As the saying goes, food is the most important thing for the people, and no one on the earth can escape this law. However, due to various factors such as history, culture, environment, etc., tableware is different in every place on the earth. For example, the West uses knives and forks, people in Africa, the Middle East and other regions do not use tableware, but grab food with their hands. In China, we use knives and forks. Chopsticks are used.

Chopsticks

In China, the four treasures of the study - pen, ink, paper, and inkstone - must be mentioned on the desk; chopsticks must be mentioned on the dining table. In Asia, there are many countries that use chopsticks, such as Japan, North Korea, Vietnam, South Korea and other countries. The West and Europe also introduced chopsticks many years ago. France has also set up a special "Chopsticks Museum", which collects thousands of different kinds of chopsticks.

Nowadays, no matter which country you are in, basic households will have chopsticks. Chopsticks have become an essential item on the dining table. So, how were chopsticks invented?

The invention and spread of chopsticks

Legend has it that King Zhou of Shang Dynasty had a volatile temper and was cruel and murderous. When it comes to food, he is particularly picky. One day he thinks the chicken soup is too hot, tomorrow he says the fish is not fresh, and the day after tomorrow the delicacies are too cold to eat. As a result, countless imperial chefs became his victims. The beloved concubine Daji also knew that "accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger", and this was a "tiger" who was always irritable and very picky. So before every meal, she would taste it in advance to avoid offending King Zhou.

Daji, King of Zhou

However, once, Daji tasted that the food was too hot, but before she could ask anyone to change the dishes, King Zhou had already arrived at the door. Daji had an idea and came up with a good idea - she took off the hairpin on her head, blew the vegetables again and again until the temperature was right, and then put them into King Zhou's mouth. King Zhou was already dissolute. Seeing this behavior, he fell in love with Daji even more, so he ordered chopsticks specially made for her. This was the prototype of chopsticks, which later came from the palace and spread among the people.

Some people say that chopsticks were invented by Dayu. Since Dayu was preoccupied with controlling floods, he often had to eat outdoors. In order to save time, he had to eat his meals as soon as they were cooked. But the food that had just come out of the pot was very hot, so he casually broke off two branches to eat.

Bamboo lacquer chopsticks unearthed from Mawangdui Han Tomb

But legends are just legends after all, and we have no conclusive evidence to prove whether this is true or false. But the earliest chopsticks unearthed in my country are from the Yin Ruins in Anyang City, Henan Province. It is currently accurate that my country's chopsticks have been around 3100 years since their creation.

Before the advent of chopsticks, spoons had existed for nearly 5,000 years. During this long history, the spoon has always been used to eat semi-liquid porridge and hot rice. It is an important utensil in Chinese diet. Until the emergence of chopsticks, spoons and chopsticks began to divide labor. In the pre-Qin period, there was a clear division of labor - the spoon was used for eating, and the chopsticks were used to pick up vegetables in hot soup.

Bronze wine spoon

As for chopsticks, we can also find many references in literary works.

In the pre-Qin period, chopsticks were called "梜", and the "Book of Rites" also wrote:

"If the soup has vegetables, use 梜; if there is no vegetables, use 梜" No need."

In the Han Dynasty, it was renamed "箸", which is the most common name we can see so far.

"Book of Rites·Quli" records that "Modern people may call chopsticks as 梜";

"Historical Records·Chronology of the Twelve Princes" also records that "Zhou is the elephant" The chopsticks, and the chopsticks are "harsh";

"Sui Shu·Wanbao Changzhuan" also writes, "Use chopsticks to clasp it, judge its quality, complete business and industry, harmonious with silk and bamboo";

Li Bai also wrote: "I can't eat when I stop to drink and throw chopsticks. I draw my sword and look around at a loss."

Chopsticks

However, fishermen along the coast of Jiangnan are very taboo about this pronunciation, because "箸" has the same pronunciation as "zhu", and if the fishermen cannot go to sea to salvage, the whole family will starve. For them, it is an unlucky word, so they simply don’t call it chopsticks, but “chopsticks” to get some luck. Slowly, many people began to call them "chopsticks". After the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court officially changed its name to "Chopsticks", and this name has been passed down to this day.

So when did chopsticks go abroad and spread to countries in the Asian cultural circle? Unfortunately, there are no very detailed records of the spread of chopsticks in history. But a small diplomatic story from Yantai may tell us how chopsticks developed and expanded. When our country was in the Sui Dynasty, Japan was still in the early stage of feudal society, and the development of institutions, economies, and policies were imperfect. Prince Shotoku was in urgent need of help, and China, as a prosperous land in Asia, naturally became their object of study. Perhaps we are well-known as the envoys to the Tang Dynasty. Before sending the envoys to the Tang Dynasty, Japan had already realized the necessity of learning from China. That is to say, during the Sui Dynasty, Prince Shotoku sent Sui envoys to China for inspection and study.

Japan sent an envoy to the Sui Dynasty

In the third year of the great cause of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, that is, in 607 AD, Japan sent an envoy to the Sui Dynasty for the second time. Dozens of people led by Ono Meizi set off from Japan through the Korean Peninsula and along the Bohai Sea to Penglai Island in Yantai. After landing here, they passed through the Shandong Peninsula, then passed through Kaifeng in Henan, and finally arrived in Luoyang, the eastern capital of the Sui Dynasty. Emperor Sui Yang also received the envoys very warmly.

