There is a stone at the door of many people's houses in the countryside. The traditional Chinese character "Dang" is engraved on it. What does it mean?
Taishan Shigandang
A small stone tablet (or stone figure) is erected at the strategic point of the bridge or built on the wall of a house, with the words "Shigandang" or "Taishan Shigandang" engraved on it. " and the like, to suppress ominous customs, are very popular among the people.
Origin
The written record of "Shi Gandang" was first seen in the "Jijiu Zhang" in the History of the Western Han Dynasty: "The teacher is a fierce tiger, Shi Gandang is invincible, and the dragon is still young." An ancient note by Yan Shi: "There are paraffin, stone mai, and stone evil in Wei, and stone in Zheng, all of which are made of stone; in Zhou there are stone speeds, in Qi there are many kinds of stones, and then there is the Ming clan. If you dare to take it, you will be invincible." Yan believes that, The surname is Shi, and you should do whatever you want without any hostility. Tao Zongyi quoted Shi You's "Ji Jiu Zhang" and Yan's annotations in the article "Shi Gandang" in Volume 17 of "Nancun Shuigeng Lu", and completely agreed with Yan's statement. Yan Shigu's explanation of Shi Gandang is unsatisfactory. We know that "Ji Jiu Zhang" was an enlightenment literacy book for children at that time. According to Yan's annotation, Shi Gandang was the invincible person named Shi. Unless the person named Shi was very famous at that time, it would be difficult for children to accept his statement. Mr. Teacher It’s also hard to explain clearly. We have searched ancient books and have not yet found a famous invincible hero named Shi Moumou before the Han Dynasty, modern scholar Deng Erya pointed out. Shi Gandang said something. There is no one who published "Ji Jiu Zhang", and later generations just used the literary meaning of Shi Gan as a metaphor. " (Combined issue of "Folklore" No. 41-42) Zongli. Comrade Liu Qun also believes: "There is a sentence in "Jijiuzhang" written by You Shiyou of the Western Han Dynasty: "The teacher is a fierce tiger, and the stone dares to stand, and the dragon is still young." Yan Shi's ancient notes believe that Shi is the surname, and he dares to be invincible. The speaker said that if Shi Gan stood up as a monument, he would take the invincible text. In terms of town, this statement is slightly less than satisfactory, but it is not exhaustive. There are many such terms in ancient proverbs, why are they chosen here ("Chinese Folk Gods")
Another theory is that Shi Gandang was a warrior in the Five Dynasties and Han Dynasty. "Qun Sui Lu" written by Chen Duanru of the Ming Dynasty says: "During the Five Dynasties Han Dynasty and Liu Zhiyuan's time, there was a warrior named Shi Dadan. His admiration for ancient people's names shows his own expression? Is it because of his admiration?" Yang Xinmin's "Surname Yuan Zhuji" also said It is said that "Liu Zhiyuan of the Five Dynasties served as the emperor of Jin. King Lu rebelled from Ke, and Emperor Min fled and met in Weizhou. Zhiyuan sent Shi Gan, a strong man, to serve as an iron hammer attendant. When Jin Zu and Emperor Min discussed matters, Zhiyuan rushed in, and Shi Gan died in a fight. Zhiyuan killed the emperor's right and left, because he burned the national seal. Shi Gan should turn the bad things into good luck in his life, and guard against danger. Therefore, future generations will engrave his wishes and write his surname on the stone to protect the residents. ".
