traditional cross talk

First, the source of traditional crosstalk

Traditional cross talk is gradually formed in a long historical stage, which absorbs all kinds of art and life nutrition. Like all folk literature, traditional cross talk has its characteristics of collectivity, oral, variability and inheritance. Generally, there are no professional authors and no fixed literary background. It often goes through the practice of countless artists, the selection and comparison of the audience, and finally becomes a mature work. Therefore, the number of traditional crosstalk preserved is not accurate. It is said that there are more than 600 pieces, but only about 300 pieces were recorded as manuscripts after liberation. The contents of these more than 300 paragraphs are repeated or similar to each other, and the techniques are similar.

Works based on real life are the backbone of traditional cross talk. This is because crosstalk is an ironic art, which must reflect the life that people are familiar with and care about, and answer questions that people care about. Therefore, looking at more than 300 traditional works, it is not difficult to find the track of social development and change in China in the past hundred years. It is actually a genre painting of social life. For example, most of the early crosstalk works were aimed at corrupt officials and feudal warlords, among which the corruption of the government, the greed of officials, the arrogance and vanity of warlords were the important ideological characteristics of these works. After the Opium War, China became a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society. Crosstalk is popular at the bottom of the city. The works of this period focus on exposing people's abnormal psychology in a deformed society, such as the bad habit of flattery, extortion, intrigue, and living a life of drunkenness, forming a bizarre portrayal of "social phase." During the Japanese Puppet and Kuomintang rule in China, China was a pile of rotten garbage. Crosstalk is circulated among citizens, and the historical disasters brought to China by imperialism, feudal forces and bureaucratic capitalism are often reflected through the description of their lives. This is a society where people are in poverty and instability. China is a dying corpse, and the stench in the cross talk reflects the incurable disease of old China.

There are many works based on folk jokes in traditional cross talk, and most of them have undergone positive transformation, cutting out those things in the original natural state, often combining with the local social life at that time. For example, for stupid satire, county officials are often regarded as "typical" and reflect those corrupt officials in real life in a tortuous way. The satire on selfishness and meanness is often combined with the world in real life, revealing the social essence of "no official, no greed, no business and no treachery". False satire is built on the cold world of deception and deception. For example, the paragraphs in Impatience and Burning Tail originally described the personality characteristics of impatience and dullness. One is that people are not in a hurry to burn clothes, and the other is that they suddenly get angry when they see "slow". But in the stand-up comedy "Three Dangers a Day", these two kinds of people are used as clues. Focus on writing a greedy county magistrate to find these two kinds of people (and another kind of person who likes to take advantage of small things) to serve his personal interests. When he found these people, he immediately "shot himself in the foot". The impatience worked on him and he was thrown into the river. The "slow temper" looked after the child for him, and the child fell into the well; "Love small and cheap" bought him a coffin, bought a big one and stole a small one ... This kind of plot transformation and sublimation of the theme reflect the people's hatred of the ruler in real life in twists and turns, and the irony and practical significance are more prominent.

Legends about literati are also part of folk literature. Most of them rely on history, and they are often "things happen for a reason, but there is no evidence." Their plots and characters are often reshaped by the public. But once it is absorbed into cross talk, it is given a more exaggerated color, with almost no historical basis, only a recreated artistic image. For example, Confucius, in folklore, has a story about Confucius picking mulberry mothers, which describes his embarrassment of being "deprived of food in Chen", and in cross talk, Confucius becomes a more embarrassing figure. Eating Yuanxiao mocked how he changed "a penny" into "ten pence". He ate Yuanxiao shamelessly and put on a "gentle" look. Confucius in cross talk is similar to a gangster in life, which reflects the views of the masses on this "saint". In the bargain shop, he was tongue-tied for all kinds of questions raised by an ordinary "gangster", which shows that this "saint" is not so smart.

The material of cultural classics is often absorbed by cross talk. They are not only expounded and explained, but also often exaggerated and distorted. Such as Batch Liaozhai, Batch History of Three Kingdoms, San Zi Jing and Four Books, all of these works are skillfully introduced through "crooked" and "distorted" ways, with the purpose of making jokes, reflecting the author's astute and wise eyes, and often laughing at people who don't pretend to understand. The Three Character Classics and Four Books of Lisao also reflect people's contempt for these rigid classics.

Based on language and word games, most of them have a long history and tradition. As early as the Song and Yuan Dynasties, there were skills such as removing white characters, pushing thimbles to continue hemp, saying the names of hundreds of medicines, and saying the names of hundreds of medicines. Traditional crosstalk inherits and develops this historical culture. For example, couplets in Spring Festival couplets, Lv Lin Smokers, Jianghu, Xunwuzi, Siyan Couplet and Eight Auspicious Stories show the charm of Chinese language and the wit and cleverness of crosstalk performers. They are useful intellectual and entertaining works, adding artistic varieties of crosstalk humor, and still exist today.

