Chopsticks are indispensable in the daily life of our people. Chopsticks have a very ancient origin in our country, and have a close relationship with people's material and spiritual life. It is said that China was the first country in the world to invent and use chopsticks. As early as the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the ancients in China began to use chopsticks. At present, the earliest unearthed bronze chopsticks are M 1005 from Houjiazhuang, Yinxu, Anyang City, Henan Province and bone chopsticks from Xianglushi Site in Hunan Province. Documentary records first appeared in Han Feizi? 6? 1 Yu Lao: "Ji Zi used to be afraid of being an elephant." According to historical records, Sima Qian 6? 1 There is a record of "from the beginning" in Song Weizi's family. In historical records? 6? In 1 Chronicle of Twelve Governors: "There is an elephant, but Ji Zi is sad." . Ji Zi thinks that it is extremely extravagant for Zhou Wang to eat bear's paw with ivory chopsticks, which is a sign of national subjugation. Echoing the cultural relics in the Yin ruins, it shows that chopsticks already existed in the Shang Dynasty. Because there were bronze chopsticks, ivory chopsticks and bone chopsticks in Shang Dynasty, the production of bamboo chopsticks was earlier than that in Shang Dynasty. Scholars believe that bamboo and wood chopsticks were used in China in the Neolithic Age. In fact, the chopsticks used by Shang Zhouwang were not the first pair of chopsticks in China. Chopsticks were born several years before the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. "Notes" Zheng Xuan's Note: "Tu Tu's creatures use soil, but they eat it with guns." It is to wrap millet in leaves and bake it in the fire. The simpler method is to put the grain in the ashes of the fire and stir it with branches from time to time to make it evenly heated before eating. The ancestors were probably inspired in this process, and over time, the most primitive chopsticks appeared in the hands of the ancestors.

So how did chopsticks evolve into salty chopsticks? It's a long story Generally speaking, there are three main ways for humans to eat: fingers, forks and chopsticks. But in ancient times, our ancestors "ate like fur and drank like blood" and naturally grabbed it with their hands. Since "apes are separated from each other", people have found that food is more delicious when cooked. In the pre-Qin era, people generally did not eat with chopsticks. "Reading notes? 6? 1 Quli Shang: "Don't slap the rice" (hold is to knead the scattered things into a ball. It can be seen that the rice at that time was sent to the mouth by hand. When ancestors barbecue food, it is impossible to operate it directly by hand. They need sticks, branches or bamboo sticks to put and turn food. In order to avoid burning fingers when eating, smart ancestors used fingers instead of fingers to eat. When cooking cook the meat vegetable soup, you should also pick it up with chopsticks, and gradually learn to pick it up with two sticks or bamboo poles. Stir with them when cooking porridge to prevent rice grains from sticking to the bottom wall of pottery and burning. When eating porridge, it can also be used to stir food, which is the earliest prototype of chopsticks. It can be said that the making of chopsticks is closely related to the method of cooking food with pottery. Therefore, it has become the most distinctive way of eating in East Asia, with whole grains as the main food. The appearance of chopsticks is a great progress in the history of China civilization. According to research, chopsticks have been used in China for at least 3000 years.

