The origin of Chinese knots

Chinese knots, which show emotion and wisdom, are only one aspect of China's ancient civilization.

It is a metaphor for human reproduction from generation to generation.

This is a game demonstration of mathematical mystery.

It has a complex and beautiful curve, but it can be reduced to the simplest two-dimensional line.

It has an elegant charm, which comes from the basic tools of early human life.

1, knotting notes

In fact, the record of knotting, which people often discuss, is another important role that knots play in the history of human development. According to "Yi Cohesion", "In ancient times, the method of tying a rope was used, and later saints used bibliographic contracts easily." Zheng Xuan in the Eastern Han Dynasty said in the Book of Changes: "Knotting a rope is a promise. This is a big event and a big knot. It is a trivial matter, so sum up its rope. " It can be seen that in the ancient land of China, "Festival" was endowed with the legal ideographic functions of "deed" and "covenant" by ancestors, and also had the function of recording historical events, so "Festival" was highly praised by people.

For thousands of years, human recording methods have experienced the baptism of knots and Oracle bones, pens and paper, lead and fire, light and electricity. Nowadays, you can see the history of 5000 years by pressing the keyboard gently between the squares of notebook computers. Colored string is no longer a tool for people to remember. When it is tied into various knots, it revives ancient and beautiful legends.

2. There is a Qian Qian knot in it.

Zhang Xian, a poet in the Song Dynasty, wrote, "The heart is like a double screen with a Qian Qian knot inside.". Describe the state in which the family misses the old friend and their hearts are entangled after the girl's lovelorn. In classical literature, "knot" has always symbolized the lingering feelings of young men and women. How colorful human emotions are, and "knots" are ever-changing.

In the long process of evolution, "knot" has been endowed with various emotional wishes by sentimental people. Jie Jie suggested that in Chinese, many important events with centripetal convergence are almost metaphorical, such as knot, couplet, oath, alliance, unity and so on. Marriage events between men and women are also expressed by "knot", such as marriage, marriage and union. Knot is the beginning of things, with a beginning and an end, so there are "results", "endings" and "endings". Since ancient times, "concentric knot" has become a token of love between men and women, and another example is "embroidered with acacia knot and tied with brocade", and knot ornaments have been recognized as a kind of emotional thing by the people. "Married couples" also originated from the wedding night of the ancients. Both men and women swear eternal love with a lock of long hair. There is a poem saying that "the horizontal silk is a dragon and phoenix, and the carved flowers are colorful clouds, one inch is concentric and lasts for a hundred years" is a vivid description.

3, the knot of clothing

Let's take a look at the 5,000-year history of China clothing. Since the knot was coiled into an "S" shape and decorated on the waist, it has experienced the ribbon of the Zhou Dynasty, the double ribbon on the waist of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the silk knot in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the jade bracelet in the Song Dynasty, the buckle on the cheongsam in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the purse and sachet handed down from generation to generation.

4. Auspicious "sound knot"

Chinese knots, like other China arts, use natural forms and homophones to get their meanings. For example, the combination of "auspicious knot", "fragrant knot" and "fish knot" becomes more knot ornaments than auspiciousness, and the combination of "bat knot" and "money knot" can form "happiness in sight". By analogy, the connotations of blessings such as "long life", "abundant financial resources", "happy reunion" and "happiness and auspiciousness" are extended, which are regarded as symbols of folk prayers and become auspicious ornaments handed down from generation to generation.

5, the knot of the gods

There is also a kind of Chinese knot that is considered as a magical thing, which can achieve the effects of exorcising evil spirits, suppressing evil spirits and protecting yang from yin, such as "auspicious knot" and "winding knot". As an amulet embodying mysterious religious concepts, this knot is widely used among the people and has formed a certain inheritance mechanism. This is probably one of the reasons why the "knot" culture is endless.

6, fashion knot

The forms of Chinese knots are mostly complete shapes that are consistent up and down, symmetrical left and right, consistent positive and negative, and connected end to end. Several-foot-long colored ropes are made by various technical skills in strict accordance with certain rules and regulations, such as knotting, knotting, threading, winding, weaving and drawing.

Nowadays, skilled workers have taken a fancy to the ingenious charm of its oriental culture and redefined it as necklace, bracelet, earrings, headdress, hairpin, etc., so as to give full play to its independent value as an elegant ornament.