As for the works of historical figures and historical anecdotes, they are mostly absorbed into stand-up crosstalk. It is similar to an artistic "conductor"-one end is tied with famous historical figures and events, and the other end is greatly exaggerated and perfunctory by cross talk. Most of them express people's feelings through the ontology of history. For example, "Pearl Jade White Jade Soup" describes that after Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor, he ate, drank, and enjoyed himself all day. He misses the "rotten vegetable porridge" that almost froze to death when begging. When this "rotten vegetable porridge" was cooked, Manchu civil servants and Zhu Yuanzhang himself were in an awkward position. This kind of joke is of course a means for modern people to evaluate history.

Traditional crosstalk is a sponge with strong water absorption, and it is a magnet without iron and attraction. It exists at the bottom of life, so it tries its best to absorb all kinds of nutrients and strive to strengthen its body. Looking at more than 300 traditional works, almost every capital has its source of materials, such as folk songs, operas, city sounds, rural sounds, acrobatics, drums and so on. Are the objects it absorbs nutrition.

Second, the ideological and artistic value of traditional crosstalk

(A) the ideological value of traditional crosstalk

Traditional crosstalk grew up in the dark old society. Therefore, satire is its fine realistic tradition. Its sharpness often points to the emperor, the supreme ruler of feudalism. For example, "Changing careers" describes that during the "national mourning", recreational activities were banned throughout the country, and people all wore "breaking the country's filial piety". During this period, artists can't live, so that even the most famous actors have to switch to small businesses. Liu Baoquan, known as the "Drum King", was described as selling porridge in his works, while the famous Peking Opera actor Lao Dan had to switch to selling vegetables. He can't shout, and he is used to the catwalk on the stage. He can only quote the names of all the dishes in the aria of Beijing Opera. When he was exhausted, he met the only buyer-an old lady who wanted to buy his cucumber. He put down the burden and touched his shoulder, feeling extremely painful. He couldn't help but let out a cry: "Bitter!" Unexpectedly, it caused the misunderstanding of the old lady: "Cucumber is bitter, don't …" The artist's experience is a microcosm of the painful life of the working people, and it also accused the ruling class of how to spoil art in twists and turns.

There are many twists and turns of "big jokes" in stand-up crosstalk. Most of them reveal the essence of intrigue, greed, vanity and incompetence between the supreme feudal ruler and his followers with stories, implicit brushstrokes and angry emotions. Sheng San Pin describes the story of how an illiterate rogue became the emperor's darling under various accidental opportunities. Vividly exposed the corruption of official life. The Battle between Monarch and Minister reveals the intrigue between monarch and minister, and vividly shows that the promotion of official career has no inevitable basis, and it is often just a joke of feudal emperors. "Seeing the Governor in a Magistrate's County" satirizes the shady phenomenon of donating officials with money, which is common in feudal society. Magistrates, governors and officials are getting bigger and bigger, and they earn more and more money. As a result, they become "bastards" who can't say or say anything. And watch a stand-up comedy short film called "Belonging to Cattle":

..... There is a Baoding County in the south of Beijing, which was later renamed Xinjin County. This county is in charge of 18 villages, and the investment in 18 villages is not even enough. The investment in this county is smaller, which is the way for the county magistrate to make money! Sheriff, don't hold him. Please give the magistrate a hug and put honey in his mouth. Ninghe county is not a big investment. If you don't exercise the county magistrate, he will mobilize you. The magistrate transferred Xinjin County to Ninghe County, and then transferred Ninghe County to Xinjin County. Xinjin county is willing to have a good job, so can Ninghe county stand it? At that time, Ninghe County will have to give gifts to the county magistrate, but dare not send money. As soon as the money is sent, it is a bribe. When the suggestion is told, it is all brushed off! What should we do? The magistrate has to do two things a year, two birthdays, one for him and one for his wife. His birthday arrived, but all his subordinates went to the classroom to ask:

"Adult's birthday is coming soon?"

"Ah."

"How old are you?"

"Ah, a few."

"What gift do you want me to give you?"

"Then where do I know? Send whatever you like! "

"How old are you?"

"Fifty-six wow."

