What does the rural saying "Sell a house but not the door, sell a cow but not the rope" mean?
What does the rural saying "Selling a house does not sell a door, selling a cow does not sell a rope", what does it mean, and does it have any profound meaning?
I believe that for those who have lived in rural areas, everyone usually lives in the village. I am sure that more or less, I will hear the old people in the village say some very interesting things. It sounds like a limerick or a jingle. These words sound very rough to people. In fact, many people did not understand them when they were young. It is not until they grow up that they realize that these are "rural sayings". There are many such rural sayings in the countryside. Although some educated people in the city don't like to hear them, the rural elderly firmly believe in the truth contained in them. There is no precise definition of whether these sayings have any truth or not. But we have to admit that in certain specific situations, these sayings do make some sense when viewed from the side.
This is also the reason why rural proverbs have not decayed after thousands of years of history. These days I am playing at a friend's house in the north, which is also a rural area in the north. There are many farmer families in the north who raise cattle, sheep, sheep, mules, etc. It happened that a friend took me to the market and I heard an old man selling cattle arguing with the buyer. The buyer insisted on the tether, and heard unconditionally say a rural saying like "Selling a house does not sell the door, selling cattle does not sell the rope." I think this sentence is also very interesting. Why can't doors and ropes be sold when selling houses and cattle? What's the meaning? I came back and asked the elders in the village specifically. Let's listen to what the old man said!
1. "Selling the house does not sell the door" Why can't the door be sold?
There may be many "selling the house but not the door" From a modern perspective, it sounds a bit difficult to understand. Since the house is sold, why can't the door be sold? Everyone knows that our nation is very particular about building houses. The most important and important thing about a house is the "door". Because the position, style and layout of the "door" determine the feng shui of the house, and also affect your appearance. "Door" is equivalent to a person's face (facade). In the past, when selling a house, the door and the house were also separated. Because selling your "door" is equivalent to selling your own face. Because the door also represents many meanings, for example, the "doorway" means that the family is currently in difficulty and has sold the house, leaving a "doorway" for the future. That’s why there is a saying that “selling the house does not sell the door”.
2. Selling cattle does not sell rope. What does the phrase "sell the cow but not the rope" mean?
Why are the cows sold? Why not give the rope to others, or sell it to others? This also dates back to ancient times. Speaking of which, in the past, the status of cattle in the hearts of farmers was very important. It’s not like now when people sell cattle just for money. In ancient times, there were not as many advanced agricultural machinery as there are now. At that time, "oxen" were an important tool for farmers in agricultural production. At that time, it can be said that the status of cows in people's hearts was very high, as close as they were important members of the family. Even if the cows were sold, keeping the rope could serve as a souvenir. In addition, there is a more important meaning. In the past, cattle were an important fixed asset for farmers' families and the most important symbol of wealth in the family. The rope that tied the cattle was a symbol of wealth. That’s why the saying “sell the cow but not the rope” comes into being.
After listening to the above explanation, do you understand? Although this rural saying does not apply to our modern times. Nowadays, real estate companies are everywhere. When selling a house, there will be a door. There is no saying that when buying a house, you should remove the door and not sell it to others. At the same time, the same goes for cattle. In today's society, cattle are more often a delicacy on people's tables, unlike in the past when they were an important tool for farmers. So if we understand this sentence from another aspect, it actually has a great meaning. Although this sentence does not apply to modern times, at least we can understand through this sentence that the era of our ancestors was of great significance. So we cannot deny that this saying has no truth. What do you think?