Chinese Culture

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【Word Meaning Changing】天要下雨，娘要嫁人（The heaven rains, and the mothers marry）

 At the dusk, the wind started to blow and the daylight became dark. I picked up the washed screen window and put it back. A phrase came to my mind that 天要下雨，娘要嫁人，由他去吧（The heaven rains, the mothers marry, just let it go）while walking in the room. I was quite confused the first time I saw it. why should mothers marry somebody? especially in ancient times! Divorce is quite rare in that time, and even widows seldom re-marry. However, the 娘 does not mean mother ,but girls(姑娘) at that time. In Tang and Song dynasty, girls are addressed as 娘， 大娘 eldest girl, and 二娘 for secondary elder girl. It also explained the name of a famous poet: 公孙大娘舞剑。 Which means sword dance of a young lady whose is the eldest girl of Gongsun family, instead of an middle age lady whose name is Gongsun. Note: 小娘子 means un-married ladies in Tang and Song Dynasty. ----- 傍晚时候，忽地风急天暗，收了在洗的纱窗，重新装回到窗户上去。走到屋门口的时候，忽然就想起了这么句话来：天要下雨，娘要嫁人，由他去吧。第一次见到这么个说法的时候，心中是十分费解的，娘为什么要嫁人呢？况且在古代，离婚是极少见的，便是寡妇也不是都要改嫁的。 其实这句话里的"娘...
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【Chinese Flower Distinguish】牡丹和芍药 Peony & Chinese herb Peony

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仲春时节正是各种花卉次第开放的季节,"花王"——牡丹和"花相"——芍药正是其中的佼佼者。 Though there are numerous flowers blooming in late spring, peony and Chinese herb peony are among the most beautiful and meaningful ones, actually they are honored as the king and the prime minister of flowers in Chinese culture.     但是，你是否能够分得清楚这两种不同的花卉呢？ Could you distinguish these two beauties  from flowers' world?       其实，它们有很多的不同： They can be differentiated by several traits.     牡丹 Peony 芍药 Chinese Herb Peony 叶子 Leaves 顶端分叉 lobed leaves，like Trident 顶端不分叉 Like common leaves 花序 inflorescence  一朵花开于顶端 One on the top 多朵花 Many on the top 开花时间 Blossoming 四月下旬 Late April 五月上旬 Early May 茎 Stem 木质茎 Woody 草本茎 Herb     叶子： 牡丹的叶子前端分叉，而芍药不分。 花序：牡丹，一朵花独生枝头；芍药为多朵花，且花形略小。 花期： 牡丹为四月下旬，芍药为五月上旬。当然还要考虑当地环境气候。 茎：芍药为草本茎，而牡丹为木本茎。故"牡丹"亦有木芍药之称。       ...
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【Traditional Chinese rituals】Get rid of ghost in Chinese way

My grandma told me she sensed a soul of past people staying in my body, and then she ignited several(there plus one) incense sticks to draw the god's attention, asked many questions about the soul and its requirement to leave while using many sticks as sign of answer. Four dishes and ten Dajin (a kind of processed paper, which is used as money in the past world) are required, and we should send it 50 steps to the west.     We held the ritual at about 11pm to avoid meeting other people. Requirements of the ritual: several censers, incense sticks, ten Dajin, many dishes( seven this time, attention: no meat if your family god are Buddha), a mental basin to burn the paper, many chopsticks, several bowls of water, a knife, one red clothe each person. Ignite the incense sticks in front of the gods, put on the dishes and a bowl of water. My family enshrine all gods in the world, Kwan-yin (the Buddha named Avalokitesvara in Sanskrit), and Chairman Mao. We do not have the tabe...
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