As the saying goes, "No matter how hungry you are, don't eat the offerings before the grave, and don't sit on the human stool when you are tired".
As the saying goes:"If you are hungry, do not eat the offerings at the grave; When you are tired, don't sit in a human chair"。
Proverbs are a form of language widely used by Chinese folk, which has been recorded as early as the "Records of the Historians". These proverbs are the crystallization of the collective wisdom of working people, reflecting their taboos, preferences, and desires in their daily lives. They usually refer to colloquialisms or proverbs that are widely circulated among the people and have evolved into a fixed form of expression.
In the "Historical Records - Taishi Gongzi Preface", it is written:"If he does not take a wife, the waters will drown his people"。Dream of Red Mansions reads:"There is another one in this room'Benevolence and virtue complement each other'Plaque, commonly known in the home'Tianxia Hall'"。
There are also some broader taboo sayings among the people, such as:'When you are hungry, you don't eat grave offerings, and when you're tired, you don't sit on chairs made of human flesh'"。These two proverbs may sound scary, but they are actually profound.
The Chinese view of life and death holds that after death, the soul exists beyond the body. Conventional wisdom holds that those who do good will be rewarded in Elysium after death, while those who do evil will be punished in Hades.
Therefore,"Treat death as life"The idea has always been ingrained in people's consciousness. Even if a person dies, it is important to keep everything in life, including material possessions such as personal housing, marital relationships, and wealth. This concept is reflected in many burial objects throughout history, especially in the tombs of emperors and generals in feudal society.
The lavish funerary objects such as jewelry, jade, and terracotta figurines on display in the museum are actually items made by the indigenous people to ensure that the deceased have wealth and power after death. These funerary goods are a continuation and representation of the deceased's social status, power, and life during his lifetime.
Sacrifice is a traditional ritual for descendants to serve and commemorate their ancestors. Timely holding of rituals and offering goods and food to ancestors is considered an important part of maintaining the happiness and well-being of the family. For a long time, these rituals were a predetermined pattern, passed down from generation to generation, with strict adherence to traditions, as it was believed that any change could lead to misfortune.
In the sacrificial rituals recorded in the Zuo Chuan, the sacrifices, jade, and silk express respect for the deceased and the seriousness of the ritual. During these rituals, livestock and valuables such as pigs and sheep, as well as various sacrificial items such as leather, silk, and jade, were considered sacrifices and tributes to ancestors.
The cautious attitude towards sacrifices came from two main aspects: first, sacrifices were considered necessary for the ancestors, so misrepresentation or alteration of quantities would be considered disrespectful to the ancestors. This reflects great respect for ancestors and the seriousness of the rituals. Secondly, it was believed that touching the sacrificial offerings would bring misfortune, so strict adherence to the rules and etiquette of the sacrifices had become a generally accepted code of conduct in society.
Respect for ancestors stems from the traditional Chinese concept of dignity for the dead. In feudal society, family rites were regarded as the highest norm and a complement to the form of state rule.
Although the imperial power was dominant, it was difficult to reach the bottom of the family, so each family had to discipline itself in order to maintain order and governance in society as a whole. This strict implementation of family etiquette is actually the maintenance of the overall social order and family inheritance, and is the embodiment of self-restraint and social norms.
In ancient times, the law often used the punishment of conspiracy and attached great importance to the norms of conduct of one's own children and grandchildren. Respect for ancestors and observance of ceremonial norms are the basis for maintaining clan order. In Chinese culture, when an elder of another family dies, people show deep respect, not only to honor the deceased, but also to preserve the prestige and dignity of their own family. According to this understanding, the offerings in the sacrifice represent the face of the family, and taking the offerings is tantamount to damaging the honor and dignity of the entire family.
On the other hand, in ancient societies, science and technology were not developed, and people were prone to panic and superstition when unexplained events occurred. Although most modern people adopt materialist ideas and no longer believe in the existence of ghosts and gods, in ancient times, people naturally associated the existence of ghosts and gods with situations that cannot be explained by science.
Especially in the environment of low productivity and frequent natural disasters, farmers often face the problem of food shortages. During the Qingming and Chongyang periods, the weather is hot, and the food on the offering table will quickly deteriorate. Some people had no choice but to steal the food from the table.
After the food goes bad, the body will feel uncomfortable and symptoms such as stomach pain will appear. In such cases, it is natural for people to associate the food they enshrined with the stolen food and blame the physical discomfort on offending the ancestors. Such rumors spread in the community, and false situations can even be passed off as real events. As a result, this idea evolved into a colloquial expression and became widely circulated.
Human sludge"The term sounds like a plot out of a horror movie. However, it actually refers to the use of the human body as a stool.
From wooden and bamboo stools to plastic stools, stone stools, and even precious jade stools – we seem to have heard of all known types of stools, but very few have heard of human stools.
This rarity is the result of historical developments. With the collapse of feudal society and the spread of the idea of freedom and equality, the social order is increasingly developing in the direction of justice and equality. In this case, there is less oppression and exploitation, there is no hierarchy between people, and there is no more indignity of using the body as a stool.
In a hierarchical and well-established feudal society, such things happened from time to time. In the old days, when ** traveled, there were often special stools for getting off. However, when ** is depressed or in a bad mood, they can call an entourage and step directly on their backs to leave the carriage. Sometimes, when they feel tired, they will even sit directly on the back of ** as a sign of insult and show strength.
In a way, a soft and warm back is more comfortable for a strong person than a cold, hard chair.
According to the Qing Dynasty historical manuscripts, Prince Gong's ** and Shen raised the height of some palace maids and often made them look like"Human chairs"Eat while sitting or lying down, and even feed other palace maids with your own hands. This kind of behavior was considered extremely immoral even in feudal society, but it is unlikely to happen in an enlightened modern society.
Another explanation is that Aboriginal people consider sitting on a stranger's lap to be a very intimate act that is unacceptable even between husband and wife. According to"Men and women do not kiss each other"The traditional understanding that in ancient times, it was considered shameful for a man to let a woman sit on his lap, because in feudal society, men were nobler than women.
Feudal etiquette is very strict with the behavior of women, especially housewives. They must behave in a dignified and courteous manner, and abide by the rules of traditional etiquette and must not violate them.
This strict norm of feudal society is also reflected in literary works. For example, in the TV series "Mu Guiying in Charge", the story of Mu Guiying learning etiquette in order to marry Yang Zongbao is very funny.
In one scene, the practice of sitting shows the rigidity of the norms of female behavior in ancient times. Therefore, in ancient societies, sitting on the lap was considered an extremely deviant behavior. This behavior did not conform to the social and ethical norms of the time and was therefore considered unacceptable.
These words tell us that it is very important to abide by moral norms, whether in times of hunger and cold, or in times of wealth and glory. Respect and honor for our ancestors shows that even in the most difficult times, we cannot harm what they offer us. In the same way, when one has wealth and honor, one cannot trample on the honor of others, which demonstrates respect for humanity and the preservation of moral foundations.
The darkness of the feudal era has passed, and the social mentality is constantly progressing and disintegrating. We can still draw nourishment from the wisdom of life left to us by our ancestors. These proverbs are part of traditional Chinese culture, and although they contain superstitious elements, they still contain profound moral values that are worth cultivating and inheriting.
In modern society, we can approach these maxims with wisdom and reason. On the basis of understanding, take the essence and remove the dross. In this way, we will be able to pass on the moral values contained in them to our children and grandchildren, while passing on traditional Chinese culture as part of our common cultural heritage.