ornamental column

ornamental column

This entry is compiled and applied by "popular science China" Science Encyclopedia

to examine

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Huabiao is a traditional architectural form in ancient China. It is a huge stone pillar used for decoration in front of ancient palaces, mausoleums and other large buildings. It is said that Huabiao is a totem symbol of the tribal era. It is called huanbiao in ancient times. It appears in the form of a pillar. It is rich in the connotation of traditional Chinese culture and exudes the spirit, temperament and charm of traditional Chinese culture.

It is said that in Yao Dynasty, wooden signboards were set up on the main roads for people to write advice and criticize the current situation. Ancient Chinese watches were all made of wood. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, stone columns were used as Chinese watches. The function of Chinese watches has disappeared, and they have become large columns erected in front of palaces, bridges and mausoleums. Huabiao is usually carved from white marble. The base of Huabiao is usually square, which is a lotus seat or xumizuo seat. It is carved with the dragon pattern. On the dragon column, a dragon plate is carved on the column and decorated with flowing clouds. A cloud plate is horizontally inserted at the top, which is called libel wood. On the top of the stone column, there is an exposed plate, which is round, so it corresponds to the round sky. The squatting beast above is the legendary beast roaring to the sky, It is also called wangtianyu.

characteristic

There are a pair of white jade pillars in front and back of Tiananmen Gate, which are called Huabiao or Wangzhu. On the Huabiao, Shi Yu (read h ǒ u, the northern cannibal in Chinese mythology) squats, with a cloud plate inserted horizontally below and a cloud dragon carved on the column. The Huabiao and Tian'anmen Gate were built in the Yongle period of Ming Dynasty, with a history of more than 500 years. This pair of Chinese watches, 96 meters apart, looks dignified and beautiful, solemn and solemn. It is a rare fine art. Because the stone tablets on the Huabiao in front of Tiananmen Gate face outside the palace, and the stone tablets on the Huabiao in the back face inside the palace, in ancient legend, people call the stone tablets in front of the palace "Wangjun GUI", which means to hope that the emperor will not go out for a long time, but should go back to the palace quickly to manage state affairs; the stone tablets facing the palace are called "Wangjun Chu", which admonishes the emperor not to stay in the palace for pleasure To have fun, you should often go outside the palace to understand the sufferings of the people. Each Huabiao is composed of xumizuo column base, column body and exposed plate, with a height of 9.57 meters, a diameter of 98 cm and a weight of about 20000 kg.

Origin and development

The explanation of CI yuan (1983 Edition) is as follows:

A wooden column used in ancient times to express the advice or direction of a king. "Cheng Ya asked," why did Yao set up a tree of slander? " The answer is: "today's Huabiao wood is also beautiful. Cross stigma with transverse wood, like flower. It's like a tangerine in shape, and it's the intersection of roads. Or the surface of wood, to the surface of the king also Na su. It also shows the way of Quzhou. Qin was removed, and Han was restored. This western capital is called jiaowu wood. "

A stone pillar standing in front of a palace or mausoleum in ancient times. The column body is often engraved with decorative patterns. Yang Yanzhi of the Northern Wei Dynasty wrote in Luoyang Jialan Ji Longhua Temple: "the gate of xuanyang is called Sili, and it goes to Luoshui to make a floating bridge. The so-called Yongqiao bridge is also... There are Huabiao in the north and south, which is twenty feet high. The style of Huabiao is like a phoenix trying to rush to the sky."

House external decoration: "Wenxuan" Three Kingdoms · Wei · he Pingshu (Yan) "Jingfu hall": "so its Huabiao is vigorous and bright." Note: "Huabiao is the funeral of Huashi outside the house."

history

Huabiao is a traditional Chinese building with a long history.

It is said that Huabiao not only has the function of road signs, but also has the function of passers-by message, which appeared in the Yao and Shun era of primitive society.

At that time, people set up a wooden post on the main road to identify the road and sign. Later, post kiosks and messengers also used it as a sign. Its name was called "huanmu" or "biaomu". Later, it was collectively referred to as "huanmu". Because the ancient "Huan" and "Hua" sound were similar, it was gradually read as "Huabiao".

On this wooden post, pedestrians can write their opinions on it, so it is also called "libel wood" or "libel wood". In ancient times, the word "defamation" means to discuss right and wrong, which means to put forward opinions in modern times. Therefore, it has the function of "opinion box" in modern times.

According to historical records, the libel wood of the Yao Dynasty was handed over to the column head to indicate the direction of the main road. The Huabiao in front of Tiananmen Gate still retains the basic shape of the libel wood of the Yao Dynasty.

However, there is a crouching beast on the pair of Chinese watches in front of Tiananmen Gate, with its head facing out of the palace; on the pair of Chinese watches behind Tiananmen Gate, with its head facing into the palace. According to legend, the crouching beast is named Yao, who has good sex and hopes that the emperor will not stay in the palace all day long to eat, drink and have fun. He hopes that he will often go out to visit his subjects. Its name is "Wang Di Chu", and Yao's head facing out is to hope the emperor Don't be infatuated with sightseeing. Go back to the imperial palace to deal with the government. Its name is "Wangdi GUI".

significance

It can be seen that Huabiao is not only an ornament, but a symbol to remind the ancient emperors to work hard for the people.