In ancient times, chopsticks were called chopsticks, and Duan Yucai's Notes on Explaining Chinese Characters said, "chopsticks are also dangerous to eat. ...... [Danger+Support] People who lean to one side will use it. " In addition, Miao is also called "Ba". The "first aid" said, "Baa, baa, so the food is also sandwiched." "Reading notes? 6? 1 Quli says, "Don't use chopsticks for meals. "That is, eat porridge can't use chopsticks, should use a dagger. He also said: "If there is food in the soup, use it; if there is no food, don't use it.". "You are wooden chopsticks. What is that? , "Guangya? 6? 1 Releaser: "The pod is called hairpin." This shows that chopsticks were used to hold food in soup in ancient times. Zheng Xuan in the Eastern Han Dynasty noted: "The clip is still a good thing. Today people may use it as a clip." Han Xu Shen said in Shuo Wen Jie Zi: "From the sound of bamboo." Cut it from the wood. There are many trees in the north and many bamboos in the south. Our ancestors used local materials, so bamboo and wood may become the most primitive raw materials for chopsticks in China. Chopsticks were not widely used until the Han Dynasty. Later, "Chopsticks" evolved into "Chopsticks", which was related to the folk customs of water towns in Jiangnan area of ancient China. Lu Rong, an Amin, said in Garden Miscellanies: "Folk customs are taboo. When sailing, you don't say that you don't have the same sound, so you call it chopsticks. " Phonetically speaking, "chopsticks" means to hope that the boat is fast. Taboo words have become auspicious words, and "chopsticks" has been renamed since then, but there are still a few areas that still call them "chopsticks". The book "Tuibangyu" written by the Ming people said: "The world mistakenly hates space and calls it beauty. Those who use words, such as chopsticks, are called chopsticks. Today, prisoners have been circulating for a long time, and even scholars call chopsticks, forgetting the beginning. " Folk boating is the most taboo to "live" and "eat", so they do the opposite and change to chopsticks (fast). Japan, on the other hand, has no such taboo, and has been called "Zhu" since the introduction of the Tang Dynasty. Chopsticks were also called "Jin" and "Ba" in ancient times, because they were not as catchy and auspicious as chopsticks, and the words "Jin" and "Ba" had long been eliminated. The long history of chopsticks and archaeological evidence. 196 1 year, archaeologists excavated a rare copper coffin tomb in Dabona, Xiangyun County, Yunnan Province. Three cylindrical copper chopsticks were unearthed in the tomb, which were determined by radiocarbon as relics of the Zhou Dynasty in the Middle East around 500 BC. 1In August, 977, a batch of Eastern Zhou bronzes were unearthed in Hui Chong, the Red Flag Team of Lishan Commune, about 7.5 kilometers northeast of Guichi County, Anhui Province. The bronze wares were buried in the pit. A pair of daily copper chopsticks unearthed in the inner courtyard. Chopsticks are rectangular, with a residual length of 20.3 cm and a width of 4 mm. It seems that bronze is not only made into cookers and ritual vessels such as ding, Wei and Zun, but also into small tableware such as chopsticks. 1978 In May, archaeologists excavated the tomb of Ceng Houyi in the early Warring States Period at Leigudun, about three kilometers northwest of Suizhou City, Hubei Province. Unearthed cultural relics include food boxes and wine boxes. In addition to copper ding, copper basin, copper pot, copper spoon, etc., there are bamboo in the box. One piece; Except 16 1 ear cups, round and square wooden cases, big spoons, etc. There are also bamboos in the wine box. Two pieces. Bamboo? Is the modern bamboo chopsticks. The pre-Qin ancient book Guanzi called chopsticks "?" . Zhang Yi, wei ren of the Three Kingdoms, wrote Guangya? 6? 1 releaser "kind": call. "After textual research, the food box and wine box are picnic utensils for the tomb owner to travel abroad before his death. It seems that China had a reasonably designed tableware box 2,400 years ago, and chopsticks have become an indispensable tableware in life. Hanshu? 6? 1 The Biography of Wang Mang records "eating with iron chopsticks". Chen Zangqi, a famous doctor in the Tang Dynasty, thought that the sweat on bronzes was toxic, which made people suffer from malignant sores and endogenous gangrene. Facts have proved that copper oxidation will produce copper odor, iron oxidation rust, and it is difficult to eat. Therefore, iron chopsticks and copper chopsticks were gradually replaced by lacquerware. The funerary objects unearthed from Mawangdui Tomb in Changsha, Hunan Province have a pair of red painted chopsticks. There is a wooden slip in the tomb of Shen, with the date of burial on it, and the text is "made in February of the twelfth year." "After textual research, it was revised to twelve years of Chinese Emperor. This shows that bamboo lacquer chopsticks existed at least before 168 BC.

