Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Traditional virtues - What are the characteristics of couplets give examples and analyze
What are the characteristics of couplets give examples and analyze
Couplets are a very practical form of literature, no matter they are elegant, commonplace or elegant and commonplace couplets, they can create a peaceful and festive, or elegant and solemn atmosphere and style when they are posted, hung or carved on the doorposts and halls. Therefore, since the creation of couplets, it has been closely related to people's daily life, and gradually integrated into Chinese folk customs, becoming an indispensable part of traditional Chinese culture. It is generally believed that the earliest couplets were spring couplets, which originated from peach charms. From the Jin Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, this literary form of couplets had already sprouted and gradually developed. However, people usually take the spring couplet inscribed on the peach-shaped board by Meng Chang, the lord of Shu in the Five Dynasties, on the New Year's Day of 963 A.D.
New Year's Celebration
Eternal Spring in Good Festivals
as the origin of spring couplets. Until the Ming and Qing Dynasties, couplets gradually became popular and continue to this day. In short, the strong tradition and practicality is the soil on which the couplet survives and develops.
As a unique form of literature, couplets are not only very practical, but also very demanding in art. Its literary and artistic style can be summarized as "short and concise". Couplet length is often not long, the number of words on one side of a few words to a dozen words, hundreds of words, thousands of words of long couplets, and not often seen. Because of this, on the one hand, it is very strict in terms of meter, not just two sets of words equal to the number of words can be put together. If there is no strict meter, then, as a unique literary form of couplets, its uniqueness, artistry will be gone, and its artistic vitality is difficult to sustain. Because the most essential artistic characteristic of the couplet is its symmetry, and only rigorous meter, in order to ensure its symmetry. On the other hand, as a form of small literary genres, its content should be tough, should contain as rich as possible thought meaning. In this sense, a couplet if only the form and the lack of connotation, then, inevitably reduced to a "word game", "carving small skills". On the other hand, a good couplet has the reputation of "poetry of poetry". In short, the form and content of the refined nature of the couplet is another important artistic characteristics.
In addition, the couplet is also a form of literature with strong enlightenment. Learning to write couplets is of great help to our study of Chinese language and literature, especially the basics of character sounds, rhymes, lexical properties, grammar and rhetoric, etc. Appreciating and writing couplets is an important part of learning Chinese language and literature. Appreciating and writing couplets is a good form of learning Chinese.
All in all, the cultural and artistic characteristics of couplets can be roughly summarized as follows: ethnicity, tradition, practicality, symmetry, refinement, enlightenment, and so on.
(2)
Couplets are a form of literature that emphasizes meter, and in order to appreciate and write couplets, you must understand the most basic requirements of meter. The so-called couplet meter (referred to as the law), refers to the couplet about the level, word, grammar and rhetoric, as well as writing and posting of the format and laws, the core is the battle. The basic rules of couplets can be summarized as follows:
1. Equal number of words and related content.
From the point of view of the number of words, in principle, as long as the number of words in the upper and lower couplets is equal, no matter how many words can be. Such as the upper and lower couplets of four words, then called quadrille, and so on. But in practice, more than four words, because the Chinese characters generally need more than four words to form a sentence. From the content point of view, a couplet between the upper and lower couplets, the content should be related, that is, the meaning of each other to set off or connect with each other, in order to play the opposite of each other or complement each other's effect. Most of the couplets between the contents of the couplet
belong to the relationship between each other set off. This kind of contrast is either from the same point of view of each other, complement each other (the so-called "positive"), or from the opposite point of view of each other, contrast each other (the so-called "against"), "positive" such as:
Heart lotus pure
Sexual sea of harmony (Note: the quoted couplets without the author or source, are from this book, the same below.)
