Talk about the "Nine Palaces" in chess

The Nine Palaces and Eight Tribes of Xiangqi

Looking at the chess board, there are two things that are most eye-catching. First, from a broad perspective, the nine vertical and five horizontal lines form two equal sides, facing each other across the "Chu River and Han Boundary". Another key point is prominent and conspicuous. The centers of the bottom lines at both ends join the relevant line segments to form a field shape. These two combinations are inseparable from "nine". The former, nine vertical and five horizontal lines is a simile for the "Nine Five"; the latter, as an echo and supplement of the "Nine Five", uses nine intersection points to imply the "Nine Gai Fields", which is also commonly known as the "Nine Palaces". On both sides of the river boundary, since it is the battle of the "Ninth Five-Year Plan", "the emperor lives in the field of Jiugai" (in chess, represented by the general), it is naturally the center of the battle, so it attracts special attention.

"Nine Palaces" originally refers to music tunes, summarizing nine palace tunes including Xianlu Palace, Nanlu Palace and Zhonglu Palace. Since the place where the emperor lives in the building is called the "palace", the place where the "emperor (general)" moves on the chessboard is also called the "palace". Therefore, the palace is actually the "Nine Gai Fields", and there are only There are nine movable parts (nine intersections), so it is commonly known as the "nine palaces".

The "Chu River and Han Boundaries", the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" dispute, and the "Nine Palaces" on the chess board all dazzlingly display the traditional ideology of the Chinese nation. However, we need to further understand and appreciate the deep-seated meaning of the chess board. The essence of culture cannot but involve the placement of the chess pieces before the game begins, which means that the cultural connotation of the "cloth piece" must be explored. The number of "pawns" and the situation of facing a strong enemy on the chessboard fully reflect the historical achievements and strategic status of forming a border and guarding a pass. Its method of execution (taking one step without retreating) also reveals the hardships of the pawn's life and the heroic spirit of moving forward with "The wind is rustling! The water is cold, and the hero is gone! There will be no return." What about "general (king)"? This is the only one, but it is the most noble. Although it shows that the ruling concept of feudal society that it produced is "there are no two days in the sky and no two kings in the country"; at the same time, we should also see the dialectical nature of things. This concept also produced the "unified" and "centralized power" awareness, and its influence on social processes that promotes overall coordinated development. Therefore, chess has a "general" as the center, which popularizes the spiritual concept of national unity. There are two knights, two prime ministers, two horses, and two rooks each, symmetrically arranged on both sides of the general. What attracts attention is the other chess piece "cannon" (there are also two pieces, and the same emphasis on symmetry), which is not connected side by side with them. , but set up a fortress on the outer corner of the "Nine Palaces", which can be moved to attack and connected to defend, in a state of waiting to resist the enemy. This can not but be said to be a deliberate arrangement. The first eight chess pieces hug each other on both sides of the "general", which exactly forms the basic posture of eight chessmen and eight horses. Cheng Hao praised it in a poem: "The eight generals of the Chinese army are heavy." ”, that’s it. At the same time, with "General" as the center, the pattern of "Nine" is arranged at the bottom. Not only are they connected to the soldiers guarding the border at a distance, but they are also closely connected to the "cannon" standing guard five steps away from the "general". Within this specific cultural thinking category, it can be said that the ideas of the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" are fully developed. It deepens the concept of "country" and the overall situation in every aspect, and skillfully imparts rich and profound traditional culture to recreational and educational sports. How can it not be admired and praised?