| Spring Festival couplets also called door | | | | central door. |
| couplets,they have neat writing,antithesis,concise | | | | Frame couplets:They are used on the both sides |
| and exquisite words.Couplets describe | | | | of door. |
| backgrounds of different periods,expressing | | | | Horizontal couplets:They are pasted on the door |
| people’s good wishes.They are special | | | | header. |
| literature form in China. | | | | Pieces couplets:They are pasted in different places |
| | | | | according to their contents. |
| Spring Festival couplets originated from peach | | | | |
| wood charms (Peach wood charms were used in | | | | The Blessing word:People like to paste the Blessing |
| the both sides of door in Zhou Dynasty,they are | | | | word when they paste couplets.And the Blessing |
| rectangle.People believed that peach wood charm | | | | word they paste are reversed.Here,I have an |
| can draw off bad ghosts.) | | | | interesting story about it. |
| | | | | |
| In five dynasties,a man who called Zhang Xun in | | | | It is said that Zhu Yuanzhang,one of the |
| palace,West Shu (Shu is Sichuan Province) wrote | | | | emperors in Ming Dynasty,wanted to make the |
| words on the peach wood charm.Then it is the | | | | Blessing word as a sign to kill somebody.Queen |
| first piece of Spring Festival couplets in China.To | | | | Ma,who was very kind-hearted asked everybody |
| Song Dynasty,the Spring Festival couplets were | | | | pasted a Blessing word on the family door.One of |
| still the peach wood charms. | | | | family didn’t know the word,he reversed the |
| | | | | word.When the emperor asked others to observe |
| Pasting couplets in Spring Festival began in Song | | | | the sign,they found the situation.He was quite |
| Dynasty,and Ming Dynasty was its prosperous | | | | angry about it,he would kill that family.Queen Ma |
| time.Zhuyuanzhang,an emperor in Ming Dynasty | | | | was worried,she thought a good idea.She said to |
| liked to wirte couplets quite much and he often | | | | Zhu Yuanzhang that the family knew he would |
| encouraged his people to wirte. | | | | come,therefore they reversed the word |
| | | | | deliberately,it meaned that blessing came.Zhu |
| In Qing Dynasty,Spring Festival couplets were | | | | Yuanzhang was happy with this news and he |
| improved in thoughts and art.There were lots of | | | | gave up killing that family.From then on,in order to |
| sorts according to different usages.They can be | | | | pursue auspiciousness and to remember Queen |
| divided into door central couplets, frame couplets, | | | | Ma,people like to reverse the blessing word to |
| horizontal couplets,pieces couplets and so on. | | | | paste. |
| Door central couplets:They are pasted on the | | | | |