"Against":
The heart is calm and accumulates blessings
The desire to be heavy invites disasters
There are a few couplets where the content between the upper and lower couplets belongs to the relationship of mutual articulation (the so-called "string pair" or "running water pair"), that is, the upper and lower couplets of the two clauses **** the same as the composition of a compound sentence, the upper and lower couplets there is a kind of consistency, progress, choice, transition, cause and effect, assumptions, conditions, purposes and other complex relationships. The purpose of the sentence is to make a composite relationship between the two clauses. Of course, this kind of mutual articulation at the same time is also mutually supportive. For example:
If there is no poison in the heart in the past life
Where is the accidental disaster in this life
Again:
Besides sweet, bitter, spicy, salty, sour and astringent
Nothing more than firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy, vinegar, and tea
If the content of the next couplet is not relevant, it will make people feel very hard and funny, and then it will not be able to achieve the literary effect of the couplet.
Unless it is a special form of couplet, the so-called "ruthless pair". It refers to the form of the couplet (literally) neatly, but the content (meaning) is not related, thus creating a special effect. For example:
Three-star Brandy
May Yellow Plum Day (commonly used)
Flowering in front of the court
Your Excellency Mr. Li (commonly used)
Peach and plum in the public sector to fight for glory
France, Holland and Belgium (commonly used)
The tree has been half withered, do not long axe
Reality is not related to a little bit (commonly used)
There is no need for the use of the word "withered" in a word.
2. The words are comparable, the concepts are comparable, the structure is proportional, and the rhythm is proportional.
The so-called lexical equivalence means that the nature of the words opposite the upper and lower couples (in the strict sense, the lexical nature of each word) should be the same or similar as far as possible. Such as noun to noun, verb to verb, adjective to adjective, and conjunction to conjunction, adverb to adverb, and so on. For example:
Da Xing Jie Shuwen forgetting honor and disgrace
To Dao, no emotion, empty right and wrong
If we look at each word, "Da" and "To", "Honor" and "Yes", "disgrace" and "No" are adjectives, "Xing" and "Dao", "Shuwen" and "Emotion" are nouns, and "Jie" and "No", "Forgetting" and "Empty" are verbs. In practice, however, the requirements for imaginary words are more lenient, and it is generally possible to use an imaginary word for an imaginary word. The requirements for real words are stricter, and different words are generally not relative. But those words that are close to each other, or can be used in both real words, are still allowed to be relative, such as nouns and pronouns, some verbs and adjectives. Of course, the same lexical nature is a working pair, and the lexical nature is similar or common is a wide pair.
More strictly speaking, not only should the words be equivalent, but also the concepts represented by the words should be equivalent, i.e., they should be as similar or relative as possible. This also involves the wide work of the couplet. If the two words *** with the concept of the category of the smaller, the more work on the battle, and vice versa, the wider. For example: "China" to "rooster", its *** with the category of things; "dawn" to "rooster", it is narrowed to natural objects; "grass" to "rooster", it is narrowed to living things; "horse" to "rooster", it is narrowed to animals; "duck" to "rooster", it is narrowed to birds and even poultry. Moreover, if the two words between the upper and lower couplets, the more contradictory conceptual relations (the so-called "contradictory concepts"), the more work, "there" to "no", "true" to "false", "life" to "death", "material" to "spiritual", "nature" to "society" and so on, belongs to the work of the pair.
The so-called structural proportionality refers to the fact that the grammatical structure of the upper and lower statements should be the same or similar, i.e., the subject-predicate structure to the subject-predicate structure, the verb-object structure to the verb-object structure, the bias-positive structure to the bias-positive structure, the juxtaposition structure to the juxtaposition structure, and so on. For example:
Sheng Xing Yan Buddha's Land
Zheng Dharma Benefits the World
Both of the above and below are subject-verb-object structures. Among them, "Sheng Xing" and "Zheng Dharma", and "Buddha's Land" and "the world", are both in a positive and negative structure.
Soft head, wonderful light, renowned
Lion, sharp sword, dignified appearance
"Soft head, wonderful light" versus "lion, sharp sword" are all parallel structures; "dignified" versus "dignified appearance" are all subject-predicate structures; "soft head" versus "lion," "wonderful light" versus "sharp sword," and "dignified" versus "dignified appearance" are all paratactic structures.
