What does Mount Tai Shi Gandang mean?

We are in the Central Plains, and there are often stone tablets with the words "Taishan Shi Gandang" on the wall next to the gate of rural houses. At first, I only knew it was to ward off evil spirits. As for why the stone tablet written "Taishan Shi Gandang" can ward off evil spirits, I have never been clear. Asking the villagers is also a little knowledge and I can't tell you why. Later, I asked many older people in the village to find out, and it turned out that this was related to a legend.

In ancient times, there was a small village at the foot of Mount Tai. In the village, there was a young man named Shi Gandang. He was tall and burly, with strength and courage, but his family was poor, his parents died early, and he was an orphan. He was a big man and had not found a wife yet.

On this day, he went to Mount Tai to chop wood. On the way, he met a Taoist priest, who was lying unconscious in the grass with his mouth full of blood. Shi Gandang hurriedly carried the Taoist priest back to the Taoist temple. After careful care, the Taoist priest soon regained his health.

It turns out that this Taoist priest was ambushed by a monster that day. If Shi Gandang hadn't found out in time, I'm afraid he would have died. In order to thank Shi Gandang, the Taoist priest handed him some spells to catch monsters, and told him to practice frequently.

From then on, Shi Gandang practiced magic when he was not doing farm work, and soon learned all kinds of moves and formulas, but he never had a chance to display them. I don't know the actual effect of magic.

This year, a monster suddenly appeared in the home of Mr. Wang from Wangzhuang, south of Tai 'an. One night, Miss Wang's family was sleeping in the house. Suddenly there was a strong wind outside, accompanied by a dark cloud, and the moon in the sky was covered.

Miss was about to get up to close the window when the door of the house was blown open by the wind. Then a big cloud got into the room, and the cloud dispersed, and a monster was exposed. The monster has green face and fangs, two long horns on his head, and long hair all over his body.

As soon as the monster entered the door, he began to talk about marrying the young lady. The young lady screamed with fear and fainted. The monster didn't stay when he saw the young lady faint, but turned into a dark cloud and disappeared again.

Wang Jiasong sighed, thinking that the monster had let them go. Unexpectedly, the next day, the monster came again. This time, after the monster entered the young lady's house, it first became a human appearance, and then it was pestering to marry the young lady. Miss would rather die than follow, but after a long struggle, the monster had to leave again.

Mr. Wang panicked and hurried outside to invite some Taoist priests, which was both a sign and a practice. As a result, when the monster came at night, he tore off the symbol. Just as the Taoist priest was about to catch him, he was shocked by a loud roar and fell to the ground dying. Repeatedly for several days, although the monster didn't succeed, the young lady was also tortured.

There was really nothing to do. Mr. Wang had to put up posters everywhere to find someone who could catch the monster, and he also promised that whoever could catch the monster would give him half of his property. If it's a young man who hasn't married, marry Miss Wang to him.

Shi Gandang went into town to sell firewood that day and happened to see the notice. He thought to himself that he had been practicing magic for so many years and had never had a chance to display it. Now there are monsters plaguing the people, and it's time to do it. If you can get rid of the monster, it is also a good thing.

after making up his mind, Shi Gandang took off the notice and went to Mr. Wang's house. The monster catcher I met outside was a tall and handsome young man, and he was very happy and warmly entertained at the moment.

Shi Gandang inquired about the previous times of catching demons in detail, and he had a good idea. He asked the foreign staff to prepare a sword, a set of tights, and drew a spell, and posted it on the door of the young lady as before.

After dark, Shi Gandang changed his clothes and hid in the young lady's room with a sword in his hand. At 1: in the middle of the night, I saw the strong wind rise again, and the monster came to the door of the young lady's house in the form of dark clouds.

When he saw the spell on the door, the monster sneered, thinking that as usual, it was just some unscrupulous little Taoist priests who came to scare people. He stretched out his hand and tore off the spell, pushed open the door and swaggered in.

As soon as I entered the room, I heard a loud shout from behind the door: "Where did the monster dare to be presumptuous here? Mount Tai Shi Gandang is here." The monster got a fright and turned around fiercely, only to see a white light stabbing at him. Although the white light hasn't touched his body yet, it already has a burning and stinging feeling in the body. It's not good for the devil to whisper. This time I met someone who really knows magic. Then it turned into a dark cloud, floated out and disappeared in an instant.

Since then, the monster has never come again, and Mr. Wang's family has finally returned to peace. Seeing that his daughter was saved, W was very happy. He fulfilled his original promise, gave half of his fortune to Shi Gandang, and arranged a wedding for his daughter and Shi Gandang. From then on, Shi Gandang stayed at Mr. Wang's house, and the young couple lived with Meimei.

