The door pier, also known as the door seat, the door platform, the door drum, and the drum stone, is a stone component used in traditional Chinese houses, especially at the bottom of the gate of the courtyard, which plays the role of supporting the door frame door axis.
The door pier is an important part of the courtyard, the whole is called the door pillow stone, the outside part is called the door pier, the door pillow stone has a groove in the middle to support the door frame, and the inner part of the door has a sea nest for inserting the door (the lower end of the door shaft), which together with the connecting beam fixed on the middle sill plays a role in fixing the door shaft and facilitating the opening and closing of the door.
Door piers are the stones used in Chinese residential courtyards to support the door frames, sills, and doors of the main or middle doors.
It is leaning on the side of the door frame of the gate, such as a pillow, so it is also called a door pillow stone, the inner part of the door of the pillow stone is to support the gate, and the outside part of the door is often carved with birds and animals, also known as the drum stone.
The drum stone also has two shapes: square and round.
The carving of the door is quite exquisite, the selection of materials is exquisite, the craftsmanship is exquisite, and the carvings are lifelike.
The two sides of the cobblestone drum are most commonly patterned with the horned lotus, and can be made into other patterns, such as: unicorn lying pine, rhinoceros looking at the moon, butterfly into lanshan, and some are made into the five generations living together (five lions) pattern.
The drum is generally animal-shaped, with standing lions, squatting lions or lying lions (commonly known as poodles) on it, and square drums are also carved.
It is one of the components of the courtyard building and is also a fine stone carving.
The door pier is a more distinctive component of the gate tower, and the door pier is usually carved with some traditional Chinese auspicious patterns, so it is a stone carved artwork to understand traditional Chinese culture.
Some people tried to carve a drum on the door pillow stone to inform visitors, and some people carved a lotus flower on the drum surface, because the appearance was very beautiful, so some people imitated it.
Since ancient times, the pursuit of façade decoration naturally does not ignore this pair of stone components at the entrance of the building.
The drum stone is the product of the carving of the door pillow stone.
The "pillow" is the main part, in order to carve, the additional part of the door pillow stone is emphasized, the "drum" part is very high, and the material labor is far more than the "pillow" part.
As the name suggests, the shape of the drum stone is round and drum-shaped, rich in decorative functions, and is usually carved with sunflowers, patterned heads, lions and so on.
The lower part is carved with a Sumire seat, the middle is drum-shaped, decorated with a patterned relief, and the upper part is carved with a lion, which is a common style.
According to the "Construction Law", those who carve the drum part into the shape of a lion are called pulling lion arsenic or lion arsenic in terms.
Later, people tried to beautify the platform Someone made the table into a lotus leaf shape in the water, not only the shape is very beautiful, but also "and the same heart" represents the happiness of the husband and wife, very auspicious, so it became the most popular style at that time.
Secondly, the popular door pier is carved in the shape of a lotus leaf on the auspicious cloud, and then a drum is placed on the top.
In ordinary people's homes, the tall square door piers are carved in the shape of a Sumire seat, on which a lion is carved.
Some do not carve lions, and have reliefs of flowers and grass figures on square door piers.
In the era of feudal hierarchy, no "drum" can be erected in front of the door.
If you want to decorate the door face and show wealth, you can also stand up and make the door pillow stone as high as the drum stone, but only the decorative part of the door should be square, different from the "drum", and then called "pier".
The door piers are mainly box-shaped and drum-shaped, but there are also lion-shaped, polyangular column-shaped, water bottle-shaped door piers and so on.
The piers usually consist of a Sumire seat, a drum or a square box, and parts such as a beast's kiss or lion (some say foxes).
Depending on the shape of the gatehouse, the shape of the pier varies, and the Sumeru seat is the foundation of the entire pier, which is generally engraved with the shape of a lotus flower, and there is usually a brocade shop on it.
