CATDOLL : CATDOLL: The myth of fireflies (What are the myths of fireflies)

1. What are the legends about fireflies in ancient China?

Fireflies

The most exciting and vivid firefly folk culture is the widely popular legend of "rotten grass turning into fireflies" in ancient times, which explains the origin of fireflies.

The reason why the ancients had this understanding is that the environment in which fireflies live is mainly damp and rotten grass. The ancients often saw fireflies coming in and out of it, so they intuitively came up with the saying "rotten grass turns into fireflies".

The most detailed record of this is in Ming Dynasty Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica: There are three kinds of fireflies: one is small and flies at night, with light under its belly. It is transformed from the roots of thatch bamboo, as Lü's "Monthly Orders" said, "rotten grass turns into fireflies"; one is as long as a maggot candle, with light behind its tail, and it cannot fly without wings. It is transformed from the root of bamboo and is called "蠲", commonly known as firefly maggot, as Mingtang's "Monthly Orders" said, "rotten grass turns into 蠲", its name is night-walking, the roots of thatch bamboo, there is light at night, and it is affected by the damp and hot air, so it changes and forms; one is a water firefly, which lives in water, as Tang Ji Ziqing's "Water Firefly Fu" said, "Why does it turn into grass, and why does this one live in the spring"

Meaning: There are three kinds of fireflies. One kind is very small, flies at night, and can emit light from its belly. It is transformed from the roots of thatch grass, which is also described in Lü's "Monthly Orders" as "rotten grass transforming into fireflies";

A very long thing that looks like a candle or a maggot, with a tail that glows, no wings and cannot fly, living in water. It is a bamboo root transformed into a firefly, commonly known as a firefly maggot. It is recorded in the Mingtang "Monthly Order" that "rotten grass turns into fireflies". It is also called Xiaoxing, which is the root of the thatch bamboo. The root looks glowing at night, and when it feels the damp and hot air, it gradually changes into a firefly;

There is also a kind of firefly that lives in water. It is described in the "Water Firefly Fu" by Ji Ziqing of the Tang Dynasty: "What is that transformed into grass, and what is this living in the water."

The wingless fireflies mentioned in the Compendium of Materia Medica are actually the larvae of fireflies. As for the generation of fireflies, Li Shizhen believed that they were formed by the decay of the roots of bamboo, which appear to glow at night, in a humid and hot environment.

2. The story of hanging firewood on the corner and carrying a bag of fireflies reflecting the snow?

1. "Fireflies in a Bag" tells the story of Che Yin, a minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. When Che Yin was a child, his family was poor and he could not afford lamp oil, so he could not read at night. So he caught a lot of fireflies and put them in a gauze bag to illuminate the books. He read with the tiny light of fireflies and eventually became a learned man.

2. "Yingxue" tells the story of Sun Kang in the Jin Dynasty. Like Che Yin, Sun Kang was unable to light a lamp to read at night due to poverty. Later, he found that the faint light reflected by the snow on winter nights could provide illumination, so he read eagerly with the help of the light of the snow. With this spirit, he eventually became a famous scholar with great learning.

Later, people often used "囊火映雪" to describe people who studied hard.

3. "Carrying Firewood" tells the story of Zhu Maichen, a man from the Han Dynasty. When Zhu Maichen was a child, his family was very poor. In order to make a living, he had to go up the mountain to chop firewood every day. He had no time to read, but he was very studious and often read while walking with firewood on his back.

4. “Hanging on the Horns” tells the story of Li Mi of the Sui Dynasty. When Li Mi was a child, he herded cattle for others. Every time he herded cattle, he would bring a few books and hang them on the horns of the cattle. While the cattle were eating grass, he would sit on the grass and read attentively.

Che Yin, Sun Kang, Zhu Maichen and Li Mi all lacked the opportunity to study due to limited conditions, but they all overcame difficulties and created conditions to study. Nowadays, our material conditions are so abundant, what reason do we have not to study?

