ii) In the Han dynasty, people’s fortunes were told by the position of planets/ stars relative to their birthday. In later ages, the popular fortune-tellers were of two schools: the Five Planets and the Tzu-p’ing 子平 (the name of an ancient fortune-teller).
411t’ieh-k’ou 鐵口, Iron Lips, seemingly an image for “solidly reliable talking”.
412Chin-ch’eng 金城, Metal/Bronze/Gold City:
i) a metaphor for “a solid citadel”. Chia Yi 賈誼 (201 BC - 169 BC), “Passing Ch’in” discourse (Kuo-Ch’in lun 過秦論, says: “Bronze Citadels for a thousand miles”. Cf. T’ang-ch’ih 湯池.
ii) the name of a commandery (chȕn 郡). Set up during the Han dynasty, covering the land westward from present-day Yü-chung and Kao-lan counties in the western territory of the southern part of Kansu province as far as the land eastwards of Hsi-ning county in the eastern part of Tsing-hai. Its administrative seaat was Yȕn-wu 允吾, located on the north bank of the Yellow River north-west of present-day Kao-lan county. Its administrative seat during the Tsin dynasty was Yü-chung 榆中, situated north-west of present-day Yü-chung county. During the Eastern Tsin dynasty, its seat was moved to Chin-ch’eng, south-west of present-day Kao-lan county. The Sui dynasty moved the seat to the seat of preesent-day Kao-lan county. The Sung dynasty called it Chin-ch’eng Commandery in Lan-chou (Lan-chou Chin-ch’eng-chȕn 蘭州金城郡). It was abolished by the Kin dynasty.
iii) the name of an old county. Set up during the Han dynasty, its administrative seat was located south-west of present-day Kao-lan county.
Ying Shao 應劭 (fl. ca. AD 178) says: “When Chin-ch’eng was first built, gold was found, hence its name.” Hsȕeh Tsan 薛瓚 says: “It was called chin [“bronze/metal”] owing to its being strong.” During the Tsin dynasty, its administrative seat was moved to the north-west of present-day Yü-chung county. It was the administrativer seat of Chin-ch’eng commandery. Ch’i-fu Ch’ien-kui 乞伏乾歸 (fl. ca. AD 405), ruler of the Western Ch’in, moved his capital there, and once proclaimed himself Prince of Chin-ch’eng (Ching-ch’eng-wang 金城王). The Latter Tsin abolished it. The Sui dynasty restored it, in Kao-lan county, but later abolished the city.
413Wei-ch’eng 渭城, Wei city:
i) the name of an old county. In the Ch’in dynasty it was Hsien-yang county (Hsien-yang-hsien 咸陽縣). The Han dynasty once changed it to Wei-ch’eng. The former city was north-west of present-day Ch’ang-an county in Shensi province. Cf. Hsien-yang 咸陽.
ii) the title of a Music Treasury song (yȕeh-fu 樂府). It was also called Sunlight Pass (Yang-kuan 陽關), as in a poem composed by Wang Wei 王維 (701 - 761), originally a shih-poem about seeing someone off on a mission to An-hsi 安西, later being made a song. Liu Yü-hsi 劉禹錫 (772 - 842), Poem to a singer (Yü ke-che shih 與歌者詩), has the lines: “Of the old people, only He K’an survives, so again we with eager concern sing Wei city.” Cf. Yang-kuan ch’ü 陽關曲, an alternative title for the poem Seeing off Yȕan Second on an embassy to An-hsi by Wang Wei 王維 (701 - 761):
Morning rain of Wei City
damps the dust clean;
Fresh, by the travellers’ inn,
willow’s verdant green;
Come, I bid you, sir:
drain one more cup of wine：
Once you’re West, past Sunlight Pass,
all old friends are gone.
Also referred to as Melody of Wei city (Wei-ch’eng-ch’ü 渭城曲), this is one of the most famous Chinese poems, and frequently used to conjure up feelings of nostalgic parting.
