What are the basic characteristics and writing methods of Spring Festival couplets?

Spring couplets are not only a new style derived from ancient Chinese parallel prose, but also a literary form that draws on the traditional poetry of our country. It is different from ancient parallel prose and poetry. It is an independent style with a unique form. Although the antithetical sentences in verse or parallel prose are often excellent couplets, they can only be called couplets when they exist independently from verse or parallel prose. Its most striking feature is that it is in pairs in form, the two couplets "oppose" each other, and their contents reflect each other and are closely connected. The upper and lower couplets of a couplet must have a complete and unified structure and clear and concise language. The specific requirements are as follows:

First, the number of words in the upper and lower couplets must be equal.

For example: "The New Year brings wealth and prosperity every year, and the good year brings peace and prosperity." Each couplet of this couplet has seven characters, and the number of characters in the upper and lower couplets is equal. This is the most basic requirement of the Spring Festival couplets. But there are also other phenomena. After the great thief Yuan Shikai died in 1916, people across the country rushed to tell each other, rejoiced and danced. There was a scholar in Sichuan who promised to go to Beijing to send an elegiac couplet to Yuan Shikai. After hearing this, the villagers were shocked and puzzled. They opened the couplet he had written and read:

Yuan Shikai will be through the ages

Long live the Chinese people

After reading this , couldn't help but laugh. The literati deliberately asked: "What are you laughing at?" A young man who was outspoken said: "How can the three words 'Yuan Shikai' in the first couplet match the four words 'Chinese people' in the second couplet?" After hearing this, the literati said, "Chi!" "He laughed and said: "By the way, Yuan Shikai just can't help the Chinese people!" Although this story is about "elegiac couplets", and "elegy couplets" are also a type of couplets, which shows that regardless of Spring Festival couplets Whether it is other couplets, the number of characters in the upper and lower couplets must be equal. If they are not equal, it can only be a very special one.

Second, the phrases in the upper and lower couplets must be the same, and the parts of speech must be consistent.

That is to say, each phrase that makes up the first couplet must have several words, and the corresponding phrases in the second couplet must also have several words. The part-of-speech of the upper and lower couplets means that the category properties of the words, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc., must be arranged in equal order, both the same and relative. For example, as mentioned just now, "New Year brings wealth and good fortune every year, good year brings peace and prosperity." Each couplet consists of three phrases, namely: New Year - wealth - good luck every year, good year - peace - and good health every year. The upper and lower couplets are the same. The words "new" and "good" in this couplet are both adjectives. "Spring", "Sui", "Wealth" and "Peace" are all nouns. "Nian Nian" and "Bu Bu" are both adverbs, and "好" and "高" are both verbs. This requirement is mainly to use symmetrical artistic language to better express ideological content.

Third, the upper and lower lines must be balanced.

In the way of expressing the upper and lower couplets, we should pay attention to the relative rhythm, that is, the harmony of level and oblique. This is mainly for the sake of harmonious phonology, scattered ups and downs, melodiousness and sonority. It is said that Ji Xiaolan came to Hangzhou on a trip south, and a friend held a banquet for him to cleanse himself. During the banquet, the guests and host responded in couplets. Ji Xiaolan was quick in thinking and could make perfect sentences when speaking. His friends were convinced and praised him as an orphan in the North. Xiaolan said disapprovingly: "There are talented people in the north all over the Great Wall and beyond; where do we start talking about it?" A friend said: "I went to the north a few years ago and brought a couplet with me, but no one could match it. "Xiaolan was dubious and asked: "Brother, what sentence did you say that made the other party unable to answer it?" His friend read out the first couplet smoothly:

The twin towers are faintly visible in all directions on the seventh floor

After hearing this, Ji Xiaolan burst out laughing and said: "It's such a simple sentence. They think it's not right because they don't bother to answer it!" The friend asked puzzledly: "Then, what should the second line be? How is that right?" Ji Xiaolan blurted out:

Waking alone, five fingers, three long and two short

After hearing this, the friend not only found the second line, but also admired Ji Xiaolan's intelligence. Outstanding. This couplet of "Twin towers are faintly visible, seven floors are in all directions; a single palm is shaking, five fingers are three long and two short", which achieves the harmonious balance of levels and achieves the harmonious, uneven, melodious, sonorous and powerful artistic effect.

Fourth, avoid closing your palms.

The so-called "putting the palms together" repeats the meaning and wastes pen and ink. For example, one of the Spring Festival couplets commonly used by merchants in the old days said, "Business is booming all over the world, and wealth is booming as far as Sanjiang." This pair of Spring Festival couplets has regular rhythm and neat contrasts, and is in harmony with the atmosphere of "congratulations on getting rich" amidst the sound of firecrackers. It is very popular in the business community. But if you study further, you will find that "connecting the four seas" and "reaching three rivers" have the same meaning, with repeated semantics. The term for the couplet is called "gasshou". There are only fourteen characters in a seven-character couplet, six of which express the content of three characters, which leads to semantic duplication. Couplets are the most concise style in articles, and no waste of pen and ink is allowed. In order to provide more information with fewer words, it is necessary to avoid two couplets saying the same meaning. For example, in the New Year couplets, using "shaking the universe" versus "shocking the world", and "promoting auspicious light" versus "teng auspicious energy" are also semantic repetitions, and they all belong to the problem of "joining the palms".

Fifth, choose the horizontal pattern of the couplet.

Hengpi is also called horizontal batch, horizontal forehead and horizontal couplet. Except for elegiac couplets and longevity couplets, most of the horizontal drapes are used. There is an inseparable relationship between horizontal phi and the content of the couplet. A good horizontal draping can be the icing on the cake. In other words, a horizontal line is the sublimation of the content of a couplet, the theme of the couplet, and the finishing touch. In terms of writing techniques, the most common forms can be divided into three forms:

The first is freehand couplets, with titles draped horizontally, such as "Celebrate the Spring Festival", "Happy New Year", etc., directly naming the purpose of posting the couplets. ;

The second is the freehand couplets, which are highlighted on the banners. For example, "May the New Year be prosperous and prosperous every year, and the good years and years of peace will be better and better". It is "the auspicious star shines high", which is the finishing touch; the third is that the couplets are complementary and mutually reinforcing, for example, "Reduce the burden and care for the people, the mighty east wind often brings warmth; help the poor and relieve poverty, the Xiaoxiao spring rain always cares about love" is the horizontal comment of "The future is bright ", and the couplets complement each other and complement each other. They not only reveal the people's incomparable gratitude to the Party Central Committee for its "constant warmth" and "general care", but also praise the party's great future and brilliance. Hengpi mostly has four characters. In the past, Hengpi was written horizontally from right to left. Nowadays, it is mostly written from left to right. Writing from right to left is the formal way of writing. The horizontal banner should be affixed in the middle of the door lintel, and its font should be consistent with the style of the upper and lower couplets, echoing the upper and lower lines