Revealing the Secret
Some people think that the stone tablet (stele) of Shi Gandang has nothing to do with Shi Gan, a warrior of the Five Dynasties. There are two reasons:
(1) Check the old records; In the new "History of the Five Dynasties", there are famous Shi Gan and unknown Shi Gan, and there is no written record of the warrior Shi Gan being revered as Shi Gan. According to the "Old History of the Five Dynasties: The First Notes of Gaozu": "In Yingshunshe, Emperor Gaozu of the Jin Dynasty was in Changshan. Emperor Mingzong of the Tang Dynasty summoned him to go to Que, and Emperor Hui Min fled. He met Gaozu Jin on the way, and they both entered Weizhou and stopped at the post office. Emperor Min conspired to kill Emperor Gaozu of the Jin Dynasty. The emperor secretly sent his eunuch Shi Gan to stand behind Emperor Gaozu of Jin Dynasty with an iron hammer. Emperor Min was on his side, and Emperor Gaozu of the Jin Dynasty was in trouble." According to the "New History of the Five Dynasties: Han Dynasty Summary Tenth": "King Lu rebelled from Ke, and Emperor Min fled. Emperor Gaozu went to the capital from Zhenzhou, met Emperor Min in Weizhou, and stopped passing on. She, Zhiyuan sent the warrior Shi Gan with an iron hammer to serve Emperor Gaozu because of Yu's rebellion. Emperor Min was still discussing matters, and he wanted to attack him. Zhiyuan supported his ancestors in the house, and he dared to fight to death. Zhiyuan immediately led his troops to kill Emperor Min's left and right. "The old and new "History of the Five Dynasties" record slightly different words, but they are consistent that the warrior is Shi Gan and not Shi Gandang.
(2) Shi Gandang has been seen in the "Jijiu Zhang" of the History of the Western Han Dynasty. The stone inscription "Shi Gandang" dated to the fifth year of the Tang Dynasty was unearthed in Putian County. According to this, Shi Gandang was earlier than the warriors of the Five Dynasties. Shi Gan is clear. Qing Dynasty scholar Zhai Hao also clearly pointed out in "Public Collection" that Shi Gandang has nothing to do with Shi Gan of the Five Dynasties: "According to the "History of the Five Dynasties", Liu Zhiyuan was an official of the Jin Dynasty. The great ancestor met Emperor Min of the Tang Dynasty at Chuanshe. Zhiyuan envoy Shi Gan Dare to serve Emperor Gaozu with Yu Bian, said that the stone was engraved on it, that is, it was engraved in the Dali calendar. I know this is wrong."
(3) The theory of "Taishan Stone Dare". Cheng is a "doctor" (that is, a doctor). Volume 10 of "Tea Xiangshi Congchao" records: "Wang Shizhen, a native of Yuyangshan, the king of the country, and Fu Yuting Zalu" says: It is a custom in Qilu to set up stones at the entrances of villages and alleys, and inscribe the five characters "Taishan Shigandang". Yunneng In the evening, I went to people's homes to treat their illnesses.
People in the north call doctors doctors, so they are also called doctor stone. Note: These five characters are found in Nanzhong, but there is no theory of treating diseases, and there is no title of doctor. "Just from the meaning of this paragraph, we can see that the saying that Taishan Stone dared to be a doctor was not widely spread. It was only in the north, but not in the south. Why did the saying that Taishan Stone dared to be a doctor spread in the north? Looking at its origin, it has been circulated for a long time The interpretation of Shi Gan Dang can subdue demons and suppress evil spirits. When it was rumored that Taishan Shi Gan Dang could cure diseases, I am afraid no one cared about whether it was a human being, a god or something else. Otherwise, why would it be said that "it can go to people's homes at dusk to heal their illnesses"? Can you practice medicine in other people's homes during the day?
