You say this sentence has the feeling of summer-- textual research on the reference of Qilixiang.

Seven li incense

Seven li incense

Jay Chou

00:00/04:59

The sparrow outside the window is talkative on the telephone pole

When you say that, it feels like summer.

.

Whenever the melody rings, I can instantly go back to the summer after graduating from junior high school. I was moved when I first went from the radio at home to Jay Chou's new song. After that, he braved the high temperature to participate in the military training for freshmen in the county seat. During the interval, the instructor invited the students to perform the program. Among them, a tall and handsome boy sang the song "Qilixiang", which charmed a female classmate and later became our class monitor.

In summer in Jiangcheng, heat is just one word. But now when I listen to this song, when I recall it, I will feel that there is shade in the sun and a cool breeze in the shade. New life, new environment, new classmates, as well as Jay's new album and new music, everything is as warm and rich as summer, full of expectation and joy.

Suddenly, you said to me,

Qilixiang. It's a beautiful name.

After listening to it for so many years, I suddenly wondered what kind of plant this "Qilixiang" is.

Qilixiang is Qianlixiang.

1. Xi Murong's "Qi Li Xiang"

It is said that the song "Qilixiang" by Jay Chou was inspired by the poem "Qilixiang" written by Taiwanese poet Xi Murong of the same name, which is about the love that passed away when he was young. It was included in Xi Murong's first collection of poems of the same name published in 1981:

The stream is eager to flow to the sea

The tide is eager to return to the land.

In front of the hedge with green trees and white flowers

Used to wave goodbye so easily

And after 20 years of vicissitudes,

Our souls come back every night.

When the breeze blows

It turned into a garden full of tulips.

When I was young, I didn't know how to love. Twenty years later, after the vicissitudes of life, I realized how precious the feelings I gave up were. But once upon a time, only the green trees and white flowers on that summer night are still full of tulips. This poem is probably about first love. Look at Fang Wenshan's words to Zhou Dong: "the fragrance of first love is thus found by us."

The "hedge of green trees and white flowers" in this poem should be Qilixiang. Qilixiang is a plant of Rutaceae, with green trees and white flowers, just like a small kumquat. In landscaping, Qilixiang is indeed used to make hedges.

Qilixiang is officially known as Murraya paniculata in Chinese. It is a small tree of the genus Rutaceae. It is closely related to citrus and kumquat, so it has a name called Yueju. Its fruit is not too big, and its diameter is less than 2 cm after ripening.

According to the Flora of China, Qilixiang is Qianlixiang, also known as Shilixiang (Taiwan Flora), Wanlixiang, Jiuqiu incense, Jiushu incense, and so on. [1] most of the names carry the word "fragrant", which is named after Qili, Ten Li, thousands of miles or even thousands of miles, which is very exaggerated, but it also shows that its taste must be very fragrant. If you have a chance to go to the south in the future, you should experience it for yourself and see how it is better than our sweet-scented osmanthus. There is a nine-li incense sandwiched between Qilixiang and Shilixiang. Murraya exotica and Qianlixiang are of the same genus, but there is almost no difference between them in appearance, and both are used to make hedges or bonsai.

Most importantly, Qianlixiang and Jiuli incense bloom in summer.

two。 The ancients collected books to pick up the seven-li incense of beetles.

There are two references to Qilixiang in Wu Qicheng's "A textual Research on the name and reality of plants", which is different from that in Xi Murong's poems.

One is the entry "Qilixiang": "Qilixiang was born in Yunnan. It has small white flowers and long spikes like Polygonum, which is fragrant when it is near. " [2] this is the only sentence in the Qilixiang entry, with a picture like Polygonum. According to the picture and the species alias information in the Flora of China, Qilixiang refers to Buddleja asiatica, a Chinese herbal medicine with fragrant flowers and aromatic oil.

White-backed maple, By Franz Xaver [3]

The second is the entry of "Yun": "the so-called seven li incense". The book also says that the ancients used it to protect books from moths. Shen Kuo (1031-1095), "Dialectical discussion on Mengxi", "Yun" is the vanilla used by the ancients to collect books, which was called "Qili incense" at that time.

The ancients used Yun to collect books. Yun, vanilla also, today people call the seven li incense is also. Leafy peas are small clumps and their leaves are extremely fragrant. After autumn, the leaves are as white as powder, and the beetles are specially tested. Under the mat, the southerners can get rid of fleas. At the time of the judgment of the Zhaowen Museum, there were several plants in the Zhaowen Museum. After the transplantation of the Secret Pavilion, there is no longer a survivor. [4]

Shao Bo in the Northern Song Dynasty (living around 1122) has a similar record in Volume 29 after smelling Shao:

Rue grass, the ancients used to collect books, said that "rue" is also. There is no beetle in the book, and the flea lice will be removed under the table. Leaf peas, as small clumps, in autumn, the leaves are as white as powder, and the southerners call it "Qi Li Xiang". Large-rate vanilla, once spent, there is no fragrance, vertical leaves have fragrance, but also need to encourage the sense of smell. This grass has been smelled dozens of paces away, from spring to autumn does not stop, can also play.

