On the "Ten Methods" in the Creation of Couplets

Professor Changjiang talks about the six principles of couplet creation for your reference;

What principles should be followed in creating couplets? I think we should remember these six words: work, stability, persistence, cutting, innovation and novelty.

work

Work, first of all, means cleanliness. A couplet should have the same number of words, the same part of speech, the same balance and the same sentence pattern. In other words, it should completely or basically conform to the characteristics and laws of couplets. Neatness is the most basic requirement for writing couplets.

The ancients (or predecessors) were very particular about "work". Before the Qing dynasty, the selection of joint books was strict, and almost no one failed. During the Republic of China, such as Hu's Ancient and Modern Couplets Collection, the couplets collected in each episode were also carefully selected. Of course, some books are randomly selected. In recent years, some couplets are really not rigorous enough, especially the anthology of new couplets and some scribbled couplets, which also make people doubt the creation of new couplets. There are two reasons for this. First of all, the author lacks a serious creative attitude. Second, the editor didn't scrutinize them one by one, copying them from the east and picking them from the west. Even if a book is finished, it is still a mistake. I think the latter is more responsible. If we follow the principle of "less but better, less but not excessive", those scribbled couplets will never have a bright future, which will be the blessing of the joint altar.

Here, I don't want to give examples, just remind readers: don't think that printed couplets are all good couplets, and they are all "model essays".

Works, and the meaning of "exquisite and concise". I roughly estimate that couplets with less than seven words can account for more than half of the total number of couplets, and long couplets with more than 90 words are less than 1%. It expresses endless and rich thoughts, feelings and images with limited numbers, and is exquisite and concise in conception, layout, word selection and sentence making.

Not knowing how to cherish ink like gold is a problem of couplets. 1986 nationwide "condolences to the frontline, remembering the heroes and heroes" campaign was launched. Among the couplets selected in the initial evaluation, there are also such "bad reviews" couplets. Let me give two examples:

"283" couplet:

Beautiful scenery, beautiful scenery, how can there be a hero's spiritual beauty;

The sun is high, the moon is high, and the style of soldiers is also high.

The judges think that "the beauty of mountains and rivers" and "the height of the sun and the moon" are redundant originality, and their contingency is as follows:

Beautiful scenery, how can a hero have a beautiful heart;

The sun is high and the moon is high, so the wind of fighting the earth is high.

Serial number "272":

The border pass is imperial, and it has been built for thousands of years;

The earth welcomes spring, and the world sings a generation of heroes.

The judge thinks that "in the fire" and "in the world" are redundant words, so it is best to delete them as "46" sentences.

Border pass pass imperial kou, repeatedly built a thousand years of achievements;

The earth welcomes spring, and the same song is a generation of heroes.

Of course, after appendectomy, it is impossible to win the first prize and the second prize, but it is possible to win the memorial prize, because the work can save the medicine after all, otherwise, the judges don't even have to discuss it.

"stability"

Stability is stability. Obey the rules and gain stability; Being unconventional can also achieve stability. Just like architecture, no matter what style, it must have a solid foundation and a correct image. The same is true of couplets.

Stability has its external manifestations. When choosing sentence patterns, short sentences are often put in front and long sentences are put behind. For example, in cross couplets, the four-six sentence pattern is more stable than the four-six sentence pattern; In the eleven-character couplet, the four-seven sentence patterns are mostly; In twelve-character couplets, the five-seven sentence pattern is the main one; Eighteen-character couplets are generally 657 sentences. If "666" is rigid, if "765" is unstable, few people use it like this. The reason is that there are many words used in the last sentence, so you can "hold" the previous words. In addition, there is also a case of receiving letters, which can be understood as "supporting" the All-China Federation, such as Kunming Daguanlou Federation, and its ending should be:

..... Don't let down fragrant rice, clear sand, hibiscus in September and willow in March.

..... only won a few pestle bells, half a river fishing, two rows of autumn geese, a pillow clearing frost.

The last word "up and down flat" is also to create a stable phonological effect. It is "uneven". If the All-China Federation receives the word "uneven", it will not be stable.

The intrinsic meaning of stability is mainly manifested in strength. The so-called strength, that is, the relative scope of the upper and lower links, the relative depth of thought, the relative degree of abstraction and concreteness, and the relative degree of emotion. Generally speaking, the strength of up and down links is equal, for example:

Know more things and be broad-minded;

Read all the human feelings and broaden your horizons. (maxim)

Home green water and green mountains;

People are in the spring breeze. (Spring Festival couplets)

There are many such couplets. But some of them have strong and weak changes, mainly weak on the top and strong on the bottom. There are many such Spring Festival couplets, such as those in Yangcheng Evening News, which call for joint efforts to win the first city:

Smell the chicken dancing;

Run for spring.

