The interpretation of the Twelve Hairpins of Jinling in the fantasy world of "A Dream of Red Mansions" foretells the lives and endings of the characters. For example, "The jade belt hangs in the forest, and the golden hairpin is buried in the snow" is the ending of Daiyu and Baochai. , "It's a pity to stop virtue, and it's pity to praise Xu talent" is the life of these two people.
Twelve Songs from Taixu Wonderland, Dream of Red Mansions
1. (Introduction to Dream of Red Mansions) Opening up Hongmeng, who is the lover? All just for the romantic love. Taking advantage of this helpless day, sad day, and loneliness, try to let go of your foolishness. Therefore, perform this tragic "Dream of Red Mansions". ?
Note: This is an overture to the twelve songs of "A Dream of Red Mansions". It introduces the twelve songs and is also the summary and reminder of these twelve songs. This overture explains the origin of "Dream of Red Mansions". Here, the author Cao Xueqin expresses his "foolishness" in the tone of a vigilant fairy, using the love of the wind and moon. It is true that Cao Xueqin wrote "Love in Love" in "A Dream of Red Mansions", which showed the love between Bao and Dai. However, this kind of love is not the love of a "talented scholar and a beautiful woman", but a pure love based on rebellion against feudal ethics. Therefore, "Sorrow for Gold and Mourning for Jade" is neither a description of "the illusion of color and space" nor a work of "love confession". Instead, it expresses the "heaven" of the end of feudal society through the love story of young men and women's joys and sorrows. The profound theme reflects the author's "foolish intention". This "foolish intention" is the ideological contradiction that the author intends to make up for the "heaven" but cannot make up for it.
2. (Life-long mistake) The entanglement between Bao Dai and Chai: The Taoist tradition is a good marriage of gold and jade, but I only care about the alliance between wood and stone. Facing the sky, the snow is crystal clear in the mountains; I will never forget the lonely forest in the fairyland. Sighing on the world, there is only one fly in the ointment. Even if they raise the case together, it will be difficult to settle the matter!
Note: Good marriage between gold and jade: refers to the marriage between Baoyu and Baochai. It is written in the novel that Xue Baochai's golden lock "was given by a leprechaun monk", and the two auspicious words engraved on it are the same as the seal script engraved by the leper monk on the piece of psychic jade that Jia Baoyu carried when he was born. A couple". Aunt Xue also said: "The golden lock was given by a monk, and we can only marry someone with jade in the future." Those who hold the "Dream of Red Mansions anti-feudal theory" believe that this marriage is a so-called happy marriage that conforms to the feudal order and the interests of the feudal family. Jinyu: a pun in meaning, which means precious and also refers to Baochai and Baoyu. Wood and stone, a pun, are opposite to "gold and jade", referring to Daiyu and Baoyu.
The former alliance between wood and stone: the opposite of "a good marriage between gold and jade", referring to the love between Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu due to their alliance in the previous life. The author fictionalizes that Bao and Dai had an old relationship and covenant during their lifetime: in return for the favor of nectar watering by Shenying's waiter, Jiangzhucao wanted to return "all the tears in his life to him." These two sentences are similar to what Baoyu once shouted in his dream: "What is a 'marriage between gold and jade'? I prefer to say it is a 'marriage between wood and stone'" (Chapter 36), but "I only read the former alliance between wood and stone" should be a copy What Baoyu said after his marriage. Those who hold the "anti-feudal theory of the Dream of Red Mansions" believe that the love affair between Bao and Dai is a love based on homosexuality's resistance to feudal ethics.
This song uses Jia Baoyu's tone to sing Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai's "gold and jade marriage" and "crystal snow" referring to Xue Baochai. Because she has gold and jade, as well as psychic jade, and "Xue" is "Xue". "Mushiqianmeng" and "Lonely Forest" refer to Lin Daiyu. Because Baoyu's predecessor was jade, Lin Daiyu's predecessor was Crimson Pearl Grass.