According to the literature review and the survey in Tai'an City, it can be seen that those who are engraved with "Shi Gandang" (or "Taishan Shi Gandang") are mostly used. Stone materials, while those using other materials are relatively rare. In 1988, 12 inscriptions (written) with "Taishan Stone Gandang" or "Taishan Stone Town House" were found in Feicheng County. Except for two new houses, they were written on the walls. Except for this, the other 10 places are all carved on stone. What is the basic function of words such as "Shi Gandang" unearthed in Putian County? "Weary of disaster" is also the case. Other functions are extensions or extensions of this basic function. "Shi Gandang" has the word "stone" in the three characters. Shi Gandang is carved on the stone. Its function is to hate disaster and suppress evil. From its deep connotation The above investigation may not be without internal connections. Mr. Wang Zongyan said in his article "Shi Gan Dang": "Huainan Wanbi Shu" says, "If stones are placed around the house, ghosts will be powerless and cause trouble." Geng Xin's "Xiao Yuan Fu" says, ' The house is built with buried stones. Wu Zhaoyi annotated "The Chronicles of Jingchu Years": "On the evening of December, I dug up the corners of the house and buried a large stone in each corner for the town house." " (Combined issue of "Folklore" No. 86-89). Mr. Wang Chengzhu believes that this is probably the origin of Shi Gandang. At the same time, Mr. Wang also pointed out: "As far as the meaning of the three words Shi Gandang is concerned, Gai Ji Shi can be the brunt of it. Therefore, the town is located in Lushe, at the corner of the wall, in front of the street, alley, and in front of the gate. "("Chinese Folk Gods") Comrades Zong Li and Liu Qun believed that Wang Chengzhu's opinion was "quite reasonable" and further pointed out: "The stone inscriptions of the Tang Dynasty (referring to Putian stone inscriptions) discovered in Song Qingli are not as good as those of later generations. The stone tablet is buried under the house foundation, which is quite similar to the stone used to anchor the house. In fact, this is the relic of ancient spiritual object worship. Stones are used as spiritual objects, which are endowed with the power to ward off evil and suppress ghosts and are buried under the house. Later, the sentence "Shi Gandang" was borrowed to enhance its prestige. Even if it is simplified into small stone tablets and small stone figures in modern times, they are actually regarded as spiritual objects that ward off evil spirits. "("Chinese Folk Gods") Zong Li and Liu Qun believe that Shi Gandang is "a relic of ancient spiritual object worship", which is very insightful. What is slightly lacking is that there is no discussion.
Explanation
Lingshi worship is a very primitive and widely popular religious custom. It was formed in prehistoric society, and class society has its own customs. Lingshi worship is related to worshiping heaven, earth, mountains and rivers, and ancestors. It has a certain origin and relationship with education and protection from evil and evil. Here we only discuss the worship of spiritual stones that have a certain relationship with "Shi Gandang" and have the function of avoiding evil and evil. "Animism is a primitive religious thought. "The initial stage of development". The peculiar shapes, colors or special geographical environments of certain rocks may have been endowed with spirituality by the ancients. The local natives of Taiwan call the sacred stone "Stone Lord" and regard it as a means to protect happiness and protect happiness. An object to ward off evil spirits. In the Qiang area of my country, white stone worship is popular. Regarding the origin of the white stone worship, the Qiang people have a legend: The ancient Qiang people could not win the war with the Geji people. Only by using weapons can they defeat the Goji people. The Qiang people did what they said and they won. But they did not know what the image of this person was, so they worshiped it with a white stone. There is a kind of sacred stone in New Guinea, Africa. Sacred stones, native people believe that spirits are attached to the stone, and its circulation affects other things. If placed in a garden, it can increase harvests. The above cited data are all folklore data. Judging from archaeological data, there are also examples. Gansu Yongjing. There are many burial stones in Qinjia Qijia Culture Cemetery. The stones are large and small, mostly white. The stones are placed on the head or sides of the deceased, and some are placed around the deceased. Men, women, old and young, regardless of burial style, are mostly buried with stones, ranging from five or six to as many as 105. In prehistoric tombs in Nanning, Guangxi, such as many tombs in Xijin and Changtang, one or two stones are popular. Unprocessed pieces of stone were buried with the deceased, and the stones were mostly placed on the head of the deceased. In some tombs, stones were used to surround the human bones. In the spring of 1945, Mr. Xia Nai excavated two tombs in Siwa, Lintao, Gansu, both of which were buried with large pieces of gravel. .