In Europe, until the fifteenth century, civilians in many countries were still grasping food with their hands, and only nobles could use metal knives, forks, spoons and other tableware. In the feudal dynasty, many princes and nobles used silver chopsticks, while gold chopsticks were monopolized by the royal family, so silver chopsticks were all the rage at the dinner table of princes and nobles. Gold tableware was monopolized by the palace. It was stipulated in the Northern Wei Dynasty that it was forbidden to raise "people who are good at gold and silver" from princes to the people privately, and it was illegal to make gold and silver utensils privately. The main reason why silver chopsticks are popular is that they can prevent viruses. It is said that silver will react chemically when it meets sulfur-containing poisons, which will make the surface black, so that it can be judged whether food is toxic or not. At that time, the rich gentry and powerful people, because of corruption and bribery, created too many unjust cases and were afraid of poisoning, and turned to silver chopsticks. In fact, the anti-virus theory of silver chopsticks is unscientific. From these historical records, we can see that ancient chopsticks have many names: English, Ti? Yan State, Yan State, Jin State and Wei State are also called if or win, the Sui and Tang Dynasties will be unified.

Meanwhile. It can be seen that the Han Dynasty was not only quite popular, but also developed into many varieties. "Yunxian Miscellaneous Notes" contains: "Xiangfan is waiting for you, lacquer flower tray, wooden chopsticks, fishtail spoon." Tang Duan's "Youyang Miscellaneous Notes" contains: Bo Ling Cui has a silver spoon. When it comes to chopsticks, experts and scholars from all over the world are very keen on discussion. Some western scholars believe that chopsticks were invented to meet this situation because of the exquisite food in China. However, some people hold the opposite view that it is precisely because of the delicacy of chopsticks that China cuisine has developed so beautifully. Different people have different views, and wise people have different views. This question of "which came first, the chicken or the egg" is naturally difficult to come to a conclusion. But one thing is certain: China's food is exquisite, and China's chopsticks are exquisite. The combination of both can be said to be perfect. The invention and use of chopsticks by China people is a scientific invention worthy of pride and admiration in the history of human civilization. Eating with chopsticks for a long time can make people handy and smart. A Japanese scholar once put forward a research result about chopsticks from the perspective of raw food. He believes that when eating with chopsticks, more than 30 joints and more than 50 muscles of the human body will be affected, thus stimulating the internal activities of the nervous system, which is of great help to people's flexible movements and quick thinking. It can be seen that using chopsticks in China is good for health. Lynn Jr., a famous American historian. White, in 1983, published an academic paper entitled "Fingers, Chopsticks and Forks: A Study of Human Dietary Skills", which once attracted great attention from academic circles. He asserted in his paper: "It is indeed the best way for human beings to choose chopsticks to eat." In this way, the value of chopsticks has greatly increased and has been praised by people.

The reason why a small tableware has such great charm is that it is a symbol of civilization and progress, and many experts and scholars have scientifically demonstrated this. It is China's "academic master" Cai Yuanpei who really makes an incisive judgment on chopsticks. 1924 In February, the board of directors of China-France University was held in Lyon, France. President China invited French President and Professor Ole of Paris University to eat China Lai. When Orol saw China's chopsticks and spoons at the banquet, he said to Cai, "It's not convenient for you China people to use chopsticks instead of knives and forks, is it?" Cai Yuanpei replied with a smile: "As early as 3,000 years ago, our ancestors also used knives and forks. However, we in China love peace and always think that knives are also a weapon to kill people. It is not elegant to eat food with them. Therefore, from the Shang Dynasty, we switched to' Bi' to cut meat and use chopsticks to pick vegetables. Later, the cooking technology improved, chopsticks can hold meat, and' Bi' is no longer used on the dining table. " Cai Yuanpei described the evolution of chopsticks and their beautiful symbols, which made foreigners know more about China and chopsticks. Nowadays, chopsticks have entered a rapidly changing modern age. What is its functional value? Dr. Li Zhengdao, a famous scientist and Nobel Prize winner in physics, also made a very incisive statement when interviewed by Japanese reporters: "The Chinese nation is an excellent nation, and China people used chopsticks as early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Such simple two things, but wonderful use of the lever principle of things. Chopsticks are an extension of human fingers. They can do almost everything their fingers can, and they are not afraid of high temperature and cold. That's great. How can the knives and forks that westerners learned to use in the 16 and 7 centuries be compared with chopsticks? It turns out that people use chopsticks when eating, and chopsticks can replace fingers to show a full set of functions such as clamping, picking, cutting and dividing. According to scientific measurement, when people use chopsticks, the five fingers can cooperate well, which can drive dozens of joints and muscles of wrist, palm, arm and shoulder to move and connect with cranial nerves, so that the cerebral cortex can get beneficial exercise. It can be seen that Dr. Li Zhengdao's argument about the use of chopsticks contains many scientific reasons. Therefore, many foreigners who travel to China regard learning to use chopsticks as one of their greatest pleasures.

