In the hearts of China people, jade is a symbol of all good things. It can reveal the majestic momentum at the ceremony, and also set off the gorgeous flowers on the beauty's hair and clothes. It is also the embodiment of a gentleman's lifelong struggle. Jade has crossed the gap between life and death and the times, and entrusted all the beautiful imaginations of Chinese people.
The history of using jade in China can be traced back to the Paleolithic Age. Jade in the Stone Age was not an ordinary thing in the eyes of ancestors, but a medium for wizards to listen to heaven. In the feudal dynasty, jade became the heart of nobility, attached to aristocratic life in different forms, and became a symbol of rank and status.
When observing jade, we often see some words with radical parts of jade, such as "Yan" and "Jun", which are closely related to jade. In fact, a word represents a form of jade; Different forms have different meanings. Today, let's approach the jade culture in China and know the seventy-two changes of jade.
Yubi
According to Erya Shi Qi, meat is twice as good as jade, twice as good as jade, and meat is as good as a ring. "Good" is the diameter of the middle hole, and "meat" is the dimension from the inner contour to the outer contour. According to the relationship between meat and good size, jadeite can be divided into three types: jade, jade and jade ring.
It first appeared in the late Neolithic period and was also the earliest jade among the six vessels. According to Li Zhouchun's Jude Zongbo, it is recorded that jade is a gift from heaven, which is of great significance. "Xunzi Outline" also said: "Seek a scholar to match it." It can be seen that the imperial pen is still a certificate for the emperor to consult modestly.
It is the most common in Liangzhu culture. In tombs, jade jade and jade cong are enclosed or pressed under bones, which shows that they are also used to bury bodies. Due to the prevalence of jade burial in Han dynasty, jade jade also appeared in coffins, jade clothes, tombs and other places, but compared with the jade jade used in ritual vessels, this jade jade is inferior in material and rough in workmanship.
Speaking of jade, we can also think of a legendary treasure-and choi. According to Records of Historical Records and Biography of Huo Zhi, Bian He, a Chu man, got a piece of jade in the mountain and gave it to Li, the king of Chu. The Jade Man said it was just a stone, so King Li angrily cut off Bian He's left foot. After King Wu ascended the throne, Bian He offered jade again, but his right foot was cut off.
After King Wen ascended the throne, Bian He cried at the foot of the mountain for three days and nights. After the tears ran out, his eyes bled. King Wen sent someone to inquire. Bian He said that he was not sad because he was tortured twice, but sad that Mei-yu was not appreciated. King Wen opened the jade article and found that it contained a rare piece of jade, named "Bi".
Choi hee's story didn't end there. The king of Chu proposed to the king of Zhao with color happiness, and the king of Zhao owned this beautiful jade. Xiang of the state of Qin heard about this and offered to exchange 15 cities. Zhao Wei of Qiang Qin, the promise of Qin, the prince of Zhao did not dare to promise, nor did he dare to refuse, so he sent Lin Xiangru to negotiate with Cui, and Lin Xiangru sent someone to transport Baoyu back to China while negotiating. This is the story of One Piece returning the treasure to Zhao.
From this point of view, although it is beautiful, it often leads to disasters, just like "in the center of the sea" in Titanic. The more so, the more famous, the more legendary. Combined with the allusions of innocence and guilt, it seems that it is unfortunate to have peerless treasures.
But in fact, Winston, the last owner of the great jeweler "Heart of the Sea", took it across the Atlantic many times and was safe in the end. Later, Winston donated it to the country, and in the heart of the sea was finally collected by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. It can be seen that there is no curse on the treasure, natural disasters are coincidences, man-made disasters are caused by human desires, and the treasure is innocent.
imperial park
According to the preface, the cave is smaller than the jade on the side and the cave is larger than the jade on the side, which is called "big cave jade" in Shuowen.
Yuan was mentioned many times in the pre-Qin literature, and the Outline of Xunzi said: "Call people to Yuan." It can be seen that Yuan was used by the Emperor to summon officials.
Among the three kinds of jade with similar technology, the more materials used, the higher the status, so the jade with small holes is the most respected, followed by jadeite.
Yuhuan
The Yuhuan with a hole equal to the edge is Yuhuan, but now Yuhuan has become a general term for large-hole round jade articles.
Yuhuan was first discovered in the Neolithic Age, and it was still sought after by people in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In Xunzi Water Margin, it was called "using a ring to prevent rejection". Because "ring" and "return" are homophonic, Yuhuan was used to recall the exiled princes at that time.
In later generations, Yuhuan became an accessory. There is a clear record in the History of Song Dynasty: "Crown system of imperial power ... small prize three, Yuhuan three." He also said, "The clothes of empresses, small gifts and jade rings." The number of Yuhuan is a symbol of identity and status.