56. What is appropriate? Think about it, think about it, a 56-year-old mouse, well, went to the gold shop to shoot a golden mouse. Gold is one inch square, sixteen taels. This golden mouse is one foot two inches, and this tail is not enough. Both eyes are two diamonds, five carats and eighty-one. Take this golden mouse and put it on the longevity hall, and the county magistrate will keep an eye on it so that the county magistrate can see it. At that time, the magistrate will have to visit Shoutang, trim his beard and see all kinds of gifts. Take a look, if the weight is light, it is a layer of skin, just put it there! This one didn't move, looked at the next paragraph, looked at the magistrate of a county standing by, patted the magistrate of a county on the shoulder:

"Great, great, this is really sweet, this is really sweet!"

This is to tell the magistrate: "Don't worry, sit there and I will never adjust you." He said, "What a coincidence!"

What ingenious handwork! He said it was too heavy!

"Oh, why are you so attentive? You will know that I belong to the mouse in this house! Haha, just hit a golden mouse. All right! Heart! Ah, my wife will be one year younger than me on her birthday next month. "

Grab it! One year younger, a cow, how much do you have to pay to get a Taurus! Can ordinary people live? !

This irony is angry, and there is no whip mark. It shows the ugly soul of the satirized object with its own actions. Traditional cross talk grew up in the old society, so it is impossible to call a spade a spade and directly attack the society. In order to survive under heavy pressure, we often take various twists and turns. The so-called "laughing and cursing, all become articles." There are many ways to play language and words, which seem to make people laugh, but in fact they contain irony. According to legend, Zhu Shaowen's Ci Xiang, which was performed during Tongzhi and Guangxu years, is one of the representative works. The so-called "word image" is to borrow the pictographic and homophonic characteristics of Chinese characters to say that one meaning is another meaning and whether one is true or not. Write a word in the way of "one word, one image, one rise and one fall", saying what it looks like, what official it has been, and why it was dismissed. Look at one of them:

(A wrote a word "one")

A: The word "one" is like a rolling pin.

What kind of official have you been?

A: Patrol Publishing House. Isn't the rolling surface on the chopping board? Roll here, roll there, roll in thick places, and patrol back and forth on the chopping board.

B: Why?

A: Because it is soft-hearted. Kindness cannot be in power, softness cannot eat noodles!

(B wrote a word "two")

What is the word "two" like?

Like a pair of chopsticks.

Answer: People's chopsticks are all long on one side. Why are your chopsticks on the other side?

B: I'm here ... I have red briquettes!

What kind of official have you been?

B: I'm a general who cleans dishes.

Why did you lose your job?

Because he's cute! (Holding money)

A: Why?

B: no, the food is gone!

(B wrote a word "He")

Like what?

B: Like a dung fork.

A: Like a dung fork? A shit fork has five teeth?

I dropped one.

What kind of official have you been?

B: I have done classical history!

A: Is there a history of Do Canon?

No, it ordered shit.

A: For what?

Because it is corrupt. ...

In the period of warlord melee, Chuai Guxiang criticized reactionary warlords as "thieves' bones", "base bones" and "rebels' bones" in the form of physiognomy. When imperialism invaded China, its internal troubles and foreign invasion made the people miserable, and a number of works like Mixed Noodles and Tooth Powder Bag came into being. "Tooth powder bag" satirizes "strengthening public order" and the price is soaring. The actor says that the price of flour is "falling endlessly", but the bag is a little small: like a tooth powder bag.

In addition to the sharp criticism of rulers, the exposure of dirty social atmosphere and ugly world is also massive, touching almost all fields of social life. For example, works with the word "Lun" include Danglun, Piaolun, Gambling Lun, Crying Lun, Wotoulun and Small Business Lun. "On Dang" reveals how usurers who take physical objects as collateral extort money by hook or by crook. When a dress arrives at a pawnshop, it is often praised as worthless and criticized as worthless. Look at their description of fur coats:

Pick up the fur coat and shout, "Write!" At this point, the ticket writer has prepared his pen, waiting to write something and wait for the number. "write! An old sheepskin coat ... "I was wrong when I heard it. My father's fur coat was cut into two hairs. Well, an old sheep is an old sheep. You have to give it to me when you redeem it anyway. It's hard to praise or criticize it. "An old sheepskin jacket bitten by a mouse, with short sleeves, no buttons, no buttons, no bottom, no hem, no collar and no sleeve head!" I said, "Take it back and I'll export it into a bundle of cloth!" " (I said, "I redeemed it and became a curtain for my ass!" " ")" This is a joke. "Two. You don't have leather for your fur coat. You have to wrap it in paper. " I said, "How much is it?" "Twenty cents each." "Ok, please pack one." "One is too little, including four dollars!" -I have to give him the fur coat and change money for him!

