I believe that many people have heard of the saying "three long and two short", but not many people really understand the origin of this statement.
So, what is the origin of the saying "three long and two short"?
In fact, "three long and two short" refers to unexpected disasters or accidents, and it is also a euphemism for human death—mostly used for hypothetical and virtual.
Further, this statement originally came from a book in the Ming Dynasty called "Mandarin Duck Sticks", namely:
I'm also afraid that Bo Qinglang will overturn my daughter, and I have to find it all the way, and if there are three long and two short, I must ask for clarification."
However, the reason why the saying "three long and two short" has the meaning it has today is mainly related to the following two statements.
One is related to the coffin. The coffin is made up of six pieces of wood, the ancients believed that the coffin cover and the bottom of the coffin are commonly known as the sky and the earth, the left and right two pieces are called the sun and the moon, these four pieces are long wood, the front and back two pieces are called the color head and the tail respectively, it is a square of short material, so the total is four long and two short. However, the coffin lid is covered after the death of the person, so it is only called "three long and two short" as another name for death, and later added the meaning of accident and disaster.
The second is that there are two friends in ancient times, and they plan to travel together. One of them is called Chen Guangrui, who is very wealthy, while the other is Liu Qi, who is relatively poor. In order to prepare for the trip, Chen Guangrui lent Liu Qi his best horse, so that he could also fully enjoy the pleasure of traveling.
However, unfortunately, on the way, Liu Qi accidentally lost Chen Guangrui's horse. Upon his return, Chen Guangrui was very angry because he had not only lost a valuable horse, but also the friendship of his companion.
So Chen Guangrui said to Liu Qi very angrily: "If you take my horse, it will be regarded as the loss of the three chiefs (the loss of the horse)." And you also broke off the partnership, which is two shorts (loss of friendship). ”
This is the origin of "three long and two short".
So, from all the above, we can conclude that this idiom later symbolizes the great loss caused by an unexpected event or disaster, not only the material loss, but also the loss of relationships, friendships, etc.
Because of this, when people mention"Three long and two short", often used to describe the significant impact and adverse consequences of an accident.
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The information in this article is mainly quoted from the Analects, Zhuangzi, Tanjing, Tao Te Ching, Historical Records, The Complete Works of Wang Yangming, Huayan Jing, University, Book of Rites, Heavenly Dao, The Art of War, Wang Biji's Proofreading, Zhou Yi, and The Book of Songs