The origin and story of "couplets" in Chinese traditional culture

The Spring Festival is the grandest traditional festival in China, and because it falls on the first day of the first month of the lunar year, it is the beginning of the year in the lunar calendar. It is the beginning of the year in the lunar calendar. At this time, families reunite and celebrate with great enthusiasm, which is called "New Year's Eve". During the Chinese New Year, every family likes to write and post Spring Festival couplets to express their wishes and expectations for the new year with auspicious phrases, and thus Spring Festival couplets have become part of the traditional culture of China's festivals. Spring Festival couplets have a long history, and their predecessor was called "peach charm". It was made of dark red peach wood cut into rectangular boards, on which two images of gods - Shentan (tú;) and Yubi - were painted and nailed on both sides of the main door to drive away ghosts and evil spirits for good luck.

By the time of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, there was a monarch in Hou Shu named Meng Chang (chǎng). On New Year's Eve one year, he was in a good mood, so he asked Xin Yinxun, a Hanlin scholar by his side, to write two auspicious words on a peach wood board, which he wanted to hang on the door of his bedroom. When Xin Yinxun finished writing, Meng Chang did not like, so he raised the pen, personally wrote ten words: "New Year's Day Na Yuqing, good festival number Changchun." Although there are not many words, these two sentences are very auspicious. The word "Yuqing" means "remaining blessings". It means to receive new blessings in the new year. The second sentence is that the beautiful festival is called Spring Festival, which means that the warmth of spring is everlasting on earth. These ten characters are not only neatly matched, but also have the four words "Spring Festival" skillfully embedded in them. So when Meng Chang finished writing it, the ministers around him all applauded it, and Meng Chang was naturally very happy.

From then on, peach charms gradually evolved into couplets, and then peach wood was replaced by red paper. Once the Spring Festival came, bright red dazzling couplets were pasted on the door of every house, and the festive atmosphere was naturally stronger.