Besides, the monster has been afraid to go down the mountain for more than a month since he fled back to the cave. However, he was vicious and hard to change. After a while, he couldn't help himself and dared not go to Wangzhuang, so he changed to other villages to continue to harm people. I heard that there were monsters, and the people in the nearby villages were so frightened that they were afraid to make any noise at home at night.

Later, they heard that Shi Gandang could catch demons, so they came to ask Shi Gandang for help. Shi Gandang immediately said goodbye to his wife and went to catch the demon with the villagers. When the monster heard that Shi Gandang was coming, he didn't dare to show up, so he had to look for his next target.

When the villagers saw Shi Gandang's arrival, the genie stopped appearing. Everyone was very happy. They treated Shi Gandang with hospitality and wanted him to stay a few more days. Unexpectedly, a few days later, monsters appeared in other villages, and Shi Gandang hurried to catch them.

In this way, the monster kept moving from place to place, and Shi Gandang kept chasing, chasing and stopping. In a blink of an eye, several months passed, but he still didn't catch the monster. Seeing that the Chinese New Year is coming soon, fearing that his wife will miss him, Shi Gandang just needs to go home first.

My wife asked about the demon hunting in recent months, and Shi Gandang came with her. The wife thought, this monster is so cunning that he slips away early every time. At this rate, when will it end? It's not a problem for Shi Gandang to catch demons all the year round and live alone.

as soon as she thought about it, she had an idea. Since the monster heard Shi Gandang's name, he was scared to run away early, so he carved Shi Gandang's name on a stone or a wall. When the monster saw the name, he wouldn't dare to make a move.

after listening to his wife's words, Shi Gandang found it very reasonable, so he told everyone about this method. The local people carved the words "Taishan Shi Gandang" on the stone tablet and stood at the head of the village. Sure enough, the monster never came again.

As a result, news spread from one generation to ten generations, and the common people followed suit and erected the stone tablet of "Mount Tai Shi Gandang", and the monster disappeared from the world.

This is the origin of the folk use of "Taishan Shi Gandang" to ward off evil spirits. Although there are no monsters nowadays, it still exists widely as a cultural custom and becomes a symbol of avoiding evil spirits and praying for blessings. In June 26, it was also listed as the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage. Tai 'an, Shi Gandang's hometown, has also held the "Taishan Shi Gandang Cultural Festival" for many times to spread and promote Shi Gandang culture to the outside world.

twenty years ago, there was a family in our village whose door was facing the road. A fortune teller passed by and said that this was called a rush, and something would happen at home. Not long after, the man of that family died suddenly with a stomachache. At that time, he had never heard of such a disease.

Later, there was an extra stone in front of his house, on which was written Mount Tai Shi Gandang. Later, I found that many houses facing the intersection had these words: Mount Tai, Shi Gandang. At that time, I wondered, shouldn't Taigong be here? After all, the legend is well known.

Later, I learned that there are many legends about Mount Tai Shi Gandang:

First, it is said that Mount Tai is known as the commander of a hundred ghosts, that is, the God of Mount Tai is secretive. Shi Gandang, a subordinate of Mount Tai, is famous for his bravery and is good at subduing ghosts. People often ask him for help, and he is too busy. Later, he carved his name on Taishan stone, and asked him to take a stone if he wanted it, which had the same effect of deterring ghosts and evil spirits.

Secondly, some people say that Shi Gandang was a heroic general in the Five Dynasties, who died to protect the emperor. People carved his name on the tablet in memory of his heroic protector. It has given the meaning of good fortune.

In June, 26, Mount Shi Gandang was listed as the first intangible cultural heritage by the State Council. It can be seen that its influence is great.

There are many versions of Shi Gandang on Mount Tai. It is said that in ancient times, there was a strong young woodcutter named Shi Gandang on Mount Tai. He was very courageous. Every day before dawn, he went to the big forest to chop wood. There were wolves, tigers and leopards in the forest. He was never afraid.

On this day, when he came back from selling firewood, he passed by the door of a member's house, only to hear a burst of crying in the yard. Shi Gandang thought, what difficulties will there be for an open member's house? He wanted to go in and ask, but he felt uncomfortable. He looked around and saw a notice saying that my daughter Yu Lian was entangled in a demon, and many wizards were invited to leave. If anyone can surrender the demon, he would like to marry her. Shi Gandang understood.

So, he took off this notice, patted the door outside the gentleman, and opened the door. An old servant asked Shi Gandang, "Little brother, can you exorcise demons?" Shi Gandang said, "Try it!" The old servant took him to the living room and sat down. Shi Gandang asked some questions about the young lady being entangled in the demon. After listening, he patted his chest and said, I will definitely help you catch the monster.

In the evening, Mr. W's house bolted all the doors. Around the second watch, a gust of wind blew out the lights in the young lady's room. At this moment, a monster came, with a tall body and big hairy hands, bared his teeth and was about to catch the young lady. Just then, Shi dared to block his head and wear a hat, took a wooden stick out and stopped the door, shouting, "The monster looks great!" I heard the general go down with a whoosh, but the monster couldn't dodge, got a stick, covered his injured head and ran away.