3. The story behind catching fireflies and reading books?

In ancient times, people used fireflies to read books: Che Yin used fireflies to read at night;

"Che Yin Reading at Night with Fireflies" is selected from "Book of Jin" and is written in classical Chinese. It tells the story of Che Yin, who used the light of fireflies instead of oil lamps to study hard as a child and eventually became a learned man. The moral of the story is that people should study hard, learn a wide range of knowledge, and learn to use the things around them to turn difficulties into happiness.

4. Who was it that the ancients caught fireflies and used them as lamps?

Firefly in the Snow

This is an allusion composed of two stories. "Nangying" means to put fireflies in a bag; "Yingxue" means to use the reflection of snow. Using the light of fireflies in the pocket and the reflection of snow to read at night.

Che Yin was a diligent student who never put his book down. He was knowledgeable and talented, but his family was poor and he could not afford lamp oil. In the summer, he would use a white cloth bag to hold dozens of fireflies and use the light they gave off to read day and night (see "Book of Jin·Biography of Che Yin").

Sun Kang of the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties was poor and had no money to buy candles, so he often read by the light of the snow at night. Later generations often use the two allusions of "using a bag to reflect the light of the snow" as models of diligence in study.

5. What’s the story behind using a firefly to borrow light to ask for this?

Sun Kang used fireflies to illuminate the snow, Che Yin used a bag of fireflies, Kuang Heng used a hole in the wall to borrow light, Sun Jing used hanging beams, and Su Qin used a prickly prickly stick to his thigh.

allusion

Che Yin Nang Firefly

During the Jin Dynasty, Che Yin was eager to learn since childhood, but due to his poor family background, his father could not provide him with a good learning environment. In order to maintain food and clothing, there was no extra money to buy lamp oil for him to study at night. Therefore, he could only use the daytime to recite poems.

One summer night, he was reciting an article in the yard when he suddenly saw many fireflies flying in the low sky. The twinkling light spots seemed a bit dazzling in the dark. He thought, if many fireflies were gathered together, wouldn’t it become a lamp? So he went to find a white silk bag, caught dozens of fireflies and put them in it, tied the bag and hung it up. Although it was not very bright, it was enough to read. From then on, whenever there were fireflies, he would catch a handful to use as a lamp. Because of his hard work and study, he finally became a high-ranking official.

Sun Kang Zhaoxue

The same situation happened to Sun Kang in the same dynasty. He had no money to buy lamp oil, so he could not read at night and had to go to bed early. He felt it was a pity to let time go by in vain.

One night, he woke up from his sleep. When he tilted his head toward the window, he found a ray of light coming through the crack of the window. It turned out that it was the reflection of the heavy snow, and he could use it to read. So he immediately got dressed, took out his books, and went outside. The light of the snow reflected on the vast ground was much brighter than the light inside the house. Sun Kang read immediately despite the cold. When his hands and feet were frozen, he got up and ran, rubbing his fingers at the same time. After that, every night when it snowed, he would not miss this good opportunity and read tirelessly. This spirit of hard study prompted his knowledge to advance by leaps and bounds, and he became a well-educated person. Later, he became a high-ranking official.

Kuang Heng Borrowed Light by Drilling a Hole in the Wall

From "Xijing Miscellaneous Records"

Kuang Heng studied hard and had a candle. His neighbor had a candle but it was not big enough, so Kuang Heng made a hole in the wall to let in the light, and used the light to shine on books to read. A wealthy man in the town was illiterate, but his family was rich and had many books. Kuang Heng worked for him without asking for compensation. His master was surprised and asked Kuang Heng about it. Kuang Heng said, "I wish I could read all the books of the master." His master was impressed and gave him books, and Kuang Heng became a university student.

