Great Wall of China

Author: Chief Editor: Liu Liping
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1997-01-01
Features:
Fragment: Three ancient emperors had three platforms: the Ling Platform, the Shi Platform, and the You Platform. The "Differences in the Five Classics" states: "The emperor has three platforms: the Ling Platform to observe celestial phenomena, the Shi Platform to implement the seasons' transformations, and the You Platform to observe birds, beasts, fish, and turtles." They are also referred to as the Bronze Swallow Platform, the Golden Phoenix Platform, and the Ice Well Platform built by the Cao Wei dynasty in Ye City. During the Later Zhao period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Shi Hu "adorned the three platforms more splendidly than in the early Wei period." Emperor Wenxuan of Northern Qi, Gao Yang, rebuilt the three platforms on the old site, renaming the Bronze Swallow Platform the Golden Phoenix, the Golden Phoenix Platform the Holy Response, and the Ice Well Platform the High Light. The three islands are mentioned in the "Three Mountains" section.
Sanmei: A Buddhist term, the transliteration of Sanskrit Samadhi, also translated as "Samādhi." It means "meditation" or "equipoise," referring to a mental state where the mind is free of distractions and focused on a single object without dispersion. The "Wisdom Treatise" states: "When the good mind remains undisturbed in one place, it is called Samadhi." Buddhism considers it a psychological condition for making certain judgments and is one of the important practices in Buddhism. It is also used to refer to the mystery or secret of something. For example, Su Shi in the Song Dynasty wrote in "Poem for Laoqian": "Pouring tea has long been mastered with the tea Samadhi." Lu You: "Even if Mao carried a tripod, he had not yet reached the Samadhi."
Sanjing: A small path in a garden. The "Records of the Three Capitals" states: "Jiang Xu, styled Yuanqing, opened three paths under the bamboo in his home, seeking only to associate with Qiu Zhong and Yang Zhong." Jiang Xu abandoned his post and retired to seclusion during Wang Mang's tyranny in the late Western Han Dynasty. In his garden, he dug three paths, associating only with close friends. Later, the three paths came to represent the gardens of reclusive scholars, as well as gardens, mountain residences, and villa residences. Tao Yuanming wrote in "Farewell to My Official Post": "The three paths are now overgrown, but pines and chrysanthemums still remain." Qian Qi wrote in "Autumn Garden Evening Bath": "Under five withered willows, the three paths of the small garden are deep." In "Mountain Garden Seclusion": "The three paths are far from the noise, and a gourd is often self-pleased." Liu Cang wrote in "Inscription on Ma Taihou's Villa": "A courtyard of willows in spring light is warm, and the three paths of smoke and vines are deep in evening green."
Sanfei: In ancient times, it referred to the heat required to cook tea. Lu Yu wrote in "The Tea Classic": "The boiling is like fish eyes, with a faint sound, the first boil. The edge is like a gushing spring of pearls, the second boil. The waves rise and surge, the third boil. Above this, the water is too old and cannot be eaten." Tu Long wrote in "Tea Notes": "The method of the three boils requires live fire. If the fire just meets, the water pot is just burning, quickly pour it, the steam has not dissipated, it is called 'young'; if it takes over a hundred breaths, the water boils over ten times, or if it is delayed by words, it is used, the soup has lost its nature, it is called 'old.' Both young and old are not right." Cai Xiang wrote in "Tea Record": "Waiting for the soup is difficult; if it is not ripe, foam floats, if it is overripe, it sinks." The heat of cooking tea has long been a skill. Brewing and tasting tea is one of the indispensable parts of traditional Chinese garden life. Su Dongpo wrote in a poem: "Crab eyes have passed, fish eyes are born, the wind of pine trees is about to make a sound."