Judging from the above two documents, the leaves of "Yun" are similar to peas and grow in small clusters. At first glance, they are not "green trees and white flowers" written by Xi Murong, but a kind of herb.

It has a long history of planting. Li Ji Yue Ling said, "the moon in the middle of winter."... Yun Shisheng. " [5] Xu Shen in the Eastern Han Dynasty said: "Yun, grass is also, like alfalfa." This is consistent with Shen Kuo's "leafy peas". During the Wei and Jin dynasties, rue was welcomed. Fu Xuan, Fu Xian, father and son of Fu Xian and Cheng Gong Sui all had this kind of vanilla in their courtyards and imperial palaces. [6]

By Gisling, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5172082

At least in the Wei and Jin dynasties, rue was used to collect books and prevent insects. In the period of the three Kingdoms, the Wei people's "Huqin" contains: "Yun Xiang pi paper fish beetle, so the book collection platform is called 'Yuntai'." [7] but the rue Fu chanted by the literati in the Western Jin Dynasty did not mention the function of rue to prevent insects. It is guessed that this method was not common at that time, or there were not many paper books. In the Tang Dynasty, rue was used in the official collection, and the province, the secretary of the central institution in charge of the national collection, was called the Rue Pavilion (du Fu's poem "the Rue Pavilion in the evening, Hu Dust and recklessness"). Yang Juyuan, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, "rewarded the fox to send a night book": "Rue can protect the characters, and the lead is good at submitting the letter." Protecting books with vanilla is more or less romantic and poetic.

The use of rue must have been popular in the Song Dynasty. It is found in both official pavilions and private studies. Mei Yaochen (1002Mui 1060) "and Diao Tai Fu Xinyi Ten questions Xizhai": "Jing Jie comes from Jielu, and Shikawa has many books when he is free. Please add Yun grass to your shelf, and there is a codfish in the middle. " This Xizhai should be the study in Diao Taifu's newly built villa. Zhang Bangji (living around 1131) recorded an interesting story in the Comic of Mozhuang:

Wen Lu Gong for the same day, went to the secretary to expose the book banquet, so that the hall officials looked at your Yun Cao, was the official to keep the Shu day, so that the grass was sent to the planting hall. When asked what book the beetle published, he sat in silence. Su Zirong made a "classic" to the fish fish, and the public was very pleased, that is, to return.

Wen Lu Gong, the minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, Wen Yanbo (1006mur1097), entered the prime minister for 50 years and made many achievements. Under the dictatorship of Cai Jing, he was classified as a member of the Yuan Superior Party, Sima Guang ranked first, and Wen Yanbo was second. Later, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty restored him to the post of Tai Shi, and he was named "loyal martyr". When Wen Yanbo was the prime minister, he went to the secretary to expose the book banquet. The "exposed Book Banquet" was an annual gathering in the Northern Song Dynasty to publish books to prevent dampness and mildew, as well as to exchange knowledge and get in touch with scholar-officials. [8] at the rally, Wen Yanbo introduced to the officials present the rue grass he had transplanted from his home outside the library, and then suddenly asked everyone, "what is the book out of beetle?" In fact, what is asked here is the provenance of "Yun Xiang Pei Beetle". Everyone looked confused, and Su Zirong was the only one to answer the "classic theory", which is also the correct answer.

Hey, the literati in the Song Dynasty are so romantic! Both plants and trees are learned.

By Zhangzhugang, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27751629

Rue was also used in the collection of books in Tianyi Pavilion in the Ming Dynasty. The Chuncaotang Collection of the Qing Dynasty composer Xie Kui (1784 Mui 1844) contains:

Fan's Tianyi Pavilion has a rich collection of books, rare in the inner world, and a collection of kidney grass, the color is light green but not withered, for three hundred years, no beetle, grass work.

Tianyi Pavilion, the earliest private library in China, was built by Fan Qin (1505-1585, equivalent to Deputy Minister of Defense) of the military Department of the Ming Dynasty after retiring. It is located in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province and is now a key cultural relic protection unit in the country. In history, Tianyi Pavilion collected more than 5000 books and more than 70000 volumes, including all kinds of rare and rare books. But thanks to the rue grass, Tianyi Pavilion's vast collection of books has not been moth-eaten for hundreds of years.

Therefore, the small rue grass plays an important role in protecting ancient books and inheriting culture. And the ancients said that the "scholarly family", this "scholarly" probably has the smell of rue. Because of the important role of rue grass in protecting books, it has almost become synonymous with books: the study is called "Yun window" or "Yun Guan", the book is called "Yun Yu" and "Yun Bian", the school Shu Lang is called "Rue official", and the bookmark is called "Rue label".

3. What kind of plant is rue?

Having said so much, what kind of plant is the "rue" of insect control? Wu Qiyi's "textual Research on the name and reality of plants" is not specified, but only lists the records related to "Yun" in ancient books, and the matching pictures are also extraordinarily scribbled.