The up and down links all mean winning by anger, and the down links are naturally stronger and wider. Another example is the exclusive glans penis work of Guangzhou Cuiyuan Restaurant:

I welcome guests at Cuige, which is sweet and fat, and its color is fragrant and elegant;

The garden is full of beautiful flowers. I wish you prosperity and happiness.

Compared with the concrete feelings of sentences, duality is superior in charm and emotional sublimation.

From the above two examples, we can see that the difference between strength and weakness is not the difference between good and bad. No matter how strong or weak you are, you should try your best to do every sentence well. If something goes wrong, just like the collapse of the foundation column, the building will not be stable.

As for the situation that the top is strong and the bottom is weak, it is rare. Unless there are some interesting associations, no one wants to do something "anticlimactic"

Stability, there is also a "work outside the alliance" factor, that is, the maturity and stability of ideas. A person's thoughts are capricious, he has no belief in life, and his feelings are impetuous and exaggerated. It is difficult for his couplets to achieve real stability.

"paste"

Sticking is the proper meaning. For example, if a person makes a dress, after proper cutting and sewing, it fits well, neither too big nor too small, neither too fat nor too thin, and it fits himself well, which makes others feel comfortable. Couplets should be like wearing clothes. A good pair of couplets can reach the point that "adding one point makes it long, and subtracting one point makes it short". If the idea is improper, the theme is not good; If you don't express your feelings properly, you will lose your attitude; Improper wording leads to impoliteness; Improper use of words leads to many defects in appearance.

"Non-stick" is often exaggerated, just like a dwarf wearing a robe and a hat. The title of the scenic spot is "the best in the world" and "A Chinese Odyssey"; "Winning the West Lake" and "Winning Peng Ying" ...; Writing elegiac couplets means "live with heaven and earth" and "shine with the sun and the moon" Even if you advertise to write a eulogy, I'm afraid that's not what you wrote.

"Not sticking" is often manifested in improper use of words, especially synonyms and synonyms. In the 1985 national "Spring Festival-Great Wall" publicity campaign, there is such a publicity campaign:

In the East, Jieshi Sheng Tao is ancient;

The west is near Yangguan, and the willow color is new.

This couplet is good in conception, artistic conception, antithesis and leveling, but the word "old" and the word "new" are opposite, and the meaning is not clear: can the sound of waves be divided into old and new? The judges decided to replace the word with the synonym "ancient":

In the East, Jieshi Sheng Tao is ancient;

The west is near Yangguan, and the willow color is new.

In this way, a good couplet was "rescued".

If you don't post it, it also means that the themes of the up and down links are not concentrated, that is, the concepts are not so consistent. This is also one of the reasons why a large number of works in the collection were unsuccessful in the initial evaluation. 1988 During the Spring Festival, the "Yuhuan Happy Reunion" was won, the first one was won, and the second one was won. In the final evaluation, I met an opposite:

Sentence: the bright moon rises to the sky with its own brilliance;

Dialogue: The yellow flowers are fragrant in the festival at night and look like a proud Sanqiu.

This pair of sentences, well-intentioned, is in line with the season of enlistment (starting from the Mid-Autumn Festival), and there is no problem in fighting for peace. Moreover, the word "Evening Festival" forms a pun, which means that yellow flowers (chrysanthemums) will bloom in later festivals (Mid-Autumn Festival), and the elderly will keep their sentiment in their later years. Therefore, this pair of sentences is very popular with the middle-aged and elderly judges of the jury. However, it is found that although it has a certain relationship with the theme of reunion, it is not closely attached and can only be rated as second class, ranking lower.

"cut"

Well, although it also means "appropriate", it is mainly manifested in being clear and targeted, that is, "exact"

"Couplet Conghua Volume IV" contains:

Li Anyun of Chaozhou Hanwen Temple said: "God's will is gentle, not a book, and Mr. An De is here;" It only takes eight months for people to return to the right path, and now it has been a hundred years. " It is close to Chaozhou, and it is not allowed to move to Changli Temple in other places. The reason why this couplet can't be used for other purposes is that it is closely cut with Chaozhou. In the 14th year of Tang Yuanhe, Tang Xianzong sent someone from Fengxiang to welcome the Buddha bone into the palace, expecting to give it up. Han Yu (Wen Gong) went to the Buddha's bone table and said that he wanted to eliminate evil for the sake of holiness. Who knows, "a letter in the morning, 8 thousand in Chaoyang Road at night" was demoted to Chaozhou secretariat. Although he has only been here for eight months, his literary concept has been strengthened by accident. As the leader of the ancient prose movement, he is regarded as an immortal teacher.

