As the saying goes, "No matter how hungry you are, don't eat the offerings before the grave, and no matter how tired you are, don't sit on the human meat stool", what does the human meat stool refer to
Colloquialism is a form of language that is widely spread among Chinese folklore, and can be found in the Records of the Historians. These sayings are the crystallization of the collective wisdom of working people in their daily lives, reflecting their taboos, preferences and yearnings. They usually refer to sayings that have been widely circulated, or short sentences that have become popular among the people and have formed a fixed way of expression.
The Historical Records mentions that "even if you don't marry a wife for Hebo, the water will float and drown its people", and in "Dream of Red Mansions", "There is also a plaque in this hall, inscribed with the words 'Supplement Benevolence and Virtue';As the saying goes, it's just 'the council room.'"
Folk also inherit some more extensive taboo sayings, such as "no matter how hungry you are, don't eat the grave offerings, and no more tired don't sit on the human flesh stool". Although the grave offering and the human flesh stool may sound terrifying, these two sayings actually have a deep meaning.
In the Chinese concept of life and death, after death, the person is believed to have a soul, a kind of existence that transcends the physical body. Traditionally, it was believed that the doers would receive the goodness of Elysium after death, while the wicked would be punished by the underworld.
Therefore, the concept of "death is like life" has always been deeply rooted in people's hearts. Even after a person has passed away, he or she still has everything he or she has during his lifetime, including personal residences, marital relationships, and wealth and other earthly material things. This belief is reflected in many funerary objects throughout history, especially in the tombs of emperors and generals in feudal society.
The ornate funerary objects on display in the museum, such as treasures, jade, and terracotta figurines, were actually made by ancient people in order to keep the deceased rich and powerful after death. These funerary objects are a continuation and presentation of the deceased's social status, authority, and life before death.
As a traditional ritual, sacrifice is regarded as the service and reverence of descendants to their ancestors. Holding rituals on time, offering items and food needed to worship ancestors is considered an important part of maintaining the happiness and prosperity of the family. These offerings have long been established as a prescribed system, passed down from generation to generation, in strict accordance with the tradition that changes can lead to calamity.
The sacrifices, sacrifices and the giving of jade silk recorded in the "Zuo Chuan" reflect the respect for the deceased and the solemnity of the sacrificial ceremony. The livestock and precious objects used in these sacrifices, including pigs and sheep, as well as various leather silks and jade ritual vessels, were considered offerings and respects to the ancestors.
This caution about sacrifice stems from two main aspects. First, offerings are seen as necessary for the deceased, so misrepresenting or derogating from them can be seen as disrespectful to the deceased. This reflects a high respect for ancestors and a serious attitude towards sacrificial rituals. Second, people believed that moving sacrificial objects would lead to disaster, so strict observance of the rules and rituals of sacrifice became a widely accepted code of conduct in society.
This act of respecting ancestors is rooted in traditional Chinese beliefs and is a manifestation of the dignity of the deceased. In feudal society, family etiquette was regarded as the supreme norm and complemented the national governance model.
Although the imperial power was supreme, it was difficult to reach the bottom of the family, so each family needed to be self-disciplined in order to maintain order and rule in society as a whole. The strict implementation of this kind of family etiquette is actually the guardian of the entire social order and family inheritance, and is a manifestation of self-restraint and social norms.
In ancient times, the law often used the form of joint punishment, so people attached great importance to the behavior of their children and grandchildren. Respecting ancestors and abiding by the rules of sacrifice are the cornerstones of maintaining clan order.
In Chinese culture, there is a deep respect for the death of someone else's family, not only to pay respect for the deceased, but also to preserve the face and dignity of one's own family. Under this concept, the offerings in the sacrifice represent the face of the family, and moving the offerings is equivalent to hurting the honor and dignity of the entire family.
