Couplets in literary common sense
1. Literary knowledge - couplets
Because you didn’t explain the question clearly, I answered some questions about couplets.
.. It began in the Five Dynasties, flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and has a history of more than a thousand years. Three thousand years ago, Chinese ancestors already used couplets.
The couplets of poets since the Shang, Zhou and Han Dynasties and the parallel sentences in poetry since the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties have made the original accumulation of writing for the later generation of couplets. The characteristics of Chinese word meanings and Chinese character shapes determine that literati who use Chinese and write Chinese characters have a special liking for the rhetorical technique of "counterpart".
The metrical poems and rhymed poems formed after the prosperous Tang Dynasty have strict and precise antitheses. The antitheses are already an integral part of the poetry, and their independence is gradually strengthening. Couplets are developed from the couplets of metrical poetry and the haiku of parallel rhymes, and they retain some of the characteristics of rhythmic poetry.
Therefore, the ancients compared poetry recitation to poetry, which to a certain extent reflects the relationship between the two. As early as before the Qin and Han Dynasties, Chinese folk had the custom of hanging peach charms during the New Year.
To drive away ghosts and suppress evil spirits. This custom lasted for more than a thousand years. By the Five Dynasties, people began to write couplets on peach boards.
According to the "History of the Song Dynasty: Shu Family", Meng Chang, the lord of Shu after the Five Dynasties, wrote the first couplet in Chinese history: "The New Year is full of Yuqing, and the festival is named Changchun.".
After the Song Dynasty, it has become quite common for Chinese folk to hang Spring Festival couplets during the New Year. The Northern Song Dynasty poet Wang Anshi's poem "Thousands of households always replace old talismans with new peaches" is a true portrayal of the grand New Year celebrations at that time. Since the appearance of Spring Festival couplets is closely related to Taofu, the ancients also called Spring Festival couplets "Taofu".
In the Ming Dynasty, people began to use red paper instead of peach boards, resulting in the Spring Festival couplets we see today. According to the "Miscellaneous Stories of Hairpin Cloud Tower", after Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty established his capital in Jinling, before New Year's Eve, he ordered the ministers, officials, and common people to add a Spring Festival couplet to every door, and he personally went out incognito to watch and enjoy the couplets door to door.
From then on, all literati and scholars regarded the pairing of title and couplets as an elegant matter. In the Qing Dynasty, couplets were at their peak, and many famous couplets appeared.
With the development of cultural exchanges between countries, couplets have also been introduced to Vietnam, North Korea, Singapore and other countries. These countries still retain the custom of posting couplets.
Features 1. The number of words should be equal and the sentences should be consistent. Unless the position of a certain word is intentionally left vacant to achieve a certain effect, the number of words in the upper and lower couplets must be the same, no more and no less.
2. The parts of speech should be relative and the positions should be the same. It is generally called "Void versus Void, Real versus Real" (the part-of-speech classification in ancient Chinese is different from that in modern Chinese), which is equivalent to modern Chinese nouns versus nouns, verbs versus verbs, adjectives versus adjectives, quantifiers versus quantifiers, and adverbs versus adverbs. And the opposite words must be in the same position.
3. The levels should be consistent and the tones should be harmonious. The traditional custom is "廄 rises and flat falls", that is, the last word of the first line is in the square tone, and the last word of the second line is in the flat tone.
4. The content should be relevant and connected from top to bottom. The meanings of the upper and lower lines should be connected with each other and should not be repeated.
5. The words in the corresponding positions of the upper and lower couplets should be as flat and opposite as possible, so that the couplets can be read gracefully and beautifully. Classification by purpose * Spring couplets: Door couplets specially used for the New Year.
For example: willows bloom with emerald green; peach and apricot compete for spring and red in May. * Congratulatory couplets: Used for birthdays, weddings, housewarming, births, openings and other festive occasions.
For example: a pair of red hearts go to the four directions; two pairs of skillful hands draw new pictures. (Happy couplet), happiness is as good as the East Sea; longevity is as long as the Southern Mountains.
(Shou couplet) * Elegiac couplet: Used to mourn the deceased. For example: His works lasted for a thousand years, but he left here to shock the world; his spirit lasted for a thousand generations, and he came back to benefit the world.
* Gift couplet: used to praise or encourage others. For example: the sound of wind, rain, and reading are heard in the ears; family affairs, national affairs, and world affairs are all concerned.
* Self-encouragement couplet: Used for self-encouragement. For example: always read letters about your family and country; don’t do anything that is not beneficial to your body and mind.
* Industry link: For different industries, it is posted on the door or inside the store. For example: If you want to know the events of the past, you must read the Five Chess Book.
(Bookstore) Although there is no business at all; it is a top-notch effort. (Barbershop) welcomes guests from spring, summer, autumn and winter; entertains people from the east, west, north and south.
(Hotel) * Yan Zhilian: Used to express ambitions. For example: I would rather be a ghost of the Zhao family than a minister of his state.
According to location * Couplet: hung on the pillars, used in residences, institutions, temples, historic sites, etc. * Door couplets: affixed to the door * Nave couplets: hung in prominent places in the living room and bedroom with calligraphy and painting couplets.
According to artistic characteristics * Overlapping word couplet: the same word appears continuously. * Complex word couplet: The same word appears non-consecutively.
* Thimble couplet: The footer of the previous clause serves as the head of the following clause. * Embedded couplets: including embedded serial numbers, directions, solar terms, year numbers, surnames, names of people, place names, names of things (such as medicine names), etc.