"On Prostitution" and "On Gambling" satirize the abnormal social atmosphere in China, and the debauchery of shameless prostitutes and clients exudes the stench of decadent life. The so-called casino more vividly expounds the strange life trajectory. Dim lights, obscene shouts, the madness of winners, the curse of losers, and the schadenfreude of onlookers are really a true portrayal of the relationship between people in that era. And all kinds of businesses, big or small, are aimed at deceiving others and harming others. Please look at the paragraph describing persimmon vendors in Small Business:

Persimmons in autumn, even persimmon sellers shouted: (Learn) "Pumpkins are big, alas, not astringent, astringent, and can be changed." If it tastes astringent, change the tube. Everyone who buys persimmons should ask this sentence: "Is it astringent?" If he says it is astringent, people will not buy it; If he says it's not astringent, he has to change it for someone else. He answered this sentence very well: "Try it!" When the buyer listens to him, he will not be astringent. When he picked up Qi, he just said, "Wow! What a mean guy! Oh, please change it. Very embarrassing. " He even said, "Don't eat with skin! Now that the first frost has passed, I don't want to take this persimmon, which is a bit rough. " If you chew off the skin, it won't be astringent. "This is really obedient. He picked up the persimmon and chewed it in circles. He chewed off all the skin, even if the middle part was astringent, he couldn't eat it. How come? My tongue is numb.

This "business experience" is a portrayal of social depravity, which permeated every cell of business at that time. The purpose of physiognomy is to cheat money. The guy who went to the restaurant obviously saw the food with flies, so he would rather swallow it as "big material" and cheat customers of their money. Selling cloth ends describes a cloth vendor who used the language of shouting and hype to brag about the quality of his cloth ends. He mystified, pretended to reduce the price, and finally lost all his money. Please see:

A: (Learn to shout) ... When you come to our booth, you will get the same goods, the same price and the same market. No one will buy rags from a small cloth stand! When you come to our booth, you have time to listen to our size. Let's make a concession. One foot is five feet, two feet is ten feet, three feet is fifteen feet, four feet is twenty feet and one foot is twenty feet. When I arrived at Dabupu, I bought one foot and 18 cents, ten feet and 18 cents, and 28 16 was 3.6 yuan. When we arrived at our booth, we didn't need three dollars and six cents. You don't want three dollars and two cents. It doesn't matter if you don't want three dollars. I have to let go, because I am an extra branch. Go to 20 cents, let 20 cents, you give it to 2.6 yuan; Remove the dime, let the dime give you two dollars and four cents, remove two cents and let the two cents give you two dollars. That can be said to be wrapped in cloth. I want two yuan, but I don't want to sell it now. What happened? I lost my money and shouted. My apprentice knew that the thugs were not paid, so he knitted some coarse cloth, blue cloth and big white cloth. He will learn very well. Where is the skirt? The old lady named fourth brother Hua is a cat-flowers, flowers, flowers, pancakes! This is not two dollars; Go to 20 cents, let 20 cents, you give a dollar and six cents; To a hair, let a hair you give a piece of four; If you ask for another twenty cents, you will give one or two cents; Go to 20 cents a dollar; Not a dollar. Let's each give fifty cents and make fifty cents ... "

B how much is left?

Garber took it!

In order to survive in the competition, small traders do not hesitate to use various means, and finally lose their minds or even lose their money. The satire on "social aspect" is a vivid picture, and its artistic effect is various, both mocking its despicable side and sympathizing with its unfortunate experience. Different from the total denial of the enemy. This is actually a criticism of the shortcomings and mistakes of traditional cross talk among the people. The purpose is not only to point to these people themselves, but to reveal the social and historical reasons for their mistakes. For example, the satire on the relationship between friends' eating and drinking (eating for free) is actually a serious and well-intentioned exhortation, and the satire on going to the opera and drinking too much is also to attract people's attention to treatment. The hero in Drunk is trapped in a wine jar, and his wife comes to see him. He also made such a request: "A good wife doesn't have to cry or be sad, so don't uncover it all. If you read the meaning of my husband and wife, send some wine at once. "

In short, whether it is a satire on the enemy or a mockery of friends, most of the traditional cross talk has the advantages of sharp edges, accurate goals and proper methods. In a dark society, this is naturally an ideological weapon to fight for freedom and express ideals. It is in the ironic laughter that people express their resentment over the suffocating social life, as if a small hole had been pierced in a closed iron pipe, which inspired people's courage in life and comforted the souls of the injured. All of this, in today's view, still has the value of existence and direct educational significance, which has laid a realistic tradition of cross talk reflecting life and intervening in life. Although there are not many flawless works, they are the backbone of traditional cross talk.