414hun 諢, to do jokes, to perform comedy. This seeming Stimmungs brechung provides a comic interlude, perhaps used to obviate any note of distracting high tragedy for these considered-unprepossessing persons.
415i.e. it’s dusking.
416Hung Sheng gives the note that this line comes from a poem by Ts’ui Yeh 崔液 [ca. 672 - 713 or not long after].
417huang-chih 黃紙, Yellow Paper, referring to the yellow hemp-paper (huang-ma-chih 黃麻紙) used for the writing of the emperor’s commands during the T’ang dynasty.
418Hung Sheng gives a note that this line derives from a poem by Yȕan Chen 元稹 [997 - 831].
419Hung Sheng gives a note that this line derives from a poem by Li Ying 李郢 [fl. ca. AD 844].
420Hung Sheng gives a note that this line derives from a poem by Tu Mu 杜牧 [803 - 852].
421Tzu-ch’i 紫氣, Scarlet Breath/Vapour:
i) a term for “auspicious vapour”. Ssu-ma Te-ts’ao 司馬德操, Letter to Liu Kung-ssu (Yü Liu Kung-ssu shu 與劉恭嗣書), says: “Yellow Banner (Huang-ch’i 黃旗) and Scarlet Vapour constantly appeared in the south-east.” Inner biography of the Controller of the Pass (Kuan ling-yin nei-chuan 關令尹內傳) says: “The Controller of the Pass, Hsi 喜, ascended the tower and gazed all around, saw that in the eastern extremity there was a Scarlet Vapour crossing over westwards, and exclaimed, ‘There’s probably going to be an immortal passing through the capital!’ On the predicted day, he fasted and abstained, and that day duly met Sir Old (Lao-tzu 老子).” Tu Fu 杜甫 (712 - 770) has a poem with a line using this allusion: “The Scarlet Vapour coming from the east (tung-lai tzu-ch’i 東來紫氣) filled Box Pass.”
ii) a synonym for iodine.
422Yao-ch’ih 瑤池, Jasper Mere. The “jasper” is an arbitrary translation of the yao, defined in Chinese as “a beautiful kind of jade”. I imagine it once did have a more specific meaning. Jasper Mere is in the realm of the immortals, and by it dwells the goddess Royal Mother of the West (Hsi Wang-mu 西王母). Anon. (early 3rd century BC or earlier), Son of Heaven King Solemn (Mu t’ien-tzu chuan 穆天子傳), has the words:
On an auspicious day, the day chia-tzu, the Son of Heaven, King Solemn, went to visit Royal Mother of the West, and, holding a white writing-tablet and black jade-disk, had an audience with her, and to gain her friendship presented her with a hundred silk sashes and three hundred satin sashes. She received them with repeated obeisances.
The next day, the day yi-ch’ou, the Son of Heaven held a wine-party for Royal Mother of the West on the banks of Jasper Mere.
Ke Hung 葛洪 (284 - 363), in his Biographies of immortals (Shen-hsien chuan 神仙傳), says: “In Light-wind Hunting-park (Lang-feng-Yȕan 閬風苑) in K’un-lun 崑崙, there’s a twelve-storey jade tower, to the left of which is Jasper Mere, and to the right of which is the River Kingfisher (Ts’ui-shui 翠水).
423ch’ing-niao 青鳥, Green Bird, the name for a supernatural bird. Old matters of Emperor Warrior of the Han dynasty (Han Wu ku-shih 漢武故事) says: “On the Seventh Day of the Seventh Month, suddenly there were Green Birds which flew up and flocked to the fore of the imperial palace-hall. ‘That’s because [the goddess] Royal Mother of the West is about to come here,’ said [the jester and court minister] Tung-fang Sho 東方朔 [ca. 161 BC-ca. 87 BC].’ A short while after, Royal Mother arrived, three Green Birds attending her at her sides.” Later people accordingly used Green Bird as a tern for “messenger”.
