What does the Central Plains mean?

[explanation]:

① Plain; Vilen: Jin and Chu ruled the army, the Central Plains met, and the three families ruled together.

(2) the name of the area. The narrow sense of the Central Plains refers to the present area of Henan Province; The Central Plains in a broad sense refers to the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River or the whole Yellow River basin.

The word Central Plains did not appear as a regional concept at first, but was just an adjective. Later, it gradually evolved into the land of Zhongzhou, which became a battleground for politicians and military strategists.

First, the formation of the concept of the Central Plains and its historical position

The evolution of the word Central Plains

The word "Central Plains" was used in spoken Chinese as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, but it was only an adjective at first, not the later Central Plains region, that is, it did not appear as a regional concept at first. For example, "The Book of Songs Xiaoya Jiri" says: "Looking at the Central Plains, there are holes." The poet was very excited when he stood on the high slope and looked at the endless plain. He sincerely admired how vast vilen is and how rich its products are. The Book of Songs Xiaoya Xiaowan says: "There are cymbals in the Central Plains, and Shu Ren adopted them." This means that when the poet came to the field, he looked at it from afar, and the millet was everywhere, and the seedlings were lush and full of vitality. As a peasant poet who started from agriculture, when he saw the scenery of "Gu Mi separation" and "the beauty of Harada", he sang excitedly: vast fields, green bean seedlings, hurry home and cook soup. The word "Central Plains" mentioned in the above poems does not refer to the region in the literal sense, just as Mao Shi noted: "The Central Plains is also in the original." Zheng Xuan wrote: "Huo was born in the original." Obviously, the so-called "Central Plains" actually refers to the plain or Yuan Ye, not the region. "Zuo Zhuan Xi Gong Twenty-three Years" records: "Jin Chu governs the army and meets the Central Plains." "Sun Tzu's Art of War and War" also records: "Force is wasted, and the Central Plains is empty." Zhuge Liang's "Model": "The three armies awarded it, and the middle school was originally scheduled for the north." "Biography of Wang Chengchuan, the Northern History Rencheng" said: "Therefore, the scale shines on the Central Plains." Biography of Li Gang in Song Dynasty: "Since ancient times, the Lord of Zhongxing started in the northwest, and according to the Central Plains, it is enough to have the southeast." Shi Ming's Fourteen Years of Yongle: "Fu Weijing, South of the Central Plains." The "Central Plains" in the above example no longer refers to the plain or Yuan Ye, but obviously refers to the Central Plains in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. Unlike the border region, it obviously belongs to the regional concept.

Then why did the word "Central Plains" later evolve to refer to the land of Zhongzhou? This is probably related to the ancients' cognition of the center of the earth in the sky. For example, Shan Hai Jing includes Nanshan Jing, Xishan Jing, Beishan Jing, Dongshan Jing and Zhongshan Jing. It basically defines the region of Zhongshan and Beijing in the Central Plains. The "Five Emperors" and "Five Elements" recorded in historical books all take the Central Plains as the world. For example, the astronomical motto of Huainanzi says: "Oriental konoha leaves its emperor, and its auxiliary is Ju Mang", "Southern fire leaves, its emperor Yan Di, and its auxiliary is Zhu Ming", "Central soil leaves, its emperor Huangdi, and its auxiliary soil", "Western gold leaves, its emperor Shao Hao, and its auxiliary is Ru Shou", "Northern Shui Ye, its emperor Zhuan Xu, and its auxiliary. Jin Mu is full of fire, water and earth, and earth is in the middle. Huangdi is the emperor of the central land, and Huangdi is the leader of the central nation. The so-called "Middle Earth" refers to the land of the Central Plains. The Historical Records of the Five Emperors says that the active areas of the Yellow Emperor are "East to the sea", "West to Kongtong", "South to the river" and "North to the meat porridge", and his basic point is the Central Plains. During the Yao and Shun period, the directions of east, west, north and south were very clear, especially in many places in Oracle Bone Inscriptions, which mentioned eastern soil, southern soil, western soil and northern soil, with Shang Dynasty in the middle. The capitals of Shang Dynasty include Zhengzhou Mall, Yanshi Mall, Anyang Yinxu Mall and Huanbei Mall, all of which are in Henan Province, which shows that although there is no word "Central Plains" in Shang Dynasty, it has actually formed the concept of region in the world. The ancestors of Zhou abandoned the Central Plains to join the Yao-Shun federal political group, and later abandoned it to Tai, that is, the Fufeng and Wugong areas in western Shaanxi today, and their descendants have been living with Rong Di. The Zhou family is very powerful. Although it was a post-Shang country and lived in the west, it was called Xibo, but it wanted to replace Shang. Therefore, not only the capital was built in Yufeng, but also the idea of establishing Zhou in Luoyi was put forward after the extinction of Shang Dynasty. From Huangdi, Yaoshun to Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, people formed the concept of "being in the world". Over time, the word "Central Plains" has become synonymous with "the world is public".