7 7- 10/00000 years ago, at the end of the Paleolithic period, cavemen at that time already knew how to sew up animal skins and wear them to keep out the cold. In other words, cavemen already know how to tie ropes together and tie knots, and then gradually develop various knots. Knots were recorded in China's early literature, such as the Book of Changes: "Knots in ancient times were recorded, and later sages also bookmarked them." "Han Zhengxuan Zhouyi" Note: "The big things are tied to their ropes, and the small things are tied to their ropes. 」

Chinese knots were tied by sewing clothes in the Paleolithic Age, which extended to the ritual records of the Han Dynasty and then evolved into today's decorative techniques. Jade articles worn by Zhou people are often decorated with Chinese knots, and bronzes in the Warring States period also have patterns of Chinese knots. It was not until the Qing Dynasty that Chinese knots really spread in folk art, mostly used for interior decoration, gifts between relatives and friends and personal ornaments. In 69 (1980), it was widely collected and studied by a group of friends who loved the art of tying knots in Taiwan Province Province. Because of its symmetrical and exquisite appearance, it can represent the long history of the Chinese nation and conform to the custom and aesthetic concept of traditional decoration in China, so it is named Chinese knot.

The compilation of Chinese knots has to go through the process of editing, drawing and repairing. The knitting methods of various knots are fixed, but drawing can determine the tightness of knots, the length of ears and wings, and the smoothness and neatness of lines, which can fully show the artistic skills and cultivation of the choreographer. Repair is the final modification of the knot, such as beading and sizing. Because there are many kinds of knot ornaments, which are beautiful and elegant, besides cotton, hemp, silk, nylon, leather thread, there are also metal wires such as gold and silver that can be matched, which further enhances the function and application scope of Chinese knot ornaments. Whether it is the beautification of all kinds of jewelry, clothing accessories, gift packaging, or the decoration of all kinds of indoor furnishings, Chinese knots can be used to add beauty.

Chinese knots are not only beautifully shaped and colorful, but also the names of their works, such as "Twin", "Double Happiness", "LAM Raymond Cheng Xiang", "Carp yue longmen", "Auspicious", "Good Luck" and "Fang Shengping", all have the unique symbols of auspiciousness and happiness of the Chinese nation. Give these special ornaments to relatives and friends.

At present, there are more than ten kinds of basic knots in our country, and their names are all named according to their shapes, uses, or original origins and meanings.

take for example

1. Double money knot: It looks like two and a half pieces of ancient China copper coins, hence the name.

2. Newbutton knot: often used to tie clothes, named after its function.

3. Oxalis Knot: Its three outer ears resemble the leaves of Oxalis, hence the name.

4. Tuanjinjie: It looks like a flower, hence the name. The golden knot is complete and diverse, similar to the shape of a flower. Although the knot is small, it is beautiful and not easy to loosen. Often inlaid with beads, very beautiful.

5. Cross knot: The knot has two sides, one is the mouth and the other is the cross, which is called a cross knot.

6. Auspicious knot: Auspicious knot is an extension of the cross knot and one of the ancient decorative knots, which means auspiciousness and auspiciousness. The knitting method is simple, the knot shape is beautiful, there are many kinds, and it is widely used. When used alone, if the knot is easily deformed by hanging heavy objects, it can be fixed with setting glue.

7. The swastika used by the Nazi Party: The line of the knot resembles the symbol of Buddhism, hence the name.

8. Long knot: The basic shape is like the length of one of the eight treasures of Buddhism, which symbolizes the practice of the circle, is the origin of all things, and is one of the most important basic knots. It is often the main knot of many varied knots, and because Chinese knots are closely symmetrical, they are easily loved by ordinary people in sense and vision.

9. Algae well knot: named for its compact structure, gorgeous shape and ancient patio. Well and brocade are homophonic, also known as algae well.

Chinese knots, like paintings, sculptures, ceramics and dishes in China, are easily recognized by foreigners, indicating that China is the representative of the Chinese nation.

Chinese knot art is a unique folk hand-woven art in China. With its unique oriental charm and colorful changes, it fully embodies the wisdom and profound cultural heritage of the people of China. In the process of Beijing's bid to host the Olympic Games, Chinese knots, as a symbol of China's traditional culture, are deeply loved by friends from all over the world.