On the other hand, ancient social science and technology were not developed, and people often fell into panic and superstition about some unexplained phenomena. Although most modern people have embraced materialism and no longer believe in the existence of ghosts and gods, in ancient times, people often naturally associated with the existence of ghosts due to circumstances that cannot be explained by science.
Especially in the environment of underdeveloped productivity and frequent natural disasters, farmers often face the dilemma of lack of food. During the period of ancestor worship such as Qingming and Chongyang, the weather gets hotter, and the food on the sacrificial table quickly deteriorates. Some people had no choice but to steal food from the table.
After the food spoils, the body becomes unwell, leading to symptoms such as stomach pain. In this case, it is natural for people to think of the sacrifice they have just stolen and blame the discomfort on offending their ancestors. Such rumors tend to spread in the community, and even false situations can be passed off as real events. As a result, this concept gradually became a colloquial phrase and was widely celebrated.
The term "human stool" is truly chilling, as if it came from some kind of creepy horror story. However, it actually refers to the use of the human body as a stool.
Among the types of stools we are familiar with, from wooden stools, bamboo stools to plastic stools, stone stools, and even treasure jade stools, we seem to have heard of them, but we have rarely heard of human flesh stools.
This rare expression stems from the evolution of history. With the disintegration of feudal society and the spread of the idea of freedom and equality, the social order gradually developed in a more just and equal direction. In this context, the oppression and exploitation between people is reduced, and people are no longer hierarchical, so there is no longer the insult of using the human body as a stool.
In a feudal society with strict hierarchies and obvious status, such things happened from time to time. In ancient times, people often had special stools to get on and off the bus. However, when ** is depressed or in a bad mood, they may call in an attendant and step directly on the attendant's back to leave the carriage. Sometimes, when they feel tired, they even sit directly on the backs of their attendants as an insult and an act of power.
In a way, a soft and warm back may be more comfortable for the powerful than a cold, stiff stool.
It is recorded in the Qing Historical Manuscript that Da ** and Shen raised some dignified ladies in his palace of Prince Gong, and often let them be used as "human meat stools" for themselves to sit and lie down for meals, and even asked other ladies to feed them by hand. This kind of behavior was seen as extremely immoral even in feudal societies, let alone in more enlightened societies in modern times.
Another explanation refers to sitting on a person's lap, which in the eyes of the ancients was a very intimate gesture that was difficult to accept even between husband and wife. Under the traditional concept of "men and women do not kiss", it would be considered a shame for men to let women sit on themselves in ancient times, because in feudal society, men had a higher status than women.
Feudal etiquette is extremely strict about women's behavior, especially for women in the boudoir. They are expected to behave in a dignified, gentle and courteous manner, and must abide by traditional etiquette norms and not cross the line.
The strict norms of this feudal society are reflected in literary and artistic works. For example, in the TV series "Mu Guiying in Charge", the story of Mu Guiying's hard work to learn etiquette in order to marry Yang Zongbao is ridiculous.
Among them, the scene of practicing sitting posture shows the strictness of the ancient norms of female behavior. Therefore, in ancient societies, the act of sitting on the lap was considered extremely deviant. Such behaviour was not in line with the social norms of the time and was therefore considered unacceptable.
Whether hungry or cold, rich and prosperous, these sayings teach people to adhere to a moral code. Even in times of extreme hardship, it is not permissible to violate ancestral offerings as a sign of respect and respect for ancestors. In the same way, when we have glory and wealth, we must not trample on the dignity of others, emphasizing the respect for human nature and the protection of the moral bottom line.
The darkness of the feudal era has passed, and the ideological concepts of society are also progressing and destroying. We can still learn from the wisdom of life left by our ancestors. These sayings represent a part of traditional Chinese culture, and although there may be superstitions in them, the profound moral values they contain are still worthy of our cherishing and inheritance.
In modern society, we can approach these sayings rationally and wisely. By discernment, we can extract the best from it and avoid being influenced by dross. In this way, we can pass on the moral values contained in traditional Chinese culture to future generations and become part of our common cultural heritage.
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