Chopsticks, unique Chinese eating tools, have been used by Chinese for at least three thousand years. Regarding chopsticks, the most famous is the record of Shang Wang Lin's ivory chopsticks. "Han Feizi Yu Lao" said: "The former is an elephant, and the jizi is terrified." That is to say, Shang Wang Ren used ivory as a chop, profligate it, and the minister Jizi was afraid of it. This shows that when Shang Wang was in power, there were already chopsticks. Archaeological finds from the 20th century also confirm this.
It's not easy to use chopsticks
If you teach Chinese to use a knife and fork, it is estimated that it will take a meal. But if Westerners learn to use chopsticks, it is probably not a few meals can solve it, not to mention that chopsticks were used as arithmetic tools (short chops for mathematical calculus) and thinking training tools (long and short chops to express gossip) in ancient times, just using it to eat is a science. We need to hold two chopsticks in one hand, and through the dexterity and coordination of our fingers, we can pick up the food and bring it to our mouths.
Chinese has attached great importance to diet since ancient times, and correspondingly, it has given a lot of meaning to dietary tools.
For example, chopsticks are more than seven inches and six minutes long, representing that people have "seven emotions and six desires", which is an emotional animal different from ordinary animals; Therefore, when eating, people are always reminded to refrain from improper desires. The round end of the chopsticks symbolizes the sky, and the square end symbolizes the "round place of the sky", which is Chinese's understanding of the basic principles of the world.
In addition, when holding chopsticks, the thumb index finger is on the top, the ring finger is on the lower finger, and the middle finger is in the middle, which is the symbol of the three talents of "heaven and earth", which is the simple understanding of the relationship between people and the world. Finally, chopsticks appear in pairs, which is also in line with the concept of Tai Chi and Yin Yang observed by the Chinese people: Tai Chi is one, Yin and Yang are two. Divided into two, which means that everything is made up of two opposites; The combination of yin and yang, also means a perfect result...
The British Concise Encyclopedia Britannica, volume 4 (Chinese edition, 1985), spoke highly of chopsticks: "China's replacement of knives and forks on the (Western) table with chopsticks reflects the superiority of scholars over samurai by cultural heroes." "Because chopsticks have rich scientific and cultural connotations and extensive social functions, they are a feeding tool for civilized and ceremonial countries.