The drum is an upright drum, and on the drum face and the side of the drum are usually carved with various auspicious patterns, such as blessing in front of the eyes (bat in the eye money), years of peace (spike bottle quail), FuLu Shou (bat deer beast), unicorn lying pine, rhinoceros looking at the moon, butterfly into the orchid mountain, and some are made into the five generations living together (five lions) and other patterns.
A cube in the box type, with different patterns engraved on all four sides.
The drum or box is carved with animal snouts or lions, while the entire door pillow stone is carved from a single piece of stone.
The surface of the door pier is engraved with many exquisite patterns, and these door piers use people, plants, animals, tools, fables, and geometric patterns to express the good wishes of the builders of the courtyard for longevity, wealth, exorcism, husband and wife, and family prosperity.
"Lion" and "Shi" are harmonious, and the pattern of the carved nine lions is "Nine Generations Living Together", which indicates the wish for family reunion and harmony in the same church.
The special meaning of the lion type and the stone tiger type of the door pier: the lion type and the stone tiger type of the door pier are the most common in front of the courtyard in the past.
In the early years, powerful and powerful families paid attention to placing a pair of large stone lions carved in front of the door, usually male lions on the left, stepping on hydrangeas under the right paw, known as "lion rolling hydrangea balls", the female lion on the right, under the left paw is a young lion, called "young master and young marshal", which means that the heirs are prosperous and the generations of high officials.
Most of the courtyards are placed on both sides of the door frame with a pair of small stone lions or small stone tiger gate piers, although they do not have the high style of the pair of stone lions in front of the door of the large household, but they are carved vividly, very exquisitely, or crouch or stand, or prostrate or lean, like a pair of protective gods, guarding the door of the house.
In fact, the original intention of placing them is also to avoid evil and drive away evil, and to guard the door.
The reason why people choose shi lions and stone tigers to guard the door is to regard them as strange beasts, fierce and mighty and without fear of any beast, and are regarded as the "king of the beasts", with its caretaker, the beasts and ghosts do not dare to enter the house.
There are also two ways to place a stone lion in front of the door:
The first is to say that it is an auspicious thing, so placing a pair of lively and cute little stone lions in front of the door is also a symbol of festive liveliness.
Second, there are two lions in a reclining posture on the door pier, the lion harmonic sound "world", the big lion and the small lion take the meaning of "cohabitation in the world", and the small lion lies on the chest of the big lion, and there is also the meaning of "fatherly kindness and filial piety" and "harmony and happiness".
Speaking of the drum-hugging door pier, according to the old lier, the meaning of the drum is to inform the drum of the visitors, and the visitors show that the host's popularity is good and the family business is prosperous.
The box-type door piers are mostly engraved with bat (Fu), deer (Lu), peach (Shou), magpie (喜), spike (year), bottle (ping), quail (An), sheep (Sanyang Kaitai) and money and other patterns, which are auspicious things, showing people's yearning for a happy and happy life and the pursuit and desire for beautiful things.
The peach is a symbol of longevity, and legend has it that the Queen Mother of the West did not die because she ate the peach.
The door pier is carved with "White Ape Stealing Peach", and its origin is as follows:
Legend has it that the mother of the white ape in the Yunmeng Mountains was ill and wanted to eat peaches, the white ape was very filial to the mother, secretly went to the peach orchard to pick peaches, but was caught by the immortal Sun Zhenren who guarded the peach orchard, the white ape begged Sun Zhenren in order to cure his mother's illness, Sun Zhenren was touched by his filial piety, let go of the white ape, the mother of the white ape recovered from her illness, and let the white ape give a military book to Sun Zhenren.
Since then, "white ape stealing peach" has become a symbol of wishing the elderly a long life.
This legend is widely spread in folklore, and there are also lyrics with the same title in folk drum lyrics.
"Fish" and "Yu", the rich "Yu" harmonic sound, symbolizing auspicious wealth and beauty.
The carvings of "lotus" and "fish" symbolize "more than one year in a row".
