There is a saying in the Book of Filial Piety: "Parents suffer from the skin of their bodies and dare not damage it. Filial piety begins."
This passage shows that people can't destroy themselves, but there is a general misunderstanding about the definition of "fur", thinking that "fur" refers to hair, but in fact fur refers to other hairs. For example-beard.
In ancient China, beards were called in many ways. For example, the beard that grows on the cheek is called "beard"-that's why Zhu Tong, the 12th handsome man in Liangshan, is named. What grows on the chin is called "beard"-Cao Cao cut the beard and abandoned the robe, which is to cut this part of the beard; The part that grows above the lips is called a moustache.
As for being called "beard" later, it was because of the influence of the conference semifinals. Most Hu people like to grow beards, so they all look tough. We are very familiar with our favorite cartoon image, which is also a bearded figure-so over time, people call people with thick beards Hu, also called beards. This point is also mentioned by Wang Guowei, a master of Chinese studies, in his own works.
Then why did the ancients grow beards so crazily? Modern scholars Wang Li and Shen Congwen once had a heated debate about whether the ancients should keep beards, but they ended up with nothing, because these things could not be tested. From this, we can see that the importance of beard to ancient men is far more important than today.
The earliest legend about beard can be traced back to the period of the Yellow Emperor. It is said that after the death of the Yellow Emperor, the dragon came to the world and was worshipped and sought after by people. Enthusiasts even rushed up and pulled out the beard of the dragon, and these tentacles with divine power turned into bows and stayed on earth. Of course, these are just legends, which can't be true, but they also reflect that the ancient people worshipped beards to the point of superstition. They think that the beard is a symbol of some mysterious power-a beautiful face with a beard is more admirable than eight abdominal muscles and mermaid line.
So what is the standard for ancient people to judge beards? In fact, it is very simple and rude-it is the length! No matter how you look at it, you feel crazy about beards, which means some kind of reproductive worship ...
Speaking of beards, the first representative in history must be Guan Yu and Sir Guan Zhong. In all Guan Yu's film and television works, whenever Guan Yu wants to speak, he must stroke his long beard with his hand first, giving people a solemn sense of ceremony. Even if the content behind him is only a few words, it makes people feel like hitting the building. So how long is Guan Yu's beard? It is said to be "three feet long". If these three feet are measured by today's weights and measures, they are close to the length of one meter-this is really an amazing number. If you measure one meter from your chin, you should at least reach your thighs. I'm afraid you couldn't shave such a long beard when you were born.
However, this is not the most amazing. It is said that Cao Cao had an apprentice named Cui Yan, and nothing else stood out, but Hu Zisheng was so beautiful and moving that even Cao Cao envied him and even asked him to pretend to be an envoy and pat him on the face. Do you think this is ridiculous? Because according to records, Cui Yan's beard is four feet long, almost knee-length. Long hair and waist always remind people of the gentleness of a slim girl, but it's hard to imagine what a beard over the knee looks like.
Then if you think that this is the "bearded" champion recorded in history books, then you underestimate us old-timers. It is said that Xie Lingyun, a famous writer in the Southern Dynasties, had a beard that could touch the ground directly, which was more than four feet long, unless Xie Lingyun was only 1.4 meters tall. But seeing these data makes people wonder-how can such a long beard be preserved under the condition of ensuring normal life?
Imagine that a person has to grow a beard, eat, drink and study every day from waking up in the morning to going to bed at night. How much patience and perseverance does it take to persist? And even if you eat with a beard in your hand, you will be covered with food oil stains. There is no way to verify the authenticity of the data, but the worship and pursuit of beards by the ancients is true.
Moreover, the beard has an important role in history, which is to declare determination. We often use the expression "you have to be determined to cut your hair", that is to say, shaving your hair is a manifestation of some kind of determination, and you will never stop until you reach your goal. In fact, the beard has the same function-if the father dies, the son should leave the beard on the upper lip and not pull it out; If the mother is away, the son should leave his beard on his chin. If both parents die, the beard on the upper and lower lips cannot be removed. This is called "Ji Zhi".
Give some examples of modern celebrities: We can see that in the photos left, Lu Xun's upper lip has always had a beard, which shows that it was taken after Lu Xun's father died. During his stay in War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Zhou Enlai also had a beard to show his determination to resist the Japanese invaders, and he never shaved! Similarly, in the face of Japan's invasion of China, Mei Lanfang, a master of Peking Opera, like Premier Zhou, maintained a clear ambition to show that the country was ruined and the world had no relatives.
Not only China, but also foreign bearded celebrities are numerous in history: for example, Darwin, the greatest biologist in history and the author of the Origin of Species, is an out-and-out beard; On the street of London, 20 kilometers away from Darwin, another bearded man also changed the world and discovered the development law of human society-Karl Marx. And Tagore, the Indian literary world, didn't hang his beard for three years.
Although these masters from all walks of life have a hobby of growing beards, it doesn't mean that everyone should learn from them. From a scientific point of view, growing a beard does more harm than good. If the beard is too long, it will absorb harmful substances in the air and enter the nasal cavity with breathing, leading to the invasion of germs. In addition, too thick beard can also make harmful substances in the air stay, such as automobile exhaust, substances in smoke and so on.
In Alexander's time, men in the Roman army were forbidden to grow beards, not only for the sake of soldiers' less illness and identification, but also for an unexpected effect, that is, they could not be beaten by beards in the process of hand-to-hand combat with others (bearded boys knew how painful it was to pull out beards)!
Of course, we can't look back with modern eyes. After all, this medical concept was impossible at that time. Beard is not a mysterious creation, but a gender feature under the action of hormones. However, in the process of historical progress, it has been repeatedly worshipped, mythologized and even linked with reproductive worship, which is indeed a phenomenon that puzzles modern people. As for the record that the beard is four or five feet long, just smile.