A Study Of Ballads And Proverbs Of The Wei,Jin And North And South Dynasties From A Folklore Perspective

As a popular popular culture among the masses,proverbs are an important way for people to pass on their culture,speak their minds and convey their messages,reflecting the thoughts of the general public and being one of the quintessences of traditional Chinese folk culture.The knowledge of cultivation,breeding,astronomy,meteorology,health care,as well as the lessons of dealing with the world and learning diligently,were all passed down from generation to generation through the dissemination of proverbs.The fractionalization of the Wei and Jin dynasties,the fusion of the North and South,the opening of social customs,and people’s desire for freedom all made the Wei,Jin,and North and South dynasties a very important period in history,and the diverse folklore of this period became a unique style of the dynasty itself.In the article Folklore Perspectives on the Rhymes and Proverbs of the Wei,Jin and North and South Dynasties: Focusing on the Ancient Rhymes and Proverbs,we attempt to summarize the folklore characteristics contained in various types of proverbs,such as agricultural proverbs,meteorological proverbs,commercial proverbs,political proverbs,medical and health care proverbs,and summarize the folklore customs inherited,unique,or initiated during the Wei,Jin and North and South Dynasties.It also explores the connection between folk customs and the creation and dissemination of proverbs.The introductory section outlines the research content of this paper,presents the significance of the research and the research methodology,and compares the ancient and modern proverb collations and research results,the findings on proverbs and folk culture,and the study of social customs in the Wei-Jin-North and South Dynasties periods.First,we study the ballads and proverbs from the perspective of material production and life in the Wei,Jin and North and South Dynasties.Although the frequent wars during the Wei and Jin dynasties brought serious damage to the material production and economic activities,the production technology in the southern region made great progress as the northerners moved south.Ethnic migration and integration between regions also led to the obvious development of handicrafts and commerce in the Wei and Jin dynasties.The improvement of production level brought about the enrichment of material life,and the clothing and food during the Wei-Jin-North and South Dynasties were deeply influenced by the fusion of nomadic culture and farming culture,as well as the pursuit of "liberalism" and the preference for luxury and enjoyment due to political darkness,which led to the distinctive dress style and food habits of the people.Secondly,we discuss the relationship between proverbs and science,games,and artistic folklore during the Wei-Jin and Northern Dynasties.The development of social sciences is discussed through a compilation of proverbs related to Chinese medicine and the development of Chinese medicine during this period as well as people’s enthusiasm for health care under the influence of religion.It also explores the recreational activities and spiritual life of the people during the Wei and Jin dynasties through the popular games and artistic activities mentioned in the proverbs.Finally,from the perspective of the social life of the Wei-Jin and North-South dynasties as reflected in the proverbs,we discuss the general situation of family education of the gentry and scholarly families,which flourished as a result of the rise and fall of schooling,summarize the unique titles of the Wei-Jin period that appear in the proverbs,and analyze the image of women in society at that time as well as the bad customs that appeared in society through various references in the proverbs.We also select representative political proverbs to explore the participation of the people in the complex political events of the period.The proverbs reflect the praise of clean officials,the satire of corrupt officials,and the curiosity about the life of the court,all of which are reflections of the people’s participation in political life.Such participation not only reflects the social situation of the time,but also has some counter-effect on the political environment.Finally,we analyze the strong superstitious customs in the society under the severe environment of national turmoil and frequent natural and man-made disasters,as well as the more developed faith activities and contents compared with the previous generations.The conclusion summarizes the rich and inclusive characteristics of folk customs in the Wei,Jin,and Southern and Northern Dynasties.The combination of ballads and proverbs with folk customs can enable us to further understand the social style of this period and explore the profound cultural connotation of folk customs.