People always have their own purposes for doing things, so what is Cixi’s purpose for doing this? Or is there some origin behind this? This is actually related to our country’s funeral culture since ancient times.
As for the priceless luminous pearl in Cixi's mouth, there are generally the following opinions on the "use" of it. 1. It plays the "role" of showing one's identity
Since ancient times, our country has had the custom of being buried with people. The more advantageous the family, the more burial objects they have.
The ancients believed that the soul is immortal after death. One of the functions of the funerary objects in the tomb is to be used after death. The more distinguished a person is, the rarer things will naturally be buried with him.
The luminous pearl in Cixi’s mouth is not something ordinary people can own, so some people think that this luminous pearl is used to show noble status.
At this time, some friends may ask, the luminous pearl can be placed anywhere in the tomb, why does it have to be placed in the mouth? This is about "tongue pressing", a custom in burial culture. 2. Funeral etiquette
It is worth mentioning that my country’s funeral culture has a history of several thousand years. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period, the “rituals” promoted by Confucius were based on the “Five Rites” of the Western Zhou Dynasty. based.
The "five rites" are the sacrificial ceremony called Ji Li, the wedding ceremony called Jiali, the guest etiquette called Bin Li, the military etiquette called Military etiquette, and Funeral rites called ominous rites.
Among these five rites, the ancients paid special attention to the rituals of sacrifice and funerals.
It is worth noting that in Confucianism, the role of funeral rituals is more to comfort the living. The solemnity and formality of funeral rituals, the expensiveness of funerary objects, etc., actually matter to a certain extent. It reflects the respect the living have for the deceased and their status.
Putting something into the mouth, also known as "tongue pressing", is actually a small custom in funeral ceremonies that evolved in later generations.
There are several theories as to why you put things in your mouth.
One way is to say that this is done to let people know "talk less and do more". After all, talking more often leads to mistakes. According to records, during Wu Zetian's period, prisoners on death row would put wooden blocks in their mouths, which probably meant "talk less and do more".
There is also a saying that the "tongue pressing" in this saying is usually a jade object, such as a jade cicada, which means rebirth, or an expensive luminous pearl like Cixi.
Is this the reality? Of course not. Modern science and technology has proven that luminous pearls are named after their luminescence at night. The appearance of luminous pearls is the result of complex geological changes and the accumulation of luminous substances into minerals.
One more thing, in ancient my country, tongue depressing was not a patent for the rich. Poor people would also put something in their mouths after the death of their relatives, which could be regarded as a psychological comfort. For example, Put on a handful of rice and so on. 3. Summary
To sum up, we know that the priceless night pearl in Cixi’s mouth is probably related to the ancient custom of "tongue pressing". On the one hand, it shows her noble status, and on the other hand, it shows her noble status. This aspect may also be related to the fact that ancient people believed that things like jade and luminous pearls have purifying and antiseptic effects.
This article is original and exclusively published by Yan Xiaoer’s philosophical essays. Any infringements such as transfer and plagiarism will be investigated