There is a sentence in Song Luyou's "The First Night of Spring Rain in Lin 'an": "The small building listens to the spring rain all night, and the deep alley sells apricot flowers. "Why did you sell a

There is a sentence in Song Luyou's "The First Night of Spring Rain in Lin 'an": "The small building listens to the spring rain all night, and the deep alley sells apricot flowers. "Why did you sell apricot flowers in ancient times? First, the use of apricot flowers.

(A) flower arrangement

The art of flower arrangement in China is very developed, and the custom of folding flowers and arranging flowers has a long history. The ancients hardly arranged flowers, and apricot flowers that are not elegant today are no exception. From Yu Xin's poem "Apricot Flowers", we can know that apricot flowers were already used for flower arrangement appreciation in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The poem reads: "Spring is full of wild flowers and lush foliage. Vaguely reflecting the village pier, driving a mountain city. Good hospitality, the gold plate is lined with red Joan. " The last two sentences clearly tell us that apricot flowers are folded and inserted in a "golden plate" for guests to enjoy. It should be said that flower arrangement is a very important use of apricot flowers. In the Ming Dynasty, Wang Pan Sanqu [Zhong Lu], "Tiandi Bottle Apricot Bited by Rats", said: "Insert apricot flowers obliquely and draw horizontally." Placing apricot flowers obliquely in a bottle as a painting for fun, I didn't expect to be bitten by a mouse, so that "water flows to the bed and spring drags the wall", so I was so angry that I had to scold the useless cat. In the Ming Dynasty, Chen Jiru put forward in "Juyan": "Bottles of flowers are placed on the desk, and each has its own suitable person: Mei Fenao Xue, who prefers to sing the soul; Apricot blossoms are delicate and spring, and they are the most pity for makeup mirrors; Pear flowers bring rain, green boudoir heartbroken; The wind is coming, and the face is grinning; Haitang, Taoli, won Miza; Peony Peony, Fan Song who fell in love at first sight; A fragrant laurel, full of laughter; Orchids are full of money and worth giving away; This creates a kind of love and the environment is full of benefits. " He thinks that different flower arrangements are suitable for different characters' situations, among which vase apricots are most suitable to be placed next to the mirror to increase the warmth and beauty of the boudoir. There are not many direct references to apricot flowers in the poem, which may be due to the short opening time and low grade of apricot flowers. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Qiande's flower arrangement book "Pinhua" divided flowers into nine products and nine lives, and apricot flowers were listed as four products and six lives.

(2) Wear

Apricot flowers are worn on the head as decoration, and so are men. It seems almost impossible today. Although apricot flowers are small and numerous, they are also beautiful as decoration, but their branches are hard and inconvenient to wear. Actually, it is not. Wang Yucheng, a poet in the Song Dynasty, wrote in Apricot Flowers: "Deng Long once entered the juvenile court, and Qionglin was drunk at the banquet. I am full of red flowers and cinnamon. " It is written by the author that the emperor gave a banquet in Qionglin at that time, gave wine to scholars, and scholars competed for apricot flowers. Apricot flowers are also made into fake flowers to wear. According to Lu You's Notes on the Old Xuegong, in the early Southern Song Dynasty, women in Hangzhou made all kinds of fake flowers, including peach blossom, apricot blossom, lotus flower, chrysanthemum flower and plum blossom, and wore them on their heads. These flowers are the representatives of the four seasons and are called "one-year scenery". Apricot flowers are one of the representatives of spring flowers. Women's hairpin flowers can be inserted directly into the bun. In the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Jian wrote "Plum Blossoms in Jiangcheng Bloom on the 9th": "Gorgeous charm is even more unique, especially romantic. It is just right to insert clouds into the dressing room. " Zhu Yizun's "The First Branch of Dongfeng Apricot" in the Qing Dynasty: "Thousands of new makeup, inserting clouds." Men often wear hats, for example, Yao Nianzeng's "Tan Chun Xia Xinghua Zuo" in the Qing Dynasty: "Play with low branches and light sandalwood on the eaves." Yang Kuisheng wrote in "Seven Luo Xiang, One Red Apricot in the Suburb, Late Spring and Early Bud" that a farmer pinned apricot flowers on a bamboo hat: "Laughing Tian Dad's bamboo hat is better than the village girl's rouge." It can also be inserted in the hair, such as Shao Hengzhen's "Young Beauty Xie Zhang Fangyuan Hui Xinghua" in the Yuan Dynasty: "Flowers can still comfort people, but they can't help but spring." In the middle and late Qing Dynasty, men no longer wore flowers. Zhao Yi's "Jade Cong Kao" said: "Today's customs only focus on women's flowers, and the ancients have no flowers."

(3) gifts

Many people know Lu Kai's Gift for Ye Fan: "Fold the plums and give them to the people in the faucet. Jiangnan has nothing, talk about a spring. " In fact, many flowers can be given to others, and apricot flowers are no exception. In the Tang Dynasty, Si Kongtu's poem "Apricot Flowers in My Hometown" said: "Send flowers and wine to celebrate the new opening, with flowers on the left and cups on the right. If you want to ask a cuttlefish and a glass of wine, why not? " Apricot flowers never seem to have much symbolic meaning, and the discount is mainly to convey the information of hometown and express the feelings of missing. This poem goes like this. Of course, the simplest meaning is to give beauty to people. In Song Dynasty, Guan Jian wrote a poem "Young Beauty, Send Apricot Flowers, Lu", praising the enchanting beauty of apricot flowers and telling friends not to be partial, but to love every flower they send.