Additionally, the rhythm between the upper and lower couplets should be proportional. Couplet line more than two words (sometimes also a word or three words) for a rhythm. Rhythm is proportional, that is, should be synchronized as far as possible. For example:
End of leakage-fly away-go
Emptiness of mind-and return
Another example:
Protecting the Dharma with the power of the
Set up -Menglangbun -Supernaturalization -Compassionate Relatives
In short, the use of words and phrases in the upper and lower couplets, in terms of lexical and grammatical structure and rhythm, should be comparable or proportional as far as possible, in order to maintain formal coordination and neatness. However, these requirements in practice or allow appropriate relaxation. Individual cases, there can also be variations. For example:
Fifty-three sittings, visiting the masters to seek the right wisdom
Hundred cities and smoky waters, practicing the original heart
In which, "fifty-three sittings" and "hundred cities and smoky waters" are two common phrases relative to the same allusion. From the point of view of lexical and structural aspects of the form, it is strictly speaking not in accordance with the rules of association, but from the point of view of the content, it belongs to the "righteousness of the pair", which is permissible.
3. The level and oblique coordination.
Level and oblique coordination, in a narrow sense, refers to the couplet in the tone of the two major requirements: level and oblique relative to the level and oblique alternation. In a broader sense, it also includes the arrangement of the foot of the sentence and some other problems of the level and oblique. In order to clarify these issues, we must first distinguish between what is a flat tone and what is an oblique tone. There are two criteria for this. In the creation of couplets, the general use of the "ancient four tones", that is, the ancient Chinese language will be divided into four tones of flat, up, to go, into the four tones, in addition to the flat tone, up, to go, into the tone are oblique. Nowadays, there are a few people who use the "new four tones", i.e., modern Chinese divides the tones into four tones: yinping, yangping, Shangsheng, and Daosheng. Among them, yinping and yangping are flat tones, and Shangsheng and Daosheng are oblique tones. The key to the difference between the two tones lies in the incoming characters. The mastery and recognition of the sound character, generally there is a rule to follow, I do not want to repeat here. For beginners,
the easiest way is to use a toolkit first. According to the author's personal experience, it is easier to familiarize oneself with the incipient characters in the application. However, it is important to note that although the above two usages can go hand in hand, they should not be used together in the same couplet.
Now let's go back to the question of the coordination of the oblique and the flat. The so-called "relative" is that the sound steps of the upper and lower couplets should be flat and oblique, and the oblique and the flat. On the other hand, if the flat to flat, oblique to oblique, it is called flat and oblique wrong, also known as the same sound relative. Steps and rhythms are generally the same concept, generally speaking, a rhythm is a step. Since the couplet is born from the metrical poem, therefore, in terms of level and oblique, the couplet is basically the same as the metrical poem. Moreover, there is a saying that "one, three, five, no matter, two, four, six, clear" for the arrangement of tone steps. Because in reality, it is not necessarily required that the whole tone step is relative to each other, but only in the tone step position. The so-called tone step position is the last character of each tone step, which is the key sound that determines the nature of the whole tone step. Since most of the tone steps in Chinese characters are two-character tone steps, the tone steps generally refer to the second, fourth and sixth characters of each sentence. That's why we have "one, three, five, no matter what, two, four, six, clear". For example:
Sadness and happiness
The matter of two lines (Note: the flat tone with " " indicates, the oblique tone with " " indicates, the same below.)
Another example is:
Fire and salary are still there
Body is broken, God is lost, and the line does not die
While one, three, and five may not necessarily be the same as the other, two, four, and six are the same as the other, which is a work of pairs. However, not all of the sound steps are in the position of two, four or six, mainly because, in addition to the format of the couplet line in the poetry of the main battle sentence, there are also lyrics, music, literature and fugue and other formats, as well as the existence of the leading word.
Disgusted with the suffering of the Sahara
Promoting the Pure Land Dharma
Watching a beautiful woman's vase of dung
Sighing at the willingness of mortals to throw themselves into the mud
Straightforwardness is the foundation of all actions
Greed is the source of all suffering
Deeply and diligently practicing the true words of the truth
Promoting the Dhammapada with all our might
Talking about the relative level, we must mention the footer of the couplet. It is important to mention the foot of a couplet. Regardless of the length of a couplet, and regardless of whether the penultimate character is level or oblique, the first couplet should end in an oblique tone, i.e., the last character (the foot of the sentence) should be in an oblique tone, while the second couplet should end in a level tone. Generally can not be on the first line of the end of the flat tone, the next line of the end of the oblique tone; more can not be the same sound to the end. In addition, a long couplet composed of several phrases, but also pay attention to the foot of each phrase can not be all oblique or all flat, but should be staggered,
As for the specific arrangement of this staggering, there is no conclusive answer. However, the use of "horseshoe rhyme" to write a long couplet is a better way of arranging the foot of the lines.
