Key points of couplet writing

Professor Changjiang talks about the six principles of couplet creation for your reference;

What principles should be followed in creating couplets? I think we should remember these six words: work, stability, persistence, cutting, innovation and novelty.

work

Work, first of all, means cleanliness. A pair of couplets should have the same number of words, the same part of speech, the same balance and the same sentence pattern. In other words, it should completely or basically conform to the characteristics and laws of couplets. Neatness is the most basic requirement for writing couplets.

The ancients (or predecessors) were very particular about "work". Before the Qing dynasty, the selection of joint books was strict, and almost no one failed. During the Republic of China, such as Hu's Selected Ancient and Modern Couplets, the couplets collected in each episode were also carefully selected. Of course, some books are randomly selected. In recent years, some couplets are not rigorous enough, especially the selection of new couplets and some scribbled couplets, which also make people doubt the creation of new couplets. There are two reasons for this. One is the author's lack of serious creative attitude, and the other is that the editor has not scrutinized one by one, copying the east and picking the west, even if he finishes a book, it is also a mistake. I think the latter is more responsible. If we follow the principle of "less but fine, less but not excessive", those scribbled couplets will never have a bright future, which will be a blessing for the couplet altar.

I don't want to give examples here, but just remind readers: don't think that printed couplets are all good couplets and are all "model essays"

Works, and the meaning of "exquisite and concise". I roughly estimate that couplets with less than seven words can account for more than half of the total number of couplets, and long couplets with more than 90 words can't reach 1%. It expresses endless and rich thoughts, feelings and images with limited numbers, and is exquisite and concise in conception, layout, word selection and sentence making.

It is the problem of couplets that you don't know how to cherish ink like gold. 1986 launched the national "condolences to the front line, remembering the heroes and heroes" activity. There are also such "poor" couplets among the couplets selected in the initial evaluation. Let me give two examples:

"No.283" couplet:

Beautiful scenery, beautiful scenery, where there is the spiritual beauty of heroes;

The sun is high, the moon is high, and the wind is high.

The judges think that "Beautiful Mountains and Waters" and "The Sun and the Moon are shining high" are redundant and ingenious, and the contingency is as follows:

Beautiful scenery, how can a hero have a beautiful heart;

The sun is high and the moon is high, so the fighting style is high.

Serial number "272":

The border pass is imperial, and it has been built for thousands of years;

The earth welcomes the spring and the world sings a generation of heroes.

The judges think that "in the fire" and "on earth" are redundant words, so it is better to delete them as "46" sentences.

Border pass royal kou, repeatedly built a thousand years of achievements;

The earth welcomes the spring, and the same song is a generation of heroes.

Of course, after appendectomy, it is impossible to win the first and second prizes, but it is possible to win the memorial prize, because the work can save the medicine after all, otherwise the judges don't even have to discuss it.

stability

Stability is stability. Follow the rules and get stability; Being unconventional can also achieve stability. Like architecture, no matter what style, we must have a solid foundation and a correct image. The same is true of couplets.

Stability has its external manifestations. When choosing sentence patterns, short sentences are often put in front and long sentences are put behind. For example, in cross couplets, the four-six sentence pattern is more stable than the four-six sentence pattern; In eleven-character couplets, four or seven sentences are the majority; In the twelve-character couplets, the five-seven sentence pattern is the main one; Eighteen-character couplets are generally 657 sentences. If "666" is rigid, if "765" is unstable, almost no one uses it this way. The reason is that there are many words in the last sentence, so you can "pack" the previous words. In addition, there is also a case of receiving letters, which can be understood as "supporting" the All-China Federation, such as the Kunming Daguanlou Federation, and its ending should be:

..... Don't live up to fragrant rice, clear sand, September hibiscus and March willow.

..... only won a few pestle bells, half a river fishing, two rows of autumn geese, a pillow clearing frost.

The last word "up and down flat" is also to create a stable phonological effect. It is "injustice", and if the Chinese nation always receives the word "injustice", it will be impossible to be stable.

The intrinsic meaning of stability is mainly manifested in strength. The so-called strength is the relative scope of the upper and lower links, the relative depth of thoughts, the relative degree of abstraction and concreteness, and the relative degree of feelings. Generally speaking, the strength of the upper and lower links is equal, such as:

Know a lot and be open-minded;

Read all the human feelings and broaden your horizons. (maxim)

Green mountains and green hills;

People are in the spring breeze. (Spring Festival couplets)

There are many such couplets. But there are also strong and weak changes, mainly weak on the top and strong on the bottom. There are many such couplets, such as the one in Yangcheng Evening News, which calls for joint efforts to pull out the first city:

Smell the chicken dancing;

Jump to spring.