Yujun
In Shuowen, it is said that Jun is a kind of jade, while in Zuozhuan, it is noted that Jun is like a ring without connection. In other words, the ring is full and the Zan is short.
Jade Jue was found in the tombs from Neolithic Age to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and was often found in the ears of the deceased, so it was called earrings. It can also be used as a prince's accessory. First, because it is short when full, princes can wear it without being complacent. On the other hand, it is homophonic "absolutely", and if it is given to people, it means breaking up; The third is homophonic "decision", which means that it has a decision and does not hesitate.
Historical Records of Xiang Yu's Biography records the story of the Hongmen Banquet. In those days, Fan Zeng persuaded Xiang Yu to set a banquet at the Hongmen Gate to get rid of Liu Bang. During the dinner, he "gave the Hosta as a sign of three" in order to urge Xiang Yu to kill him early.
In addition to these statements, some people think that Jun is the symbol of punishment, especially Jeff, indicating that the punishment is not full; Or as an aid to archery, wear it on the thumb of the right hand to help hook the string.
Jade Jue and Jade Jue are homophonic and shaped like a notched ring. The difference is that Jue is a pair of earrings, and Jue exists independently.
Reecha Yu
"Zhou Li" records that "Yan's words are also ancestors, eight inches are also ancestors. The outer eight directions are like the shape of the earth, and the imaginary circle in the middle should be infinite, such as the virtue of the earth, so the earth is sacrificed. " It can be seen that the shape of the valve is closely related to its function.
Yan, the outer circle is hollow, the outer circle is in all directions, and the inner circle is hollow, representing infinity. When it is used to worship the earth, it is as important as jade.
Yan, like Bi, is both a ritual vessel and a burial vessel. Jade cong worn on fingers or hair was found in the archaeological excavation of tombs in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Jade cong in Liangzhu culture is the most exquisite. They are different in height and have distinctive micro-carving patterns on them. When the stone tools were not fine, they could carve jade like this, and their craftsmanship was superb.
Emperor Qianlong, who is famous for his love for jade, left more than 800 poems praising jade, many of which praised Yu Cong. However, he didn't know the jade cong, mistakenly thought it was the head of the Han Dynasty, and transformed the jade cong collected in the palace into pen holders, incense sticks, flowers and other things, and engraved his own poems on it.
Yugui
Yugui is also called "Yuxuan". Explained in Shuo Wen Jie Zi, Gui: "Up, for Gui"? The flaky jade with a sharp top and a flat bottom is called Gui. But it's not just this GUI. The straight top is called "Shou Ping Gui" and the sharp top is called "Pointed Hand Gui".
Reed originated from the tools used in Neolithic Age, such as stone shovels and axes. Most of them have long flat heads and perforated tops. This kind of reed with sharp top was first seen in the Shang Dynasty and prevailed in the Spring and Autumn Period.
"Xunzi Outline" said: "Hire people with grace." It can be seen that Gui can be used as a ritual vessel for the emperor to visit the princes. However, in Da Zongbo, there is a record that "Qing Xuan is a ritual to the East", which shows that Gui is still a ritual to the East.
He also said, "Take jade as the six sites, and treat all countries: Wang holds it, the public holds Huan Gui, the latter holds Xin Gui, Bo holds Gong Gui, the son holds Gu Bi, and the public holds Pu Bi."
What are Zhen ghosts, Huan ghosts, Xin ghosts and Gong ghosts? "Zhou Li Dongguan Kao Gong is based on people" contains: "The ruler of Zhen Gui is two inches, and the son of heaven keeps it. Life is nine inches, which is called returning to Guangxi, and the public keeps it. Life is seven inches, and I trust Guihou to keep it. Life is five inches, that is, it is bowed to Gui, and Bo will keep it. " Zhou ordered governors and other officials to make a pilgrimage to Guiyu, and the size of Guiyu represented their different status levels.
At the same time, different GUIs also represent different powers. Returning to the truth is equivalent to the identity certificate of the envoy sent by the Zhou emperor, which is used to "sympathize with the fierce shortage"; Gu Gui means Gu Wengui, used for peace or marriage; Wan GUI refers to a round GUI with no sharp edge at the top, which is used to exercise the power of reward; Yan turtle corresponds to ten thousand turtles, representing the function of punishment.
Yu Zhang
In Shuo Wen Jie Zi: "Half-weight is Zhang", which means that Zhang is actually half-weight. In fact, although Zhang and Gui are similar, there are obvious differences: Zhang is a flat cuboid with a beveled edge at one end and a perforation at the other.