The Central Plains is the political center of all dynasties.

In ancient times, Central Plains and China and Zhongzhou were established words. For example, "The Book of Rites and the King System" records: "China, a people of five parties, is universal and cannot be changed. The east is foreign ... the south is barbaric ... the west is glorious ... and the north is Germany. " "Taiping Yulan" records: "The king ordered the founding of the country, and the establishment of the capital and the founding of the country must be in progress. Therefore, to unify the sum of the world, according to the meaning of yin and yang, unify the four sides and unify the world. " Chu Jun, who was in the south, once claimed: "I am a barbarian, and I am not proud of the name of China." (Historical Records of Chu Family) Because of the moderate geographical position of the Central Plains, people realize that "the world is taking it, and Henan is fighting." It has become the creed of politicians and military strategists in past dynasties that those who win the Central Plains win the world. The ancients divided China into Kyushu. What is Kyushu? The records in ancient books are inconsistent. "Kyushu" is: Ji, Yan, Qing, Xu, Yang, Jing, Yu, Liang and Yong. "Erya" Kyushu is: Ji, You, Yan, Ying, Xu, Yang, Jing, Yu and Yong. "Kyushu" is: Ji, You, He, Yan, Qing, Yang, Jing, Yu and Yong. Kyushu in Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals is: Yu, Ji, Yan, Qing, Xu, Yang, Jing, Yong and You. According to the old theory, Gong Yu's Kyushu theory is based on the theory that the Yellow Emperor ceded territory and distributed Kyushu. (See Kong Shu) The Geography of Hanshu also clearly records: "In the past, the Yellow Emperor made Wan Li ... the painting field was divided into different states ... Yao was flooded, and Xiangling was divided into twelve states, ruled by Yu. The soil and water are flat and more Kyushu. " Regarding the location of Yuzhou, Gong Yu said: "Jing and He are just Yuzhou." Jingshan is Jingshan Mountain, and it reaches the Yellow River in the north. "Lu Chunqiu" says: "Yuzhou is between the river and the Han Dynasty." River refers to the Yellow River; Chinese refers to Hanshui River. Gao Yousuke:' There are rivers in the north and Han in the south, hence the name' Jian'. Erya: "Henan is called Yuzhou." It can be seen that the place between Henan and Han is the land of the Central Plains and the heart of Kyushu.

