What is an auspicious pattern? Talk about your understanding of the large number of auspicious patterns used in various designs in Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Auspicious patterns refer to decorative patterns with certain auspicious meanings through subtle and homophonic twists and turns. Its origin can be traced back to Shang and Zhou Dynasties, and auspicious patterns began in Shang and Zhou Dynasties, developed in Tang and Song Dynasties and flourished in Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, it almost reached the point where the picture must be intentional and the meaning must be auspicious.

The most prominent feature of auspicious patterns in Ming and Qing Dynasties is their rich meanings, behind which are the unique cultural thinking concepts handed down from generation to generation in China. This concept must have reference significance to express people's wishes, accurately reflect people's social life and have group significance. Many auspicious patterns are complex in content. If they are summarized according to the connotation and implication of auspiciousness, they can be summarized by happiness, wealth, longevity and happiness. Fu Lushou's love for wealth has placed good wishes and played up the festive atmosphere.

happiness

As an auspicious record, the word "Fu" first appeared in Shangshu: "Five Blessingg: longevity, wealth, health, morality, and final exam." Five Blessingg said in Yilin: Long life, affluence, luxury, happiness and many children. The overall meaning of happiness is happiness, which is the goal that people yearn for. People always hope that happiness will come to them or Fu Lin's family. As a result, legends and idioms related to "happiness" came into being, and patterns expressing blessings, auspiciousness and happiness can be seen everywhere.

1, bless God and good luck.

In folklore, the god in charge of happiness is called blessing god. There are several legends about God. One refers to the immortal star, the other refers to the celestial official (Figure 2- 1), and the third refers to Yangcheng. In ancient times, Jupiter was called the age star, and it is said that the place where Jupiter shines is blessed. Later, after being personified, Fuxing gradually became a blessing god. The image of Tianguan appeared in the New Year pictures of past dynasties and was called "God bless the people". Its image is wearing a celestial official hat, a golden lock around its neck, the best in its left hand, boots on its feet, a kind heart, and five long beards floating on its chest, all of which are cheerful and elegant. Some officials in heaven draw a boy beside him, holding a vase with peony and magnolia in it, which means "Jade Hall is rich". During the Lunar New Year, people put up this kind of New Year pictures, because God bless people and bring good luck.

As a blessing god, Tianguan evolved from Taoist beliefs, while Yangcheng's blessing god evolved from historical figures. It is said that in the mid-Tang Dynasty, emperors preferred dwarfs, and they often chose Daozhou dwarfs as palace slaves. Yangcheng was appointed as the secretariat of Daozhou at that time. Because he didn't like this practice of the court, he was remonstrated and later demoted as a state official. Finally, the county people set up a shrine to worship him, and people gradually regarded Yangcheng as the "God of Wealth", hoping that he would be blessed and freed. In China folk auspicious patterns, the three stars of Fu Lushou are often painted together, symbolizing blessing, official wealth and longevity respectively.

2. Blessing and auspiciousness

Every Spring Festival, people hang a word "Fu" in their houses, mostly written in China ink on red paper. Those posted outside the gate are called "going out to feel lucky", those posted on the bedside are called "family fun", those posted on the granary are called "Man Fu", and those posted on the front of the main house are mostly upside down and called "Fu Lai". People combine 100 Chinese characters with different fonts, or form a circle or square, which is called "Hundred Symbols Map" (Figure 2-2), which is deeply loved by the people.

In addition, there are forms such as "Fu Zi Deng", "Old Fu Zi" and "Flower-and-Bird Font", which are mostly used for holiday decoration, painting, architecture and sculpture.

3. Bats bless good luck

Buff is a flying mammal, which looks like a mouse, also known as fairy mouse and flying mouse. It likes flying at night and preys on small insects such as mosquitoes and ants.

There are many stories about bat symbols. In Aesop's fable Bat and the Weasel, it is said that the bat fell to the ground and was taken away by the weasel, and he begged for mercy. The weasel said he would never let him go. He hates birds by nature. The bat said he was a mouse, not a bird, so he let him go. Later, the bat fell again and was caught by another weasel. He begged again and again not to eat him. The weasel says he hates all mice. The bat changed his mind and said that he was a bird, not a mouse, and was released again. In this way, the bat changed its name twice and finally survived.