The so-called alternation of level and oblique, which is actually two sides of the same coin, refers to the fact that the level and oblique of a sentence should be used alternately between its own steps, otherwise it is an alternation of level and oblique. Only the last word of each sentence (the foot of the sentence) can be disregarded. For example:
Buddha's body is far beyond the world's reach
Mythical teachings cannot be listened to by small minds
And for example:
Nothing comes from any phase
Getting to be in patience does not give birth to the mind
There are some other taboos in the issue of leveling and narrowing, such as the taboo of "three-level end" or "three-nonlevel end," and the taboo of "lone level" or "lone level" and so on, which are to be talked about again below.
On the whole, the couplet in the coordination of the level and oblique is concerned about, writing couplets can not not speak of the level and oblique. If it is said that equal number of words, equivalent words and concepts, grammatical structures and rhythms give the couplets aesthetic features such as neatness, rigor, contrast, structure and rhythm, then the coordination of the level and oblique gives the couplets an important aesthetic feature of the beauty of the rhyme and sound. Of course, sometimes, in order not to harm the meaning of the words, individual places appear to be out of pairs or out of pairs, can also be accommodated.
4. Several taboos.
In addition to the above three basic requirements, there are several taboos in the couplet in terms of meter, that is, several situations should be avoided:
"three flat end" or "three oblique end"; "lonely flat" or "lonely oblique"; "the same place heavy words" and "different heavy words"; "the same meaning of the opposite"; etc.
There are also some other taboos in the couplet in terms of meter:
"Three flat ends" or "three oblique ends"; "solitary flat" or "solitary oblique"; "identical heavy words" and "different heavy words"; "identical opposite"; etc.
This is a very important point.
"Three flat endings" or "three oblique endings" means that the last three words of a sentence are either flat or oblique. For example, if the word "can" is replaced by "can" in the phrase "can enter the Way", it will become a triple-negative ending. Another example is "The deepest of fates is sitting on the lotus platform", if "sit" is changed to "ascend", it will become a triple-nonlevel ending.
"Lonely flat" or "lonely oblique" means that in a sentence of more than five characters, there is only one flat character or only one oblique character. For example, if the phrase "without words, the door is opened" is changed to "without words, the door is opened", then it is "lonely and oblique"; and if the phrase "the light of the heart of the great sun shines all over the world" is changed to "the light of the wisdom of the great sun shines all over the world", then it is "lonely and flat" (with the exception of the all-flat or all-oblique forms).
The couplet allows the appearance of superimposed words or heavy words, such as "world affairs" to "red dust rolling", "only the aware can hear and know" to "sigh drunkenness does not wake up do not know". But the couplet should try to avoid "the same place heavy words" and "different place heavy words". The so-called "the same place heavy word", is to the same word in the same position relative, such as "Dharma world" to "world", "into the road" to "into the devil". However, there are some false words ("之乎者也", and so on) in the same place is allowed, such as:
The fish that misses the net, the world sometimes
The bird that escapes from the sky, the universe is not yet
The buddhas see the reality and do not have to live
The living beings play in the emptiness and do not know
The so-called "different places to repeat the words", that is, the same word is in the different position in the upper and lower couplet. For example:
Seeing the emptiness of all dharmas, this body goes straight to the other shore
Thinking of the equality of all beings, the three must be my teacher
If we change the word "straight to the other shore" in the first couplet to "there is nothing left after", then it will be in a different position from the word "there" in the second couplet "there must be my teacher". Another example:
...... If the potter rolls the clay, the fruit in the palm of the eye
...... If the potter rolls the clay, the woodcutter sees the fruit in the palm of his hand
If we change the phrase "sees the fruit in the palm of his hand" to "sees the fruit in the palm of his hand", it will be the same as the word "see" in the next line, "the woodcutter sees the game". Of course, there is a kind of special format of "anagrams" which is allowed, such as:
One heart for all dharmas, emptiness is not different from color
One heart for all dharmas, color is emptiness
In the couplet, "one" and "ten thousand," "heart" and "dharma," and "emptiness" and "color," these are the formats of "anagrams" and "anagrams".
