The great culture of small chopsticks, the past and present of Chinese chopsticks

Recently, Dolce & gabban, an Italian luxury brand, published several ads on social networking websites, which said: "eat with chopsticks". The models in the ads showed how to eat pizza, Italian sweet roll, and spaghetti with chopsticks. There was a huge controversy over the arrogance and strange gesture of chopsticks used by models.
Chopsticks, a common dining tool, also aroused strong resonance
A media later tweeted, "do you really understand chopsticks in China? A pair of chopsticks, carrying the feelings and memories of the Chinese people ", and with a public service advertising video about chopsticks, the number of forwarding easily exceeds one million
There is no doubt that chopsticks are the most widely used tableware in the world - China is the birthplace of chopsticks. Eating with chopsticks has a history of at least 3000 years and is the home country of eating with chopsticks in the world
Chopsticks are known as the cream of Chinese civilization.
However, chopsticks are the most familiar but probably the most unfamiliar to Chinese people
1. The history of chopsticks dates back to ancient times when our ancestors "drank blood and raw hair", they naturally used their hands to eat them. Since the "people and apes bow to each other", people have found that it's more delicious to cook and eat the food.
In the pre-Qin times, people usually didn't use chopsticks to eat.
It can be seen that rice was delivered into the entrance by hand.
When the ancestors' barbecue food, they can't directly use their hands to operate. They need to use sticks, branches or bamboo branches and pieces to place and flip the food. In order to avoid scalding their fingers when eating, smart ancestors also used them to eat instead of their fingers.
After that, chopsticks went through the process of craftsmanship and became more and more exquisite.
Chopsticks and jade chopsticks appeared in Xia and Shang Dynasties
In the spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States period, there were solemn and simple copper chopsticks, iron chopsticks, Han Wei and Six Dynasties, bright and beautiful lacquer chopsticks, delicate and precious silver chopsticks and gold chopsticks. Recently, there are many chopsticks with different materials, including ivory chopsticks, rhinoceros horn chopsticks, ebony inlaid gold chopsticks and various jade chopsticks.
It can be said that chopsticks are closely related to the method of cooking food with pottery.
Therefore, it has become the most characteristic food tool of the East Asian farming nation, which mainly feeds on grains.
According to research, chopsticks have a history of at least 3000 years in China
At present, the earliest unearthed objects are the copper sheath of houjiazhuang, Yinxu, Anyang City, Henan Province, and the bone sheath of xianglushi site, Hunan Province.
The earliest documentary records can be found in "Han Feizi, Yu laodi 21": "in the past, Zhou was an elephant, but Jizi was terrible.
”In addition, according to Sima Qian's historical records, there is a record that "Zhou began to be an elephant sheath"
In the chronology of the twelve princes in historical records, "there is Zhou as an elephant sheath, while Jizi Xi" says that Jizi believes that King Zhou ate bear's paws with ivory chopsticks, which is a sign of subjugation.
In correspondence with the relics of Yin Ruins, it shows that the Shang Dynasty had already had a sheath.
Since there were a copper sheath, elephant sheath and bone sheath in the Shang Dynasty, the sheath made of bamboo and wood should be earlier than that in the Shang Dynasty.
In fact, the Xiang Zhou used by King Zhou of Shang Dynasty is not the first pair of chopsticks in China, and its birth should be several years earlier than that of Zhou of Shang Dynasty.“
In the book of rites, Zheng Xuan noted: "paint creatures with soil and eat them with guns
”I.e. wrap the millet in leaves and bake the paste in the fire.
And the simpler way is to put the grains in the ashes and stir them with branches from time to time to make them evenly heated before eating.
The ancestors were probably inspired by this process. For a long time, the most primitive chopsticks appeared in the hands of the ancestors.
2. In the history of the evolution of the ancient and modern names of chopsticks, different times and regions have different names for chopsticks.
From the perspective of regional distribution, there is such a record in dialect as follows: "箸筩, which is called Shau or 籯 between Chen, Chu, song, and Wei.
From Guanxi to the west, it's called Tangqi.
”Historically, from the perspective of time extension, the terms "chopsticks" are also different. In the pre Qin period, they were called "chopsticks", "chopsticks" and "chopsticks".
In ShuoWenJieZi by Xu Shen of the Eastern Han Dynasty, he said: "if you are a fan, you are a fan."