Second, the sales of apricot flowers

I don't know when to start selling flowers. It was more common in the Tang Dynasty. There are all kinds of flowers for sale in the market. The poem "Selling Flowers" says: "The price of purple and red buds is different, and the fragrance is in the street. I know who is in the billiard hall. " Peony is especially favored by the Tang people. There is a saying in Bai Juyi's "Buy Flowers" that "ten households are blessed with a bunch of dark flowers", which shows that it is expensive. Many farmers sell flowers as their occupation, and the Tang court also gives money to concubines and maids every month. Selling flowers became more prosperous in Song Dynasty, and a special "flower market" appeared, which was reflected in the notes and poems of Song people. Some people carry flower poles and walk the streets to sell flowers. Li Qingzhao bought a spring flower from the flower selling pole (Broken Magnolia), and Chou Yuan's Little Qin Wang said, "Pretend to sell flowers." Jie Jiang's "Zhao Jun complains about the florist" vividly describes the scene that the florist sells flowers in the street with a flower pole, and the boudoir hears the news to buy flowers: "Although the burden is small, it is not bad to be white and red. I have sold the owner of the lane, and there are shouts outside the curtain. The crow in the curtain entered the newspaper and asked to buy plum blossom and peach blossom. " Apricot flowers were bought and sold in the late Tang Dynasty at the latest, as evidenced by Si Kongtu's "Jiuquanzi", "You can only buy apricot flowers after ten years". There were several poems selling apricot flowers in the Song Dynasty. In addition to Lu You's Selling Apricots in Deep Alleys in Ming Dynasty, Shi Dazu's Selling Apricots by Boat on the 18th Night of the First Month says: "When it rains, there is no one in the deep alleys, so apricot flowers are sold first. "Zhang Yan's" Apricot Flowers and Tianfu Sparse Travel "says:" Deep alleys get up early and wait for people to buy flowers. "It shows that selling apricot flowers is more common in cities in the Southern Song Dynasty. The descendants of this custom still have reservations today. For example, the poem "Drunken Taiping Cold Food" written by Wang in the Yuan Dynasty reads: "Painting a building to wash Yuanyang tiles, the colored rope is half wet. It feels like a red sun wearing a screen window and listening to apricot flowers on the street. " In Qing Dynasty, Chen Weisong's "Apricot Flowers Outside the Window" said: "Today, there is light rain all over the city, and the streets are frequently sold. "

In the Song Dynasty, flower markets and streets selling flowers were very popular. According to Wu's "Dream", "Flowers are sold in horse's head and bamboo baskets, and songs are sold in the market, but buyers are not interested." The shouting of selling flowers has formed a unique flower selling sound, which is reflected in Song Ci, such as: "The grass is like a cloud, red as rain, and the flower selling sound is too loud." (Liu Chenweng's "Great Sacred Music") "In the red apricot fragrance, in the green Yang Ying, the painting bridge is full of spring water. The deep courtyard is full and the wind sends flowers. " (Fang Ting, a man from Zhao Liangyu) "Wake up in the afternoon, the small window is quiet, and flowers are being sold in spring." (Wang Ying, night boat)

You can hear the sound of selling flowers all year round, but in spring, flowers are in full bloom and the sound of selling flowers is the most. In the voice of selling flowers, the voice of selling apricot flowers is often put forward separately. For example, "the most important thing is to care about the depth of the alley. The sound of selling flowers is absolutely beautiful." (Ye Shenqi's "Golden Gate Apricot Flower") "The flower sale in the deep alley will attract customers, and it will be clear and glorious." (Cao Rong's "Butterfly Lovers and Apricot Flowers") "Listen to the rain and sing, don't smoke, go to bed early. The apricot blossoms outside the building are ringing. " (Zhang Wang's "Tan Chun Man Wenxing") "Selling flowers is far away, and the material is deep and clear." (Zhu Yizun's "The First Branch of Dongfeng Apricot Flower") "Remember to sell flowers before the deep alley." (Xu Zhonglu's "Exploring Fang Xin Emerald Xuan Spring Collection and Viewing Apricot Flowers")

Why is the voice of selling apricot flowers alone often listed separately by poets and poets? We think this is mainly because apricot blossoms bloom later than plum blossoms, but they are real spring flowers, as Ouyang Xiu said: "Who said that plum blossoms bloom early?" Is old age spring? He is sunny in Ru Yan, and he is lonely. "(Apricot Blossom with Plum Yu Sheng) Therefore, it is often the first flower sold separately on a sunny spring day, which gives a very deep impression. When the spring breeze blows and the spring rain falls, people will naturally think of the opening of apricot flowers and their first sale. So there is a "warm trade wind, which makes the spots pale red and the branches full" (Xu Zhonglu's "Exploring the Spring and Watching the Apricot Flowers"), and there is a "East Wind Flying Red Rain All Night" (Xu Yao's "Apricot Flower Day"). When people hear the cries of apricot flowers in the streets of the city, they really feel the deep spring.

Therefore, Lu You lived in Lin 'an Guest House, and when he heard the spring rain all night, he naturally guessed that apricot flowers would bloom all night under the moisture of the spring rain, and there would be people folding in the streets and alleys tomorrow.