Couplets are couplets, commonly known as "couplets" or "couplets", which have a long history. Zhang Ju of the Qing Dynasty pointed out at the beginning of his Couplet Conghua: "After learning Ji Wenda's words, the couplet of couplets begins with the peach symbol, and the couplet of 'Yuqing' and 'Changchun' in Mengchang, Sichuan is the oldest... According to Shu Taowu, before Shu returned to the Song Dynasty, a year old was passed away from the sun, and Chang Ling's scholar Xing Yinxun inscribed the peach symbol on his bedroom door. With his words as non industrial words, he claimed to write: 'Accept Yuqing in the New Year, and Changchun is the number of Jiajie.'" It is said that this is the source of couplets.
During the Spring Festival, every family sticks couplets on their doors, known as "Spring Couplets". Of course, couplets can be used at different times, places and occasions. It is a common form of literature and art among Chinese people. In places such as scenic spots, temples and palaces, there are often couplets with profound meanings and exquisite calligraphy for appreciation. The special geographical conditions and humanistic environment in Fujian and Taiwan have resulted in profound religious culture. There are many temple audiences here, and scholars and scholars from ancient times and modern times have shuttled through it, leaving many fine couplets.
Gushan Yongquan Temple, located at the foot of Baiyun Peak on the waist of Gushan Mountain in the eastern suburb of Fuzhou, was built in the second year of Tianping, Houliang, Five Dynasties (908). Upon entering the Gushan Mountain, you will see the couplet on the memorial archway, "The ground springs out of the sea, and the stone drum town is born in Minzhong". This couplet not only describes the situation of the gathering of essence and outstanding people here, but also highlights the important position of Yongquan Temple as the "crown of Mincha".
Liang Shi and Liang Dong compiled the couplets of Yongquan Temple in the Great View of Ancient and Modern Chinese Artful Couplets, one of which is engraved on the stone gate column of the mountain gate, saying, "Why sweep the clean ground, and don't close the empty gate". The beauty of this couplet is that the words "Jingdi" and "Kongmen" are puns. "Clean land" not only describes the clean and tidy temple appearance, but also refers to the mind after cleaning up troubles and miscellaneous dyes; "Empty Gate" is not only a realistic description, but also a proper term of Buddhism, because Buddhism uses empty dharma as the door to Nirvana.
Another couplet is beside the Maitreya Buddha statue in the Palace of Heavenly Kings, inscribed by Wang Tingzheng, who served as Fujian provincial inspector in the Qing Dynasty. The first couplet: I carry an empty cloth bag every day. There is no money for less rice, but there is a big belly left. I don't know how many Tanyue people use to support their faith? The second couplet: I sit at the cold mountain gate every year, and pick up Zhang to treat Li. I always see him happy. What's the reason for this Tuo's pride? It is interesting to watch this couplet, and the image of Maitreya Buddha, which is modeled on the "Bag Monk", is clearly on the paper.
Yishan Buddhist Temple is located at the foot of Yishan Mountain in the western suburb of Fuzhou. It was originally a Taoist temple in the Southern Dynasty and was rebuilt in the eighth year of Xiantong in the Tang Dynasty (867). There is a couplet written by Zhu Xi at the gate of the Xichan Temple, "The green stream rises in the morning and the tide rises in the evening, and the green mountains are still picturesque". The couplet presents the beauty of the landscape of the Xichan Temple, which is picturesque and poetic. Zhu Xi was a famous Neo Confucianism scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty, and his status and influence were self-evident. However, the Xichan Temple also hung couplets written by ordinary people, such as a couplet in the Baiting Pavilion, which was signed by the Chen family. Zhu Xi was a female believer in Nanjing County during the Qingguangxu period, and the couplet said: "The scenery of mountains and lakes, the tea mat in the shade of litchi, the sound of pines and bamboos, and the fragrance of flowers in the pan are full of mercy."