”"Dinner" means to turn
It's called eating and holding
Duan Yucai's annotation of Shuowen Jiezi said: "Yuji, rice
"... He who tilts will use it
There is such a record in Shiji, aristocratic family, jianghou, Zhoubo aristocratic family: "the Han script is called" Zhou ".
The sheaths are used for food.
Stay in Houyun and "borrow the front sheath to raise money"
Li said, "if there's a dish in the soup, use it as a hostage."
So Zheng Xuanyun's "today people call it" also
”In addition, the sheath is also called "Jiao"
"The first aid chapter" said: "I'm a man, so I've got food.
”In the book of rites, Qu Li Shang said, "rice and millet should not be covered with straw."
That is to say, you can't use a spoon for eating porridge, you should use a dagger.
He added: "if there is any dish in the soup, use wooden clips, and if there is no dish, you don't need to use wooden clips.
”Wood chopsticks
Guangya, Shi Qi: "it's called" Yu "
”It shows that in ancient times, the shell was used to pick up the dishes in the soup.
Zheng Xuan's note in the Eastern Han Dynasty: "Jiayou is also a Jiaji, and today's people may be jiati.
”Xu Shen's "Shuowen Jiezi" in the Eastern Han Dynasty said: "Zhu follows the sound of bamboo
”And from the wood
There are many trees in the north and many bamboos in the south. Our ancestors used local materials, so it is possible that bamboos and trees become the most primitive chopsticks and sheaths in China. Chopsticks were widely used after about Han Dynasty.
In Qin and Han Dynasties, it was called "sheath"
In Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was called "sheath" and "tendon".
There is such a record in the old book of the Tang Dynasty: "eat without spoon, pinch with hand
”At that time, because two chopsticks were as long as one another, they were nicknamed "shoulder Qi Da Shi".
The Song Dynasty's Tao Gu recorded in the Qing Dynasty's different records: "Zhang Jun also has skills. That is to say, he sent a messenger to Qi shoulder, who is as powerful as a God.
”It means that Zhang Jun is very good at using chopsticks. All the dishes in the dish can be put into his mouth.
Looking at the history, the use of "Zhou" has a long time and a wide range. In Erya, Shiming and Shuowen Jiezi, there is only "Zhou" but no "chopsticks".
It was only after the Qing Dynasty that the term "chopsticks" came into being.
Zhao Yi in the Qing dynasty recorded in the new Yu congkao, Huzhou weikuai: "the custom Huzhou is chopsticks.
”It can be seen that at that time there was a name for chopsticks. However, it was a common name for chopsticks, which evolved into chopsticks, which was related to the taboo language of ancient water villages in the south of the Yangtze River.
Lu Rong, a man of Ming Dynasty, said in Shuyuan miscellany: "folk customs taboo...
If you live in a boat, you will not talk about it. If you live in a boat, you will have the same voice. That's why you call it chopsticks.
”The word "chopsticks" sounds like a taboo to hope that the boat will be fast. It has become auspicious. From then on, it has been renamed "chopsticks", but there are still a few areas still called "chopsticks".
In the book of "the language of pushing the Peng" written by the Ming Dynasty, the chopsticks with eight dragon patterns and eight gold carvings in the Qing Dynasty, it is said: "the world mistakenly calls the beautiful characters because of the evil characters. The characters, such as the upright ones, are not allowed to be sluggish, and call them chopsticks. Now, because of the long spread, there are scholars and officials who call them chopsticks, forget the beginning.
”Folk boats are most taboo to "live" and "moth", so they turn to chopsticks instead.
However, there is no such taboo in Japan. It is still called "sheath" since it was introduced in Tang Dynasty.
Of course, the beginning of the term "chopsticks" only spread among boaters and fishermen, and the word "chopsticks" was not found in written language.
Until the new culture movement of May 4th movement, scholars still used "Zhou" in their works.
In Yu Dafu's Micro voice of the Northern Kingdom, there is a sentence like this: "lift up the sheath to get vegetables, and lift up the cup to drink
”Nowadays, chopsticks are commonly used in Putonghua, but there are still remains of the ancient style in dialects.
For example, in Wu, Cantonese, min, Hui and Hakka, the use of "Zhou" is preserved.