Baochai is a "high scholar in the mountains", that is, she has a foolish and clumsy character; Daiyu is a "fairy lady outside the world", that is, she has an innocent temperament. The former is often greatly appreciated by servants, and the latter is often greatly appreciated by refined scholars. Baoyu believes that these overly prominent personalities are both advantages and disadvantages. Baoyu's feelings towards them are very complicated.
3. (Browsing in vain) Bao Dai: One is the Immortal Flower of Langyuan, the other is the Immaculate Jade. If there is no romance, I will meet him again in this life; if there is a romance, how can my heart become empty in the end? One is complaining in vain, the other is worrying in vain. One is the moon in the water, and the other is the flower in the mirror. Think about how many tears can be in your eyes, how can you prevent autumn from flowing to winter and spring to summer!
Note: This is Bao Dai, Lin Daiyu is "Langyuan Fairy Flower", Jia Baoyu is "Beautiful Jade", the "and" point in "If there is no romantic fate, I will meet him again in this life" Bao and Dai have already met each other in their previous life, that is, the favor of nectar between the waiter of Shenying of Chixia Palace and the purple grass beside Sansheng Stone, so this life is the second time, so naturally it is "again", and Due to their personalities, even if they knew each other, they never expressed their love to each other. There are still two people who are bound by ethics and cannot be together, so "one is complaining in vain, and the other is worrying in vain. One is the moon in the water, and the other is the flower in the mirror." "The first sentence is character; the second sentence is society. The moon in the water and the flowers in the mirror are illusory, just like their love. The saying that the benefits of nectar return tears is the opposite of the last sentence: "Imagine how many tears there can be in the eyes, how can they prevent autumn from flowing to winter and spring to summer!"
4. (Hate impermanence) Jia Yuanchun: I am happy that prosperity is just in time, but I hate impermanence again. Open your eyes and throw everything away. Wander around and consume your soul. Looking at my hometown, the road is far away and the mountains are high. Therefore, I would like to tell my parents in my dream: My son’s life is in danger, and my family needs to step back and leave early!
Note: The Jia family ranks first among the four major families because it has the most wealth and power, and because it has the backer to ensure this noble status - Jia Yuanchun, a distinguished minister for generations. Because of her, the Jia family became a relative of the emperor.
Therefore, the first half of the novel revolves around the plots of Yuanchun, such as "Cai Selection of Feng Zao Palace", "Anointing a Virtuous Concubine" and "Provincing Family", and strives to describe the Jia family's "fire cooking oil, flowers flourishing with brocade". However, "Luxury is enviable, but farewell is embarrassing. Who knows the joys and sorrows when you have earned a false reputation?" Just look at the scene of family reunions in the private room in Yuanchun. Behind the "glory", you can see the tragic scene of separation of flesh and blood. . Yuanchun would cry and describe the palace as a "no place to be seen" that was "ultimately boring", as if she had come out of a claustrophobic place where she was imprisoned. Cao Xueqin's powerful writing reveals that the glory envied by the feudal class is still an abyss for a noble woman like Jia Yuanchun, and she has to pay the price of losing her freedom. She herself was completely a victim of the strife within the palace of the feudal ruling class. In this way, Cao Xueqin, who claimed to "not interfere in the current affairs", boldly unveiled a corner of the political curtain, allowing people to see from the rise and fall of a feudal family, the unscrupulous struggle for power and profit among various factions within the feudal ruling group behind it. dirty deeds. The profound meaning of Jia Tanchun's words "I wish you could eat me and I could eat you" can also be understood from this aspect
5. (Dividing flesh and blood) Jia Tanchun: Everything is smooth sailing There are three thousand roads, throwing away all the flesh and blood and homes. I'm afraid that crying will ruin my life. I'll tell my parents and stop worrying about my son. Since ancient times, all the poor and connected have been destined, so how can separation and union not be destined? From now on, we are divided into two places, each keeping safe. Go, slave, and don’t get involved!