Sun Jing hangs his head

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a man named Sun Jing, who was a famous politician. At first, he was not valued because of his shallow knowledge. Even his family looked down on him, which greatly stimulated him. He decided to study hard and often closed the door to read alone. He read from morning to night every day, often forgetting to eat and sleep. He read for a long time and was tired, but he didn't rest. After a long time, he was so tired that he kept dozing off. He was afraid that it would affect his study, so he came up with a special way. In ancient times, men had long hair. He found a rope and tied one end firmly to the beam of the house. When he dozed off when he was tired of reading, his head would lower, and the rope would pull his hair, which would hurt his scalp, and he would wake up immediately and continue to study.

Su Qin stabbed his thigh

During the Warring States Period, there was a man named Su Qin, who was also a famous politician. When he was young, he worked in many places because he had little knowledge and was not taken seriously. After returning home, his family was also very cold to him and looked down on him. This was a great stimulus to him. So he made up his mind to study hard. He often studied until late at night and was very tired. He often dozed off and wanted to sleep. So he came up with a method and prepared an awl. Whenever he dozed off, he would use the awl to prick his thigh. In this way, he would suddenly feel pain, so that he could wake up and continue to study. This is the story of Su Qin "stabbing his thigh".

6. What is the meaning and allusion of Che Yin's firefly bag?

The story of Che Yin's firefly-filled bag is also known as "reading with fireflies in a bag". It originated from the northeastern foot of Jiashan Mountain in Xinzhou, Jinshi, Hunan Province, where Che Yin, the Minister of Personnel of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, read with fireflies in a bag. When Che Yin was young, he caught fireflies and put them in a bag to illuminate the sky. He studied day and night and became famous. The story of Che Yin's hard work and study inspired many poor students to study hard and make great achievements.

7. What are the causes, processes and results of reading at night with fireflies?

Cause: The family was poor and had no oil, so studies were hampered.

Process: I caught fireflies on summer nights and put them in my bag to use as light to read day and night.

Result: I learned a lot when I grew up

8. Read the original text by using a firefly?

The story of Che Yin catching fireflies in a bag is an ancient local folk legend. Che Yin was intelligent and studious since childhood. His family was poor and he often had no oil to light lamps. He would catch fireflies in the summer nights to illuminate his night reading. His knowledge increased day by day and he became a famous scholar. There is a "Firefly Platform" in Chezhu Village, Xinzhou Town, Jinshi City, Hunan Province, which is said to be the site of Che Yin's reading with fireflies in a bag.

The source is from "Book of Jin·Volume 83·Biography of Che Yin": "Che Yin, courtesy name Wuzi, was from Nanping. His great-grandfather Jun was the governor of Kuaiji in Wu. His father Yu was the chief clerk of a county. The governor, Wang Hu, was a man of character. He saw Yin as a child and said to Yin's father: 'This boy will greatly enhance your family. You can let him study.' Yin was diligent and knowledgeable. His family was poor and they could not always get oil. On summer nights, he would put dozens of fireflies in a silk bag to light his books, and study all night long."

Interpretation:

Che Yin of the Jin Dynasty, courtesy name Wuzi, was a native of Nanping. His great-grandfather Che Jun once served as prefect of Kuaiji, and his father Che Yu served as chief clerk in the county. Prefect Wang Huzhi was good at identifying talents. When he saw Che Yin, he said to his father: "This boy will be a high official, and you should study with him." Che Yin studied hard and read a lot of books. He was poor and lacked lamp oil, so he caught dozens of fireflies in the summer, put them in silk, and used the fireflies to illuminate the room, and studied day and night.

Che Yin's family was poor and he had no oil to light his lamp, so he collected fireflies and put them in a white silk bag to light his reading.

Later, people used “reading with fireflies in a bag, holding fireflies, reflecting fireflies, collecting fireflies, gathering fireflies, hiding fireflies, picking fireflies, reading with fireflies, fireflies on the desk, fireflies, fireflies lighting, and lighting fireflies” to express studying hard; and “firefly window and snow desk, firefly snow, firefly window, firefly window, Wuzi window, firefly desk, firefly mat, fireflies by the window” to express studying hard, and also refer to study and desk.