* Phonological couplets: including homophones with different sounds, same characters with different sounds and overlapping rhymes.
* Humorous couplet: taking the meaning of humor.
* Ruthless pairing: The meanings of the upper and lower couplets have nothing to do with each other, but each word contrasts neatly.
Most ruthless pairs are very interesting and can be classified as humorous pairs at the same time. * Palindrome couplet: read forward or backward, the meaning is exactly the same.
2. Literary common sense in couplets (1) On poets in the Tang Dynasty, Li Du is far away, and there are only a few new Yuefu articles;
(1) On poets in the Tang Dynasty, Li Du It's far away, but there are only a few new Yuefu; Suzhou is pregnant with the history of the governor, and there are still three old ancestral halls on the edge of the lake and mountains. The person praised in the couplet is Bai Juyi. (2) The Qing family still knows the way, and there is nowhere to call the soul on the flat sand. The couplet praises The character is Wang Zhaojun. (3) He died before taking the test, which often makes heroes burst into tears. The character praised in the couplet is Zhuge Liang. (4) The eternal poetic talent, Penglai article Jian'an bone; a proud man, Qinglian layman was relegated to the immortal .The character praised in the couplet is Li Bai. (5) The thatched cottage is left to future generations, and the poems are sage for thousands of years. Character: Du Fu Thatched Cottage refers to Huanhua Cottage. (6) A family of father and son, three poets, four masters of writing through the ages. "Three Ci Guests" Refers to Su Xun, Su Shi, and Su Che. (7) With lakes and mountains on all sides, all the families are filled with joy and sorrow. Character: Fan Zhongyan; a famous line from his works: Worry about the world's worries first, and rejoice after the world's happiness. ( 8) The righteousness still lingers in the heaven and earth, and the loyal heart shines through the past and present. The character praised in the couplet is Wen Tianxiang. (9) The translation has not yet been successful, and I am shocked to hear about the meteor, who will lead the cry in China; the gentleman has passed away, and I remember the old rain painfully, and the literary world feels hesitant from now on. . The character praised in the couplet is Lu Xun; his works mentioned in the couplet are > and >.
3. Literary common sense about couplets
Couplet rules
(1) The number of words in the upper and lower couplets must be equal, and repeated words cannot be used.
(2) The last sentence of the first couplet must be in oblique tone, and the last character of the next couplet must be in flat tone.
(3) The sentence patterns of the upper and lower couplets must be consistent (similar parts of speech and corresponding structures).
(4) The flat and oblique characters in the upper and lower lines must be opposite to each other. Where the upper couplet uses flat tones, the second line must use oblique tones, and vice versa (ping: flat tones; obi, oblique tones, including (a character with three tones: 上, going, and enter).
(5) The meanings of the upper and lower couplets can be similar or opposite. They can only say one thing, or they may also say two things separately.
The antithesis between couplets and verses has a relationship of inheritance and evolution. The rhythm of verses and the principle of "one, three, and five are irrelevant, but two, four, and six are distinct" also apply to couplets. As for the number of words in each couplet, there is no limit, ranging from four, five, six, seven, eight, nine to several or hundreds of words, as long as there is something to say and it can be paired. The following examples illustrate this:
The motherland’s mountains and rivers are strong; the people’s years are new.
The last word "zhuang" in the first line and the last word "xin" in the second line are both adjectives. They are relative to each other and harmonious. The content and form are consistent with the five rules mentioned above.
In short, the phonology and harmony of couplets should be harmonious. The language is concise, consistent with the rules, and has certain content. The words are not relative to each other, the flatness and obliqueness are inconsistent, or the slogan-like sentences are divided into two lines, they cannot be regarded as couplets.
4. Literary common sense issues in couplets
1. Regarding poets in the Tang Dynasty, Li Du is far away, and there are only a few new music pieces. Suzhou Huaishi, the edge of lakes and mountains, There are still three ancestral halls. The person praised in the couplet is (Bai Juyi): Bai Juyi was one of the three great poets in the Tang Dynasty (Li Dubai), and his poem "New Yuefu" was handed down, which is inherited from the first couplet; Bai Juyi was the governor of Suzhou and wrote the famous "Memories". "Jiangnan", this is inherited from the second couplet.
2. The thatched cottage will be left to future generations, and the poet will be remembered for thousands of years. Character (Du Fu) Thatched Cottage (Du Fu Thatched Cottage in the southern suburbs of Chengdu).
3. The Qing family has feelings but knows the way, and there is nowhere to get married in Pingsha. The person praised in the couplet is (Wang Zhaojun): there should be another word, "Qingzhong" instead of "Qingjia". It is said that the Green Tomb is about 20 miles south of Hohhot City and is the tomb of Wang Zhaojun. Du Fu said in "Yonghuai Ancient Relics" that Zhaojun "left the Green Tomb alone to the dusk.
4. A father and son, three poets, Among the four great poets through the ages, the three poets refer to (Su Xun, Su Shi, and Su Zhe): known as "Three Sus"
5. Surrounded by lakes and mountains, thousands of people are filled with joy and sorrow. From his famous saying (worry before the world is worried, and be happy after the world is happy)
6. On the bank of Daming Lake, by the Baotu Spring, my former residence is deep in the weeping willows, where jade washes are concentrated, and the inscriptions and stones are recorded. , the person whose literary talent is praised by the couplet is (Li Qingzhao): Li Qingzhao wrote the "Collection of Shuyu" and wrote the preface to her husband's "Records of Jinshi".