Comments: She is smart, capable, scheming, and decisive. Even Wang Xifeng and Mrs. Wang fear her and respect her. In her consciousness, the feudal hierarchy concept of distinguishing the superiority of master and servant is particularly deep-rooted. Jia Tanchun was deeply touched by the critical situation that the Jia family was facing. She wanted to use minor reforms to "promote advantages and eliminate disadvantages" to restore the decline of this large feudal family, but this could only be a laborious and futile effort. In Chapter 94 of the book, several withered crabapple trees in Yihong Courtyard suddenly bloomed in October, which was not the solar term. Everyone in the Jia family was extremely happy, and Jia's mother even prepared a banquet for everyone. Everyone comes to enjoy the flowers. Tanchun is well-versed in the world, and has a bad premonition: generally things go with the flow of prosperity and against the direction of death, and plants and trees know their luck and will bloom from time to time, so this flower must not be a good sign. For people like Jia Tanchun, the author has class preference and sympathy. However, the author did not violate the objective authenticity of history and characters. He still portrayed this image very profoundly and truthfully wrote the inevitable ending of her "being born in the last days of the world with diminished luck".
6. (Sadness amidst Joy) Shi Xiangyun: When I was in my infancy, my parents lamented the death of both of them. Even if you live in that beautiful bush, who knows how to be pampered? Fortunately, he was born with a hero and a magnanimous mind, and never cared about his children's personal love. It looks like the moonlight is shining brightly in the jade hall. If you are worthy of a talented and handsome man, you will have a long-lasting life, and you will definitely have a rough and rough appearance in your childhood. Eventually the clouds dispersed from Gaotang and the Xiangjiang River dried up. This is how things should rise and fall in this world, so why be sad in vain!
Note: In "A Dream of Red Mansions", Shi Xiangyun is the most lively of the girls in Grand View Garden. Her greatest characteristic is that she is "heroic and magnanimous", and she never has the shyness of a child. Xue Baochai celebrated her birthday by singing opera, and Wang Xifeng said that a Xiaodan looks like a certain person. Xue Baochai saw it and smiled without saying anything; Jia Baoyu also guessed it, but didn't dare to say it; Shi Xiangyun blurted out: "She looks like Sister Lin!" He inadvertently offended Lin Daiyu, causing an interesting little quarrel. As for her lying down and sleeping among the peonies after being drunk, it is a great beauty in "A Dream of Red Mansions". In the last three sentences, the author believes that Shi Xiangyun has such a character, and his talent is not inferior to Xue Baochai or Lin Daiyu, and he is also matched with a wishful husband who will love him for life to make up for his childhood misfortune. However, things are always unsatisfactory. "In the end, the clouds disperse in Gaotang and the water in Xiangjiang River dries up." Married life is not a happy one. Shi Xiangyun is an open-minded person, and he will be open-minded about this, so he concludes by writing: "This is the number of ups and downs in the world, so why be sad in vain!" It can be seen that Xiangyun's ending is also tragic.
7. (The world cannot tolerate it) Miaoyu: The temperament is as beautiful as an orchid, and the talent is as great as that of an immortal. It is rare for people to be born solitary. You say that eating meat is fishy and smelly, and you are disgusted by the vulgar beauty. But I don't know that people who are too high will be more jealous, and people who are too clean will be resented. It's a pity that the people in the ancient Qingdeng Palace are getting old; they have failed to live up to the red and pink vermilion tower. In the end, it was still dusty and dirty, against my wishes. It seems that the flawless white jade is trapped in the mud; why, the prince and grandson lament that they have no chance!