From then on, everyone knows that Shi Gandang can get rid of demons, and whenever anyone has something to do, Shi Gandang is invited to help.

These are all folklore stories. In fact, in real life, the main fear is that the corner of the house will be touched, which will affect the structural quality of the house. Therefore, setting up the stone tablet "Mount Tai Shi Gandang" is also a warning and eye-catching sign.

Speaking of Mount Tai and Shi Gandang, we have to start with a story.

Once upon a time, there lived a fairy with great powers on Mount Tai. He is brave and strong, and bears the heavy responsibility of sweeping away demons for the residents at the foot of the mountain.

in those days, there were many monsters, and they were haunted by demons here and there. He is busy all day and is willing to exorcise demons for the people.

Later, his fame grew bigger and bigger. When monsters heard that he was coming, they all fled.

Later, the immortal had a brainwave. When he was too busy, he found the gravel head on Mount Tai and carved his name: Mount Tai Shi Gandang.

Whenever the people ask him for help and he is too busy, let the people take the stone with his name engraved on it and put it on the house.

those monsters look: ah! Taishan Shi Gandang is here. Run! Scared to run away [yeah]

When the people saw it, they were overjoyed. This method is good! When the Shi Gandang of Mount Tai is carved on the house, monsters will not dare to come, so there will be no need to bother Shi Gandang immortals in the future.

Since then, this habit has been preserved and gradually became a custom. As long as houses are built, people will engrave the words Mount Tai and Shi Gandang to ward off evil spirits.

People all hope that their life can turn around and lead a happy life.

Taishan Shi Gandang is a traditional culture in China, and the State Council has listed Taishan Shi Gandang as the first intangible cultural heritage.

There used to be a man named Shi Gandang in Mount Tai who could catch evil spirits. Because he lived in Mount Tai, he was called (Shi Gandang of Mount Tai). In fact, it's not the stone of Mount Tai that can work. Shi Gandang of Mount Tai has been strung together by later generations. ......

The following is my personal opinion, which may be different from most people's understanding and is for reference only.

First of all, let's talk about the location. As far as I know, Shi Gandang on Mount Tai usually appears on the houses or fences facing the road or street. From the location, it belongs to the situation of T-junction. The road is blocked by houses or fences and has to be separated on both sides. The concept of "Chong" mentioned by China people should be like this, that is, houses or fences block the road here, and there is a risk of being collided.

The collision here can be explained in the following three aspects:

First, the physical collision. For example, carriages, riders, unicycles, etc. (consider the life scenes of the ancients here), when the speed is fast, it is easy to stop at this T-junction and hit the house or fence.

second, the obstacles in geomantic omen. The ancients in China paid attention to the smooth momentum. When there were no obstacles such as house walls, the road should go straight ahead. With house walls, the momentum of the road was blocked, which was contrary to natural justice.

third, the collision of superstitions. According to the superstition of the ancients, not only people leave on the road, but also monsters. These monsters walk along the road and can't stop at the T-junction, so they crash into the courtyard.

let's talk about the explanation of "Shi Gandang on Mount Tai". Personally, I think it should be Taishan stone, dare to be, or dare to block. I don't know if it is a rumor, a false word, or an immediate meaning of blocking, but I can't tell. Let's put it this way. Why Taishan stone? Personally, Mount Tai has always existed as a sacred mountain. In ancient times, great emperors all went to Mount Tai to worship Zen, and Mount Tai was honored as the "exclusive worship of five mountains", and its status and divinity were extraordinary. Therefore, the stones on Mount Tai also have immortal spirit and special function of exorcising evil spirits.

and the stone itself has the characteristics of firmness and impact resistance.

Therefore, when the ancients built a house at the T-junction, they found a Taishan stone to stand in the right place, which means that the courtyard of my house is fragile, but I found Taishan stone to stand in front for protection, and perhaps borrowed the saying that it is as stable as Mount Tai, so that it can stand in the way, cars and horses can't be damaged, feng shui can't rush, ghosts can't get in, and all concerns have been reasonably explained and resolved.

finally, talk about circulation. At first, I may really go to Mount Tai to get a stone and put it there. Later, perhaps because Taishan stone is really hard to get, or the demand is too great, or for other reasons, or just for convenience, just find a stone or tablet or directly engrave "Taishan Shi Gandang" on the wall to express your meaning.

this is the wisdom of the ancients to solve difficult problems. Although there are all kinds of hidden dangers in building a house and repairing a courtyard at the T-junction, the ancient working people found Taishan Stone and all these concerns were dispelled.

It's purely personal. If you want to write blindly, you can just laugh it off.

It is said that Shi Gandang, a god on Mount Tai, specializes in cleaning up monsters, and one god is too busy to help.