Sanhu: A nickname for the three sacred mountains of the sea in mythology—Penglai, Yingzhou, and Fangzhang. The "Record of Lost Records," attributed to Wang Jia of the Jin Dynasty, states: "The sea has three mountains, shaped like jars. Fangzhang is called Fanghu, Penglai is called Penghu, and Yingzhou is called Yinghu." The annotation to the "Three Capitals Yellow Map" on "Taji Pool" notes: "Emperor Wu believed in immortality and took the absurd words of Shaojun and Luan Da, building many pavilions, so in the pool, three mountains were set up to resemble Penglai, Yingzhou, and Fangzhang." In the "Record of Lost Records," Penglai Mountain is described as "20,000 feet high and 70,000 feet wide," and "shaped like a jar." Describing the early gardens' "Taji Pool" with jars shows their crude artistic features. The "Forty Scenic Spots of Yuanmingyuan" in the Qing Dynasty includes "Fanghu Shengjing," named "Fanghu," merely taking the meaning of the sacred mountains of the sea. The preface to the "Poems of the Forty Scenic Spots of Yuanmingyuan" states: "The three sacred mountains of the sea, when ships reach them, the wind carries them away, just empty talk. To know that gold and silver are palaces, how different from the human world? Wherever you are, you are an immortal, in your own room, why seek far? This is the reason for the name 'Fanghu.'"
Sanfeng: Three famous peaks of Taihu Lake in Suzhou. Gu Zhen wrote in "Jinmen Biaoyin": "Ruiyun, Ziyun, and Guanyin are exquisitely shaped and tall. They were obtained by Zhu Jie of the Song Dynasty and later belonged to the Dong family of Yunyang. They were moved to the East Garden. Ruiyun Peak was moved to the western palace of the Silk Manufacturer in the 44th year of the Qianlong reign (1779). Ziyun Peak has long been lost, and Guanyin Peak now stands outside the half-side street." According to records, Ruiyun Peak was the smaller of two stones collected by Zhu Jie on Wuyun Mountain in Taihu Lake. The larger stone was first transported to "Gengyue," and the smaller stone was not moved out because Zhu Jie's affairs failed. Later, the Dong family of Yunyang purchased it and gifted it to the Xu family of Changmen Xiaotang in Suzhou, placing it in the garden of the half-side street, now the "Liuyuan," renamed "Ruiyun Peak." In the 44th year of the Qianlong reign (1779), it was moved to the western palace of the Silk Manufacturer. It is now in the campus of the 10th Middle School of Suzhou.
Sanyi: In ancient times, plum, bamboo, and stone were called the "three benefits" of friends, briefly referred to as "sanyi." Luo Da Jing wrote in "Helin Yulu": "Su Dongpo praised Wen Yu Ke's plum, bamboo, and stone: 'Plum is cold and elegant, bamboo is thin and long-lasting, stone is ugly but literary.' This refers to the three benefits of friends." Jiang Yan wrote in "Tao Wei Jun's Hidden Farm": "Opening a path to see the three benefits." Ji Cheng wrote in "Gardening Treatise·Gardening Explanation": "Paths follow the three benefits, and the business aims at eternal life." Plum, bamboo, and stone, in traditional Chinese aesthetic thought, symbolize the noble and ethereal temperament of the wise. "Paths follow the three benefits" means that garden paths are opened among flowers, trees, and rocks, implying a leisurely and transcendent life in garden living.
Sanfu: Refers to the three officials and their jurisdictions for governing the capital during the Western Han Dynasty. The "Three Capitals Yellow Map" states: "The three capitals refer to the Chief Marquis Commander, the Left and Right Inner Commanders. Emperor Wu renamed them the Capital Commandant, the Left Fengyi, and the Right Fufeng, all governing Chang'an City, known as the three capitals." The Capital Commandant jurisdictioned east of Chang'an, the Left Fengyi jurisdictioned north of Changling, and the right Fufeng jurisdictioned west of Weicheng. For example, the Changyang Palace and the Bear Watching Pavilion were in the right Fufeng, west of Weicheng; the Ganquan Palace was in the left Fengyi, north of Changling. The "Salt and Iron Debate·Gardens and Pools" states: "The three capitals are close to the mountains and rivers, with narrow land and many people, coming from all directions."