Because of its middle geographical position, the Central Plains has been regarded as a country of emperors since ancient times. As early as the Five Emperors, they were all active in this land of the Central Plains. For example, the Yellow Emperor has bears in Xinzheng, the capital of Zhuan Xu is in Puyang, the capital of Yao Ping is in Linfen, and the capital of Shunpu is in Yuncheng, all of which have made great achievements in creating Chinese civilization. Yangcheng, Yangzhai, Zhuan Xu, Yuan and Laoqiu in Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties were all in Henan. The capital of Zhou Dynasty is located in abundant and high places, and the land is the Central Plains in a broad sense. However, after the destruction of Shang Dynasty in Zhou Dynasty, it was proposed to transfer the political center to the Central Plains. "Historical Records" said: "In the past three generations lived between Heluo, so Gao Song was the Zhongyue, and the four Yues each followed their own path." This means that the land of Heluo is close to the best Zhongyue Mountain in the world, so all three generations of kings live in Beijing. The Central Plains is not only the capital of three generations, but also the capital of orthodox dynasties from the Western Han Dynasty to the Northern Song Dynasty. Therefore, the Central Plains has been the imperial capital for thousands of years and the political, economic and cultural center of China. "Yi Zhou Shu Du Yi Jie" records that Zhou Wuwang once looked at the Central Plains after logging, pointing out that "from Luoling to Yiling, there is no fixed residence in Yang, but there is a summer home." I see too much in the south and too much in the north. I want to see the river and Elo. It's not as far as the room. "Heaven is Zhongyue Songshan. Why build an imperial capital near Zhongyue? " "Historical Records of Zhou Benji" said: "If you become a king, you will be rich. Let Zhao Gong go back to Luoyi, just like the king of Wu. Duke of Zhou resumed divination, died and built, and lived in Jiuding. Yue: In this world, all directions are tributes. "The meaning here is clear. Mainly because it is on earth, it is suitable for tribute in all directions. " "Business Patent" said: "Duke Zhou began to build a new city in the east, and the Quartet meeting was held. Kong Zhu said: "When the infrastructure was just completed, most of the city was located in Dongzhouluo, which is located in the middle of the world, and people from all over the world gathered happily." ""also said: "Houdian Principality adopted Wei, worked hard to spread the people, and saw scholars in Zhou Dynasty. "Kong Zhu said: This is a trip to the royal city thousands of miles away." It took several weeks to spread the news to its people and meet with joy. "Shu" also said: "The Duke of Zhou built the base site at the beginning, and the Eastern Zhou built a new city. People from all directions are very happy and peaceful, and the meeting is also political. " Therefore, Heluo region is not only a "tribute from all directions", but also the political center of people from all directions.

Geographical advantages of the Central Plains

In addition to its middle geographical position, the Central Plains also has its superior geographical position. Gu, a A Qing Dynasty scholar, said in the book Reading Historical Records: "From the perspective of the world, Henan is a golden mean; As far as Henan is concerned, Xuzhou is also a mild place. The northern boundary of the river has never overflowed; West control tiger prison, there is no lack of mountain stream resistance; Cai and Deng in Nantong really protected Huai and Han, and Xu also formed a victory zone. It's just that the soil field is fertile and cloudy, which is enough to be called the right time and place in heaven. " ("Gu Zuyu's Summary of Reading History and Geography" Volume 47 Henan II) and said: "In the midsummer of Henan, the road is full. Dunzi said:' North Korea is the throat of the world; Wei, the chest and abdomen of the world. Fan Ju also said: "North Korea, North Korea and China are the axes of the world. Qin Guan said:' Chang 'an is a country with four blockades, which is conducive to defense; Kaifeng, a suburb with four links and five views, is conducive to war; Luoyang is not as good as Yong in defense and Liang in combat, but it is not Luoyang, so Yong He Liang is not important, so it is the throat of the world. According to Luoyang, it is dangerous, the girders are rich, and the rivers and mountains inside and outside are sealed. Three counties in Hebei are in charge of Yan and Zhao. Nanyang and Runing took control of Qin Chu. Returning to virtue is enough to whip Qilu and cover the southeast. Standing in the middle of the sky and running around is a choice. "(ditto note) read here, you can know the geographical importance of Henan as the Central Plains region.

The Central Plains is in the heart of Kyushu and stands in the sky. The terrain is high in the west and low in the east, and the mountain is dangerous. The mountains in the east are steep, the Qinling Mountains in the west are continuous, and the Yellow River in the south and north is vigorous, majestic, neutral and surging. Famous mountains and great rivers complement each other; The plain is fertile and the people are rich. There is a saying in "Guan Zi Riding a Horse": "Where a country is a capital, it must be above Guang Chuan if it is not at the foot of the mountain. Don't use enough water when you are high, and don't use water when you are near water. " Mountains, rivers, soil and water are the first factors to be considered in the capital. Because the Chinese nation is a nation that attaches importance to agriculture, any dynasty cannot but consider the development of agricultural economy. It is for this reason that most politicians and military strategists in China took a fancy to the Central Plains, contended for it, and built its capital there, which determined the central position of the Central Plains in the history of China. In fact, it is a unique geographical situation in which the Central Plains stands at the zenith.

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