In addition, some prehistoric tombs at the Yuanmou Dadunzi site in Yunnan and some tombs at the Daxi Cultural site in Wushan, Sichuan also contain stones. It is worth pointing out that in prehistoric tombs or in the same tomb area, only a small number of people are buried with stones, indicating that the owner of the tomb may have died abnormally. The stones buried in the tombs are probably spiritual stones, and their purpose is to use spiritual stones Stones are used to protect tombs to drive away evil spirits and prevent the deceased from turning into evil spirits. Let’s return to Shi Gandang’s discussion below. The "Ji Jiu Zhang" written by Shi You of the Western Han Dynasty contains the words "Shi Gandang", and there is an ancient annotation by Yan Shi of the Tang Dynasty. It has been pointed out before that it is inappropriate for Yan to add "Shi" as his surname. The true meaning of Shi Gandang should be interpreted as "the cover is the stone that can be used as a punch". That is to say, spiritual stones can ward off evil spirits and resist all disasters. The custom of making stones to ward off evil and avoid disaster can also be found in "Customs and Customs" written by Ying Shao of the Eastern Han Dynasty: "There is a stone man standing at the end of the road to Peng's tomb in Ruyang, Henan, behind the stone beast. The Tian family's mother went to the market to buy a few pieces of bait. Exhausted by the heat, the stone man dropped a piece of bait after a while, and suddenly passed away unconsciously. This incident was widely spread by passers-by, who said, "The stone man can cure diseases, and those who recover will come to thank him." It is also said that "If you have a headache, rub the stone on the human head, and if you have abdominal pain, rub the abdomen." "Everyone who heals from illness will gain blessings from his words." Therefore, the stone man in front of the tomb is respected as a "sage." Obviously this is an example of people using stone figures as a symbol to ward off evil and cure diseases. By the way, there are two monuments in the Bixia Temple on the top of Mount Tai, commonly known as the Imperial Monuments. It is still customary to rub the monuments with coins to prevent diseases. Those who rub the imperial stele chant: "Mobile the stele, touch the stele, touch the stele and you will not get sick." This custom is similar to what was recorded in Yingshao above. The stone inscription in the fifth year of the Dali calendar (AD 770) says: "Shi Gandang will suppress hundreds of ghosts and hundreds of disasters. Officials will be happy, the people will be prosperous, the customs will be prosperous, and rituals and music will be prosperous." This stone inscription was originally buried under the house. The meaning is self-evident. After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the use of "Shi Gandang" (or "Taishan Shi Gandang") to town houses or town streets and bridges was quite popular. "Public Collection" quotes "Jigu Congbian" as saying: "When Wu Min's cottages run straight into the street, they must have stone figures or stone planting, and the carved stones should be used as anchors." Yuan Mei's "Suiyuan Essays" also contains: "Currently, people are tired of engraving, so they plant a stone in a house and call it 'Shi Gandang'." In the 1920s, Mr. Deng Erya investigated: "In Guangdong custom, there are stone carvings of Taishan Stone Gandang everywhere. Most of the ghosts there are worshiped or worshiped. The Kan Yu family thought that the situation was a source of disgrace to the residents. Most of the information quoted above was from the south. In fact, the same was true in the north. The previous article quoted Wang Yuyangshan (i.e. Wang Shizhen) of the Qing Dynasty as saying, "There are more customs in Qilu than in villages and lanes." It can be proved that the stone is carved with the words "Taishan Stone dares to be used as the five characters". A strange rock was found in the bottom pavilion of Zaozhuang City. It is red, 1.1 meters high, 0.65 meters wide and 0.35 meters thick. On it is engraved "Zhenzhai Sha". "Ghost, established in the second year of Longqing". Longqing is the reign name of Emperor Muzong Zhu Zai of the Ming Dynasty. The second year of Longqing is 1568 AD. A small stone tablet of "Shizhai in Taishan Town" was also found in Zhangmiao Village, Feicheng County. At this point, we can make the following conclusions Conclusion: The custom of Shi Gandang is a relic of ancient spiritual stone worship. Its function, no matter where it is, is mainly to ward off evil and disaster.