The carved carp jumps in the flowing water between the two mountains, indicating that the carp jumps the dragon gate, symbolizing the high rise of the career.
"Lion" and "heir" and "thing" are harmonious, double lion parallel is to mean "everything is as expected", lion belt means "good things continue", female lions with young lions are to wish "heirs prosperous", and lions biting hydrangeas is an auspicious omen that there will be happy events.
Carving female dolls sprinkle money, teasing the pattern of the three-legged toad, money represents wealth, toad is a symbol of prolific and fertility, and the meaning of bangs playing golden toad is rich and rich.
Because the Song Dynasty poet Liu Yong has a verse that "greedily watches the sea toad crazy play, and does not close the nine passes together", so the bangs play golden toad also symbolizes the rich source of wealth and continuous absorption.
Bats symbolize blessings, peaches symbolize shou, deer and lu are harmonized, and carved bats, peaches, and deer symbolize "Fulu shou".
Carved a bergamot, a peach, a pomegranate, symbolizing "duofu" (the harmonic sound of the word "Buddha"), multi-life (peach symbolizes longevity), multi-man (pomegranate multi-pomegranate).
The combination of bergamot, peach and pomegranate becomes a symbol of happiness and beauty in life.
Carved with the motif of five bats, the "five blessings" refer to longevity, prosperity, happiness, virtue and health.
In the middle, a bat is flying, and there are several ancient copper coins tied to the bat.
"Bat" and "Fu" harmonic sound, ancient coin copper coin outer round square hole, commonly known as "money eye", this figure with the sound meaning of two things, composed of a symbol of "blessing in front of the eyes" decorative pattern.
Streamers are widely used as door pier carvings, indicating "good things continue".
Carving three sheep means that the three yangs have been born, and the negative pole is coming, that is, the situation has changed from bad to good, and everything has developed in a good direction.
Using the Chinese harmonic sound to indicate auspiciousness, carving two persimmons and one "ruyi", symbolizing everything as expected.
A vase with spikes (e.g., rice, barnyard) is carved, alongside a quail.
"Spike" and "year", "bottle" and "ping", "quail" and "an" are harmonious, indicating "every year is safe".
A monkey climbs on a maple branch to pick the official seal hanging from the branch, and the bees fly by the tree.
Using the harmonic sound of Chinese characters, it means "Fenghou Hanging Seal", symbolizing promotion and official luck.
Take the folklore story of the "Eight Immortals":
Han Zhongli's treasure fan, Lü Dongbin's sword, Zhang Guo's boss you drum, Cao Guo's uncle's clapping board, iron abduction Li's gourd, Han Xiangzi's flute, He Xianggu's lotus flower, Lan Caihe's flower basket, the pattern of eight kinds of objects symbolizes the Eight Immortals Celebrating Life.
The "Eight Treasures" are the Treasure Umbrella, the Victory Building, the Treasure Vase, the Goldfish, the Lotus, the Left Conch, the Auspicious Knot, and the Golden Wheel.
Tibetan monks believe that the Eight Jewels are the incarnation of Shakya Buddha, representing each of the eight organs of the Buddha.
For example, the umbrella represents the head of the Buddha, the victory building represents the body of the Buddha, the goldfish represents the eyes of the Buddha, and the left conch represents the wonderful sound of the Buddha.
Folk language customs, east, west, south, north and heaven and earth, together called "Liuhe", refers to the world.
The two animals and flowers of deer and crane are carved on the door pier, and the harmonic sounds of "deer", "six", "crane" and "he" are used together with the flowers that symbolize spring, indicating the meaning of "six contract spring".
A lotus leaf and a lotus flower are born at the carving lotus festival, indicating good wishes for the love of husband and wife.
Melons, when they are first born, are very small, but they are endless, they will continue to grow and grow, so the pattern of carved melons has become an auspicious pattern that wishes future generations prosperity and prosperity.
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