In many poems, stories, fables and legends, the bat symbol is the object of description. In China's auspicious patterns, Bat Fu is synonymous with happiness and auspiciousness. Because "bat" and "blessing" are homophonic, people use blessing to express their blessings, and bat blessing has become an auspicious symbol of good luck and happiness. People transform the image of the bat symbol to make it beautiful and full of posture. People often use the images of two or five bats to express the meaning of Shuang Fu and Five Blessingg, and often associate bats with peaches, peonies and plum blossoms.

Express richer connotations. For example, the combination of Catharanthus roseus, Peach Blossom and Batfu is called "Three Blessings", the combination of several longevity characters and Batfu is called "Five Blessingg Shoushou", the combination of Batfu and ancient money is called "Hope for Happiness", and the combination of Xiangyun and Batfu is called "Wan Fu Liu Yun" (Figure 2-3).

There are many auspicious patterns to express good luck, such as peony, baohua, four gentlemen, ruyi, Xiangyun, ancient jade, four arts, eight auspicious patterns, fire, water, five poisons, Fang Shengwen and Bo Gu. Other patterns expressing good luck include Ping Shuang Sheng Fu, Fu Yuan Shan Qing, Expecting the Gospel, Accepting Blessings and Greeting Auspiciousness, Harmony in Five Blessingg, Good Luck in Life, Peace in Four Seasons, Prosperity for Generations, Peace for All Things and Three Friends in Cold Years.

(2), Lu

The so-called salary refers to the position and salary of an official. "Lu" is a pictophonetic character in six books, which means blessing and auspiciousness. There is an explanation of "Lu" in Shuo Wen Jie Zi, and "Xiao Ya's Warring States Policy" in The Book of Songs is "Fulu Ruzi". In people's minds, it is good and auspicious to get the position of "Lu" and "Lu Yin". There are idioms such as "staying in Shandong to cultivate one's nature", "fame and fortune" and "promotion and wealth". Hanshu said, "You are pampered and tall, but you have a warm home and plenty of food". This is not only the desire of officials in the old days, but also the desire of parents for their children to succeed. There are many auspicious patterns related to "Lu".

1, Shen Luhe Jixiang

Shen Lu came from Luxing, and Historical Records of Tiangong said that the sixth star of Wenchang Palace was in charge of Luxing in Lu Si. Later, Lu Xing gradually became the god of Lu. In the past, it was natural for scholars to pursue hard, hoping to shine high on the land, be promoted and make a fortune, and worship Shen Lu. There are many legends and connections about Shen Lu. First, he joined the throne, and second, after joining the throne, Meng Changjun, the emperor of Shu, was his son. According to legend, Zhang Yuanxiao, a native of Meishan, Sichuan, became a monk in Qingcheng Mountain, Sichuan in the Five Dynasties. He won the title of "four-eyed old man's bow and bullets dispersed people's disasters" Because it is said that he can eliminate disasters for the people, he is known as a fairy. Second, according to legend, after Shu was destroyed, Mrs. Hua Rui, the beloved princess of Meng Changjun, the emperor of Shu, was brought into the Song Palace and was loved by others.

Mrs. Huarui always missed her ex-husband, so she drew a portrait of Meng Chang shooting with a bow and hung it in her bedroom. One day, Zhao Kuangyin saw the painting and asked about it. Mrs. Hua Rui lied: "This is Zhang Xian in Shu, a son." The story soon spread to the people, and some village women were eager to have children, so they hung up portraits of Zhang Xian. Later, after Meng Chang's death, they became "Zhang Xian" and were worshipped by later generations. In China's traditional operas, there is such a lyric: "Lu Xing came down to earth with his son in his arms", which means "send Zhang Xian away". Shen Lu is very popular in genre paintings and auspicious patterns, and is also very popular among the people. Auspicious words such as "promoting to a higher position and making a fortune" (Figure 2-4), "taking office immediately" and "promoting to the third level" are good explanations.

2. Deer and luck

"The Book of Songs Xiaoya Luming Literature" has "Yo Yo Luming Literature, Wild Apple; I have a guest, blowing sheng. " Since Luming Literature, the poems of guests at banquets have expressed the meaning of peace. Deer are beautiful in appearance and gentle in character. They are regarded as animals with good spirits and can suppress evil spirits. Deer and "Lu" are homophonic, symbolizing auspiciousness, wealth, wealth and longevity.

Deer symbolize good luck and wealth. In folk auspicious patterns, "deer" has been used instead of "deer" for a long time. One hundred deer together are called "parting from the land", deer and bat together are called "blessing and happiness", deer and bat together mean "blessing and longevity", deer and crane together mean "six in one spring", two deer together mean "bon voyage" and so on.