The up and down links all mean winning by being angry, and the down links are naturally stronger and wider. Another example is a work by the exclusive glans penis in Guangzhou Cuiyuan Restaurant:

I welcome guests at Cuige, which is sweet, crisp, plump and elegant.

The garden is full of flowers. I wish you a cup of prosperity and happiness.

Compared with the concrete feelings of sentences, duality is superior in charm and emotional sublimation.

As can be seen from the above two examples, the difference between strength and weakness is not the difference between good and bad. No matter how strong or weak you are, you should try your best to do every sentence well. If something goes wrong, like the collapse of the foundation column, the building will not be stable.

As for the situation that the top is strong and the bottom is weak, it is rare. Unless there are some interesting associations, no one wants to do an anticlimactic thing.

Stability, there is also a factor of "working outside the alliance", which is the maturity and stability of thought. A person's thoughts are capricious, he has no belief in life, and his feelings are impetuous and grandiose. It is difficult for his couplets to be truly stable.

"Paste"

Stick is the proper meaning. For example, if a person makes a dress, after proper cutting and sewing, it fits well, neither too big nor too small, neither too fat nor too thin, and it also fits well, making others feel very comfortable. Making couplets is like dressing. Good couplets can reach the point that "one point is longer if added, and one point is shorter if subtracted". If the idea is improper, the theme is not good; If you don't express your feelings properly, you will lose your attitude; Improper wording and bad manners; Improper use of words leads to many defects in appearance.

"Non-stick" is often exaggerated, as if a dwarf was wearing a robe and a hat. The names of the scenic spots are "the best in the world" and "A Chinese Odyssey"; "Win West Lake" and "Win Peng Ying" ...; Writing elegiac couplet means "living with heaven and earth" and "shining with the sun and the moon". Even if you advertise to write a eulogy, I'm afraid that's not what you wrote.

"Non-stick" is often manifested in improper use of words, especially synonyms and synonyms. In the 1985 national "Spring Festival-Great Wall" activity, there is such an activity:

In the East, Jieshi Sheng Tao is old;

The west is near Yangguan, and the willow color is new.

This couplet is good in conception, artistic conception, antithesis and levelness, but the word "old" is antithetical to the word "new" and its meaning is not clear: can the sound of waves be divided into old and new? The judges decided to replace the word with the synonym "ancient":

In the East, Jieshi Sheng Tao is ancient;

The west is near Yangguan, and the willow color is new.

In this way, a good couplet was "rescued".

If you don't post it, it also means that the theme of the link is not concentrated, that is, the concept is not so consistent. This is also one of the reasons why a large number of works in the collection were unsuccessful in the initial evaluation. 1988 During the Spring Festival, we signed the "Yuhuan Happy Reunion", the first one and the second one. In the final evaluation, I met an opposite:

Sentence: the bright moon rises in the sky, and it has its own brilliance;

Dialogue: The yellow flowers are fragrant in the evening festival and look like a proud Sanqiu.

This pair of sentences, well-intentioned, is in line with the season of enlistment (starting from the Mid-Autumn Festival), and there is no problem in antithesis and leveling. Moreover, the word "Evening Festival" forms a pun, meaning that yellow flowers (chrysanthemums) bloom in the Evening Festival (Mid-Autumn Festival), and the elderly maintain their sentiment in their later years. Therefore, this pair of sentences is very popular with the middle-aged and old-aged judges of the jury. However, it is found that although it has a certain relationship with the theme of reunion, it is not closely attached and can only be rated as second class, ranking lower.

"cut"

Well, although it also means "appropriate", it is mainly manifested in a relatively clear and targeted place, that is, "exact"

"The couplet from volume four" contains:

Li Anyun of Chaozhou Hanwen Temple said: "God's will is gentle, not a book. Mr. An De is here;" It takes only eight months for people to return to the right path, and it has been a hundred years. " It is close to Chaozhou, and it is not allowed to move to Changli Temple elsewhere. The reason why this couplet cannot be "moved elsewhere" is because it is "close to Chaozhou". In the 14th year of Tang Yuanhe, Tang Xianzong sent someone from Fengxiang to welcome the Buddha's bone into the palace, hoping to give it. Han Yu (Wen Gong) went to the Buddha's bone table and said, "I want to eliminate disasters for saints." Who knows that "a letter hits 8,000 Chaoyang Road early and late" was demoted as the secretariat of Chaozhou. Although he has only been here for eight months, his literary concept has been strengthened by an accidental opportunity. As the leader of the ancient prose movement, he is regarded as an immortal teacher.