Notes: Miaoyu is an outstandingly talented woman who is proficient in poetry, writing, music, and chess. In the episode "Poetry of the Concave Crystal Pavilion, Sadness and Loneliness", Shi Xiangyun and Lin Daiyu were admiring the moon and composing poems, and they both respectfully asked Miaoyu for advice. Lin Daiyu also called Miaoyu "the Immortal of Poetry". She usually did not compliment anyone easily. Miaoyu was obsessed with cleanliness, so she had to wash the place where Grandma Liu had stood, and the boy who brought the water was not allowed to take a step through the nunnery door, which seemed a bit unkind. But considering Miaoyu's background and circumstances, this character is understandable. She was born into an eunuch family, was extremely intelligent, and had been isolated from the world since she was a child. No one could understand her distress. She happened to live in the Grand View Garden, and aristocratic ladies of similar age to her lived a prosperous life surrounded by flowers, but she sadly guarded the ancient Buddha with green lanterns, banged wooden fish, chanted sutras, and meditated like a mummy. . Although she is only a teenage girl, her fate is very cruel. If the daughters of the Jia family still have a sweet life to recall in the future, Miaoyu will not have even such a little comfort and will suffer to the end. In the end, her ending was also very tragic. She was robbed by a group of thieves and defiled her.
8. (His Enemy) Jia Yingchun: The Zhongshan wolf is a ruthless beast that doesn’t care about the root cause of the day. Blindly arrogant, extravagant and lustful. Looking at it, the beauty of the Hou family is as beautiful as that of Puliu; the person who practices it, the princess's daughter looks like a dirty person. Sigh for the beauty of the soul and the wandering life for a long time!
Note: In the novel, Jia Yingchun’s tragedy was caused by his father Jia She. Jia Yingchun's mother died when she was young, and her father Jia She and Mrs. Xing showed no mercy to her. According to Sun Shaozu, Jia She owed the Sun family five thousand silver and used Jia Yingchun to pay off the debt. Although some people tried to dissuade the marriage at first, "the elder refused to listen" and there was nothing anyone could do, because the children's marriages were decided by their parents. The author repeatedly calls Sun Shaozu the "Zhongshan Wolf" because he is an out-and-out villain.
On the surface, Jia Yingchun was eaten by the "Zhongshan wolf, a heartless beast", but in fact, it was the entire feudal patriarchal system that devoured her. In the Daughter's Kingdom of Daguanyuan, Jia Yingchun is a typical representative who fell victim to feudal arranged marriage. Through her unfortunate ending, the author accuses the evils of this marriage system and exposes the dark reality of feudal society.
9. (Virtual Flower Enlightenment) Jia Xichun: After seeing through those three springs, what about the pink peaches and green willows? Destroy this time and look for the pure peace. What can I say? The sky is full of young peaches, and there are many apricots in the clouds. In the end, who will survive the fall? Look at that, the people in Baiyang Village are sobbing, and the ghosts are moaning under the green maple forest. Even more, the tombs are covered with decaying grass. What's wrong is that yesterday's poor and today's rich are toiling, and the spring is prosperous and the autumn flowers are tormented. Like this, who can escape the calamity of life and death? I heard that the precious tree in the west is whistling and bears the fruit of longevity.
Note: In the novel, Jia Xichun is the youngest of the Jia sisters. In order to honor his ancestors, Jia Zheng sent Jia Yuanchun to the palace, where he lost his youth and life in a place where "people were not allowed to be seen"; Jia She threw Jia Yingchun into Sun Shaozu's den of tigers and wolves, and died of torture in just one year; Jia Tanchun, a man of great talent and ambition, ended up being born as a commoner, like a kite with its string cut off, marrying away in a foreign country. The unfortunate endings of her three sisters and the downfall of the four major families made her worry about her future. Since everything in reality lost its appeal to her, she had the idea of ??abandoning the world. Subjectively, the surrounding environment has also shaped her withdrawn and indifferent character who does not care about others. This is a typical manifestation of an egoistic worldview. People say she is a "cold-hearted person", and her own philosophy of life is "I only know that it is enough to protect me." All this made Jia Xichun see through the mortal world and escape into Buddhism. There is no greater sadness than heartbreak. This song expresses her disillusionment with real life. All the glory and wealth are fleeting and fleeting, and will eventually go to the grave. So she chose a path to escape reality and went to "lying alone next to the ancient Buddha with a green lantern"
10. (Tired by being smart) Wang Xifeng: The agency was too smart, and it cost Qingqing her life. The heart was broken during life, and the nature is ethereal after death. A rich man is contented, but eventually a family dies and everyone goes their separate ways. It's all in vain, my thoughts have been hanging in my heart for half a lifetime, just like a lingering dream in the middle of the night. Suddenly, it was like a building falling down, and it was like a dim light that was about to burn out. ah! A moment of joy and sudden sadness. Sigh, the end of the world is uncertain!