Deer symbolize the throne. "Han Kuai Tong Biography" contains: "Qin lost his deer, and the world * * * chased it." "Book of Jin Xerox" records "Le Xiaoyue:' If I meet the son of heaven, I will be in the north and compete with Han Peng. If you get rid of martial arts, you will be rushed to the Central Plains side by side. Who will die is still unknown. ""Later, people often used the metaphor of' fighting for deer' to compete for the world, and deer became a symbol of kindness.

Deer symbolize longevity. Ge Hong in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, "Bao Puzi": "A deer is a thousand years old, and its color is as white as 500 years old." Gift Story: "A deer turns into a pale deer in one thousand years, a white deer in five hundred years, and a mysterious deer in five hundred years." In this minority, antlers are often presented to the birthday girl at birthday ceremonies, or put on advertisements to express their wishes for birthday celebrations. It is precisely because Lu is related to the title that ancient bronze knights have become mascots. Jue was an ancient wine vessel, which later evolved into a ritual vessel and prevailed in Shang Dynasty and Western Zhou Dynasty. "The Book of Songs Xiaoya Bin's First Night Banquet": "When you play with him as a gentleman." "The Book of Rites" says: "Sacrifice the ancestral temple, and the nobles offer the knights." The post-Spyker became a symbol of high status and a mascot wishing the official career prosperity. In the auspicious pattern, a boy offers a title to the celestial official, which is called "adding an official to the title".

There are many auspicious patterns representing Lu, such as "Carp Pattern", "Five Ruins", "Eight Horses", "Lion Pattern" and "Dragon and Phoenix Pattern". There are also some auspicious meanings, such as "Feng Dan is facing the sun", "A hundred birds show the phoenix", "Phoenix hits the peony", "Happy news is three yuan", "One product is in court", "All the way home", "The crown belt is elegant", "Immediately seal the Hou", "Dan Ding Henaan", "Be the first", "Raymond" and "One family, one family".

(3) Longevity

Longevity means longevity. Zhuangzi Stole Foot: "People live to be 100 years old, 80 years old and 60 years old." Longevity and happiness are the goals that people pursue. "The Book of Songs Nature Protection": "If Nanshan is alive, it will not collapse; As lush as pine and cypress, there is nothing to lose. " It's a poem that ministers bless the monarch. In The History of Hong Fan, longevity ranks first in Five Blessingg.

1, birthday, birthday, good luck

Shouxing is one of the gods worshipped by the Han nationality, also known as Shouxing and Antarctic Old Man. "Historical Records Tianguanshu" "Antarctic old man. Old people see, public security; If you don't see it, the soldiers will rise. " "Zhu": "The autumn equinox, the birthday girl sacrifices to the southern suburbs. The birthday girl, the old star of Antarctica. " Erya "says:" The birthday girl, the number is also ringing. "Note" cloud:' The number of horns, the sound, the length of the column, so the cloud is longevity. In the first century of the Tang dynasty, there was a special altar of the immortal star, which was often used to worship the old star, the horn and the seven nights. Please use the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the spiritual star. The altar of the spiritual star is also like the spiritual star altar system, built in the southern suburbs and sacrificed at the autumn equinox. "The birthday girl is not only a symbol of longevity, but also a symbol of Antai in the world (Figure 2-5). So people bow down in order to prolong life and be happy. In the Qing Dynasty, Zhai Hao wrote "Popular Compilation": "The secular painting of the birthday girl has a long head. "The portrait of the birthday girl we saw was a kind old man. In all kinds of auspicious paintings, Xian Weng hunched over. He is short, kind and pleasing to the eye, with a smile, a flowing white beard, a cane in one hand and a peach tree in the other. The most prominent is a protruding forehead, and he is often accompanied by a fairy-like child. Sometimes riding a fairy deer, combined with Fu Lushou.

2. Crane and Auspiciousness

Crane occupies an important position in China culture, which is closely related to fairy tales and people's spiritual character. In reality, cranes, like herons, have long beaks, wings and legs, can fly, have white or gray feathers, often move in water or swamp areas and eat various small animals and plants (Figure 2-6).

The crane symbolizes longevity. There is a saying in The Book of Songs Xiaoya heming: "He Ming is heard in Jiugao, and he is heard in the wild." "Huai Nanzi said Xun Lin": "He Shou is a thousand years old, so he swims extremely." The ancients regarded cranes as immortal birds and knew more about the past. People often use "He Shou", "He Ling", "He Fa Tong Yan" and "Song Yan He Nian" to wish people a long life. In auspicious patterns, cranes often appear together with pine, stone, deer and tortoise. Tortoise and crane are collectively called "the era of tortoise and crane", and cranes stand out from pine trees and are called "Songhe Changchun", all to celebrate birthdays.

