中國傳統文化 第15期:筷子

Chopsticks

筷子

Similar to people of other nationalities,ancient Chinese people grasped or tore food with their bare hands at the beginning.

與其他民族一樣，中國最初的食用方法也是“以手奉飯”，也就是用手抓，或用手撕。

Chopsticks，forks， knives and spoons were used much later, of which chopsticks，with a history of thousands of years, are a wonder of Chinese dining utensils.

至於使用筷子、叉、刀、匙等進餐用具，則都是較晚的方法。 其中，筷子是中國進餐習俗中的一絕，至今已有數千年的歷史。

Chopsticks are the dining utensils most frequently used in Chinese people’s daily life.

筷子是日常生活中經常用到的一種進餐工具，也是中國人進餐時的必備用具。

In ancient China, they were called zhu.

古代稱爲“箸”，今俗稱筷子。

When the Chinese began to use chopsticks as an eating instrument is anybody’s guess.

中國人什麼時候開始使用筷子進餐的，已經無從查起。

They were first mentioned in writing in Liji ( The Book of Rites ), a work compiled some 2 000 years ago.

最初的記載是在2000年前所編輯的一本叫做《禮記》的書中。

Chopsticks may be made of any of several materials： bamboo, wood, gold, silver, ivory, pewter, and plastics.

筷子可以用許多材料製作，如竹筷、木筷、金筷、銀筷、象牙筷、錫筷、塑料筷，等等。

In cross-section, they may be either round or square.

其形或下圓上方、或上下全圓。

Some of them are engraved with coloured pictures or calligraphy for decoration.

有的鑲有彩色圖案或書法用以裝飾。

Ordinary chopsticks used in Chinese homes are of wood or bamboo, those for banquets are often ivory, whereas gold ones belonged only to the royalty and aristocracy.

現在中國家庭使用的普通筷子多以木頭或竹子製成，宴會通常使用象牙筷子，古代皇宮和貴族則使用金筷。