When the inspection was over, Ono Meizi and her party were preparing to cross the ocean and return to Japan. They proposed that Emperor Sui Yang send an envoy to return to Japan together, and Emperor Sui Yang agreed. So a mission headed by Pei Shiqing was dispatched to follow Ono Meizi and her party back to Japan. After Japan received the news of Pei Shiqing's return visit, it gave a very warm reception to the arrival of the envoys. Hundreds of people greeted the incoming envoys at the pier, singing and dancing, which was very lively.

Pei Shiqing

Pei Shiqing and his party finally arrived at Nara, the capital of Japan, after a long journey. Prince Shotoku, who was the regent at the time, hosted the envoys. What surprised Pei Shiqing was that there were actually Chinese chopsticks on the dining table, and Prince Shotoku and several of his ministers were also very proficient in using chopsticks.

Other history is now untestable. But we already know that Chinese chopsticks had been introduced to Japan before 607 years ago, but more historical truths have been buried in time.

The meaning of chopsticks

1. Seven inches and six points represent the seven emotions and six desires. In each dynasty, the specifications of chopsticks are different. Based on the unearthed chopsticks, it is estimated that the chopsticks unearthed from the Mawangdui Han Tomb are 17 centimeters long; the chopsticks of the Tang Dynasty are about 29 centimeters, with the longest being 33.1 centimeters; the chopsticks of the Spring and Autumn Period are about 17 to 18 centimeters.

Copper chopsticks unearthed from the tomb of King Liangzhuang in the Ming Dynasty

The chopsticks we use today are generally seven inches and six minutes long, about 25.3 centimeters, which is the most comfortable length to use. Chopsticks are a laborious lever. Chopsticks that are too long are more difficult to use, and chopsticks that are too short are inconvenient to pick up food. Moreover, seven inches and six points means that people have seven emotions and six desires, which shows the essential difference between humans and animals.

2. The shape corresponds to the round sky and the square place. One end of the chopsticks is round and the other is square. The circle represents the sky, and the square represents the earth, corresponding to the round sky and the square place. This is the Chinese worldview. What’s even more ingenious is that this design not only reflects the concepts of ancient Chinese people, but is also very practical. When we place the chopsticks flat on the bowl, the chopsticks will not roll.

3. The use of chopsticks corresponds to the transformation of yin and yang. Chinese people highly value yin and yang and Tai Chi. Tai Chi and Yin and Yang are both divided into two, which symbolizes that people, things and things in the world are two sides of one body, and the combination of Yin and Yang is the perfect result. When using chopsticks, one is the active one and the other is the passive one. The active one is yang and the passive one is yin. This is the so-called "two rituals" in Tai Chi. The master and slave are interchangeable, and the active one can become the passive one. Moving can change the active position, this is the "yin and yang transformation".

Chopsticks of the Qing Dynasty

4. The Bagua Culture in Chopsticks Bagua is also something that must be mentioned in Chinese culture. Bagua is divided into innate Bagua and acquired Bagua. The innate Bagua are Qian, Dui, Li, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Gen and Kun. The acquired eight trigrams are Xiu, Sheng, Shang, Du, Jing, Death, Jing, and Kai. There are two chopsticks, which belong to the Dui Gua, Dui refers to the mouth; they are made of wood, and belong to the Xun Gua, which means entering. When eating, use the round end to pick up vegetables, which corresponds to the saying "Food is the first thing for people" talk.

5. Chopsticks contain the ancient people’s views on world relations and life. When using chopsticks, you are also very particular about it: the thumb and index finger are on top, the ring finger and little finger are on the bottom, and the middle finger is in the middle of the chopsticks, which is what the Bagua means. Said "the three talents of heaven, earth and man". The ring finger and little finger are at the bottom, which means the truth, symbolizing the powerless people who must support each other, which means that it is impossible to build a boat with a cane, and people cannot rely on themselves in the world; the thumb and index finger are at the top, which means the way of heaven. ; The middle finger is in the middle, symbolizing the ruler who is domineering and giving orders, expressing the ancient Chinese understanding of the relationship between man and the world.

Ivory chopsticks

From another perspective, the posture of holding chopsticks can also be explained. The middle finger is the longest among the five fingers, which means that humans are the primates of all living things, but they are between the two chopsticks, symbolizing A middle-level leader, or a middle-aged person, with official authority above but resentment among the people below; with an eighty-year-old mother above and a young son waiting to be fed, which reflects the ancient Chinese views on life.

There are also many taboos on the use of chopsticks in China: three long and two short, immortals guiding the way, tasting chopsticks and leaving a sound, beating lamps and cups, patrolling the city with chopsticks, confusing graves with chopsticks, leaving beads with tearful chopsticks, and turning things upside down. , Dinghai Shenzhen, offering incense in public, crossing the cross, and shocking the gods after falling to the ground. These twelve taboos are what we need to pay special attention to.

Chopsticks are not only tableware, but also a sacred representative of Chinese culture.

Summary

This pair of chopsticks has come to our world after more than 3,000 years. This is a pair of chopsticks, but it is much more than chopsticks.

This pair of chopsticks is not only an indispensable tableware for the Chinese nation, but also the crystallization of the wisdom of the Chinese people for five thousand years. The ancients' world view, outlook on life, yin and yang, Tai Chi, and Bagua are all in This is reflected in this seemingly inconspicuous pair of chopsticks.

But gradually, as Chinese culture and Western culture merge, have we all forgotten our roots? Many Chinese people who worship foreigners have abandoned their chopsticks and picked up knives and forks, but the world is learning to use our chopsticks.

Chinese people say one pair of chopsticks, and foreigners say two chopsticks. They use chopsticks, but they don’t really understand the meaning of chopsticks. I think no matter where you are, chopsticks are nostalgia and nostalgia.