The couplet depicts the experience of an ordinary believer listening to scriptures and learning Dharma in the scenic Xichan Temple. It mentioned that the litchi in the Xichan Temple was very famous. A Brief Archaeology of Rongcheng, written by Qinglinfeng, records that: "There are many litchi trees around. Fuzhou litchi is produced in the Western Zen Temple and Kaihua Temple. The litchi in the temple was planted in the Song Dynasty. There were more than 100 old litchi trees. There are four before and after the Dharma Hall, which are said to be hand planted by the monk Huiling of the Five Dynasties, and still exist today. The poem" Traveling with Wang Jiefu to the Western Zen Temple and presenting it to the Yellow Emperor "written by Cai Xiang of the Song Dynasty: The mountain city is only surrounded by green trees, and the wild temples are all clean. The abundance of lychees accounts for summer, and the color of lotus flowers has not yet spread in spring... "The reputation of lychees in Xichan Temple can be seen elsewhere, such as the couplet on the memorial archway," The lychees are handed down from four dynasties, and the bell sounds in the Tang Dynasty for thousands of years. "This couplet was written by Zhou Lian, the Fujian inspector during the Qing Guangxu period.
Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou, located in the West Street of Quanzhou City, was founded in the second year of Tang Chuigong (686), formerly known as Lianhua Temple, and was renamed in the 26th year of Kaiyuan (738). At the gate of the temple, there is a work written by Zhu Xi and Master Hongyi, which is famous at home and abroad: "This place was called the Buddhist country in ancient times, and the streets were full of saints." The first couplet refers to the very prosperous situation of Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou, known as the Buddhist country in the south of Quanzhou; The second line is a famous saying of Zhu Xi, which reflects Zhu Xi's Neo Confucianism. Human nature can be transformed into a saint through cultivation. In other words, everyone has the possibility to become a saint. From the side notes, the couplet was originally written by Zhu Xi, but it was lost later and was rewritten by Master Hongyi.
Another 20 character couplet of Nanshan Jinshui written by Master Hongyi: "Nanshan Law School has been lost for eight hundred years, and the remains of He Xing still remain in the east; there are more than 10 people in Jinshui Monk Park who have been learning for a long time, and can make the right law live in the world again." Master Hongyi, commonly known as Li Shutong, is versatile. After becoming a monk, he specialized in the Nanshan Law School, in order to revive the eleventh generation of the founder of Nanshan Law School, The couplet was written in 1933.
In 1941, Master Hongyi wrote a birthday couplet on the 70th birthday of Master Zhuandao, the abbot of Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou: "In autumn, the old garden is still marked with yellow flowers in the evening; the clear pool is reflected, looking up at the sky in Haoyue Town." Master Hongyi used Song Hanqi's poem "Nine Days Water Pavilion" in the couplet, "Although the old garden looks pale in autumn, look at the fragrance of yellow flowers in the evening", he thought that the evening festival is the most important in people's life Don't neglect it, so in his later years, he called himself Old Man Wanqing, which should also be his intention. The second line describes the bright state of mind after intensive cultivation.
Anxi Qingshui Rock, located in Penglai Mountain, Heqian Village, Penglai Town, Anxi County, Quanzhou City, was built in the sixth year of Yuanfeng in the Northern Song Dynasty (1083). Qingshuiyan has a couplet inscribed by Zhang Ruitu, a famous calligrapher and a minister of the Ministry of Rites of the Ming Dynasty: "The orioles follow the world, and the pavilion is close to the mountain top." This couplet comes from Du Fu's "Accompany Li Zizhou, Wang Langzhou, Su Suizhou, and Li Guozhou to climb Huiyi Temple" of the Tang Dynasty: "In spring, there is no place for people, and the sky cannot live in emptiness. The orioles follow the world, and the pavilion is on the mountain top. In the late afternoon, you can't get anywhere, and you can't get anywhere. Who can understand the golden seal, and be free and unrestrained and peaceful? " Zhang Ruitu's couplet is slightly different from the original poem. The word "Ji" in the original poem was changed to "Yi".
Zhang Ruitu praises the beautiful scenery of Qingshuiyan by borrowing Du Fu's poems. The couplet of the same description also includes the couplet of Liu Xuanqing, Qinglin Gong, who wrote, "The dragon takes the rain and returns to the afterglow, and the wild crane wears the flowers and leaves the clouds", and his other couplet, "The sound of the rain is loud in the cave for ten miles, and the half rock moonlight is soaking in the terrace". Liu Xuanqing wrote the most couplets in Qingshuiyan, and there are more than ten couplets in incomplete statistics.
