When pasting Spring Festival couplets, which one is the upper couplet? The 40-year-old man who has been selling Spring Festival couplets shares tips for sticking Spring Festival couplets
With the onset of winter, the Chinese New Year is also approaching. On the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, every household has to do one of the most important customs before the New Year - pasting couplets. "Couplet" not only has the effect of decorating the house and increasing the atmosphere of the New Year, but also has an auspicious meaning and an expectation for the new year. However, when many people are making couplets, they often encounter such a problem: how can they distinguish between the upper and lower couplets? How the hell did this couplet hang up? After talking to an old lady who had been doing couplets for more than forty years, I found out about this problem.
First, let's take a look at why there are uplinks and downlinks. The reason for this is that it is consistent with the rules of Chinese grammar. There is a certain difference between Chinese characters, which forms a rhythm to a certain extent, making the words sound more coordinated and better. According to the ancient rules, the end of the couplet is generally the upper voice, the sound of the voice, the sound of the incoming, and the lower couplet, which is the flat sound. For example, on the portrait of the god of the stove, the first sentence is "Heaven says good things", and the second sentence is "things", which means "leave"; As for the "auspicious" in the back, it is "the blessing of the nine heavens", that is, "peace". When reading, it is scattered but not scattered, and the sense of rhythm is strong.
Now, let's discuss where the couplet should be hung. In general, as a rule, the upper part of the couplet is usually placed on the right side. This is due to the fact that most of the horizontal batches in ancient times were written from right to left, so the ligatures should be placed on the right side. However, today's couplets must go to the left and to the right. This judgment is based on the traditional understanding of "left" and "right". According to Chinese tradition, the left side represents nobility, while the right side represents inferiority. This concept of "left" originates from the ancient etiquette that the main seat is generally placed on the left side and the guest seat is placed on the right. Therefore, hanging the couplet on the left side is in line with the idea of "respecting the left." In addition, architecturally, the house on the east side is seen as a noble location, because the sunrise in the east symbolizes new beginnings and new expectations. Judging from the saying of the ancients, the green dragon on the left and the white tiger on the right, and "if you are not afraid of the green dragon being high, you are afraid that the white tiger will look up your head", so it is also in line with feng shui to hang the couplet in the east.
In order to divide the house into two parts, left and right, we need to start from the point of view of the interior. Facing the house, the right side of the house is the right side of the house, and the left side is the left side of the house. This is very important, so it must be judged according to this direction when pasting couplets. However, we don't need to overcomplicate this matter, we just need to know the difference between the upper link and the lower link. The focus is on the comments. If the horizontal batch is from right to left, its joint should be immediately followed by the first of the horizontal batch, and the pair should be followed by it. Conversely, if you write from left to right, the top head is left, and the bottom head is right.
This is how to distinguish between the words above and below when writing couplets, how to write the words above, and what is written on them. Sticking couplets is a great custom of the Chinese New Year, through which we can experience the atmosphere of the New Year, and can also convey our expectations for the new year. I hope this article has provided you with some useful information, and if you have any questions, please leave a comment!
In closing, I would like to conclude with a brief summary of the points made in this article. This article answers the questions of the elderly who have been selling couplets for more than 40 years, and how to distinguish what words should be hung on the upper and lower couplets. Through the analysis of Chinese rhythms, combined with the traditional Chinese understanding of "left" and "right", this paper draws the conclusion that the character "left" should be left. And from the difference between the "left" and "left" of the house, the difference between "left" and "right", and the positioning of "up and down" from "horizontal batch" was explained in detail. From the above content, we have a further understanding of the meaning and method of pasting couplets, and also laid a good foundation for the smooth progress of the New Year.