In the Book of Rites Sacrifice System, it is recorded that "big officials hold Zhang", which is actually a spring official. There are also five kinds of palms recorded in Zhou Li, namely Anthurium andraeanum, Big Palm, Middle Palm, Side Palm and Tooth Palm.
Zhang Chi is used to "saluting the South". When the emperor visited the hunting grounds, he used Zhang Da, Zhang Zhonghe and Bian Que to offer sacrifices to mountains and rivers. They are used according to the correspondence of size. Zhang Da is used for big mountains and rivers, Zhang Zhong is used for middle mountains and rivers, and the side chapter is used for small mountains and rivers. If the mountain is sacrificed, the ceremony will be buried underground; If you sacrifice to Sichuan, you will throw Zhang Yu into the river after the ceremony.
The tooth palm, that is, the palm with teeth on both sides of the bottom, is a ritual vessel of primitive society, but it is often used as a military symbol later. "Li Zhou Guan Chun Dian Rui": "Ya Zhang started to rule the army." ? Later generations also used it to refer to generals. For example, in Yang Jiong's "From the Army", there is a saying that "the teeth are phoenix, and the iron rides around Liuzhou?" . "
Zhang was mainly popular in Xia and Shang Dynasties, but very rare in Western Zhou Dynasty. However, Zhang did not quit the stage of history. There are also "being a man, carrying a bed to sleep, carrying clothes and carrying Zhang" in The Book of Songs, Xiaoya's Four Cadres. This is why giving birth to a boy is called the joy of teasing.
Yuhu
The jade pot was actually added to the Liu Rui later, and there are different opinions about what kind of jade it originally refers to. Nowadays, it is usually considered as jade engraved with tiger patterns or carved into tiger shapes.
"Zhou Li" records that "the white tiger is beauty", but in ancient mythology, the white tiger in the four spirits of heaven represents the west, from which the shape of jade tiger comes. However, it is called "sending troops to Ruiyu" in Shuo Wen Jie Zi, which is used as a military symbol.
The existence of jade pot lasted from Shang Dynasty to Ming and Qing Dynasties. Jade pots in Shang and Zhou dynasties are mostly flaky, and the decorative lines are relatively simple.
Among jade pots or tiger-patterned jade articles in the past dynasties, there are many jade pots in Autumn Mountain Jade in the Jin Dynasty. Qiushan jade is a jade carving that reflects the theme of hunting animals in the mountains in autumn by Liao and Jin emperors. This kind of jade carving is like painting on jade, which has a strong interest in life and wild interest in mountains and forests. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the craft of the jade pot was constantly improved, which can be said to be vivid and lifelike.
Huang Yu
Huang, in Shuo Wen Jie Zi, is defined as "half", and the explanation of "ring and wall" shows that its shape is nearly half of jade or jade ring.
In fact, according to scholars' research, Huang's modeling is likely to come from the Rainbow, and it is recorded in the Taiping Magnolia that "Confucius compiled the Spring and Autumn Annals and wrote the Book of Filial Piety". What has been done, Confucius fasted, worshipped Beidou and told heaven. It is as red as a rainbow. From top to bottom, it became jade. "
At present, in addition to walls and rings, there are fish, dragons and birds. What role do these different forms play in society? "Zhou Li Dazong Bo" records: "Li Bei with Huang Xuan." It can be seen that in the Zhou Dynasty, yellow was an instrument specially used for offering sacrifices to the north.
In Liangzhu culture, Huang Chang and Guan Yu were discovered together, which is the main part of Liangzhu people's chest accessories. It must be the aristocrats at that time who could own this kind of accessories. It can be seen that Huang has the functions of sacrifice, funeral and decoration.
Yu Heng
Xie Heng in Shuowen: Wearing Jade. Hanging is a kind of arc-shaped jade, which plays a balancing role in group ornaments and is generally placed horizontally in the upper part.
Heng first appeared in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and its appearance is very similar to that of Yuhuan, with two main differences.
One is the placement method, in which the jade yellow is inclined at both ends, with the concave surface facing upwards and the convex surface facing downwards; Yuheng is shaped like a chime, with convex surface facing upwards and concave surface facing downwards.
Another point is to punch holes, jade yellow either does not punch holes for sacrifice, or both ends are punched to wear. Huang Yu, as an accessory, has a small shape with holes in the middle and both ends.
Confucius said that jade has "eleven virtues"-benevolence, knowledge, righteousness, courtesy, joy, loyalty, faith, heaven, earth, virtue and Taoism, so it is compared to a gentleman. A gentleman never leaves his hand without a reason.
Jade is bright in color, shiny in texture, long in history and soft in color. People in China have loved it for thousands of years. From witchcraft to ritual, from birth to death, from young children to gentlemen, the course of life is gradually completed with jade.
Jade is unique and shines with the sun and the moon.