Classic Quotations > Annual Classic Quotations

Chinese traditional culture in Mahjong_Classic quotations

Mahjong tiles have been transformed and evolved from a variety of chess events for thousands of years. Then, during the Qing Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty, a set of 144 cards and 13 sets of styles were formed. From the combination design of the mahjong tiles, any card in a pair of mahjong tiles has a special meaning and role, with distinctive characteristics and artistic conception of Chinese traditional culture.
108 main cards reflect the simple view of the ancients. The original mahjong pattern is selected from 108 heroes in The Water Margin. This is related to a person named Wan Bingzhen. According to legend, he highly praised the Liangshan heroes in Shi Naiqi. He used the number 108 as the base of the mahjong card and metaphorized 108 heroes.
For example, nine of the cards are referred to as "Jiulong" history, and two are referred to as "double whip". The reason why mahjong is divided into three categories: 10,000, cake, and strips is the homonym of his name "Wan Bingzhen". Each class has 4 cards from one to nine, just 108. As for the wind cards and Wrigleys that were added later, it is because of the saying that 108 heroes are gathered from all directions to Liangshan, so they add East, West, South, North and Central, and add 4 cards each. Counting 20 sheets. These heroes have rich and poor classes, so the “fat” and “white” metaphors are rich and poor, plus 8 cards, and a total of 136 cards. Subsequently, with the addition of various flower cards, the whole deck of cards reached 144.
In fact, an authentic mahjong card consists of six types of 42 patterns, including 108 cards, 16 wind cards, 12 Wrigleys and 8 flower cards. This combination design is not freely fabricated, but derived from the idea of ​​zg ancient thirty-six days and seventy-two mantles, reflecting the simple cosmology of the zg ancients.
The east, west, north, and south embodies the "three talents" and "the view of the heavens"
As is known to all, zg's ancient philosophical thoughts are mainly represented by the five elements, which believe that the world is composed of the most basic materials such as gold, wood, water, fire, earth, etc., and the orientations are matched: Oriental Amethyst, Western Geng Xinjin, South Bing Ding Huo, the North Lishui, the Chinese Yuanji. The zg ancients also believed that the cosmic form is a place of heaven and earth. Therefore, "white skin" represents the earth, "hair" represents the sky, and "hair" is at the top of the person, so the hair is used to represent the sky. "中中" represents both the Chinese soil in the Five Elements and the people in the "three talents" of heaven, earth and people. It is the determination of "middle" that makes the east, west, south, north, middle and heaven and earth together constitute a true heaven and earth. This heaven is not the circle of the earth, but the circle of the universe.
The number implies the mystery and the three colors of the numerator, the cake and the strip in the mahjong card respectively reflect the existence form of the substance, and the number represents the quantity of the existence of the substance.

In the ancient thought of zg, 3 is the base and 9 is the pole number, so there are 9 pieces of 10,000, cake and strip. In addition to 5, 3, and 9, 12 also has an important position in ancient culture. In addition to five elements, five flavors, five internal organs, five colors, and five related substances in our life, there are many related to 12, such as 12 Zodiac. 12 o'clock, 12 months... This idea is also fully reflected in the mahjong, 144 is the square of 12, and 108 is also a multiple of 12. In addition, in the mahjong rule, it is stipulated that each person draws 13 cards, and 13 times 4 equals 52, which coincides with the rule of 52 weeks in a year.
The design of the pattern of the card is meaningful from the design of the mahjong pattern. It is not difficult to find that the pattern of each card in the mahjong card has some meaning, implying a certain kind of zg traditional culture. Take “flower card” as an example. People usually use plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum as patterns. Plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum occupy the spring, summer, autumn and winter, and are known as the "four gentlemen." "Mei" means Gao Jie proud, "Lan" stands for elegant and ethereal, "Bamboo" symbolizes humility, and "Chrysanthemum" implies cold and clear, showing people's perception of time order and meaning of life, but also for some kind of aesthetic personality. The yearning for the realm has become a symbol of zg people's feelings. The three cards of "China, China, and China" symbolize the meaning of "Zhongzheng", "developed" and "pure". In fact, rather than saying that these patterns are derived from the designer's wisdom, it is better to say that this is the natural expression and expression of the unique aesthetic ideas of zg people.

recommended article

popular articles