China's chopsticks are not only a kind of tableware, but also a related utensil, which has left many records in history. In the era of struggle between Chu and Han, Levin drinkers despised Liu Bangxian for being "strong and weak". Sean, the counselor, picked up the chopsticks that Liu Banggang put down, painted them at the dinner table, told about the mistake of eating chopsticks, and offered his own strategic strategy of conquering Chu and prospering Han. Is this Hanshu? 6? 1 Zhang Liangchuan recorded the story of "I asked you to borrow your old card to raise it". This is the origin of the idiom "borrowing money to raise funds". Scholars and poets of all ages have written many poems about chopsticks. In it is hard to go, the poet Li Bai said, "I threw my rice stick and cup aside, so I couldn't eat or drink." This is a true portrayal of his depression when he left Beijing because he was slandered by powerful people in the third year of Tianbao (AD 744). Du Fu, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty, said, "The rhinoceros tendon is tired for a long time, and the carved phoenix knife is rarely used." "Rhinoceros horn" in the poem refers to chopsticks made of rhinoceros horn. Zhu's "Bamboo Slips" said: "The second lady is small, holding her waist and feet and leaving. If you want to taste good, stick out your tongue. " The first two sentences personify chopsticks with vivid and interesting images, while the last two sentences seem to convey the depressed and helpless mood of female poets in Song Dynasty. Cheng, a poet in the Ming Dynasty, wrote in "Songs of Bamboo Slips": "Be diligent in bamboo slips, and taste them first. I think others are good, and I am busy when I have time. " There is no point in using metonymy as a metaphor. According to legend, when Liu Bowen first met Ming Taizu, Fang Mao had a meal, that is, he was asked to write poems on chopsticks to observe his ambition. When Liu saw that the chopsticks used by Taizu were made of necklaces, he said, "A pair of Xiangjiang jade and jade stand side by side, and the second princess once shed tears." Seeing that Taizu looked disdainful, he continued to sing loudly: "The Han family has been waiting for 400 years." When the poem was contended with Chu and Han, Sean once "took advantage of the situation" to plan a war for Liu Bang, expressed his ambition, and finally won the appreciation of Ming Taizu. Today, a poet Zhao Kai wrote a poem "Western Food" and then remembered chopsticks: "I can afford poetry and painting, but I can't let go of my feelings." Two bamboos can build a bridge, and the small bridge will call you home. "This idea is clever and meaningful. The writer Lan Xiang, a famous Tibetan chopsticks master in Zeng Zeng, Feng Jicai, wrote a calligraphy poem: "Mo Dao chopsticks are small and accompany you every day;" Thousands of years of bitter history are in a pair of chopsticks. "There is a riddle poem with chopsticks as the answer, which is very interesting. The poem says, "Sisters are like each other, and the kitchen is twice as big, so we always try it first. "

In China's classical novels, chopsticks are often used to depict characters. According to Qin Zhuan's Talking about the Past and the Five Dynasties and Wang Renyu's Kaiyuan Tianbao Legacy, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty suddenly gave his golden chopsticks to Prime Minister Song Jing, who was flattered and at a loss before his collapse. When Tang Xuanzong saw this, he said, "I won't give you gold, but I'll give you a sparerib to show your straight ears." Praise Song Jing's character as chopsticks, honesty and frankness. However, Princess Yongfu refused to obey his father's orders in his marriage and expressed his indomitable determination by breaking chopsticks. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, chopsticks have become a brilliant stroke in Luo Guanzhong's works. Cao Cao boiled wine and talked about heroes in his childhood. Liu Bei realized Cao Cao's real intention, and quickly used the voice of thunder to pretend that he was afraid of dropping chopsticks, so as to declare that he was a mediocre man and had no ambition, thus eliminating Cao's defense and saving himself. Chopsticks are also described in many works. Cao Xueqin's Dream of Red Mansions includes three silver ebony chopsticks and four gold ivory chopsticks on the dining table of Daguan Garden. In the 40th episode of Red MengMeng, it says: "Xifeng is holding a towel made of western cloth, wrapped in ebony and inlaid with silver chopsticks, and putting it on the mat." This shows the splendor