Note: Wang Xifeng is the actual authority figure in the Jia family. She presides over the Rongguo Mansion, assists in the Ningguo Mansion, and is responsible for the transportation of the government, doing whatever she wants. This is a very political figure, not an ordinary housekeeper of a noble family. Her distinctive feature is "power control", grabbing power with one hand and money with the other. Wang Xifeng is the leading "apocalyptic talent" among the four major families. In the few years she has been in power, she has tried her best to be cunning, cruel and vicious, but she has exhausted all her efforts for the Jia family but still failed to save the situation.
11. (Stay in Yuqing) Sister Jia Qiao: Stay in Yuqing, stay in Yuqing, and suddenly meet a benefactor; luckily for your mother, luckily for your mother, you have accumulated Yin Gong. Encourage life, help the poor, don't be like my ruthless uncle who loves money and forgets your flesh and blood! It is multiplication, division, addition and subtraction, and there is a firmament above.
Note: After the scandal in the Jia family was exposed, Wang Xifeng was convicted and unable to protect herself. Her daughter Jia Qiao was deceived and betrayed by her ruthless uncle and adulterous brother, and she lived in Fireworks Alley. Jia Lian's husband and wife, father and daughter, "the family is dead and everyone is separated." Later, Sister Jia Qiao was fortunate enough to be rescued by her benefactor, Grandma Liu, and she escaped from death. In the situation of "trees fall and hozens scatter", the intrigues among the masters of the Jia family have developed into fratricide. By that time, those who were willing to lend a helping hand were the little people who had been looked down upon by others, such as Jia Yun, Xiao Hong, Qian Xue, etc. Grandma Liu, who was once the object of ridicule by everyone in the Jia family, was not only a witness to the rise and fall of the Jia family, but in turn, she became someone who could really help the Jia family. To rescue Sister Jia Qiao, who was sold as a prostitute, from the pit of fire, it was nothing more than paying and begging for mercy. This was not easy for Grandma Liu. Then, recruiting a fireworks woman as a wife (in addition, Sister Jia Qiao has no other way out) will have to bear the tremendous pressure of feudal morality. In fact, this is where the ideological quality of a rural working woman is shown to be much higher than that of the upper ruling class that superficially maintains hypocritical feudal morality.
12. (Late Shaohua) Li Wan: The kindness in the mirror is even more worthy of the fame in the dream! How quickly those beautiful years passed! No more embroidered tents or mandarin duck quilts. Wearing a crown of pearls and a phoenix coat is not enough to withstand the impermanence of life. Although it is true, in life, you should not suffer from old age and poverty, but you also need to accumulate children and grandchildren. Wear a hairpin on our head proudly, wear a hairpin on our head proudly, with a golden seal on our chest. We are so powerful and noble, we are so powerful, we are so powerful and noble, we are so dim. Asked if the ancient generals still exist? It's just a false reputation and admiration from future generations.