Perhaps readers have noticed that the above-mentioned information includes " There are also "Shi Gandang" and "Taishan Shi Gandang", but the earlier information only talks about Shi Gandang and not about Taishan Shi Gandang. There are "Shi Gandang" and "Taishan Shi Gandang", but the earlier information only talks about Shi Gandang. So when did "Taishan Shi Gandang" appear and become popular? What is the relationship between "Taishan Shi Gandang" and "Shi Gandang"? According to a folk tale collected by Mr. Deng Erya: During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, when the general paid his respects to Yinda Li, his residence had the east corridor facing the pagoda, which made it difficult for the residents to leave Jiangxi. As he was visiting Longhu Mountain and praying for Zhang Zhenren's skills, a Taoist priest in ocher clothes fell down as soon as he sat down. In Yingxi, the real person pointed to the general and said: "I pray for this master." Because he bowed to him, the Taoist said: "This house is very small, so it is auspicious to use the big character to control it." "The five-character inscription "Taishan Shi Gandang" was written on the paper. The inscription was written by Chunyangzi. The general thanked him in surprise and disappeared where the Taoist priest was. The real man said: "Master Chunyang is on duty in the palace today. I am lucky enough to meet him. I am blessed with immeasurable blessings." "Then he was sent back to the south. The stone on the east corridor was more than a foot in diameter. Those who saw it said that he went in and out of Yu and Chu.
Folk legend
During the Kangxi period, several county magistrates came here A few days later, the county official died in office. Huang Zhi knew what had happened and took a Feng Shui master with him to take office. The master discovered that the shadow of a pagoda in the county was falling on the throne of the county magistrate, and all the officials could not stand the pagoda. He died under the pressure. So he erected a stone tablet in front of the county government office and engraved the words "Taishan Shi Dadang", saying that the power of Mount Tai could rival the pagoda.
Although the two folk stories are told differently, they have the same characteristics: first, the stories both took place during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, and second, they both used Taishan stones to ward off evil spirits. In addition, Wang Shizhen (1634-1711), a native of the early Qing Dynasty, also mentioned "Taishan Stone Dare" when talking about the customs of Qilu. It can be seen from this that "Taishan Shigandang" was popular in the early Qing Dynasty, and its appearance may be as early as the Ming Dynasty. Shi Gan came to Mount Tai, and his intention was to borrow the power of Mount Tai to increase his prestige. The word "Tai" for Mount Tai in ancient times was "Tai", which means "big". The broad meaning of Mount Tai is a big mountain. Big mountains can suppress demons and evil spirits. This is a common sight in ancient myths and legends. For example, the Monkey King (Sun Wukong) in "Journey to the West" was once suppressed by Tathagata under the Five Elements Mountain for 500 years. Taishan (mountain) in the narrow sense refers to Mount Tai in present-day Tai'an City. Taishan Mountain is majestic and tall. It has been the place where emperors of all dynasties have prayed and offered sacrifices. It is a sacred mountain. Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, praised Mount Tai as "high, extremely, large, special, strong, impressive, frightening, and confusing". Zhu Yuanzhang, Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, said that Mount Tai has "its roots spread across the mountains and plains, but I don't know how many miles it is; it towers into the clouds, but I don't know how many tens of millions of people it has." It is self-evident that Mount Tai has immeasurable divine power, so it is not difficult to understand why Shi Gan, who warded off evil and hated disaster, would add Mount Tai in the hope of increasing its power.
After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and until today, there are many folk tales and legends about Shi Gandang (or Taishan Shi Gandang). In addition to the one collected by Mr. Deng Erya and one provided by Comrades Zong Li and Liu Qun, there are more than ten such folk tales and legends that we have in our hands, which have been published in recent years. Published "Taishan Legend Stories" (referred to as "Legend Stories"), "Taishan Folk Stories" referred to as "Taishan"), "Taishan Folk Stories" referred to as "Folk Stories"), "Taishan Legends" referred to as "Legends"), "Taishan Folk Stories" referred to as "Legends"), "Taian Scenery" (referred to as "Fengwu") and other books.