"Pod" has been transformed into a verb closely related to chopsticks in Su Hu Jia pieces of Wu dialect, meaning "use chopsticks to clamp"
3. The cultural connotation of chopsticks. Chopsticks contain all kinds of philosophic changes of heaven and earth, yin and Yang, and gender. The so-called "unity is benefit, while Division is injury" is about the spirit of unity and cooperation.
Because of the image characteristics of chopsticks such as "straight (chopsticks are straight), neat (two chopsticks are of the same length), and (two chopsticks can only be used together)", people often associate "chopsticks" with "integrity, harmony" and other qualities, and there has been an allusion of "giving chopsticks straight" in history.
When using chopsticks, the fingering must be correct
Two chopsticks must be closely coordinated, synchronized, coordinated, and achieve "integrity, unity and cooperation" in order to successfully "complete the task"
Therefore, we should learn from "Zhou" in our life and work.
Thinking mode represented by chopsticks
Although chopsticks are simple dining tools, they are rich in cultural connotation and have a causal relationship with the way of thinking.
According to the different dining tools, some people divide the world culture into chopsticks culture circle, finger culture circle and knife and fork culture circle.
Chopsticks culture circle belongs to the land agricultural culture, which is a natural School of unity. In terms of thinking mode, comprehensive thinking is prominent, humanistic spirit and value rationality are emphasized, interpersonal relationship is emphasized, and Moral Governance is prominent.
The thinking mode of chopsticks culture circle is obviously different from that of finger culture circle belonging to mountain desert culture and knife and fork culture circle belonging to marine industry and commerce culture. The latter two belong to pro nature school and split nature school respectively.
For example, the knife and fork culture circle is characterized by outstanding analytical thinking, developed scientific spirit and rational tools, attaching importance to individuals and promoting freedom, democracy and human rights.
The Enlightenment of chopsticks on the way of life: first, integrity
The chopsticks themselves must be straight and not bent, otherwise the two chopsticks cannot be together
Be honest and selfless
According to the ancient and modern talks on Qin cuisine and the bequest of Kaiyuan Tianbao by Wang Renyu of the Five Dynasties, song Jing was Prime Minister, and the government praised him for his virtue and integrity.
Once, Emperor Xuanzong held a royal banquet in Qujiang
During the royal banquet, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty suddenly gave song Jing the gold sheath in his hand.
The prime minister was flattered and at a loss.
Seeing this, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty said, "if you don't give me gold, I will give you a shield to protect your ears.
”The gift of gold sheath is in recognition of song Jing's noble quality like chopsticks.
In the new Tang Dynasty book, Yu Cong's biography, Yu Cong "was promoted to the throne and left to pick up the remains.
At the beginning, Princess Yongfu was worshipped. Before the LORD came down, she broke the dagger sheath with things.
The emperor knew that he could not marry a scholar official. He also called for Princess Guangde.
Because Princess Yongfu didn't want to marry Cong, she "folded the dagger sheath" to show her ambition, which means "she would rather not bend".
Two, we must unite.
The length of the two chopsticks should be the same. If they are uneven, they cannot be used.
We should work together, advance side by side, and work with one heart and one morality
A pair of chopsticks is easy to fold, a pair of chopsticks is not easy to fold
Unity is strength, and team strength is invincible
Three, we must cooperate.
"Wild geese are hard to fly and their hands are hard to sing". When using two chopsticks, they must cooperate closely, act synchronously, and coordinate. Otherwise, if they collide with each other and act differently, the food will not be delivered to the mouth.
If we can't be honest in morality, in faith, and in action, we can't succeed in anything.
It has a long history, so it is also a witness of history.
In history, many emperors began with chopsticks, enjoyed and corrupted, but ignored the sufferings of the common people. At last, they were despised by the people.
Chopsticks stand upright and see the gap between the rich and the poor in the old society
There is a folk song that says: "the emperor's feast is full of gold, like a movement of silver
It's hard for the poor to scoop up some grains with bamboo chopsticks
”There are many legends about using chopsticks to plan affairs on the occasion of banquets.
"Zhang Liang borrows Yu" to tell the story of Zhang Liang using chopsticks to replace weapons, making war plans and planning resistance against Xiang Yu for Liu Bang.
In addition, Ning Li predicted the gains and losses of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty when he went to Beijing to pacify the rebellion. Zhao Da predicted the prosperity and decline of Wu Kingdom by means of Zhou.
The joke that chopsticks were used to choose the prime minister in the Five Dynasties is that the emperor did not know who to choose