[Phoenix PEN] Wen Ruo: Recite the "Mulan Ci" again

[Phoenix PEN] Wen Ruo: Recite the "Mulan Ci" again Phoenix City Wen Ruo I watched the Kung Fu stage play "Mulan" in Phoenix City in early February...

Phoenix City Wenruo

I watched the Kung Fu stage play "Mulan" in Phoenix City in early February, and I was still unsatisfied. Recently, I have been reciting "Mulan Ci" repeatedly in my free time, which is really unforgettable, and it has also brought back some childhood memories.

I recall reciting "Mulan Ci" when I was a child. Because the words rhymed and were catchy, it was easy to recite them by heart. I remember when I was a child, I would jump up and down on the bluestone steps in the courtyard of my grandmother's house, reciting loudly "唧唧唧唧唧, Mulan is the household weave". I didn't hear the sound of the crowbar, I could only hear the woman sighing. Selling?’. At that time, she didn't understand the meaning at all. Mulan was worried and sighing repeatedly, which had nothing to do with these little children among our relatives and friends. We were having fun while reciting "Mulan Ci" quickly like a jingle.

I have the impression that some of our elders taught us to sing "Mulan Ci". The tune was slow and monotonous, like chanting sutras. We didn't like singing it. After I became sensible, I realized that people of the older generation sing ancient poems.

Later, when we grew up, we raised two rabbits, one male and one female, in the hallway of my grandma’s house. Rabbits run around the flower bed under the ginkgo tree in the round door hole when they let loose. We run with the rabbits every day and observe their movements, and we never tire of it. The cousins ​​​​and uncles in the big family were admitted to the city's key middle schools. They liked to show off their knowledge in front of a group of us juniors. When they saw us chasing rabbits, they would recite a sentence from Mulan's Ci: "The male rabbit's feet are twitching, and the female rabbit's eyes are blurred. When two rabbits walk on the ground, they can tell whether I am male or female." Over time, we children also somewhat understood the sentences in "Mulan Ci" describing the difference between male and female rabbits. We also paid attention to the two rabbits, a male and a female. At noon, the rabbit rested against the wall of the flower bed under the shade of the ginkgo tree. The male rabbit's feet were still moving wildly and dishonestly; the female rabbit was quieter and taking a nap with her eyes narrowed. Catching a male rabbit is not easy either, as its feet will kick around wildly. If two rabbits run at the same speed, they are indistinguishable. When the rabbits grow up, the male ones will be strong and fat, while the female ones will be petite and slender, and their appearance will be easy to distinguish. Therefore, if we raise rabbits, we must memorize the "Mulan Ci". The simple and vivid sentences in it also help us learn to observe things and animals.

I remember hearing adults say that shopping is called "buying things" in colloquial language. This is because people in the past built houses and the houses were lined up from north to south, forming east-west streets. There was a market in the east, called East Market, and a market in the west, called West Market. Some cities in the north still retain the place names of "East Market" and "West Market"; so shopping in the market is called shopping. There is a line in Mulan Ci: "Buy horses in the east market, saddles in the west market, bridles in the south market, and long whips in the north market." The parallel sentences are not only easy to recite, but also allow us to imagine what the ancient commercial market looked like.

When I was older, I read: "I left my mother and father in the morning and stayed at the Yellow River in the evening. I didn't hear my mother's voice calling for a girl, but I heard the sound and splashing of the water in the Yellow River. I left the Yellow River in the morning and arrived at the top of the Black Mountain in the evening. I didn't hear my mother's voice calling me. "My mother called me a girl, but I heard the chirping voice of a horseman in Yanshan. I have traveled thousands of miles to fight, and I am flying across the mountains." I admire Mulan's courage and bravery very much, and at the same time I feel that Mulan is a woman who is attached to her family, full of flesh and blood, and affectionate. It can be imagined that in the fierce war, Mulan and her male companions charged into the battle and fought bloody battles; under the starry night, Mulan was patrolling the desert border alone. When she read: "The fresh air spreads to the golden watch, the cold light shines on the iron clothes. A general died in a hundred battles, and a strong man returned after ten years.", I was surprised that Mulan had been in the army for ten years, and lamented that the war was so cruel, it is really unimaginable!

As our experience grows, we gradually have a better understanding of the Chinese virtues and national spirit of Mulan, a heroine praised throughout the ages, who cares for her father, loves her younger brother, resists foreign enemies, and defends her country. The spirit of attaching importance to family affection, taking care of elders, enduring hardship and standing hard work, and having the courage to struggle contained in "Mulan Ci" is a very important content in the Chinese cultural tradition; it is also a cultural gene that has penetrated into the blood of the Chinese people.

After I went abroad, I told my children the story of "Mulan Joins the Army." More than ten years ago, Hollywood released a cartoon "Mulan" in the United States. Children felt that it was different from the "Chinese Mulan story". Of course, the children were still young at that time and could not explain clearly in Chinese why it was different. In "Mulan Ci", the opening chapter shows Mulan weaving next to a wooden loom. What does the wooden loom look like? This is also very curious for children who grew up in the United States. For example, when I teach children Chinese, when I talk about terms such as "cotton playing" and "chicken coop", the children have no concept. Therefore, the children have a little intuitive impression with the help of pictures. When they returned to China, the children visited the folk museum. The loom, cotton playing bow, stone mill, and dye vat were really eye-opening for the child. Therefore, telling the story of Mulan can also stimulate children's curiosity and help them understand the customs and living habits of ancient China.

I have talked with some friends who are interested in Chinese literature, and everyone agrees that anyone who has memorized poetry since childhood will feel that this kind of recitation is necessary when they grow up. Things recited in childhood are deeply remembered, especially for children before the age of 7 or 8. Their logical thinking has not yet been established, and they mainly think in images. They have good memory and can easily recite. Even children can start reciting as soon as they can speak clearly. Although they do not understand the meaning of the poems at first, they gradually understand them.

(Written on February 15, 2013)

Related links:

Chinese spirit and national soul – watching the "Mulan" Kung Fu stage play