The two folk tales and legends about Taishan Shigandang collected by Mr. Deng Erya and provided by Comrades Zong Li and Liu Qun quoted above all regard Shigandang as a "stone" as the basic starting point, which is popular Although the era is not too early (early Qing Dynasty), and the popular areas are not too widespread, in terms of the deep connotation of these two folk tales, their source is the ancient custom of spiritual stone worship - Shi Gandang suppresses evil and disgusts disaster. The development of meaning. The stone inscriptions unearthed in Putian County, especially the words "Shi Gandang, suppress hundreds of ghosts, and hate disasters" in the stone inscriptions, had an important influence on the formation of this kind of folk tales and legends. It can also be said that this is authentic. The other type is folk tales and legends about subduing demons and curing diseases, which take Shi Gan as a "human" as the basic starting point. The two chapters on the "exorcism type" contained in "Da Guan", one chapter on the "exorcism type" (which is a variation of the type of subduing demons and curing diseases), and the legend of Shi Gandang contained in "Legendary Stories" can all be classified into this category. Such folk tales often tell of Shi Gandang, who was both brave and able to heal people haunted by ghosts and monsters. This is obviously related to what Wang Shizhen of the Qing Dynasty said about northerners calling Shi Gandang "Doctor Shi". Although such folk stories treat Shi Gan as a human being, the deep connotation of the story is not unrelated to Shi Gan, who is worshiped as a spiritual stone and has the function of suppressing evil and averting disasters.
The third category is the folk tales and legends that attach Shi Gan to Shi Gan, a warrior from the Five Dynasties. Such is the case with "Shi Gandang" compiled by Comrade Gu Yue (containing "Fengwu") and "Shi Gandang" compiled by Comrade Lu Yue (containing "Legends"). "Taishan Shi Gandang" compiled by Comrades Baojun and Qiu Shui (containing "Folk Tales") states that Shi Gandang's original name was "Shi Gang" and he was nicknamed "Shi Gandang". Obviously Shi Gangzhi is the transliteration of Shi Ganzhi from the Five Dynasties. Such folk tales and legends all talk about Shi Gan being brave and invincible to eliminate violence and bring peace to the good. There are many people who believe that Shi Gandang is related to Shi Gan, a warrior of the Five Dynasties. After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there is no shortage of people. "Taishan Zhi" compiled by Jin Qi of the Qing Dynasty also said: "Shi Gandang was a warrior of the Five Dynasties... serving the great ancestor with an iron mallet. When encountering changes, Then he died in a fight. Ji Zhai Jing had to avoid Fang Sha, so he named Shi Gandang. "Although Shi Gandang and Shi Gandang are two different things, there is still some connection in terms of Shi Gandang being able to withstand everything and Shi Gandang being invincible. of.
The fourth type of folk tales about Taishan Shi Gandang, one is that Taishan and Shi Gandang are two close friends, and the other is that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was blocked by Taishan Stone (see "Grand View"). The best friend type tells that Taishan and Shi Gandang were classmates and friends. Taishan's family was wealthy, he studied hard, and passed the exam. But Shi Gandang not only failed to pass the exam, but ended up "living a wandering life alone". Once Shi Gandang went to Taishan's house to beg for food, but Taishan kept him in the house and treated him with courtesy. A few years later, Taishan went out for official duties and did not return for half a year. Shi Gandang had a strong sense of self-esteem and thought that he had lived there for a long time and Taishan deliberately hid away, so he said "goodbye forever".
After Taishan returned home from his official duties, he heard that Shi Gandang was dead. He was extremely sad and committed suicide. Because Taishan and Shi Gandang fell in love with the same person and died together, later generations commemorated them and combined the names of Taishan and Shi Gandang, which is "Taishan Shi Gandang". The chivalrous person mentioned in this folk tale is Mount Tai, but Shi Gandang seems to be a villain with random suspicions. The "blocking type" story: Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty rode up to Mount Tai. When he returned to Maling, he saw the horseshoe plate and couldn't go up. He was curious and had to go up, so he walked around the road and said before leaving: "I came from Chang'an. I built roads through the mountains and built bridges over the water. Nothing blocked me, but the Taishan stone blocked me." With this sound, it was called "Shi Gandang". After checking the old and new "Book of Tang", it was found that Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, had never been to Mount Tai at all, let alone riding a horse up the mountain and being blocked by the Mount Tai stone. The so-called Shi Gandang (Taishan Shi Gandang) described in these two folk tales is very different from the real origin, connotation and role of Shi Gandang. It is also very different from a series of widely circulated folk stories about Shi Gandang. The author has interviewed many elders in Mount Tai, but no one knows when and where these folk tales were circulated. Is this suspected of being fabricated?