of Jiafu. In the fourth episode of the satirical novel The Scholars, there is such a description: Fan Jinzhong was short-lived and lost his mother. Just then, the Tang magistrate invited him to dinner, with delicacies, wine and delicacies, and "chopsticks with silver cups". Jin Fan refused to sit down after retreating. The Tang magistrate didn't understand the reason. After Zhang Jingzhai pulled it out, he "changed a porcelain cup and a pair of elephant chopsticks". But Jin Fan still didn't eat, and then changed into a pair of white bamboo chopsticks. Fan Dan in mourning used it to pick up a prawn jiaozi in the bird's nest and put it in his mouth. It turns out that in the eyes of people who pretend to be filial, only white bamboo chopsticks are the most suitable for "filial piety", but it doesn't matter whether eating too much meat or meat hinders "filial piety". Through this quiet description of "food for food", the author of the novel reveals with spicy pen and ink that the gentle gentleman who is full of "poetry" and "Confucius" is actually a hypocrite who is greedy for profit. Such things are also common in literary works. A pair of chopsticks (that is, a pair of chopsticks tied together) is difficult to break, while a pair of chopsticks is easy to break. In people's daily life, it is often said that a pair of chopsticks is a group, and a single chopstick seems to be hanging alone, which is difficult to support a building. Unity is strength, and collective strength is invincible.

Throughout the ages, there are many anecdotes about chopsticks. According to legend, there was a giant in the Western Han Dynasty who was brave and good at fighting. He has a unique habit of using two or three kilograms of iron chopsticks every day to show his superhuman strength. It is also said that the Miao nationality in western Hunan has an anti-Qing hero. The weapon he used was just a pair of two-foot-long iron chopsticks, known as the "Chopsticks King". His chopstick skills can be divided into light and hard skills. Flying skill can hold floaters, and he can hold and release them without hurting them. His efforts, with a chopstick, can kill the enemy. "Chopping Chopsticks and Playing the Piano" is a good story recorded by He [Yu+Yu] who intervened in "Story of Spring". Liu Yun once wrote a poem during the Southern Dynasties. When he was brewing, he tapped the piano with a pen, and the doorman asked people to "reconcile with chopsticks." Liu Yun was very surprised by this sad piece of music, so he made it elegant. In fact, examples of using chopsticks as musical instruments are common in the literary world. Yin Qing is one of the popular folk art varieties in Sichuan, which was developed from folk tunes during the Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty. Most of them are performed by one person, with the left hand beating the board and the right hand holding bamboo chopsticks to sing. Among Mongolians, chopsticks are used as props for performances. This dance has a long history and is popular in Inner Mongolia. At first, it was mostly a solo dance for men, and after liberation it developed into a group dance for men and women. During the performance, the dancer's left and right hands each hold a bunch of red lacquer chopsticks. With the melody of music, they beat their shoulders, waist, legs, feet and other parts hard, sometimes hitting the ground, sometimes hitting each other, sometimes rotating, sometimes kneeling down, shoulders and waist twisting, dancing while playing, with strong movements, strong sense of rhythm and touching scenes, which is a reflection of the happy life of herders. In the early days of liberation, Mongolian chopsticks were popular all over the country and were deeply loved by the people. There is also a folk dance of tapping plates with chopsticks. The dishes sound sweet, the dance is beautiful and has a unique charm. Chopsticks are also used as props in acrobatic programs. It can also be found on the traditional Chinese opera stage. Mulian Opera is a large-scale entertainment activity that combines religious and folk factors. Liu's marriage is an indispensable opening scene for Shu people to move their eyes. In the play, when the bride gets into the sedan chair, she will scatter 24 pairs of chopsticks and sing "Chopsticks Scattering Songs". This is the reappearance of the folk culture of begging for "having a baby soon" with chopsticks in China traditional opera. On the wedding night in the northeast, someone threw a pair of chopsticks from the window in order to win the favor of "having a baby soon".