3. Ganoderma lucidum and auspiciousness

The ancients called Ganoderma lucidum Cao Rui and Cao Xian. Ganoderma lucidum blooms three times a year, so it is also called Sanxiu. Similar to mushrooms, dark and shiny. It is said that food can live forever and bring back the dead. It was used as a symbol of good luck in ancient times. According to legend, the top grade Ganoderma lucidum is in the shape of chariots and horses, the middle grade Ganoderma lucidum is in the shape of human, and the bottom grade Ganoderma lucidum is in the shape of six animals. Among them, you can get chariots and horses, and the eater can ride the clouds and moons. In auspicious patterns, Ganoderma lucidum and orchids are often put together, which is a metaphor for a friendship between gentlemen. There is also a picture of a deer with Ganoderma lucidum, which represents a birthday.

4. Birthday peaches and auspiciousness

Peach is widely regarded as a symbol of longevity, and is called Shoutao (Figure 2-7). Legend has it that there is a kind of Xiantao, which can live long after eating. This peach blossom blooms in 3,000 years, bears fruit in 3,000 years and matures in 3,000 years. Eating a fruit can prolong life by 600 years. The peach tree is in the garden of the Queen Mother. When Xiantao was ripe, the Queen Mother of the West invited all the immortals to her palace and held a flat peach banquet. Legend has it that Dong Fangshuo ate Xiantao three times in the Han Dynasty.

Peach tree is the essence of five trees, which can suppress evil spirits, so ghosts are afraid of peach trees. Shan Hai Jing: "In the East China Sea, there is a book called Du Suo. There is a big peach tree in the book, which bends three thousand miles. There is a gate in the northeast, called the gate of hell, where all the ghosts gather. The Emperor of Heaven asked the man of God to guard it. One is Shen Tu, and the other is Lei Yu. The main reading leads to ghosts. If a ghost harms others, tie it with a reed rope, shoot a peach arc and throw it at the ghost. " "Twelve Years of Zuo Gong" also contains: "My former king Xiong Yi was founded in Jingshan Road, where the road was green and grassy. Travel across mountains and rivers to serve the son of heaven. It's just a peach arc and a thorn arrow, and it's a royal matter with * * *. " It shows that the function of mahogany has gradually changed from a practical bow to a revered artifact.

In the past, the peach symbol made of peach wood was a symbol of exorcism and evil spirits. Every summer during the Spring Festival, two red wooden boards are hung on the portal, with statues or titles of Shen Tu and Lei Yu painted on them, in order to exorcise ghosts and eliminate evil spirits. In the Song Dynasty, Wang Anshi wrote in the poem "January Day": "Thousands of households look at the sun, which means that new peaches are exchanged for old peaches." Shan Hai Jing: "So the Yellow Emperor made rituals, driven by the times, established Taoren, painted Shen Tu, Lei Yu and tigers at the portal, and hung reeds to ward off evil spirits." This custom began to prevail in the Warring States Period and gradually evolved into Spring Festival couplets in the Five Dynasties.

There are many auspicious patterns to celebrate birthdays, such as daffodil pattern, bamboo pattern, peony pattern, creeping weed pattern, evergreen pattern, turtle back pattern, gossip pattern, Wuyue pattern, cicada pattern, grape grain, palindrome pattern, long dish pattern, longevity pattern and so on. In auspicious patterns, Shoutao often expresses auspicious meaning together with other things, such as "Immortality", "Immortality", "Happy Spring", "Shoushan Fuhai", "Long life to Changchun", "May you live long" and "Immortality".

(4) Hi

In the folk, people call what is worth happy a happy event. "Xi" is a recognized word in Liushu, and it is the upper drum and the lower mouth in Oracle Bone Inscriptions. Drums mean happiness, and mouths mean laughter. The original meaning of "happiness" is happiness and joy. In the past, happy words were often combined with other related words, such as joy, congratulations, joy, celebration, love and joy. Happy event is a very broad concept, which is associated with auspiciousness and beauty.