Compare this couplet with other Korean temples:

one

Sue's prequel;

Master Meng worships Mr. Hou.

Secondly,

Eight generations of stone articles;

Jiangshan surname has a long history.

third

Eight generations of decline, since the past articles respect Beidou;

Xing No.4 school, that is, cowpea today attaches great importance to Dongjiao.

Fourth.

After entering the school, idle officials will become three officials;

Rise and fall, as a series of six classics.

Obviously, these couplets are also excellent, but they are not "tight" to the local area. The former couplets are from Chaozhou, and the latter are from Beijing. It is very clear to compare the couplets of "God's will".

In addition to cutting the ground, couplets also emphasize cutting people, whether it is giving gifts, celebrating or mourning, which should be very suitable for the identity, experience and personality characteristics of the recipient and the writer. 1936 10 19 Mr. Lu Xun's death in Shanghai shocked the literary world. Many celebrities wrote elegiac couplets to express their condolences. Here are some examples:

The most rigorous work is nothing more than the history of China's novels;

The last words are too painful. Don't be an empty writer. (Cai Yuanpei)

Fang hangs in April, overlapping two stars, and East Asia and Western Europe weep together;

Chanting two hearts, no regrets, evoking souls all over the world. (Guo Moruo Holdings)

If you want to beat Reservoir Dogs, you will never forgive him. It is not just the literary world that knows how to advance and retreat.

Don't be a short writer. You hate helping others all your life, dare to laugh and scold, and deserve your ideological authority. (Chen Yila)

Enemy? Friends? I only ask myself;

Do you know me? Offend me? The public is speechless. (Xu Maoyong La)

These couplets are all "cut by working". First of all, it is suitable for Lu Xun: Lu Xun's useful works, such as A Brief History of China's Novels and A Collection of Two Hearts; Some praise the spirit of Lu Xun, such as playing Reservoir Dogs; Some people have made a proper evaluation of Lu Xun, such as "not only the literary world" and "worthy of being an ideological authority"; Some people say that Lu Xun's will, such as "Don't be an empty writer"; There are associations based on the time of Lu Xun's death, such as "April travel, two stars overlap" (Gorky died in June 1936+08). Secondly, it is suitable for the author himself: Cai Lian is calm and sincere, just like a scholar's bosom friend; Chen Lianfeng's mountain light flashed without losing the elegance of a military commander. Guo Lian's "shaking sideways" is a matter of one sentence. He and Lu Xun had never met before and didn't pass a letter, feeling that "this is my great regret"; Xu Lian deserves more praise for being suitable for himself. As we all know, Lu Xun misunderstood Xu before his death and severely criticized his works. Mr. Lu Xun died before Xu could explain. Therefore, Xu Lian expressed more complex feelings at that time.

This "cut" shows the particularity of things. Philosophically speaking, universality lies in particularity, and only "particularity" shows the ever-changing and colorful things. Spring Festival couplets, birthday couplets and elegiac couplets can be divided into general couplets and special couplets. Although the general couplets are generally applicable, they have no personality and are not "cut". Therefore, we should not take them as the main way of creation, but should vigorously advocate special couplets.

"New"

Innovation means being fresh, unique, original and unconventional, and reaching the point of "bringing forth the old and bringing forth the new". Without "innovation", couplets cannot develop.

It is most important to have new ideas in couplets. For the same theme, the same scenic spots, the same people, the latecomers must use the latest ideas to win the predecessors, otherwise, it is better to stop writing or imitate the predecessors.

Try to look at the traditional names of several pairs of barbershops:

one

Although cloud is not a skill;

But it's top kung fu.

Secondly,

All the arrivals are champions;

There should be no scratching.

third

Create a new atmosphere;

Cut down thousands of old things.

Fourth.

Don't teach white hair to make people old;

I prefer the spring breeze.

Fifth.

It is important to sharpen one's edge and ask how many heads there are in the world;

Try it in front and see how the old man does it.

These couplets, each with its own perspective, are not repeated, although there are puns. A couplet is a self-praise for good craftsmanship, and the pun of "fine powder" and "top" is extremely accurate; Couplets are about the customer's modality, while "crown-beating" and "scratching" are about the representative actions of the customer before and after the haircut. Sanlian is the characteristic of writing "pruning"; Silian is to write about the barber's noble spiritual realm; "Five Lotus" was written by Shi Dakai, a general of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. He showed fearless fighting spirit through haircut.