424Tzu-yȕn 紫雲, Scarlet Cloud:
i)the name of mountains:
a) a mountain south-west of Hsiang-ch’eng county in Henan province. In the Ming dynasty, Li Min 李敏 (Ming dynasty) set up an academy (shu-yȕan 書院) up on it, for which reason it was also called Mount Academy (Shu-yȕan-shan 書院山).
b) a mountain north of Huang-mei county in Hupeh province. Its summit is a wide open flat area, where tea is grown, the tea being known as Scarlet-cloud Tea (Tzu-yȕn-ch’a 紫雲茶).
ii)the name of a present-day county, south of An-shun county in Kui-chou province. The Republic changed it to Kui-hua Subprefecture.
To its west lies the scenic region of Scarlet-cloud Source (Tzu-yȕn-yȕan 紫雲源), hence the county’s name.
iii)the name of a person, a female entertainer of the T’ang dynaty era. Chi Yu-kung 計有功 (fl. ca. AD 1126), Records of the subject-matter of T’ang dynasty poems (T’ang-shih chi-shih 唐詩紀事), says: “Wh
en Tu Mu 杜牧 [803 - 852] was a censor (yü-shih 御史), he was assigned to government duties in Lo-yang 洛陽. At that time, Li Yȕan 李愿 had given up his garrison governorship, was living in retirement, and was extravagant in his employment of female musical entertainers (sheng-chi 聲妓). When Li Yȕan held a high-level party for guests from the imperial court, Tu Mu was a censor, so he didn’t dare to invite him. Tu Mu despatched one of the guests to convey his opinion, declaring he wished to attend the party, so in spite of himself, Li Yȕan had to invite him.
When Tu Mu had drunk three full goblets of wine, he questioned Li Yȕan. ‘I’ve heard you have certain Scarlet-cloud: Which one is her?’ he asked. Li Yȕan pointed her out. ‘Her name’s well deserved,’ said Tu Mu after staring fixedly at her for a long while, ‘It’s fitting that she receives your favour.’ Li Yȕan bowed, laughing, and the other female entertainers also turned their heads and looked and smiled.”
425Wu-kuang 婺光, Beautiful Light, i.e. the light of Wu-nü 婺女, Beautiful Woman, another name for the Woman Constellation (Nü-hsiu 女宿), one of the Twenty-eight Constellations (Erh-shih-pa Hsiu 二十八宿). The third constellation of theseven Dark Warrior constellations (Hsȕan-wu Ch’i-hsiu 玄武七宿) has four stars, three of them belonging to the Treasure-vase Constellation/Asterism (Pao-p’ing-tso 寶瓶座). Tai Sheng 戴聖 (early first century BC) (comp.), Rites record (Li-chi 禮記), “Yȕeh-ling”, says: “In the first month of summer, at dawn (tan 旦), Beautiful Woman is in the centre.”
Ssu-ma Ch’ien 司馬遷 (ca. 147 BC - 90 BC), Historians’ records (Shih-chi 史記). “T’ien-kuan shu”, mentions Beautiful Woman, and Ssu-ma Chen 司馬貞 (Liang dynasty), Quest for hidden meanings in “Historians’ records” (Shih-chi so-yin史記索隱), remarks of it: “[Anon. (Chou and Han dynasties),] Close exegeses (Erh-ya 爾雅) says: ‘Hsü Woman (Hsü-nü 須女) is called Wu Woman (Wu-nü 務女).’ The 務 is sometimes found as 婺.”
Chang Yi 張揖 (Northern Wei dynasty, fl. ca. AD 490), Expanded “Exegesess” (Kuang “Ya” 廣雅), says: “Elder-sister Woman (Hsü-nü 嬃女) is referred to as Beautiful Woman.”
