Chapter 80 Bead Curtain
I saw this thing with a dragon head, deer body, cow hooves, and wings.
"It shouldn't be Qilin! Qilin has a sheep's head, wolf hooves, a dome, and five colors on its body."
In fact, the image of Qilin has evolved in different historical periods and cultural backgrounds.
During the Qin and Han dynasties, the image of the unicorn was more gentle, similar to a deer-shaped auspicious beast. With the introduction of Buddhism, the image of the unicorn gradually moved closer to the shape of a mighty lion. By the Song Dynasty, the appearance and artistic features of the unicorn were closely related to the evolution of the dragon. associated.
"Could it be that the four are different?" Qiao Yufan asked.
Huo Qingtong rolled his eyes: "It doesn't look like an elk, okay? It's not like this at all."
The elk is named "Four Unlikely" because of its unique appearance. Its head and face are long and narrow like a horse, its antlers are like a deer, its hooves are wide like an ox's, and its tail is slender like a donkey's.
"I'm not talking about the four different beasts, but the ancient four different beasts. Legend has it that it was the mount of Yuanshi Tianzun, the leader of the Chan Cult, and was later given to Jiang Ziya, a disciple of Yuxu's sect, for use in defeating Zhou." Qiao Yufan said depressedly.
Liu Xin shook his head: "That's not right! The body of Sibuxiang in Fengshenyan is smaller, with a head and body like a fox, but the ears are like a rabbit, long and round, the tail is like a squirrel, and the hind legs are like a deer."
Qiao Yufan spread his hands: "Then I don't know."
Everyone looked at Lin Yuan.
"It's fake, it's neither fish nor fowl." Lin Yuan concluded.
Huo Qingtong also picked up a few strings of beads and asked, "What about this? Bracelet? It doesn't look like it."
This is very different from the eighteen bracelets they got before. First of all, they are in strips and not tied at both ends.
"If you like it, I'll give it to you. Share it between the two of you!" Liu Xin said to Huo Qingtong and Li Qiushui.
He bought these beads at a flea market and asked the stall owner to give them to him. Strictly speaking, no money was spent, just borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha.
It's free, and Li Qiu Shui and Huo Qingtong will definitely not dislike it.
The two of them each took half and thanked each other: "Thank you, Senior Brother Liu."
His study abroad program is about to end, and he is one year older than them, so there is nothing wrong with calling him senior.
Lin Yuan: "This should be Mianqi."
"Mianqi? What did you come from?" Almost no one present understood it. It seemed that they were hearing this term for the first time.
Lin Yuan explained: "You should have seen the strings of beads on the front and back of the ancient emperor's crown, and things similar to door curtains, right?"
A long time ago, the emperor's crown was composed of "旒", "礹", and " crown board". The top was a long crown board, with many strings of pearls and jade hanging from the front and back, strung with colorful threads.
Among them, the emperor's hat style from the Qin and Han Dynasties that we have seen in movies and TV dramas is the most representative.
With this explanation, everyone except Paul understood it.
Including Henry. After all, Henry has studied in China for several years and has watched Chinese costume TV dramas, so he knows what is going on.
"That thing is called Mianqi?"
Liu Xin helped explain: "Mian means crown or hat, and beads and jade strung together form a string. It seems to be also called Tamamo." He was still a little ink, he just didn't react just now.
In fact, a number of strings of beads hanging from the eaves of the crown are called "Qi". They are strung together with colored threads and are combined with the crown. They are called MianQi. The materials of the crowns and the number of the MianQi are different, which is how to distinguish the honorable person. Low and low standards.
It is said that when Mianqi first appeared, not only the emperor, but also princes and kings could wear it. According to their superiority, the number of Mianqi was divided into nine, seven, and five. If you wear the wrong one, you will be severely punished.
Generally speaking, there are twelve jade algae in front of the emperor's crown, and twelve jade algae in the back, a total of twenty-four. They were originally woven with jade beads of red, blue, white, black, and yellow colors, with each bead between them. One inch apart, later white jade was also used.
The prince uses 11 痒 11 beads, the prince and the princes can only use 9 痒 9 beads, and the ministers have fewer 痒 beads than the princes.
Therefore, their official positions can be determined by the number of beads, which is the so-called "taking people by their hats".
Later, the imperial power became more and more concentrated, and Mianqi became the exclusive property of the emperor, so Mianqi was also called the emperor.
Lin Yuan told everyone that during the Qin and Han Dynasties, the emperor's court uniforms were typically black and red. Later, the court uniforms gradually changed. By the Song Dynasty, the emperor almost no longer wore a crown.
"After the Song Dynasty, the shape of the crown became simpler, but the material of the crown was made of pure gold, and the dragons and carvings on it were more exquisite."
To be precise, the Tang Dynasty began to cancel.
During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, in order to show his closeness to the people, he ordered the removal of the bead curtain on the crown.
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In ancient times, the crown was very important and could reflect a person's class status. Those who tied their hair with a crown were either rich or noble. No ordinary peasant wore a crown. Most of them used turbans and strips of cloth to tie their hair.
This "ritual system" was established in the Zhou Dynasty and has been used in subsequent dynasties.
Emperors of ethnic minorities who established political power did not wear crowns, and the hats they wore were also different from those of Han emperors. By the Qing Dynasty, Mianqi-style ceremonial crowns had completely withdrawn from the stage of history.
Qiao Yufan asked: "In addition to decoration, what is the use of this thing? If it is dangling in front of your eyes, won't the emperor get dizzy?"
Those who use hypnosis just wave something in front of you for a while.
In fact, the jewelry on the heads of ancient people were used as headdresses. Naturally, Mianqi also served as a decorative crown, but its function was not only that, but also had a deeper meaning.
In ancient times, there was a saying that "the eyes cannot see and the ears cannot hear". The purpose of setting the trap is to "shield the light", which means: "The king observes things with his eyes, and the unobservable is the light."
In addition, the beaded curtain of Mianqi can create a safe "psychological distance", which can block the expression and make it difficult for the emperor's mind to be guessed, thereby creating an unfathomable and mysterious image of majesty, to imply that the ministers "cannot face the holy face directly". At the same time, he used a sense of distance to create fear and respect in his ministers.
Putting Mianqi in front of him also reminds the emperor at all times that when sitting in a high position, he must know how to control his mind and emotions and do introspection at all times. Once the emperor loses control of his temper, Mianqi will shake violently, which is harmful to his appearance.
Because the jade beads on the front and back of Mianqi are easy to shake and make noise, no matter how you speak, walk or even sit, you must be dignified and steady. If you move too much or walk too fast, you will be slapped in the face; if you sit incorrectly and tilt your head or body, you will be slapped in the face. If it is tilted, the crown will slip.
Therefore, Mianqi is also a tool to regulate the emperor's manners.
I’m afraid many people wouldn’t have thought of this, right?
Lin Yuan was not sure, and said bluntly: "I don't know, but the quality of these beads is good and worth the money."
Hearing this, Huo Qingtong wanted to return the things to Liu Xin.
Liu Xin immediately waved his hand: "You look down on me, don't you? How can you get back the things you sent out? Don't make trouble."
(End of chapter)