1. Historical Evolution (历史演变)
Spring Couplets (Chunlian / 春联) are the most visible and widespread literary tradition of the Chinese New Year.
Their earliest ancestor was the Taofu (桃符 - Peach Wood Charms). In ancient times, people believed that peach wood possessed powerful demon-slaying properties. During the New Year, families would carve the names of two legendary ghost-catching deities (Shen Tu and Yu Lei) onto two rectangular peach wood boards and hang them on either side of their main gate for protection.
By the Five Dynasties period (10th century), scholars began writing poetic verses on these boards instead of just the deities’ names. During the Ming Dynasty, the founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang enthusiastically promoted the custom, decreeing that all households must paste couplets written on red paper, officially giving birth to the modern Chunlian.
2. Artistic Composition (艺术结构与规则)
A Spring Couplet is a masterpiece of linguistic symmetry and poetic discipline. It consists of three parts:
- The Upper Scroll (上联): Pasted on the right side of the door.
- The Lower Scroll (下联): Pasted on the left side of the door.
- The Horizontal Scroll (横批): A short, four-character phrase pasted horizontally above the door frame that summarizes the theme of the couplets.
To be considered a true couplet, the two vertical scrolls must adhere to strict rules:
- Equal Length: Both lines must have the exact same number of Chinese characters.
- Lexical Symmetry: A noun in the first line must correspond to a noun in the exact same position in the second line. Verbs must match verbs, and adjectives must match adjectives.
- Tonal Harmony: The tonal patterns (ping-ze) of the two lines should ideally mirror and contrast each other, creating a musical rhythm when read aloud.
3. Ritual Behavior (仪式行为)
Pasting Spring Couplets is one of the most important activities on New Year’s Eve morning. Old couplets from the previous year are torn down to signify the removal of the old and the welcoming of the new.
Alongside the couplets, households also paste the character “Fu” (福 - Blessing/Fortune) on the center of the door. The “Fu” character is often pasted upside down. In Chinese, the word for “upside down” (Dao / 倒) sounds exactly like the word for “arrive” (Dao / 到). Thus, an upside-down “Fu” is a visual pun meaning: “Good fortune has arrived.”