HSK 4 · Article · 549 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/history-of-chopsticks

筷子最早是用来吃饭的吗？

The history of chopsticks

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在zài中国zhōngguó的de饭桌fànzhuō上shàng，每měi个gè人rén面前miànqián一般yìbān都dōu有yǒu一yì双shuāng筷子kuàizi，有时候yǒushíhou还有háiyǒu一yí个gè勺子sháozi。吃chī菜cài、吃chī面miàn、吃chī米饭mǐfàn，筷子kuàizi几乎jīhū什么shénme都dōu能néng做zuò。很hěn多duō人rén觉得juéde，中国zhōngguó人rén一yì开始kāishǐ就是jiùshì用yòng筷子kuàizi吃饭chīfàn的de。可是kěshì，事情shìqing可能kěnéng没有méiyǒu这么zhème简单jiǎndān。

考古káogǔ发现fāxiàn的de最zuì早zǎo的de青铜qīngtóng筷子kuàizi，来自láizì河南hénán安阳ānyáng的de殷墟yīnxū，差不多chàbuduō有yǒu三千两百sānqiān-liángbǎi年nián的de历史lìshǐ。那nà是shì六liù根gēn青铜qīngtóng做zuò的de筷子kuàizi，每měi根gēn大约dàyuē二十六èrshíliù厘米límǐ长cháng。专家zhuānjiā认为rènwéi，它们tāmen很hěn可能kěnéng不是búshì用来yònglái吃饭chīfàn的de，而是érshì用来yònglái做饭zuòfàn的：在zài一yí大锅dàguō开水kāishuǐ或者huòzhě很hěn热rè的de油yóu里，用yòng筷子kuàizi把bǎ食物shíwù翻fān一yì翻fān、拿ná出来chūlái，手shǒu就jiù不会búhuì被bèi烫tàng到dào。

那nà古人gǔrén吃饭chīfàn用yòng什么shénme呢ne？在zài很hěn长cháng的de时间shíjiān里li，主要zhǔyào是shì勺子sháozi，有时候yǒushíhou也yě直接zhíjiē用yòng手shǒu。那nà时候shíhou北方běifāng人rén常cháng吃chī小米xiáomǐ做zuò的de粥zhōu，用yòng勺子sháozi当然dāngrán更gèng方便fāngbiàn。《礼记lǐjì》里li甚至shènzhì有yǒu一yì条tiáo规矩guīju：吃chī黍shǔ做zuò的de饭fàn，不要búyào用yòng筷子kuàizi。那nà筷子kuàizi用来yònglái做zuò什么shénme呢ne？主要zhǔyào是shì吃chī汤tāng里的de菜cài。

后来hòulái，人们rénmen吃chī的de东西dōngxī越来越yuèláiyuè多样duōyàng，筷子kuàizi也yě越来越yuèláiyuè重要zhòngyào。在zài很hěn长cháng一段时间yíduàn-shíjiān里，筷子kuàizi和hé勺子sháozi是shì一起yìqǐ用yòng的de。到dào了le明朝míngcháo，筷子kuàizi才cái成chéng了le中国zhōngguó人rén吃饭chīfàn最zuì主要zhǔyào的de工具gōngjù。

还有háiyǒu一yí件jiàn有意思yǒuyìsi的de事shì：古时候gǔshíhou，筷子kuàizi不bú叫jiào“筷子kuàizi”，叫jiào“箸zhù”。为什么wèishénme后来hòulái改名gǎimíng了le呢ne？明朝míngcháo有yǒu一yí位wèi文人wénrén叫jiào陆容，他tā在zài书shū里记下jìxià了le这样zhèyàng一种yìzhǒng说法shuōfǎ：在zài江南jiāngnán一带yídài，坐船zuòchuán的de人rén和hé开船kāichuán的de人rén最zuì怕pà船chuán停tíng下来xiàlai。可是kěshì“箸zhù”听起来tīngqǐlai跟gēn“住zhù”一样yíyàng，而ér“住zhù”有yǒu停tíng下来xiàlai的de意思yìsi。坐zuò在zài船chuán上shàng吃饭chīfàn，每měi说shuō一次yícì“箸zhù”，听起来tīngqǐlai都dōu像xiàng在zài说shuō“停住tíngzhù”，这zhè太tài不bù吉利jílì了le！于是yúshì大家dàjiā反过来fǎnguòlai叫jiào它tā“快kuài”，希望xīwàng船chuán走zǒu得de快kuài一点yìdiǎn。后来hòulái，因为yīnwèi它tā常常chángcháng是shì竹子zhúzi做zuò的de，人们rénmen又yòu在zài“快kuài”字zì上面shàngmiàn加jiā了le一个yígè竹zhú字头zìtóu，就jiù成chéng了le今天jīntiān的de“筷kuài”。

所以suóyǐ，下次xiàcì你nǐ拿起náqǐ筷子kuàizi的de时候shíhou，可以kéyǐ想xiǎng一yì想xiǎng：你nǐ手里shǒuli的de东西dōngxī，最zuì早zǎo是shì在zài锅guō旁边pángbiān帮bāng人rén做饭zuòfàn的de；它tā的de名字míngzi，来自láizì一yì群qún怕pà船chuán停tíng下来xiàlai的de人rén。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
面前	miànqián	in front of; before; in the face of
双	shuāng	two; both; double; dual
筷子	kuàizi	chopsticks
勺子	sháozi	spoon; ladle
用	yòng	to use; use; usefulness
简单	jiǎndān	simple; easy
发现	fāxiàn	to discover; to find; discovery
来自	láizì	to come from; to originate from
历史	lìshǐ	history
认为	rènwéi	to think; to believe; to consider
或者	huòzhě	or
大约	dàyuē	approximately; about

English (for the teacher)

At a Chinese dinner table, everyone usually has a pair of chopsticks in front of them, and sometimes a spoon as well. Dishes, noodles, rice: chopsticks can do almost everything. Many people assume Chinese people ate with chopsticks from the very beginning. But it may not be that simple.

The oldest bronze chopsticks found so far come from Yinxu, the ruins at Anyang in Henan, and are about 3,200 years old. They are six bronze chopsticks, each about 26 centimetres long. Experts think they were most likely not for eating but for cooking: in a big pot of boiling water or very hot oil, you could turn the food over and lift it out with chopsticks without burning your hands.

So what did people in ancient times eat with? For a very long time it was mainly spoons, and sometimes just their hands. Back then people in the north often ate millet porridge, and a spoon was of course handier for that. The Book of Rites even has a rule: don't use chopsticks when you eat a dish of millet. So what were chopsticks for? Mainly for eating the vegetables in soup.

Later, as what people ate became more varied, chopsticks became more and more important. For a long time chopsticks and spoons were used together. Only in the Ming dynasty did chopsticks become the main thing Chinese people ate with.

Here's another interesting thing: in ancient times chopsticks weren't called kuaizi but zhu. So why did the name change? A Ming dynasty writer called Lu Rong wrote down one explanation in his book: in the Jiangnan region, people who travelled and worked on boats feared nothing more than their boat coming to a stop. But zhu, chopsticks, sounds just like zhu, which means to stop. Sitting on a boat at dinner, every time you said zhu it sounded like “stop”: how unlucky can you get! So people turned it around and called them kuai, “fast”, hoping the boat would go a bit faster. Later, because they were usually made of bamboo, people added the bamboo radical on top of 快, and that gave today's 筷.

So next time you pick up your chopsticks, think about it: the thing in your hand started out next to a cooking pot, helping people cook, and its name comes from a crowd of people who were scared their boat would stop.