He also wrote an intaglio couplet. The first couplet: When asked who can open the road and cross the maze, Guan Er's teacher is the ancestor; The second line: When you travel in the sand world, you are determined to clean up the evil waves, clear the Brahma Sea, and clean with the water.
According to Zhu Qingwen's "Ten Lectures on Couplets", the word embedding refers to "embedding some self formed characters into couplets as a whole or separately to make couplets meaningful". The last word in the upper and lower couplets of this couplet corresponds to the penultimate word one by one. It can be found that the couplet is embedded with the four words "ancestor Qingshui", which is exactly the god Qingshui Yan worships.
The Three Gorges Ancestor Temple is also called Changfuyan. Changfu Street, located in Xiuchuanli, Sanxia Town, Xinbei City, Taiwan, was founded during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. It was brought into the belief of "the ancestor of clean water" by local immigrants from Anxi, Quanzhou. Su Minsheng and others compiled "Taiwan Scenic Spots Couplet Grand View", which contains four couplets of Changfu Rock, three of which are located at the gate (the author's note: it should be Sanchuan Gate). The middle couplet of Sanchuanmen is: "To protect the people for a long time, there is a great deal of bounty in a good year, and we are grateful for the rain and dew; to train the only child, help the poor and help the needy, and the sea and the mountains." The right couplet of Sanchuanmen is: "To the side of the town, the kite mountain is not old; to the side of Fuliu, the surname of Wan, is like the Lai Hengchun." The left couplet of Sanchuanmen is: "To protect the clouds for a long time, the Three Gorges will hang forever; to the masses, there will be a thousand years of happiness.", The people hope that the founder of Qingshui can show great power, help the needy, make heaven beautiful and people have enough food and clothing.
The hall couplets of the Three Gorges Ancestor Temple are also inlaid couplets. The first couplet: The saints and sages have a clear wind and bright moon, and enjoy the eternal life as if they were visiting Buddha; The second line: Scenery of water, mountain and scenery, a place of interest, blessed by the Three Gorges, and a teacher forever. If the first and last words in the couplets of this couplet are matched one by one, it can also be found that the four words "Ancestor Qingshui" are embedded in the couplet, and the Ancestor Temple on both sides of the Taiwan Strait is the same.
Located in Kunjiang River, Beimen District, Tainan City, Nankunkundai Tianfu was built in the first year of Kangxi (1662), dedicated to the five prefectures of Qiansui. It is the main temple of the Royal Temple in Taiwan. The couplet on the central column of the gate reads: "In the south, the emperor was crowned, and in the Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, cigarettes were useless; Kun Xuan opened the palace, joined the people of Jing, Wu, Min and Yue, and the people of Fan's residence were always new." The first couplet refers to the five prefectures of Qiansui Li Daliang, Qiansui Chi, Mengbiao Chi, Qiansui Wu Xiaokuan, Qiansui Zhu Shuyu, and Qiansui Fan Chengye Fan, who turned their identities from the founding generals of the early Tang Dynasty to gods, Successive generations have been consecrated by the people. The next link refers to the people who came from Hubei, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and other places to worship in the Tianfu Temple of Nankun. It generally refers to the five prefectures, Qiansui, who are widely respected and loved.
The column couplet inside the Zhongjun Mansion: "The south mountain is sunny and sunny, and the temple is resplendent; the Kunhai is tranquil and peaceful, and the boats and boats are coming and going." The first couplet depicts the sacred geographical environment and the solemn architectural appearance of the Dai Tianfu Mansion, while the second couplet shows that the people of the people hope that the five prefectures can protect them from going to sea safely.
On the back of the front hall wall pillar: "South Shou melts into Jiuzhou, and the ancient Kun swims around the four seas of the Zhou Dynasty, and only today still cares about Xiying." In the first couplet, "Jiuzhou" and "Dongtu" both refer to China, where five prefectures and thousands of years old patrol the land of China. The next line "Four Seas" refers to the whole world, China, and the world. What does "Xiying" mean? According to Penghu Hall Annals - Fengyu Annals, "Penghu or Xiying", but here "Xiying" should refer to the mythical "West" - the world where the gods and Buddhas live.
The three couplets above all start with the word "Nan Kun", which belongs to the name couplets embedded in the block printed couplets. (Li Hujiang, the author, is an associate researcher of Fujian Taiwan Regional Research Center of Fujian Normal University)