In the face of these famous associations, re-creation must find another way, such as:

Start a new career from scratch;

The old phenomenon was flattened by one hand.

Some borrow the meaning of predecessors' couplets to transform them:

Bow your head and say nothing;

If you stand on your feet, you will show great advantages.

It's similar to the couplet quoted above, but "bow down" and "stand on the ground" write the form and expression of a barber, which is also an innovation. However, there are also some poor reforms, such as:

Sharpen your needs and be proficient in your work;

Try it when you need it. It's excellent.

When creating new couplets, we should pay more attention to innovation. There is a pair of very distinctive:

Technological innovation, the head is the way;

Radiant, full of spring.

The pun "The head is right" is clever. And when those operations are written, they are very boring:

Push, cut and scrape to your satisfaction;

Hot air blowing makes you satisfied.

It can be seen that the key to the creation of couplets is to be innovative. However, some of today's couplets are nothing new, especially in the creation of Spring Festival couplets. We advocate that couplets should reflect the spirit of the times, show the way of life and thinking of contemporary people, show the ideological outlook and moral standards of the new society, and show endless new things and concepts. Many writers of couplets have made valuable efforts to this end and achieved remarkable results. But ordinary beginners often have a narrow and one-sided understanding of the spirit of the times. They believe that writing Spring Festival couplets must include "responsibility field", "realizing the four modernizations" and "rejuvenating China". It seems that only these new terms and slogans can reflect the "ideological content". In fact, this understanding is unscientific.

The language of couplets should be fresh, elegant, natural and lively. Old cliches should be discarded and new slogans should be terminated. Only by expressing new artistic conception in new language can we create excellent works. Some comrades write and publish dozens or even hundreds of couplets every year without paying attention to innovation. If you try to sort out their works over the years, you will find that there are too many similarities in artistic conception and language.

"strange"

Strange, that is, strange ideas, clever language, amazing. Such couplets are impressive and often unforgettable.

Fun alliances are often surprising and catching people by cleverness. Since ancient times, there have been a large number of couplet, in terms of the strangeness of the idea, the following pair is rare:

Spinning jujube without pay, cutting into sections and splitting into four bundles;

Walk more when you get up, and make up less double rooms.

Take the numeral couplets as an example, there is a kind of numeral enlightenment couplets, such as "three lights, the sun, the moon and the stars, and four poems are elegant and elegant". The sentence is divided into three nouns by "three", and the sentence must avoid "three", but it must also take three nouns, which is very strange. Therefore, people were inspired and wrote many such pairs. Throughout the ages, only one of Mr. Hua's poems can be called "the wonder of the strange":

The top three Wei;

Chapter 9 The strings of Pythagoras.

This was written by Hua when he went abroad with a delegation of scientists from China in the early 1950s. Not only did the three nouns he collected have their own origins (Han, Zhao and Wei were the top three in the Warring States, and Pythagorean theorem was first found in the book "Arithmetic in Nine Chapters"), but the names of Qian Sanqiang and Zhao Jiuzhang present here also had a layer of meaning more than "Three Lights and Four Poems".

Besides funny couplets, other kinds of couplets also have some fantastic ideas. For example, writing couplets of Taibai Tower, writing more about Li Bai's wandering life experience, the elegant environment on the fourth floor, and even praising and suppressing Li Lai's poetic talent. Wang Youcai's couplets are wonderful;

We only drink in this life;

Mr. Wang writes poems in class.

Some people also call it "Taibai Restaurant" couplets. In any case, this couplet has a special idea, comparing Li Bai's poetic talents with the idea of persuading people to drink only and not write poems. Writing is different.

Seeing some new and peculiar couplets can often promote the diversification of couplets. For example, this year's dry-branch couplets are embedded in heavenly stems and earthly branches, which is the development of Spring Festival couplets; Self-elegiac couplet is the development of elegiac couplet.

Work, stability, stickiness, cutting, novelty and strangeness are the basic principles of couplets. Ancient and modern minglian can give consideration to these six aspects and stand out from the crowd, so it can last for a long time and become a household name; On the other hand, none of these problems can be a masterpiece, such as lack of work, instability, adhesion, tangency, novelty and novelty. Therefore, beginners should work hard on these words and do not need to be greedy. If they can "create a couple and be satisfied with it", they will have a foundation for promotion.