426chieh-ming 階蓂, Steps Calendar-pod Plant, i.e. ming 蓂, Calendar-pod Plant/One-pod-a-day-in-first-half-of-month Plant, also found as ming-chia 蓂莢, also known as li-chia 曆莢 (“Calendrical Pods”). One account describes it as follows: “There’s a plant which grows on both sides of steps to buildings, and which first bears a pod on the first day of the lunar month, and by halfway through the month has borne fifteen pods, dropping one pod on the sixteenth day and thereafter, having lost them all by the last day of the month. In the months that have only twenty-nine days, one pod dries up but does not fall.” Another account says: “a tree which bears one pod on the first day of each month, this lasting until the fifteenth day of the month, one pod leaving it on the sixteenth day, the tree for this reason being grown on both sides of the steps of houses to make the date clear”. The allusion here is to the birthday of Empress Yang, the First Day of the Sixth Month.
427Nan-shan 南山, Southern Mountains, the name of various mountains, here probably meaning Chung-nan-shan 終南山, situated in present-day southern Shensi province, its eastern end reaching into Henan province as far as Shan county, and its western end as far as T’ien-shui county in Kansu province. It’s also called the Ch’in Range (Ch’in-ling 秦嶺). Its chief peak is south of Ch’ang-an county in Shensi province.
428hsia-shang 霞觴, Roseate-cloud Wine-cup. Presumably referring to the colour of the wine.
429Lang 閬, i.e. Lang-yȕan 閬苑, Tall/High/High-gate(s)/Clear-bright/ Empty-and-vast Park/Hunting-park:
i) the name of a paradise where immortals dwell. Sequel to “Biographies of€ immortals” (Hsü “Hsien-chuan” 續仙傳), “Yin Ch’i-ch’i chuan”, says: “This flower has already been over a hundred years in the mortal world, and before long will depart and return to High-gate Hunting-park.” Li Shang-yin 李商隱 (813 - 858) has a poem with the line: “Erigeron Island’s (P’eng-tao 蓬島) mists and roseate clouds, and High-gate Hunting-park’s bells.”
ii) the name of a park during the T’ang dynasty. Wang Hsiang-chih 王象之 (Sung dynasty), Records of the scenic spots of the Earth (Yü-ti chi-sheng 輿地紀勝), says: “At the beginning of the T’ang dynasty, Ling-k’ui Prince of Lu (Lu-wang Ling-k’ui 魯王靈夔) and Yȕan-ying Prince of T’eng (T’eng-wang Yȕan-ying 滕王元嬰) were in succession governors of Lang-chou 閬州, and, the buildings of their administrative offices being humble and mean, they made them vastly bigger and more imposing by building and decorating them, imitating the imperial palace hunting-park, and calling it Exalted Hunting-park (Lung-yȕan 隆苑), which later on, in order to avoid the taboo-name of the Shining August-emperor [the emperor Dark-progenitor, Hsȕan-tsung 玄宗, reigned 712 - 756] (Lung-chi 隆基), its name was changed to High-gate Hunting-park. In it there were five citadels. When Sung Te-chih 宋德之was governor there, he further built a Green-jade Tower (Pi-yü-lou 綠玉樓) in the south-west corner of the western citadel, it also being called Twelfth Tower (Shih-erh-lou 十二樓), by doing so completing the superb scenic aura of High-gate Hunting-park.”
430Chin-hua 金花, Gold Flower:
i) flower-shaped decoration made of gold. Fan Yeh 范曄 (398-445), Latter Han history (Hou Han-shu 後漢書), “Ts’ai Yung chuan”, Lord Ts’ai respectfully guided the carriages, he riding a gold-flowered (chin-hua 金華), green-canopied, melon-adorned chariot with two banners [?], which those near and far considered unfitting.” The chin-hua 金華 meant the same as chin-hua 金花. Li Yen-shou 李延壽 (T’ang dynasty, 7th century AD) Southern history (Nan-shih 南史), “Lu Hung chuang”, says: “He had a bed for sleeping, which was made throughout with silver incised carving, gold flowers (chin-hua 金花), and two-layered longevity-blessings for its legs.”
