The origin of the Central Plains

In a broad sense, the Central Plains is centered on the six ancient capital groups of the Central Plains (Luoyang, Kaifeng, Shangqiu, Anyang, Zhengzhou and Nanyang) and radiates the vast plain areas in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. The narrow sense of the Central Plains refers to the middle of heaven and earth and Zhongzhou Henan.

The word "Central Plains" has changed from the meaning of Yuan Ye, which had no special meaning in the past, to the Henan area in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. According to historical records, from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, it developed from the Han Dynasty to the Six Dynasties. At first, the word Zhongyuan sometimes refers to Yuanye, and sometimes refers to the Central Plains. In the later period, it always refers to Henan. The word Central Plains has become a proper regional noun.

At first, the word "Central Plains" meant Yuan Ye. The Book of Songs Xiaoya Jiri says: "Looking at the Central Plains, there is uniformity and holes." The "Central Plains" here refers to the "native China". The Book of Songs Xiaoya Xiaowan says: "There are cymbals in the Central Plains, and Shu Ren adopted them." It's about bean pickers in vilen.

In the Spring and Autumn Period. According to "Guoyu Yue Shang", when the siege of Huiji was lifted, Gou Jian, the king of Yue, apologized to the people and said, "I don't know that my strength is insufficient, but I am guilty of fighting a big country and exposing the bones of the people in the Central Plains. Please be more careful. " Explain that in the Spring and Autumn Period, the word Zhongyuan also had the meaning of vilen. According to the twenty-third year of Zuo Zhuan Gong, the son of the State of Jin was exiled to the State of Chu and was well treated by King Chu. When asked how to repay Chu, Zhong Er replied: "If you use the spirit of the monarch, you will win the battle with the State of Jin. When you meet the Central Plains, you will have three houses for your monarch. Don't die, I will slap you with my left hand and hit you with my right hand to deal with you. " The Central Plains here has a regional meaning. It shows that in the Spring and Autumn Period, the word Zhongyuan began to have the meaning of Zhongyuan. . "Guoyu III" records that on the question of whether to accept Jin Jun, some people advocated killing him. The public said, "No, a man who humiliated a great country was in the Central Plains, and he killed his monarch to pay more attention to it. My son wants to avenge his father, and my minister wants to avenge your monarch. Although it is slightly Qin, what is the problem in the world? " The Central Plains here refers to the vassal states of the Central Plains. In 482 AD, after Fu Cha, the king of Wu, and Jin, Lu, and Zhou were in the Huangchi League, the king gained the hegemony of the vassal state, and the king ordered that "the king's son and dog should complain to Zhou", including the saying that "the former Chu people were wrong and did not undertake the king's affairs". Away from my brotherly country. My late king couldn't bear to close the door, so he took a sword with him, and he was quite arrogant, in order to drive drugs in the Central Plains with King Zhao Chu. God's will has died, and the king of Qi returned to China after his defeat. As for Ying. "Going back to the Central Plains as mentioned in the deeds of ancestors refers to today's Henan Province.

In the Han Dynasty, the word "Central Plains" mostly referred to Henan. In the chaos of the Seven Kingdoms that occurred during the reign of Emperor Jing of Han Dynasty, Zhu commented: "However, you can't be a bird in the original Chinese book because' the virtue of the previous dynasty has not failed, and the people who are happy have no foreign aid'. (Historical Records Biography of Ping Jin Hou) The Central Plains here refers to the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. When Xu Le wrote to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he mentioned the Central Plains when explaining "disintegration." What is disintegration? Wu, Chu, Qi and Zhao are also. The Seven Kingdoms conspire against the Great Rebellion, all of which are called Wan Cheng Wang and A few hundred thousand. Prestige is enough to strictly control its territory, and wealth is enough to convince its gentry. However, it is impossible to rush headlong into action. As a bird of the Central Plains, what is the reason? Non-forces are lighter than ordinary people, and soldiers are weaker than Chen She. At that time, the virtue of the first emperor was not declining, and he lived and worked in peace and contentment, and the princes were helpless. This is called disintegration. Therefore, the suffering of the world has not collapsed. "(Han Xu Lechuan) It is said that the king of Wu Chu was captured in the Central Plains. But after the Han Dynasty, the word "Central Plains" still exists in vilen's history books. For example, when Sima Xiangru was sent to the southwest, he said, "In order to spread the land to future generations and make it known to future generations, it was the wise men who painted the Central Plains with their livers and brains and did not hesitate to moisten weeds with ointment." (Biography of Historical Records and Sima Xiangru)

In the Jin Dynasty, especially in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Central Plains as a geographical concept began to be widely accepted by people. According to incomplete statistics, the word "Central Plains" appeared 92 times in the 55-volume Book of Jin, with the highest frequency in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and most of it was related to the ambition of the Jin Dynasty to restore the Central Plains. Later, the Song, Qi, Liang and Chen dynasties who lived in the south of the Yangtze River all followed the geographical concept of the Central Plains since the Eastern Jin Dynasty.