Before and after Tiananmen Square in Beijing, there are a pair of Huabiao. On the column of Huabiao are carved Panlong, and on the column head are auspicious animals. Together with the stone lions in front of Tiananmen Square and the Jinshui bridge on both sides, they set off the majesty of the imperial city. The simple and exquisite Chinese watch is integrated with the majestic and resplendent buildings of the Forbidden City, which makes people feel both the harmony of art and the solemnity and dignity of history. In fact, Huabiao has been closely connected with the Chinese nation and the ancient Chinese culture. To some extent, it can also be said to be a symbol of our nation.

The Huabiao in front of Tiananmen Square can be divided into three parts, namely, the column head, the column body and the base. The part on the stigma of Huabiao is also called Chenglu plate. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once ordered people to set up a bronze immortal on the platform of the gods. He held his hands over his head and held a copper plate to carry the nectar from the sky. He thought that drinking the nectar would make him immortal. Naturally, this is nonsense. Later, this form was handed down, and the immortal was canceled, and it was simplified to put a disc on the column. There are also auspicious animals on the capitals of Huabiao, which are called "Yao". The ancients created a lot of auspicious animals, their functions are different, but most of them are based on people's desire to pray for blessings and avoid disasters. "Yu" is a kind of auspicious animal which looks like a dog. According to the different position, the meaning of expression is also different. A pair of stone statues on the Huabiao behind Tiananmen square face north and look at the Forbidden City. The implication is that the emperor should not stay in the palace for a long time without knowing the suffering of the world. He should often go out of the palace to observe the situation of the people, so it is called "Wang Jun Chu". In front of Tian'anmen Square, a pair of stone stones face the south, implying that the emperor should not go out for a long time, so they are called "Wangjun GUI".

The column of Huabiao is octagonal, with a giant dragon circling up, and the dragon is covered with cloud patterns. The white marble column against the background of blue sky and white clouds really has the momentum of a giant dragon flying in the air. There is a cloud board on the top of the column, which is carved with auspicious clouds.

The base of Huabiao is called xumizuo. This is based on the base form of Buddhist statues, and a ring of stone railings is added outside the base. On the four corner stone columns of the railings each has a small stone lion, and the head orientation is the same as that of the stone pillar above. The railings not only protect the watch, but also make it more lofty and solemn.

effect

Commemorative logo

It is generally believed that Huabiao, also known as huanbiao and biaomiu, is a kind of column used for commemoration and identification in ancient buildings. Huabiao originated from an ancient technique of erecting. It is said that in the Yao and Shun dynasties, people erected wooden columns on the main roads to identify the direction of the road. This is the rudiment of Huabiao.

Totem logo

Another view is that Huabiao originated from the totem symbol of ancient tribes. At the top of Huabiao, there is a sitting beast, which looks like a dog but not a dog. It is called "Yao". According to Chinese folklore, this kind of monster has good sex. In ancient times, people all carved the totem symbol worshipped by their own nation, and worshiped it as a God. The carving of Huabiao school top was also different because of the different totem symbols of different tribes. In the feudal society, the totem symbol gradually faded in people's mind, and the animals carved on Huabiao became people's favorite mascots. For example, the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu has a poem "the white crane returns to Huabiao in cold weather, and the green dragon sees the water at sunset", which means that the white crane is carved on the top of Huabiao. Looking at the famous Song Dynasty painting "Qingming River map", the Huabiao is indeed carved with white crane. It is said that this is because a man named Ding Lingwei learned Taoism and became an immortal. He turned the crane back to Wei and stood on the Huabiao to sing songs. Therefore, people later carved the white crane on the Huabiao column to show good luck.

Writing advice

There is also a saying that the ancient name of Huabiao was "blasphemy wood". It is said that Yao and Shun set up wooden columns on the main traffic roads and court halls for people to write their admonitions. That is to encourage people to give opinions. Cui Bao of the Jin Dynasty said in the annotation of ancient and modern times, Q & A and interpretation: "Cheng Ya asked," why should Yao set up a wood of slander? " The answer is: "today's Huabiao wood is also crossed by horizontal trees. Its stigma looks like a flower, and it looks like a tangerine. The road should be balanced. According to Cui Bao, the shape of Huabiao wood is similar to that of Huabiao wood in front of Tiananmen Gate. However, Huabiao's function of "slandering wood" has long disappeared. It is no longer engraved with admonition, but replaced by the cloud dragon pattern, which symbolizes imperial power and becomes a special symbol of royal architecture.

Evolution of musical instruments

Some people think that Huabiao evolved from an ancient musical instrument. This musical instrument is called "Mufeng". It is a kind of body singing instrument with a thin waist in the middle and a handle inserted on the waist. In the pre Qin period, the officials on behalf of the emperor asked for people's opinions,

Chinese PinYin : Hua Biao