A textual Research on the matching Pictures of "Yun" in the name of plants

However, in the third plant "Bihan grass" before "Yun", Wu Qiyi put forward a conjecture:

Chinese herb can be found everywhere. Clump, more than a foot, a clover, such as bean leaves, summer flowers such as sweet-scented osmanthus, more people pick hair in the sweat. According to "Mengxi pen talk": "Yun incense leaves peas, autumn leaves as white as powder stain." "Shuowen"Yun is like alfalfa", or this grass. The shape is extremely small, so you can say something about it. " [9]

Therefore, Wu Qiqian thinks that rue may be Chinese herb.

And what is Chinese herb? According to Wang Dajun's "Rue Research", Professor Zheng Mian, a modern botanist, gave the answer in "seed Plant Taxonomy of China": "A textual Research on the name of plants." the fragrant grass volume 25 is in doubt sweet clover. " [10] Flora of China agrees with this view and believes that plant rhinoceros (Chinese herb) is the rue used by the ancients to protect books and protect insects.

Plant rhinoceros

According to the Flora of China, Melilotus officinalis, Leguminosae, biennial herbs, racemes 6-15 (- 20) cm long. Its leaves are very similar to alfalfa, the flowers are yellow, and the inflorescences are spike-shaped, which is very consistent with the description of Song Mei Yaochen's poem "the rue in the Tang Book Bureau": "Yun, like alfalfa, is born in a fluffy clover."... Three or four ears of yellow flowers bear fruit and plant endlessly. "

Therefore, the author believes that the rue, which is not called Qi Li Xiang, is actually a plant rhinoceros. Nowadays, most people think that rue is Cymbopogon distans of Gramineae or Ruta graveolens of Rutaceae, which is misled by plant nomenclature.

Today, the "section chief" of the Rutaceae, rue, all parts have a strong special smell, not necessarily fragrance; the flowers are yellow, but not spike-shaped; they originated along the Mediterranean coast and should have been introduced into our country through the Silk Road. After the introduction of this imported species, the nominee borrowed the ancient name of rue, which has a long history and profound heritage, and made it a long family of trees such as citrus. I don't know why.

[1] Chinese Flora editorial Committee, Chinese Academy of Sciences: Chinese Flora, Science Press, 2004, vol. 43 (2), p. 141.

[2] (Qing) Wu Qiyi, Zhang Xianrui, et al. Proofreading and interpretation of Plant name Map, traditional Chinese Medicine Ancient Books Publishing House, 2008, p. 507.

[3] By Franz Xaver, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15635600

[4] (Song) Shen Kuo: written talk on Mengxi, Zhonghua Book Company, 1st Edition, January 2016, p. 57.

[5] Zheng Xuan's note in the Eastern Han Dynasty said, "Yun is vanilla." Sun Xidan: interpretation of the Book of Rites, Zhonghua Book Company, 1989, p. 498.

[6] Fu Xuan's "rue Fu" preface: "the world planted the atrium, began to enter with a slight fragrance, and finally abandoned the yellow soil and called Ke Min. Then chant it and endow it. " The rue Fu of Chenggong Sui in the Western Jin Dynasty: "go to the filth of the wilderness and plant it in front of Guangxia. The stem is like autumn bamboo, and the leaves are like spring Tamarix. " It can be seen that rue has entered people's courtyard and become a common ornamental plant. The Book of Luoyang Palace was quoted as saying: "one plant of Yun incense in front of Xianyang Hall, two plants of rue in front of Huiyin Hall, and two plants of Rue in front of Hanzhang Hall." The cabinet name of the Jin Palace said: "in front of the Taiji Temple, there are four beds of rue; in front of the dry hall, there are eight beds of rue." It is known that this kind of vanilla was also planted in the palaces of the Wei and Jin dynasties. The Book of Luoyang Palace and the Cabinet name of Jin Palace are works written before the Tang Dynasty, but they do not exist today.

[7] the Dian Lue has been lost. See Pei Songzhi's annotated Chronicles of the three Kingdoms.

[8] Lin Ming: "Ancient exposure and its gains and losses", Journal of Library Science, No. 4, 2012. Volume 94 of Qiu Jun's "University Yan Yi Bu" contains the exposure system of Song Shenzong: "Shenzong Yuanfeng three years (1080), changed the official system, took Chongwen Academy as the secretary province, wrote and stored the virtuous academy, the history museum, the Zhaowen hall, and the secret pavilion classics books, and compiled and corrected them to correct their mistakes. When the book is exposed in mid-summer, he will pay for food and drink, remonstrating officials, imperial history, and waiting for officials above the system to go. " See University Yan Yi Buzhong, Volume 94, Jinghua Press, 1999, pp. 807-808.

[9] (Qing) Wu Qiyi, Zhang Xianrui, et al. Proofreading and interpretation of Plant name Map, traditional Chinese Medicine Ancient Books Publishing House, 2008 Edition, p. 508.

[10] Wang Dajun: a textual Research on Rue, Garden, No. 01, 2000.

About the author: Jianghan Tang, enterprise employee / gallery public education volunteer / freelance writer, currently lives in Beijing.

Editor of picture and text: Jiang

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