Ask away: 101 Fun Questions About Chinese Culture

Author: Yang Qingru
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: Traditional culture is both distant and close to modern people. With the growing popularity of traditional culture, the public has developed an interest in some seemingly confusing and half-understood topics. For example: How did Guan Gong, the war god, become the god of wealth? In the proverb "Women change eighteen times in their youth," does "eighteen" refer to age or the number of changes? Why is it called "facing south" when referring to a king or emperor ruling the land? How long is the duration of a single incense stick? These seemingly simple questions actually hide rich and interesting content. This book adopts the format of "asking, answering, and linking for expansion," selecting 101 interesting questions about traditional culture. It presents them in a relaxed, lively, yet rigorous and accurate language. Each section is relatively independent, and flipping through it will bring insights—a worthwhile leisure cultural read.
This book adopts the format of "asking, answering, and linking for expansion," selecting 101 interesting questions about traditional culture. It presents them in a relaxed, lively, yet rigorous and accurate language. Each section is relatively independent, and flipping through it will bring insights—a worthwhile leisure cultural read.
Why do people generally say "shameless" instead of "without face" when insulting someone? Did the ancient terms "face" and "face" refer to the same part of the body? To vent anger or dissatisfaction toward someone, people often say "shameless," meaning that the person disregards dignity and lacks shame. However, they don’t say "without face." Why is that? This is mainly because of the difference between written and spoken language. "Face" belongs to written language and is often used in literary works, while "face" is more colloquial and frequently appears in oral conversations. For example, in daily dialogue, we say "wash face" or "rub face," but rarely say "wash face" or "rub face." The proverb "Someone’s face is thicker than a city wall" loses its vivid and lively effect if said as "someone’s face is thicker than a city wall." The meaning intended by colloquial language can also be expressed in writing using literary language. For instance, "shameless" can be written as "disregarding dignity" in literary works, and "wash face" can be written as "clean face," etc. Additionally, "shameless" has a more impactful pronunciation, being more forceful and harder than "without face." In fact, "face" was not always purely colloquial. Before the Ming Dynasty, both "face" and "face" were written terms and frequently appeared in literary works. For example, the Tang Dynasty poet Cen Shen wrote: "Shore flowers still blush red face," Li Qingzhao’s lyrics: "Fragrant face half blooms, charming and graceful," Bai Juyi’s: "Still holding the pipa, half covering face," and Cui Hu’s: "Human face and peach blossoms reflect red" all use "face" or "face" in literary phrases. Later, a distinction between spoken and written language gradually emerged. The meanings of "face" and "face" are now similar, but their ancient meanings differed. "Face" is a later word, emerging around the Wei and Jin periods, with its original meaning being the cheek, often referring to the part of the face below the eyes where women could apply powder. For example, in Bai Juyi’s "Lament for Zhaojun": "Eyebrows fade, remaining ink turns red, face fades, remaining red," this refers to that part. Besides, in ancient times, "face" also meant "eyelid." For instance, in the poem "Substituting Su Zuguo’s Wife" by Emperor Wu of the Southern Qi Dynasty: "Looking at the silk, not yet finished, tears like silk under the face," here, "face" refers to the eyelid. "Face" has a broader scope than "face," including the entire front of the head, with "face" being only a part of it. Over time, the meaning of "face" expanded, becoming almost identical to that of "face."
Knowledge Link: Does the common saying "face" refer to the surface? "Face" indeed has the meaning of surface. In some dialects, the top of bedding is called "face," and there are also terms like "clothing face" and "shoe face," with similar meanings, all referring to the surface of objects. Since "face" has the meaning of surface, it’s not surprising that it gradually developed to mean the surface of things, as seen in the novel "Flowers in the Sea of Suffering," which writes: "Although Empress Dowager Xi has retired to the Summer Palace, she does not interfere with court affairs on the surface."