The so-called "synonymous relative", usually also known as the "palm", refers to the upper and lower relative statements mean exactly the same, such as "red county" on the "state", "rising sun" on the "sunrise", "history" on the "history".
5. Other.
The writing and appreciation of couplets, there are some relatively minor metrical and more unique rhetorical methods, such as borrowing, self-pairing, embedded words, back to the text, the set of sentences, as well as the couplets of the banner, the format of writing and posting couplets, and so on. The following is a brief introduction to each of these issues.
Borrowing the pair, also known as false pair, which is a method of conversion of the word on the wide work, refers to the sentence of the word and the meaning of the word is not a work, but with the help of its other words and meanings, it is a work of the pair. For example:
Spilling stains is common everywhere
Life is seventy years old and rare (Du Fu's seven rhymes<<Qujiang>> in the third line)
The word "common" is an adjective in this context, but the ancient system of "seek" and "often" are both units of measure, which is quantitative, and by borrowing this meaning, it is a pair of words opposite to the number word "seventy. Another example is, "to speak out" against "those who aspire to the Way", in which, "speech" and "the Way" in the meaning of the link is as a verb and a noun respectively, but "speech" also has the meaning as a noun, the Way also has the meaning as a verb, the two are still relative to the work of the whole. However, the use of borrowed pairs in the couplet is not much, only in the need to adapt the last resort.
Self-pairing, also known as "sentence in the self-pairing", or "when the sentence", refers to the words and phrases in the couplet, not only the upper and lower lines of the relative battle, but also the upper and lower lines themselves (in the sentence) also exists in the battle. This makes the couplet more stable, and adds to the beauty of the contrast. For example, "truth and delusion" and "end", "truth" and "delusion", "beginning" and "end", is the sentence in the self-pairing. For example, "wisdom and foolishness" versus "behavior", "honor and disgrace" versus "right and wrong", "the smallest words" versus "the right and wonderful mind", "the highest" versus "subtle and profound", "the sound of the mountains and streams" versus "morning bells and twilight drums", "the trouble of Bodhi" versus "the smallest dust containing the ksatsura", and "such as weighing the weights of the hammer falling into the well and toning the stone pools" versus "even the immortal arts hidden in the air, and the magical powers into the sea", etc., not only are they opposite to one another but also have their own pairs in the sentences. The use of self-pairing in the sentence, in the couplet (especially the long couplet), is more widely used.
Embedded words, also known as embedded name, refers to the specific name (mostly people's names, names of places, things and other specialized names) embedded in a certain position in the couplet. This is a more widely used method. There are many specific ways, no less than 50 kinds. Embedded words can be divided into the whole embedded and embedded. Whole embedding, that is, a name is not split and embedded in its entirety, such as << the title embedded in the four heavenly kings>>
A couplet:
More to hear the right law to broaden the eyes of the
Growth of good roots, and hold the land
East to hold the Kingdom of Heavenly Kings, the south of the King of the King of the growth of the King of Heaven, the west of the King of the King of the Wide Eyes, and the north of the King of the King of the Many Wonders embedded in the couplet, respectively. Another example is
<< < The title is embedded in a couplet of the Secret Lord of the Vajra Hand:
The Vajra Hand Holds the Secret
The Courageous Mind Destroys Ignorance
Huiwen, also known as "scrolling curtains", refers to the use of the appropriate words to form a pair of sentences, which can be read in both the smooth and inverted readings. Due to the difficulty of the palindrome, it is not widely used, but it is a format that reflects the independent language characteristics of Chinese characters. There are many different ways to use the palindrome. Some of the more common ones are the backronym, the inverted backronym, and the inverted chapter backronym, and so on.