Compare this couplet with other Korean temples:

one

Sue's prequel;

Master Meng worships Mr. Hou.

Secondly,

Eight generations of stone articles;

Jiangshan's surname has a long history.

third

Eight generations of decline, since the past articles respect Beidou;

Xing four schools, that is, cowpeas today attach importance to Dongjiao.

Fourth.

After entering the school, idle officials will become three public;

Rise and fall, make the six classics system.

Obviously, these couplets are also excellent works, but they are not "tight" to the local area. The former pair of couplets is from Chaozhou, and the latter pair is from Beijing. Compared with the "providence" couplets, this is very clear.

In addition to cutting the ground, couplets also emphasize cutting people, whether it is a gift, celebration or mourning, which should be very suitable for the identity, experience and personality characteristics of the recipient and the writer. 1936 10 19 Mr. Lu Xun's death in Shanghai shocked the literary world. Many celebrities wrote elegies to express their condolences. Here are some examples:

The most rigorous work is nothing more than the history of China's novels;

Last words are too painful, so don't be an empty writer. (Cai Yuanpei)

Fang hangs in April, overlapping two stars, and East Asia and Western Europe weep together;

Recite two hearts, no regrets, and arouse the souls of the whole world. (Guo Moruo holds it)

If you want to hit Reservoir Dogs, you will never forgive him. If you know how to attack and retreat, it's not just the literary world.

Don't be a short writer. You hate helping others in life, dare to laugh and curse, and deserve your ideological authority. (Chen Yila)

Enemy? Friends? I only ask myself;

Do you know me? Offend me? The public is speechless. Xu Maoyong grabbed him.

These couplets are all cut for work. First of all, it is suitable for Lu Xun: useful works of Lu Xun, such as A Brief History of China's Novels and A Collection of Two Hearts; Some praise the spirit of Lu Xun, such as playing Reservoir Dogs; Some people have made appropriate comments on Lu Xun, such as "not only the literary world" and "worthy of the authority of the ideological world"; Some people say it is Lu Xun's will, such as "Don't be an empty writer"; There are also associations based on the time of Lu Xun's death, such as "April, overlapping two stars" (Gorky died in June 1936+08). Secondly, it suits the author himself: Cai Lian is calm and sincere, just like a close friend of a scholar; Chen Lianfeng's mountain flashes without losing the Confucian demeanor of a military commander. Guo Lian's "shaking without borders" is a matter of one sentence. He and Lu Xun never met once, and didn't pass a letter, feeling that "this is my great regret"; Xu Lian deserves more praise for being suitable for himself. As we all know, Lu Xun misunderstood Xu before his death and severely criticized his works. Mr. Lu Xun died before Xu could explain. Therefore, Xu Lian expressed more complex feelings at that time.

This "cut" shows the particularity of things. Philosophically speaking, universality lies in particularity, and only "particularity" shows the ever-changing and colorful things. Spring Festival couplets, birthday couplets and elegiac couplets can be divided into general couplets and special couplets. Although the general couplets are universally applicable, they have no personality and are not "cut". Therefore, they should not be the main way of creation, but we should vigorously promote special couplets.

"New"

Innovation refers to being fresh, unique, original, unconventional and reaching the point of "bringing forth the old and bringing forth the new". Without "innovation", couplets cannot develop.

It is most important that couplets be original. The same theme, the same scenic spots, the same people, the latecomers must win the predecessors with the latest ideas, otherwise, it is better to stop writing or imitating than the predecessors.

Try to look at the traditional names of several pairs of barbershops:

one

Although the cloud is not a skill;

But it's top kung fu.

Secondly,

All the arrivals are champions;

There should be no scratching.

third

Create a new atmosphere;

Cut down thousands of old things.

Fourth.

Don't teach white hair to make people old;

I prefer the spring breeze.

Fifth.

Sharpen your life and ask how many heads there are in the world;

Try the front and see what the old man does.