To sum up, Shi Gandang is a relic of ancient spiritual stone worship to avoid disasters and avoid evil, and has nothing to do with "human beings". The words "Shi Gan Dang" in the "Ji Jiu Zhang" written by You Shiyou of the Western Han Dynasty should be interpreted as the spirit stone can defeat everything. Later, whether it was the stone inscriptions from the Dali period of the Tang Dynasty unearthed in Putian, or the "Shi Gandang" stones erected (or buried) at the entrances of Qiaotou lanes and houses, the meaning was the same. As for adding Mount Tai before Shi Gandang (that is, Mount Tai Shi Gandang), it began in the Ming Dynasty, became popular in the Qing Dynasty, and reaches today. Its intention is to use the sacred Mount Tai to increase the power of Shi Gandang. Various folk stories and legends about Shi Gandang, in terms of deep connotation, some are consistent with the positive meaning of Shi Gandang, some are partially related, and some are completely different. There are various reasons why folk tales and legends that are far from the historical truth can be formed. However, recently some comrades have used their imagination to make up folk tales and legends in the name of sorting them out, making them further away from the historical truth. This may not be advisable.
The beautiful legend of "Taishan Stone can be used"
Now when dealing with missing corners in a house, the only choice is Taishan Stone. How did Taishan Shigandang come from? There is another legend here.
Legend has it that there lived a young man in a village at the foot of Mount Tai. His surname was Shi and his given name was Gandang. He was very brave and sympathetic to the poor. It is very famous in the Taishan area. Some people who were bullied asked Shi Gandang to fight for them.
In Wenkou Town, south of Tai'an City, there is an old couple with only one daughter. I don't know since when, every time after the sun went down, I saw a demonic wind blowing from the southeast and going straight into the girl's house. As time went by, the girl became sallow and thin, and very weak. She went to many doctors but could not cure her disease. At this time, someone said: "It seems that it is haunted by evil spirits, and it cannot be cured by just taking medicine. I heard that there is a brave Shi Gandang on Mount Tai. Why not ask him to find a solution?"
Shi Dare to say: "This matter is easy to handle. We have found twelve pairs of boys and girls. Each one has a gong. Then prepare a pot of sesame oil, roll the cotton into a thick wick, a pot and a chair. As long as these things are ready I will definitely catch the monster." He put the wick in the sesame oil basin and lit the oil lamp. He held the basin with a pot and sat next to it, holding the edge of the pot with his feet. In this way, although the lamp was lit, the light could not be seen in the distance. It was getting dark, and with a whistling sound, a demonic wind rushed out from the southeast. Shi Gandang stepped on the pot and the oil lamp immediately gave off a dazzling light. Twelve pairs of boys and girls beat the gongs and drums at the same time. As soon as the monster entered the house, he saw the light and heard the noise, and quickly ran out and ran away to the south. This evil wind later came to Fujian and continued to dominate. Some farmers in Fujian were also plagued by evil winds and fell seriously ill. People asked around and heard that there was a Shi Gandang in Mount Tai who could drive away monsters, so they invited Shi Gandang to Fujian. Shi Gandang used the old method to drive away the monster... The evil wind fled to the Northeast again. Some girls in the Northeast also got seriously ill, so people invited Shi Gandang to the Northeast again.
Shi Gandang thought: "I chased it away, and it fled elsewhere. The country is so big, how can I run here? Yes, there are many stones in Mount Tai. I asked the stonemason to carve on the stones My hometown and name - Taishan Stone Gandang. If someone's house is plagued by monsters, put this stone outside the door of that house, and the monsters will not dare to enter.
”
After that, the story of Taishan Shigandang being used to ward off demons became more and more popular. In the future, in order to ward off evil spirits, when people built houses, they always built stones with the words “Taishan Shigandang” on the walls. Place it on the door or at the door to ward off evil spirits.
Nowadays, Taishan stone is used in Feng Shui to eliminate the troubles caused by missing corners in the house. Use cinnabar to inscribe "Taishan stone dares to do something". The mascot can resolve the evil spirits caused by missing corners