What does "chess" mean in Chyi Chin Shu Hua? Why is there no chess?

China has a long history and profound culture. No matter from historical records or TV culture, we can see the eight elegant things pursued by ancient people, that is, poetry, wine, tea, piano, chess and calligraphy. Qin, chess, calligraphy and painting have always been considered as what ancient literati should be good at and pursue. At that time, if you had a person who was proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, then you would be considered a refined person. If you can master everything, then you are definitely an outstanding talent who attracts worldwide attention and is sought after. Then let's take a look at the chess in the piano, chess and calligraphy. Go ahead, no doubt. Why not refer to the popular chess in China now? Let's find out why.

The first reason is the gap in time sequence. First of all, let's look at the word "Qin, Qi, calligraphy and painting". Most scholars believe that this word first appeared in Zhang Yanyuan's calligraphy work "Fa Shu Yao Lu" in the Tang Dynasty. Although it is said that there was a rudiment of chess in the Yao and Shun period, the real chess was finalized in the Southern Song Dynasty. The Southern Song Dynasty is almost 400 years away from the Tang Dynasty, so Qin, Qi, calligraphy and painting are definitely not about chess, but about Go.

The second reason is the dispute between elegance and vulgarity. In ancient times, many upper-class people liked Go, which was a course that scholars had to practice. In TV plays, we can see not only emperors, senior officials and generals in the army, but also reclusive poets and ladies in the red chamber. , all like to go for fun. Let's take a look at the composition of Go, which is simple and clear in black and white, with clear and fair rules, and a game between the two sides. However, Go needs logical thinking beyond reality. Many things that cannot be found in reality or things that are expected to happen in the future can be contested here. Therefore, watching chess at ordinary times is silent, and players also need to put aside secular thoughts and have peace of mind in order to win.

Let's look at chess again. The essence of chess comes from social phenomena, such as cars, horses, elephants and generals. Although each child's power is different, the post rules are fixed, revealing a strong sense of social secularism. The vulgarity mentioned here is not derogatory, but an expression of custom, which reflects the living habits of ordinary people and the phenomenon of social existence. Ordinary people are busy and naturally like chess, which is simple and clear, because they can't put aside their distractions and play Go. Scholars, on the other hand, are usually well fed and clothed. If they don't worry about five buckets of rice, they will have elegance and yearn for freedom and equality, and compete in the world of Go.