Tang couplets and temple couplets

A type of family culture closely related to the hall name is the hall couplet. Hall couplets are also called ancestral couplets, which are mainly used in family ancestral halls. But hall couplets are not entirely ancestral couplets, but a type of ancestral couplets. Ancestral couplets can be divided into general couplets and special couplets.

Universal ancestral couplets are couplets that can be used universally in ancestral halls of all surnames. The content mostly reflects the worship of ancestors, the ancestral style of Shaoxing, and the glory of the family. For example:

It has a long history from generation to generation;

Sun Zhiyi worships the elder.

This means that he has many descendants.

The rules of the body control the ancestral martial arts of the rope;

The family rules teach Yisun Mou.

This statement follows the instructions of the ancestors.

Zu Li will always support the prosperity of the family;

Zong Guang always takes care of his descendants.

This is the blessing of ancestors.

The ancestral hall gathers the spirit of ancestral examination, and the people of Zhao and Mu really feel that there is strictness and wings;

The sacrificial ceremony expresses the love and respect of descendants, and I will enjoy it only when it comes.

This refers to the sacrificial function of the ancestral hall. The universal couplets can be regarded as the "big goods" in the couplets and are applicable to all temples.

Different from general ancestral couplets, special ancestral couplets can only be used in the ancestral hall of a family with a specific surname. Its content is related to the historical origin of the surname and the noble achievements of the family celebrities (moral articles, literary and martial arts, etc.) closely related. Therefore, special temple couplets have conventional "patent rights" and "specificity". The ancestral couplets that reflect the achievements of the ancestors of the surname Li cannot be used for the surname Zhang. Similarly, the couplets about the origin of the surname Zhang cannot be used for the surname Li. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a joke to use Zhang Guan and Li Dai? We also call this type of special temple couplets the hall couplets of families with surnames, and this is the reason. This is the first difference between ancestral couplets and hall couplets. The second difference between hall couplets and ancestral hall couplets is: the general ancestral couplets in ancestral hall couplets are generally only suitable for the exclusive use of ancestral halls, while the special ancestral couplets have a wider range of uses and can be used not only in ancestral halls, but also in halls and studies where families live individually. , as well as other public buildings of the family such as schools, monuments, villas, etc.; at the same time, as a couplet reflecting the history and culture of the surname, it can also be used in private writings and art.