Yu Garden: A private garden in Guazhou, southern Hanshui County, where the Yangtze River flows into the Grand Canal. Zhang Dai wrote in "Ta'an's Dream of Remembering": "Yu Garden is in Wuwuipo, Guazhou, the garden of the rich Yu Wu. There is nothing extraordinary in the garden except the rocks. The front hall has a rock slope two feet high, with several fruit trees planted on it. Peonies and Chinese peonies are planted along the slope, and people cannot climb up, making it extraordinary. The back hall faces a large pool, with strange peaks and deep gorges in the pool. They rise and fall steeply, and people walk on the bottom of the pool, looking up at the lotus, as if it were in the sky, making it extraordinary in emptiness. Outside the sleeping room, there is a gully that spirals down like a snail, making it extraordinary in seclusion and depth. A water pavilion further back is long like a boat, crossing a small river, surrounded by dense shrubs, with birds chirping, like deep mountains and dense forests, sitting in the middle, feeling relaxed and green. All the gardens and pavilions in Guazhou are famous for their artificial mountains, born from rocks, nurtured by the hands of rocky craftsmen, and shaped by the owners who search for and polish them. With this, the garden can be without regret."
Zong: Similar to "lei," meaning large rocks piled together. Here, it refers to building mountains with piled rocks.
Tushan: A large artificial mountain built in a garden with a predominance of earth. The "Leisurely Notes" state: "Building high and wide mountains entirely with rocks would be like a patchwork monk's robe, making it impossible to find a seam, which is why it is not pleasing to the eye. Adding earth makes it blend seamlessly and is convenient for planting trees. Tree roots entangle and become as firm as rocks, and with large leaves and dense foliage, they blend into one color, making it impossible to distinguish between rock and earth. Placed next to real mountains, who could tell they were piled together? This method does not matter whether there are many or few rocks, nor does it necessarily require an equal amount of earth and rock. If there is more earth, it is a tushan with rocks; if there are more rocks, it is a rocky mountain with earth. Earth and rock are originally inseparable. If a rocky mountain is separated from earth, no grass or trees will grow, making it a barren mountain." To make a tushan with rocks appear natural, it is not about the skill of the rock shapes, as Ji Cheng pointed out: "To know the mystery of piling earth, you must imitate the subtlety of arranging rocks." (From "Gardening Treatise·Picking Mountains") That is, rocks on tushan should be like "the ruggedness of natural terrain," with rock bones exposed and earth, fitting the structure and veins of the mountain, to appear natural.
Damen: The main gate of a residence. The structure is mostly a framed door, with the vertical frames on both sides of the door called "bian ting"; the horizontal frames at the top and bottom called "hengtou liao"; and the middle two or three horizontal bars called "guangzi." Wooden panels are nailed outside the door frame. In southern residences, bamboo slats are nailed outside the wooden panels, carved into characters and patterns, sturdy and elegant.
Damu: The general name for the main wooden frame of a timber structure building. The "Qing Style Construction Rules·Damu" states: "Damu refers to the general name for all the main wooden frames of a building. There are two sizes and styles: the grand style with dougong, and the small style without dougong. Structurally, it can be divided into three parts: the vertical load-bearing part—columns and the horizontal supported part—beams, purlins, rafters, and other auxiliary parts, and the transitional part between the two—dougong."
Wangong: See "Guagong" section.
Shangren: A Buddhist term. Generally refers to monks who strictly observe precepts and are skilled in doctrine. The "Essential Review of Buddhism" states: "With wisdom within and excellent conduct without, above ordinary people, they are called shangren." Wu Zeng of the Song Dynasty wrote in "Nenggai Zhanmanlu": "Tang poetry often uses 'shangren' to refer to monks, such as Du Zimei's 'Miao Zhiran's Abode.'" Later, it became a respectful term for monks. Japan also uses "shangren" to refer to reclusive monks in the mountains. Many ancient monks had profound achievements in literature and art, such as the Qing Dynasty's Daoji and Shitao, who were not only famous painters but also renowned garden artists.
Jia: Jia wrote in "Inscription on Shilang Zen Master": "Shangren clearly sees, the jade rabbit is submerged at the bottom of the jade toad pool."