13 replies to this topic

[Erich]

Hi
Last year I went with a Chinese friend to the Tai Shun County to visit old bridges. In one of the bridges there was a packet of 36 sticks, numbered from 1 to 36. You had to move them until one falls down. There was a wall where there was a description of the 36 numbers, that is your lucky answer. I tried to find a site that describes all these answers but I was not able to find it. I started translating the Chinese using the www.nciku.com, handwriting, but some of the pictograph I was not able to find. The bridge is called Wen Xin Qiao and is at the village of Xian Cun.
I am putting pictures of the sticks and the firdst part of the written table.
I hope someone can help me to find a good interpretation of it.
Here are the link of the two pictures: http://picasaweb.goo...08TaishunLiXuan
See the two first pictures from the album (I tried to put the pictures but this site did not accept the format, sorry!!!0


Thanks, Happy New Year and regards
Erich (erichl47@gmail.com)

[Yun]

Hi Erich, those are some very interesting bridges! I'm sure you had an enjoyable trip.

The form of divination you are describing is quite ancient, and is called qian 签. Some of the sets of answers that are used today have been around since at least the Song period (about 1,000 years ago), according to my professor who studies Chinese traditional popular culture.

The answers on the wall are quite poetic and heavy in allusions, so I will not attempt to translate them word for word. I will summarize the 16 answers visible in the photo as follows:

1. You will enjoy success in your career and receive help from many unexpected sources.
2. It is best to let things stay as they are.
3. You will meet with an old enemy today.
4. It is dangerous for you to leave home today; wait until tomorrow.
5. You see a mountain covered in frost and snow.
6. You will have good fortune like the sun at mid-day.
7. You will be blessed with a happy marriage and family, and now is the time for you to advance your career.
8. You may be young and energetic, but your fate is not in your own hands. Think twice or thrice before doing anything.
9. Avoid conflict and seek cooperation with others.
10. You will enjoy smooth sailing at first, but meet obstacles later on.
11. Do not seek to go against your fate, it will be like searching for a needle in the sea or a tiger in the mountains.
12. Heaven will reward you; your present bad luck will soon turn to good.
13. Stop worrying about your health, it is all a waste of energy.
14. Stop! A wise man should not be working with evil men. Leave them and take your own path.
15. You will soon meet the love of your life.
16. You and your opponent will be equally matched, with neither a winner nor a loser.

[kaiselin]

Hi
Last year I went with a Chinese friend to the Tai Shun County to visit old bridges. In one of the bridges there was a packet of 36 sticks, numbered from 1 to 36. You had to move them until one falls down. There was a wall where there was a description of the 36 numbers, that is your lucky answer. I tried to find a site that describes all these answers but I was not able to find it. I started translating the Chinese using the www.nciku.com, handwriting, but some of the pictograph I was not able to find. The bridge is called Wen Xin Qiao and is at the village of Xian Cun.
I am putting pictures of the sticks and the firdst part of the written table.
I hope someone can help me to find a good interpretation of it.
Here are the link of the two pictures: http://picasaweb.goo...08TaishunLiXuan
See the two first pictures from the album (I tried to put the pictures but this site did not accept the format, sorry!!!0


Thanks, Happy New Year and regards
Erich (erichl47@gmail.com)

Erich,
what wonderful pictures. To see the structure of the bridge was very enjoyable.

What a shame you did not take a picture of the the other 20 answers.

Thanks for sharing the pics with us.

and Yun, thanks for translating the 16 answers!

[Erich]

Hi Yun
Thanks for your quick reply. I sent 5 more pictures, with the rest of the numbers and 2 more views of the fabulous bridge.
Could you help me also telling me where can I find a site with the Chinese writing of the Qian?
The strange thing was when I was in a Hospital in Zhu Hai I asked all the Drs. if they know the Tai Shun bridges and they had no idea. I went to a Travel Agent and they also had no idea what was I talking about. Happily Li Xuan was asked to accompany me there so we had 4 lovely days, visiting around 10 bridges and sleeping in littel towns.
On one of the bridges we had to go down the river and when we went up we had to wait for few hours. In the road we saw a little village so we went walking there. At the entrance two women were talking and we ask them if they can give us something for lunch. One of the women took us to her house, in the momemnt she prepared lunch and we had a lovely lunch. Of course at the end we paid her for the lunch.
Regards and thanks again
Erich

[Pattie]

Hello Erich and welcome to the forum.

I'm always interested in what drives other people and clearly you're a bridge man. ^__^ So now I'm curious, after looking at your lovely pictures. I see several pieces of art painted on the bridge's interior. In your experience, is this kind of art planned or more like graffiti?

[Erich]

Hi Pattie
These are old Chinese bridges, some (very few) were fixed, most are like they were originally. Some have some religious topics, of course they are newly done and not original and some are really original.
If by chance you are going to China this is a nice place to visit. First there are not so many tourists, secondly the mountains are beautiful, full of rice fileds. I went with a Chinese girl because the bridges are squatered and we had to take buses that go twice a day, some places we took a little motorcycle to see a special bridge, these were always deals done by my friend.
From where are you?
Regards
Erich

Hello Erich and welcome to the forum.

I'm always interested in what drives other people and clearly you're a bridge man. ^__^ So now I'm curious, after looking at your lovely pictures. I see several pieces of art painted on the bridge's interior. In your experience, is this kind of art planned or more like graffiti?

[Yun]

Could you help me also telling me where can I find a site with the Chinese writing of the Qian?