These couplets have their own angles. Although they all have puns, they are not repeated. A couplet is a self-praise of good craftsmanship, and the pun of "fine powder" and "top grade" is extremely accurate; Couplets are about the customer's modality, while "topping the crown" and "scratching the head" are about the representative actions of the customer before and after the haircut. Triple is the characteristic of "pruning" in writing; Missing is to write about the barber's noble spiritual realm; "Five Lotus" is a work by Shi Dakai, a general of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, who showed his fearless fighting spirit through haircut.

In the face of these famous associations, re-creation must find another way, such as:

Start a new career from scratch;

The old phenomenon was shattered by one hand.

Some people borrowed the meaning of previous couplets to transform them:

Bow your head and do nothing;

If you stand up, you will show great advantages.

It is similar to the couplet quoted above, but "bowing" and "standing on the ground" describe the form and manner of a barber, which is also innovative. However, there are also some poor reforms, such as:

Improve your needs and be proficient in your work;

Try it when you need it. It's very clever.

When creating new couplets, we should pay more attention to innovation. There is a pair of very distinctive:

Technological innovation, the head is the way;

Radiant, all faces are spring.

The pun "The head is right" is clever. When these operations are written, they are boring:

Push, cut and scrape to your satisfaction;

Hot air blowing makes you satisfied.

It can be seen that the key to the creation of couplets is to be innovative. However, some of today's couplets are nothing new, especially in the creation of Spring Festival couplets, which is more prominent. We advocate that couplets should reflect the spirit of the times, show the way of life and thinking of contemporary people, show the ideological outlook and moral standards of the new society, and show endless new things and concepts. Many couplets writers have made valuable efforts to this end and achieved remarkable results. However, ordinary beginners' understanding of the spirit of the times is often narrow and one-sided. They think that when writing Spring Festival couplets, we must write "Responsibility Field", "Realizing the Four Modernizations" and "Revitalizing China". It seems that only these new terms and slogans can reflect "ideological". In fact, this understanding is unscientific.

The language of couplets should be fresh, elegant, natural and lively. Old cliches should be discarded and new slogans should be terminated. Only by expressing new artistic conception in new language can we create excellent works. Some comrades write and publish dozens or even hundreds of couplets every year without paying attention to innovation. If you try to sort out their works over the years, you will find that there are too many similarities in artistic conception and language.

"strange"

Strange, that is, strange ideas, clever language, amazing. Such couplets are impressive and often unforgettable.

Fun leagues often win by surprise and catch people's hearts by cleverness. Since ancient times, there have been a large number of conjunctions, and the following pair is rare in terms of the strangeness of the concept:

The jujube is pedicled, cut and divided into four bundles;

After getting up, do more and make up for the double room.

Take the number couplets as an example, there is a kind of number couplets, such as "three lights, the sun, the moon and the stars, four poems to suit both refined and popular tastes". Sentences are divided into three nouns by "three", and sentences must avoid "three", but they must also take three nouns, which is very strange. As a result, people were inspired to write many such pairs. Throughout the ages, only one of Mr. Hua's poems can be called "the wonder of the strange":

The top three is Wei;

Chapter 9 Pythagoras strings.

This was written by Hua when he went abroad with a delegation of scientists from China in the early 1950s. The three nouns he received not only have their origins (Han, Zhao and Wei are the top three in the Warring States, and Pythagorean theorem was first found in Nine Chapters of Arithmetic), but also the names of Qian Sanqiang and Zhao Jiuzhang present have additional meanings compared with "Three Lights and Four Poems".

Besides interesting couplets, other kinds of couplets also have some strange ideas. For example, writing couplets of Taibai Tower, writing more about Li Bai's wandering life experience, writing about the elegant environment on the fourth floor, and even writing Li Bai's poems to praise or criticize Li. Wang Youcai's couplets are wonderful;

We only drink in this life;

Mr. Wang is writing a poem in class.

Some people also call it "Taibaijiu" couplets. In any case, this couplet is remarkable in conception. It compares Li Bai's poetic talent with the idea of persuading people to drink only and not write poems. The style of writing is different.

We should see some novel couplets, which can often promote the diversification of couplets. For example, this year's embedding of couplets in heavenly stems and earthly branches is the development of Spring Festival couplets; Self-elegiac couplet is the development of elegiac couplet.

Work, stability, sticking, cutting, novelty and strangeness are the basic principles of couplets. Ancient and modern minglian can give consideration to these six aspects and stand out from the crowd, so it can last for a long time and be well-known; On the other hand, these problems, such as lack of work, instability, persistence, tangency, novelty and novelty, cannot be masterpieces. Therefore, beginners should work hard on these words and do not need to be greedy. If they can "create a couple and be satisfied with it", they will have a basis for improvement.