People in China learned to tie knots a long time ago. And "knot" has always played an important role in China people's life. One of the main reasons why knot is so important is that it is a very practical technology. This can be seen from many historical materials and traditional customs: the earliest record

As early as the end of the Paleolithic period, that is, the remains of Zhoukoudian caveman culture, the existence of "bone needle" was discovered. Since there is a needle, there must be a rope at that time, so it is inferred that simple knotting and sewing techniques should have been formed at that time.

1, the predecessor of the text

"Book of Changes" contains: "The ancient records were used by later saints to write books", and Zheng Xuan's "Book of Changes" also notes; As the saying goes, big things are summed up with their ropes, and small things are summed up with their ropes. However, the figures and symbols seen on bronzes during the Warring States period still have the shape of knots. Judging from these historical materials, the structure has indeed been used as an auxiliary memory tool, and it can also be said that it is the predecessor of words.

2, the habit of wearing

1) clothes

The earliest clothes did not have today's buttons, zippers and other accessories, so if you want to tie clothes, you can only use this method of tying belts.

2) Jade collocation

Chinese people have always had the habit of wearing jade articles. The shapes of the past dynasties are jade yellow, jade dragon and jade. Small round holes are drilled on it, so as to pass through the string and tie these Yu Pei to the clothes. In addition, there is a complete set of Yu Pei, which is composed of several different Yu Pei of Linlin Langlang on a long rope, and its connection mode is of course not by tying a rope.

3) Application

Print button and mirror button

The ancients had the habit of hanging seals on their bodies. Compared with the China seal handed down from generation to generation, there were buttons on all sides. In ancient bronze mirrors, the mirror buckle was cast in the center of the back and could be held side by side. It is not difficult to see from these two places that knots were widely used in China's ancient life.

A true lover's knot

The ancients liked to weave ribbons into a string of palindromes to express their love, which was called concentric knots. In Liang Wudi's poems, there is a saying that "the waist is double and the dream is concentric knot", and in Jiao Fang's music in the Tang Dynasty, there is also an inscription of "concentric knot".

4) women's dress decoration

Gu Kaizhi, a great painter in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, painted a picture scroll of Women's Historical Proverbs, which truly reflected the social outlook at that time. You can learn a little about the decoration of women at that time from the paintings. For example, a simple one-wing bow was found as a practical ornament on a woman's belt in the painting. In addition, in the mural of Princess Yongtai's tomb in the Tang Dynasty, a lady had a knot on her belt, which is what we now call a bow. By the Qing Dynasty, knots had been regarded as an art with various styles and ingenious patterns. At that time, knots were widely used as decorations, and beautiful decorative knots with auspicious words were often woven under daily necessities such as sedan chairs, door curtains, curtains, shoulder pendants, flutes, sachets, hairpins, necklaces, glasses bags and tobacco bags.

3. Modernity: The Art of Knotting Knots

By the Qing Dynasty, knots had developed to a very high level, with various styles and ingenious names. This exquisite ornament was simply regarded as a work of art. In Cao Xueqin's thirty-fifth novel A Dream of Red Mansions, "White jade tastes lotus leaf soup, and Huang Qiao is a plum blossom" has a dialogue, describing Baoyu's peace talks and brocade winding (winding is one of the applications of knots), explaining the purpose of knots at that time, the deployment of ornaments and knots, and the style and name of knots. Knots were very useful at that time, such as blessings from relatives and friends. Everything was decorated with intricate and varied knots and tassels. Beautiful decorative knots are also woven in the wind town under daily necessities such as sedan chairs, curtains, curtain hooks, fan pendants, flutes, sachets, hair clips, small boxes, glasses bags, tobacco bags and calligraphy and painting hanging shafts, and sometimes these knots have auspicious meanings.

4. Today's Chinese knot art

Since the Republic of China, due to a large number of western ideas such as science and technology, China's original social form and lifestyle have undergone major changes, and many inherent cultural heritages have not been well preserved and disseminated, resulting in low practical value, while time-consuming and laborious traditional culture and skills have gradually declined and even disappeared in the society that is constantly transforming into modernization. China's traditional knitting technology is the best example. Another reason for the decline of weaving art is that the materials it uses, whether animal fibers or ropes made of plants, are limited by innate conditions and cannot withstand various physical and chemical erosion of the years, so they cannot be passed down to future generations for a long time. The oldest knot attached to utensils can only be found in the Qing Dynasty.