Unfortunately I have not been able to find any such site. But here are summaries of the remaining 20 answers:

17. Your family will be blessed with wealth and a son.
18. There is a pit ahead of you. If instead of turning back you walk around it, you will encounter conflicts with small-minded men.
19. You have a long and hard journey ahead of you.
20. The sun is shining brightly; the clouds part and the sea is shining. There is peace and prosperity in your neighbourhood.
21. The sun is setting; the wind blows the mist and clouds away. All your plans, no matter how cleverly made, will be to no avail.
22. Wealth and glory are predestined; when the time is right, your flowers will bloom again.
23. Great wealth is given by Heaven, not achieved by man; you should be content with moderate wealth achieved through your own effort.
24. You are destined for a fall in fortunes; your efforts will be in vain, but do not complain against Heaven.
25. Like a goat with its horns stuck in a bamboo basket, digging deeper into things will only bring you into inextricable trouble.
26. The old tree blooms again in the spring wind; you will enjoy good fortune and a harmonious marriage.
27. Despite your efforts, your luck is against you; peaches and plums in a painting are nice to look at but impossible to pluck.
28. You will be blessed with good luck and companionship in all four seasons of your life.
29. Be careful what you say, for disaster is born in the mouth and the tongue is a beheading sword.
30. You will have good fortune for the rest of your life, without having to look hard for it.
31. How can you cross a river in a paper boat?
32. All obstacles will be removed from your path, like fog turning into clouds and rising to the sky.
33. Beware of beautiful flowers on your road to wealth; do not put friendship above family.
34. You will achieve great merit as a brave general in the army's vanguard, and later also meet a suitable wife.
35. It is as difficult to fulfill all one's desires in this world as it is for plants to sprout in autumn and winter.
36. Like a fishing boat in the river, if there are no fish in the west then move to the east. The waves will be calm in the east, and you will return home with much bounty.

[Yun]

On the covered bridges of Taishun county in Zhejiang province, we had a brief discussion here: http://www.chinahist...p...&hl=bridges

I will add more links on that thread, including Ronald Knapp's photos of covered bridges in other provinces.

[kaiselin]

On the covered bridges of Taishun county in Zhejiang province, we had a brief discussion here: http://www.chinahist...p...&hl=bridges

I will add more links on that thread, including Ronald Knapp's photos of covered bridges in other provinces.

Thanks for the rest of the translation Yun, do you have the Chinese characters for those as well? I know you say the translations are difficult and full of terms we won't understand, but it would be nice to see them.

Also thanks for the links to the other threads. Covered bridges are a thing of the past not only in China, but also the US... and the ones left standing should be treasured.

[Pattie]

Hi again, Erich!

These are old Chinese bridges, some (very few) were fixed, most are like they were originally. Some have some religious topics, of course they are newly done and not original and some are really original.

So a little of both? Interesting.

From where are you?

Lovely New Jersey, where it's snowing... still.

[Yun]

Thanks for the rest of the translation Yun, do you have the Chinese characters for those as well? I know you say the translations are difficult and full of terms we won't understand, but it would be nice to see them.

If another member who reads and types Chinese would be so kind to type the Chinese characters out here, I would be much obliged. Unfortunately I am just too busy to do it right now; interpreting and summarizing the Chinese already took quite a bit of time.

[Erich]

Hi Yun
That is great, I will continue my translation that is giving me a different way of seeing your interpretation, but I will accept them as the real one. The translation ios more like a game to practice my Chinese.
Thanks a lot
Erich

Unfortunately I have not been able to find any such site. But here are summaries of the remaining 20 answers:

17. Your family will be blessed with wealth and a son.
18. There is a pit ahead of you. If instead of turning back you walk around it, you will encounter conflicts with small-minded men.
19. You have a long and hard journey ahead of you.
20. The sun is shining brightly; the clouds part and the sea is shining. There is peace and prosperity in your neighbourhood.
21. The sun is setting; the wind blows the mist and clouds away. All your plans, no matter how cleverly made, will be to no avail.
22. Wealth and glory are predestined; when the time is right, your flowers will bloom again.
23. Great wealth is given by Heaven, not achieved by man; you should be content with moderate wealth achieved through your own effort.
24. You are destined for a fall in fortunes; your efforts will be in vain, but do not complain against Heaven.
25. Like a goat with its horns stuck in a bamboo basket, digging deeper into things will only bring you into inextricable trouble.
26. The old tree blooms again in the spring wind; you will enjoy good fortune and a harmonious marriage.
27. Despite your efforts, your luck is against you; peaches and plums in a painting are nice to look at but impossible to pluck.
28. You will be blessed with good luck and companionship in all four seasons of your life.
29. Be careful what you say, for disaster is born in the mouth and the tongue is a beheading sword.
30. You will have good fortune for the rest of your life, without having to look hard for it.
31. How can you cross a river in a paper boat?
32. All obstacles will be removed from your path, like fog turning into clouds and rising to the sky.
33. Beware of beautiful flowers on your road to wealth; do not put friendship above family.
34. You will achieve great merit as a brave general in the army's vanguard, and later also meet a suitable wife.
35. It is as difficult to fulfill all one's desires in this world as it is for plants to sprout in autumn and winter.
36. Like a fishing boat in the river, if there are no fish in the west then move to the east. The waves will be calm in the east, and you will return home with much bounty.

[Erich]

Hi Yun
A little question. One day I will finish translating (at least I am trying) the Qian. If you want to help me we could at the end print a little book about Qian. Are you interested?
Happy New Year
Erich

If another member who reads and types Chinese would be so kind to type the Chinese characters out here, I would be much obliged. Unfortunately I am just too busy to do it right now; interpreting and summarizing the Chinese already took quite a bit of time.

[Erich]

Hi
I just finished translating the qian with few friends in China. It was quiet fascinating.
If somebody wants to read it yoiu can find it in amazon.co, search for : Qian 36 sticks" and you will find it.
Thanks for your help
Regards
Erich Lewitus