ii) the name of a type of paper. Li Chao 李肇 (fl. ca. AD 813), Supplements to the history of the T’ang dynasty (T’ang kuo-shih pu 唐國史補), says: “As for paper, there were Shu’s 蜀 Hemp-face (Ma-mien 麻面), Crumb-powder (hsieh-mo 屑末), Slippery-stone (Hua-shih 滑石), Gold-flower, Long-hemp (Ch’ang-ma 長麻), Fish-roe (Yü-tzu 魚子) and Ten-colour Notelets (Shih-se-chien 十色箋).” Li Chao 李肇 (fl. ca. AD 813), Plume-forest records (Han-lin chih 翰林志), says: “Whenever generals or chief ministers announce themselves, they use Gold-flower Five-colour Damask-paper (Chin-hua Wu-se Ling-chih 金花五色綾紙).”
iii) term for a “gold”-coloured flower, mostly referring to the yellow chrysanthemum. Different names of things, a record (Shih-wu yi-ming lu 事物異名錄), “Hua-hui”, “Chü”, says: “Prized-queen Tso’s Ode to chrysanthemums (Chü-hua sung 菊花頌): ‘Spring’s luxuriant with kingfisher-green leaves, Autumn gleams with gold flowers.’” Yü Chien-wu 庾肩吾 (fl. ca. AD 520), Jade-screen Mountain inscription (Yü-chang-shan ming 玉帳山銘), says: “The jade buds can’t possibly be moved, the gold flowers don’t fall.” Shen Chiung沈炯 (502 - 560), Six Treasuries poem (Liu-fu shih 六府詩), has the lines: “Gold flowers scatter their yellow buds, Orchid plants are mixed among the sweet grass.”
There’s also the term Gold-flower Note/Card (chin-hua t’ieh-tzu 金花帖子). Chao Yen-wei趙彥衛 (fl. ca. AD 1195), Cloud-mountain-foot free copies (Yȕn-lu man-ch’ao 雲麓漫鈔), says: “At the beginning of this dynasty, the T’ang dynasty protocol was followed, and men who were Metropolitan Graduates with Honours (chin-shih chi-ti 進士及第) had the first part of the main text [of the announcement written on] a yellow-flower [chrysanthemum] notelet, which was five inches or so long, half as wide, and on which their surname and personal name were written, with a signature at the bottom of it. It was protected by a big card, on the face of which the surname and personal name were also written, it being called a Placard Note/Card (pang-t’ieh 榜帖), and in those times it was also called a Gold-flower Note/ Card (chin-hua t’ieh-tzu 金花帖子).”
Hung Mai 洪邁 (1123 - 1202), Tolerant Studio’s casual writings (Jung-chai sui-pi 容
齋隨筆), says: “When men during the T’ang dynasty succeeded in the Presented Scholar civil-service exams (chin-shih teng-k’e 進士登科), they had gold-flower notes/cards, of which for a long time now there’s been tell, but which aren’t often seen in society. My family has in its keeping a little record of Sun Chin’s 孫僅 [969 - 1017] notice-card of AD 998. which still employed the T’ang protocol, and used plain-white raw-silk damask for its roller, the card employing gold-flower [paper?], first listing the titles of the four examiners (chu-ssu 主司), who all signed it. Below that were written the dates of the four men’s lives, and the personal name and posthumous name (ming-hui 名諱) of his grandfather, the date of the grandfather’s death. After that was written ‘Top Graduate (chuang-yȕan 狀元) Sun Chin’.”
The first instance above was thus a kind of note or notice, and was quite small, while the latter one was the source or harbinger of the exam-success announcement (pao-t’iao 報條) of later ages, which is why they used damask silk for their spools. The former kind, used Yellow-flower Card, while the latter kind had gold-flowers on it, and they were all referred to as Gold-flower Cards. Thus the formats altered with the ages.
431hung pang-tzu 紅榜子, Red Placard/Notice-board.
432chieh ch’ien-ch’iu 屆千秋, “to reach a thousand autumns”, a poetic term for “to reach (the limit of) a ripe old age”. The ch’ien-ch’iu is variously found as:
Appendices and Endnotes Page 30
