almost conclusive. Modern scholars have a new theory that it is another name for grain, that is, millet, and it is called millet if the seed coat is removed. The diversification of rhetorical devices in these chapters makes the content that is easy to appear boring ups and downs. Rhetoric has overlapping and parallelism. It is characterized by high-density use, especially the five sentences in the format of "Shi ... Shi ..." are the most expressive.
The last two chapters of the poem inherit the last sentence of the fifth chapter, saying that Hou Ji offered sacrifices to the gods and prayed for their eternal blessing, while God remembered his virtue, continued to bless him and extended his blessing to his children and grandchildren. The sacrificial scene described in the poem deserves readers' attention. It focuses on food sacrifice without mentioning wine (although it is also made of food), which probably shows that wine was not invented in Hou Ji's Yao and Shun era. According to the "Warring States Policy Wei Ce", "Yesterday's emperor was a thousand dollars, which made the righteous emperor make wine beautiful and enter." When jade drinks, it neglects its own customs. He said: "In the future, someone will drown their country with wine." So the invention of Chinese wine was in the Xia Dynasty, and the narrative of this poem can be used as important circumstantial evidence. The details of burning Artemisia and animal fat are also the characteristics of the memorial ceremony created by Hou Ji. At such a time, "God lives in Xin" reflects that some people may pretend to be gods to enjoy sacrifices at that time, which can be used as a reference for studying ancient ritual systems. The exclamation at the end of the poem praised Hou Ji for creating a ritual vessel, which enabled the Emperor of Heaven to protect Zhou people forever. It is because of the success of Hou Ji's pioneering work that it has achieved fruitful results and can be used as a sacrifice. In the end, the object of praise was implemented on Hou Ji, which was well deserved.
This epic records some important tribal events in the history of the development of the Zhou tribe, and reproduces the development history of the Zhou tribe. This poem also contains the unique tribal culture of the Zhou tribe, which has unique literary and artistic achievements, far-reaching influence on later literature and extraordinary artistic charm.
Famous comments
"Preface to Mao Poetry" says: "A stranger" respects his ancestors. Hou Ji was born in Jiangyuan, and his achievements in civil and military affairs began in Hou Ji, so he pushed it to be natural.
Zhu Shi Zhuan: This poem is not used in detail. Will there really be an award ceremony after the sacrifice in the suburbs?
Yu Yue's "Qunjing" Volume XI "Mao Shi" IV: At the beginning, he didn't say why he abandoned it, but at the time of his death, he also said that Hou Ji was Gonghe. It is the strangeness of ancient Chinese characters that scholars can't get, but it is the meaning behind it.
Chen Zizhan's Three Hundred Poems: It can be said that Hou Ji was a great figure in the transition period from matriarchal system to paternal system in ancient China. Legend has it that he was the first agricultural official to cultivate crops, and he was the agricultural god second only to Shennong, not without reason.
Introduction to The Book of Songs
"Preface to Mao Poetry" says: "A stranger" respects his ancestors. Hou Ji was born in Jiangyuan, and his achievements in civil and military affairs began in Hou Ji, so he pushed it to be natural.
Zhu Shi Zhuan: This poem is not used in detail. Will there really be an award ceremony after the sacrifice in the suburbs?
Yu Yue's "Qunjing" Volume XI "Mao Shi" IV: At the beginning, he didn't say why he abandoned it, but at the time of his death, he also said that Hou Ji was Gonghe. It is the strangeness of ancient Chinese characters that scholars can't get, but it is the meaning behind it.
Chen Zizhan's Three Hundred Poems: It can be said that Hou Ji was a great figure in the transition period from matriarchal system to paternal system in ancient China. Legend has it that he was the first agricultural official to cultivate crops, and he was the agricultural god second only to Shennong, not without reason.