Note: The title of the song "Late Shaohua" literally means prosperity in old age, but its true meaning is that it is too late for good times to come. Li Wan was present at many important events in "A Dream of Red Mansions", but she could only play the role of "beating the drum" and did not leave any special impression on the readers. This may be in line with her status and ideological character - the eldest sister-in-law of Rongguo Mansion, a widow who abides by feudal etiquette and keeps aloof from the world. She has always been content and obedient and unwilling to get involved in the vortex of conflicts and struggles. This is a typical example of a virtuous and chaste woman in feudal society, the embodiment of the "three obediences and four virtues" of womanhood. The defenders of Taoism in the Qing Dynasty advocated Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism and were particularly vigorous in promoting women's chastity and integrity, and the pain suffered by women from the oppression of the "four ropes" of feudalism was even more severe. In the eyes of the rulers, people like Li Wan were fully qualified to receive honorary titles, erect memorial arches, and be included in the "Biography of Martyrs". Although her "impermanent life" did not give her more opportunities to enjoy her late blessings, she did obtain the wealth and honor of "Fengguan Xiamei" before her death, which can be used as a symbol of selfless nature and lifelong hardship and chastity. Those who keep it will have clear evidence of good retribution. However, Cao Xueqin put her in the book of "Unlucky Life" and said that all this was just "a joke with others in vain". This was a bold challenge to the traditional Confucian concepts and a democracy that emerged from the darkness of the feudal kingdom. the brilliance of communist thought.
13. (Good things come to an end) Qin Keqing: Paintings of Liang Chun are all gone. Being good at amorous feelings and admiring the beauty of the moon are the root cause of family ruin. Ji Qiu is decadent and down, everyone is respectful, and family affairs are the first to be punished. All sins are caused by love.
Note: Qin Keqing was originally an orphan who was abandoned in the health care hall. After she entered Jia's house, she fell into the abyss of sin. Her desperation was the result of the corrupt lives of the masters of the Jia family, the chief among them being humanoid beasts like Jia Zhen. Before Qin Keqing died, she gave Wang Xifeng a dream, suggesting that Jia's family was exhausted and asked her to prepare her own way out. This is also a foreshadowing in the whole text. Use Qin Keqing's words to tell the character's final fate. This song about Qin Keqing focuses on the entire Jia family. Cao Xueqin attributed the main reason for the decline and defeat of this "hundred-year-old family" to Jia Jing's absurd and unruly attitude towards his descendants, which led to incest and promiscuity in the Ning Mansion and the corruption of the family. The death of Qin Keqing was a sign of defeat that was exposed when the feudal family was at its peak of prosperity. Cao Xueqin's treatment greatly deepened the historical depth of Qin Keqing's tragic story and gave this piece of music a deeper and broader social significance.
Fourteen. (At the end, the birds all throw themselves into the forest) Those who are officials, their family fortunes will wither; those who are rich, their gold and silver will be gone; those who are kind, will escape death; those who are ruthless will have clear retribution; those who owe their lives , life has been repaid; those who owe tears have all their tears. Repaying one's grievances and retribution is not trivial. Separation and reunification are predetermined. If you want to know whether your life is short or short, ask your past life. It is a good luck to be rich when you grow old. Those who see through it escape into Buddhism; those who are obsessed with it lose their lives in vain. It's like a bird that has eaten all its food and throws it into the forest, leaving a vast expanse of white. The earth is so clean!
Note: This piece is a summary of "The Twelve Songs of a Dream of Red Mansions" and also a summary of the tragic fate of many women in the Grand View Garden. It describes the various life experiences, various characters, and various endings of twelve women. It briefly describes the dramatic changes that occurred in the aristocratic families represented by the Jia family at the end of feudal society, and shows the entire feudal system. and the historical trend that the feudal class is accelerating towards its demise. The two Xue and Lin families have declined; the Jia family is extremely wealthy, but has squandered it all; Qiaojie met her benefactor and escaped from death; Miaoyu looked at the world with cold eyes and fell into trouble; Jia Yingchun paid off her debts She married Sun Shaozu and was tortured to death; Lin Daiyu rebelled against feudal ethics and died in tears for Baoyu. . Jia Tanchun was forced to avoid misfortune and marry far away; Yuan Chun became a noble concubine but did not die a good death; Jia Xichun saw through the world of mortals, became a nun and escaped into Buddhism; Wang Xifeng persisted in his obsession and tried all his tricks, but ended up losing his life. All these, of all shapes and sizes, are all separated.
Therefore, the author's conclusion is: "It's like a bird that has eaten all its food and throws it into the forest. The vast white land is so clean!"