1, XiShen Jixiang

The so-called XiShen is the auspicious god (Figure 2-8). In pursuit of happiness, people will create a god of hope. At first, the Western God generally had no specific image, and in the following year, its status changed constantly. There is a saying among the people that people look at the entrance of the magpie's nest to locate the Western God. Others believe that the direction in which the rooster crows is the position of the Western God. Therefore, when the rooster crows on the first day of the first month, people will touch the western gods in the direction of the rooster crowing, hoping to be healthy for one year; In folk customs, there is a practice of calculating the orientation of western gods by branches. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the emperor ordered the compilation of Xie Fang to determine the position of the western gods. The method is: "XiShen lives in Jiasi's root room, which is in Yin Shi; B Geng day, living on the dry side, at that time; Bing Xin Day is in Fang Kun, and it is the time to apply; Ding Renri left the party at noon; The fifth day is morning. "

Marriage is an important event in life, so a grand wedding is held. In the past, the bride got into a sedan chair with its mouth facing XiShen's position. On the sedan chair, the bride will stop for a while and call "XiShen is coming" before she can start. The image of XiShen in auspicious patterns is a teenager with an official holding a festive board in his left hand, a treasure box with happy words in his right hand and an umbrella cover with the words "Double Happiness" on his shoulder, which is a peaceful and festive atmosphere.

2. Magpie and Luck

Magpie is considered as a symbol of happiness. Wang Renyu's "Kaiyuan Tianyu Legacy" in the Five Dynasties said: "When people are at home, the sound of magpies is a good omen, so it is called good news." The legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl is a household name: the Weaver Girl is the granddaughter of the Emperor of Heaven and has been weaving brocade for many years. She has stopped knitting since she married the cowherd in Hexi. The Emperor of Heaven ordered them to separate and only allowed them to meet once a year on the Tianhe River on July 7th. Commonly known as tanabata. When they met, magpies bridged the bridge for them. This bridge is called Magpie Bridge. In ancient customs, on this night, a woman had to wear a needle to seek cleverness (see "General Moon Order and July Order" quoted from Liang Yinyun's novel in the Southern Dynasties, and Liang Zonggu's Chronicle of Jingchu in the Southern Dynasties).

Magpie worship is an important belief of the Chinese nation. Kirgiz people think magpie is a god bird that conveys good or bad information; Shaman beliefs of Manchu and Hezhe nationalities all have the deified image of magpie. Manchu people call the magpie god "Shakeshan Shanduli", saying that this god was sent by the gods to tell good or bad luck, and the gods gave him 5,000 magpies to inquire about the news and report the good news. He often fought against demons, eliminated plagues, surrendered to wind and fire, and was named the Western God.

Some literati often describe magpies in their literary works. In the Northern Song Dynasty, Yan wrote in "Death" that "the magpie bridge becomes the driving force of the phoenix, and it is getting late, begging for the first cool night. Ingenious double-e painting, jade hook hanging diagonally next to the southwest. " Wang Tingjun of Jin Dynasty said in Golden Gate that "there are two magpies, and their return date is muddy. Do all the old worries and forget them. Where are the new worries? Bo Xue in the corner, Qing Zi has makeup residual calyx. There is no branch to fall, and the east wind is still evil. "

Magpie is not only the object of poetry, but also an important subject of painting. At the beginning of Song Xuanhe, Prime Minister He Liwen was a calligrapher in China, and Emperor Daojun gave him a pair of royal magpies. The vassal wrote poems, and the Korean system was a proofreader. In the second chapter of the poem, he said: "The king painted a wonderful picture, and the weak feathers competed for the nest, occupying time. I want to see the spring breeze, a pair of Millennium flying branches. " "Mr Scheeren's pen is in Pengshan, and the spring breeze comes from driving. Two blackbirds fell from the sky and spread joy to the world. "

In auspicious patterns, magpies are often combined with other images to form unique graphics. For example, two magpies painted together are called double happiness, magpies and sycamore trees are painted together to express happiness, and magpies and three big round fruits together are called "good news three yuan" and "magpies"

"Deng Mei" means happiness.

There are many auspicious patterns showing happiness. Such as "Four Happy Pictures", "Happy Pictures", "Good News Pictures" (Figure 2-9), "beaming", "Happiness Plus Happiness", "Happiness Plus Happiness", "Happiness Comes from Heaven", "Happiness in Heaven", "Auspicious Dragon and Phoenix" and so on. Carp red lotus, a hundred years of harmony, a pomegranate and a hundred flowers, generations of future generations, spring at first, gourd giving birth to baby, Guanyin sitting on lotus, harmony between two immortals and so on.