The fruit of the same heart
Blossoming of parallel flowers
Reverse reading: blossoming of parallel flowers
Reverse chapter, that is, read the whole line backwards, the bottom line becomes the top line, and the top line becomes the bottom line, such as:
Long green tree river day dawn, sunny day, the sea haze red haze
Misty red haze, the sea is sunny
Reverse reading: dawn day, river tree green
The river green tree river tree is green, the sea haze red haze
River green river tree green river tree green
Collection of sentences, refers to the existing scattered sentences, combined into a pair of sentences. If the whole pair of couplets (mostly short couplets) is composed of existing sentences, it is called a complete set of sentences. For example:
Deer return to the wild
Color is empty
The first couplet is from <<Duiyao Sutra>> and the second couplet is from <<Heart Sutra>>, and that is a complete set of sentences. Another example:
Advise you to finish a glass of wine
And eliminate ten thousand sorrows with you (anonymous collection of Tang poems, the top line from Wang Wei <<Wei Cheng Qu>>, the bottom line from Li Bai <<>>> will enter the wine)
The reverse is called incomplete collection of sentences or unilateral collection of sentences. For example:
Sima does not come, why should we meet each other
Good-looking person is here, no sound is better than sound (contemporary Luoyuanzhen Pipa Pavilion Couplet)
Only the second half of the couplet is an extant sentence (quoted from Bai Juyi's poem "Pipa Xing"), so it is an incomplete set of sentences. Another example:
In the dust of the world
In the big dream of life
Only one side of the sentence is existing (the above couplet is quoted from Li Shangyin's poem <<Beiqingluo>>), so it is a unilateral set of sentences. Strictly speaking, only a complete set of sentences can be called a set of sentences.
(3)
After highlighting some of the requirements of the metrical aspects of the couplets, we will talk about the classification of the couplets. There are many criteria for categorizing couplets, and in practice there are two main ones. First, according to the number of words and sentence structure of the couplet, it is divided into short and long couplets. Couplets that consist of more than two phrases and more words are called long couplets, while couplets that consist of one phrase are called short couplets. Generally speaking, there is no absolute boundary between long and short couplets in terms of the number of words. Second, according to the content and use of the couplet division. Theoretically, this division is even more difficult to strict and complete. In my opinion, it can be divided into four categories: spring couplets, congratulatory couplets, elegiac couplets, and specialized couplets.
Spring Festival couplets, refers to the use of the Spring Festival, the content of the general chanting, lyricism, wishes. Most spring couplets can be generalized.
Congratulatory couplets, referring to the wedding couplets, birthday couplets, new home couplets (housewarming couplets), festival couplets, and other content with a particular congratulatory nature of the couplets. The prominent feature of the congratulatory couplets is that they have a specific congratulatory nature, and their contents must express good wishes, joy and good fortune. Congratulatory couplets have a general, there are also specialized. Whether generic, to be different, not simply copied, so as to avoid the joke of Zhang Guan Li Dai.
The elegiac couplet, refers to the couplet used to condole with the deceased. Its content is limited to the deceased's condolences, remembrance, evaluation, wishes. Its style is generally mournful, solemn, solemn. Of course, there are also for the survivor of the couplets or the survivor of the couplets made from the couplets, it is a different story. The couplets also have a general and specialized, in the practical more attention to the distinction.
The above three kinds of couplets are the most widely used, the most mass, national, traditional, seasonal and practical. In addition, those couplets which are more specialized in content and use can be generalized into the category of specialized couplets.
For example, industry couplets, famous places couplets, with a particular gift of the gift of the nature of the title couplets, as well as with the nature of academic or literary nature of the academic couplets and so on. Of course, there is no clear-cut boundary between industry association, scenic spot association, gift association and academic association.
For example, Buddhist couplets can be regarded as a kind of academic couplets, and if they are posted, hung and carved in scenic spots, they can also be regarded as scenic couplets.
Additionally, according to the writing techniques or rhetorical devices of the couplets, the couplets can be divided into inlaid word couplets, back to the text of the couplets, riddle couplets, collection of sentences, and so on. Strictly speaking, however, they should be referred to as inlaid character frame, palindrome frame, riddle frame, set of sentences, set of sentences, and harmonizing frame.
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