I. Spring Couplets: An Art Form
Spring couplets are also known as door couplets, pillar couplets, paired verses, spring stickers, spring banners, or door couplets. In Cantonese, they are called "flying spring" or "radiant spring," while in Min Nan dialect, they are termed "spring children."
Each Lunar New Year, Chinese people adorn their homes with spring couplets to celebrate the festive season.Countries like North Korea, South Korea, and Vietnam, deeply influenced by Chinese civilization, also celebrate the Spring Festival and hang Spring Festival couplets like we do.
Renowned Redology scholar Zhou Ruchang held Spring Festival couplets in high esteem, declaring them "a literary and artistic activity of unparalleled grandeur and marvel, rare in the world."
Indeed, Spring couplets possess the broadest grassroots foundation, representing a nationwide cultural activity that showcases profound folk wisdom.
There are four types of Spring couplets. The most common appear as paired couplets—neatly composed and metrically balanced—known as "door couplets." Single-line couplets inscribed with auspicious phrases are called "Spring strips."
Spring couplets also include square-diamond-shaped "doujin," also called "door leaves" or "doufang." Another type is specifically affixed to the two panels of the main gate, known as "door centers."
II. Spring Couplets Originated as Peach Wood Charms
Beginning in the Warring States period, households hung "peach wood sticks," or "peach wood charms," on either side of their main gates.According to the Huainanzi, these peach wood talismans were two pieces of peach wood, each one inch wide and seven or eight inches long, inscribed with the names "Shen Tu" and "Yu Lei." Some talismans also featured painted images of these deities.Beneath it resided Shentu and Yulei, the deities who governed all ghosts. Possessing boundless magical powers, they would bind any malevolent spirits caught doing evil deeds and feed them to tigers.
The Book of the Later Han: Treatise on Rites records: "On the first day of the first lunar month, peach wood talismans are made and affixed to doors. Called 'immortal wood,' they are feared by all ghosts."With Shen Tu on the left and Yu Lei on the right, they could suppress evil and drive away ghosts, thus becoming the earliest "door gods."
During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, on New Year's Eve of 964 AD, Meng Chang, the ruler of the Later Shu, ordered the scholar Xin Yinxun to inscribe couplets on peach wood.After the talented scholar completed his work, the artistically inclined Meng Chang was dissatisfied. Taking up the brush himself, he personally inscribed a pair of Spring Festival couplets: "The New Year brings lingering blessings; the auspicious season is called Everlasting Spring."
At Meng Chang's initiative, parallel couplets replaced the names "Shen Tu" and "Yu Lei."Beyond warding off evil and disasters, peach wood talismans also served to invoke blessings and well-wishes. For a time, these were considered China's earliest spring couplets.
Following in-depth research on the Dunhuang manuscripts, the World Records Association declared: "Three Yang energies begin to spread, four seasons start to unfold" is the world's earliest spring couplet.
Composed by Liu Qiuzhi of the Tang Dynasty in the 11th year of Kaiyuan (723 AD), this couplet predates Meng Chang's inscription by 240 years.
During the Song Dynasty, couplets were often inscribed on peachwood. Wang Anshi recorded in verse: "Thousands of doors and windows bathed in sunlight, all replacing old peachwood talismans with new."The Northern Song Dynasty text Miscellaneous Notes on the Seasons records that people at the time greatly enjoyed carving auspicious phrases onto peachwood boards.
Later, peachwood boards were gradually replaced by paper, though the practice was not yet widespread. The Southern Song Dynasty text Dream of the Liang Dynasty records that on New Year's Eve, people would paste "Spring Welcoming Plaques," which were essentially paper spring couplets.
During the Ming Dynasty, "peach wood talismans" were formally renamed "spring couplets." Chen Yunzhan of the Ming Dynasty recorded that the name "spring couplets" originated with Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang. At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang established his capital in Nanjing.
Every New Year's Eve, he required officials and commoners alike to post a pair of spring couplets at their doorways. Zhu Yuanzhang himself would go out in plain clothes to share in the festivities with the people.He personally wrote couplets to gift to scholars like Tao An and other officials.
Under Zhu Yuanzhang's vigorous promotion, spring couplets flourished. This is why two legends about spring couplets are associated with him.
One tale recounts how, during an inspection tour, Zhu Yuanzhang noticed a butcher shop too busy to hire someone to write couplets.Zhu Yuan Zhang immediately composed a couplet on the spot: "With both hands cleaving the path of life and death, / With one stroke severing the root of right and wrong." The butcher dared not display it, instead hanging it high in the main hall and offering incense daily. Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuan Zhang ordered a reward of thirty taels of silver.Zhu Yuanchang used the character "福" (fu, meaning "blessing") as a mark to identify people for execution. To save lives, Empress Ma ordered all citizens to post the character "福" before dawn.
One illiterate family accidentally posted the character upside down. The next day, an enraged Zhu Yuanchang intended to make an example of them.Empress Ma interceded: "That family knew of your visit today and deliberately hung the 'Fu' upside down. Doesn't this signify 'fortune has arrived'?"
Zhu Yuan Zhang found her reasoning sound and spared the household. Hanging the "Fu" upside down thus became a tradition—both to seek good fortune and to honor Empress Ma.
Spring couplets originated from peachwood talismans.From the onset of the twelfth lunar month, literati would gather beneath market eaves to compose couplets for modest fees. After the Kitchen God's Festival, these verses gradually adorned doorways, transforming every household with fresh vitality.
——Fucha Dunchong, Records of Yanjing Seasons: Spring Couplets
Fucha Dunchong of the Qing dynasty regarded spring couplets as the modern form of peachwood talismans.Literary figures of the time would enter the markets after the twelfth lunar month to write Spring Festival couplets, earning fees for their calligraphy. Following the Kitchen God Festival on Little New Year, people began hanging Spring Festival couplets, transforming every household with a fresh appearance.
III. Etiquette and Taboos of Spring Couplets
Traditional spring couplets, also known as door couplets, are arranged with the upper couplet on the right and lower couplet on the left when facing the door. The horizontal inscription is read from right to left.
Later, due to shifts in writing and reading habits, many couplets adopted the upper couplet on the left and lower couplet on the right, with horizontal inscriptions uniformly read from left to right.
Given these two formats, how should couplets be correctly displayed? First, examine the horizontal inscription to identify the format. The two styles must not be mixed.
For example, the horizontal inscription in the image reads "平安出入" (Safe Passage In and Out), which is read from right to left. This indicates the upper couplet should be on the right and the lower couplet on the left when facing the door. However, this household has clearly reversed the couplets.
Second, determine the upper and lower couplets. A key principle is the "rising tone ending with a level tone" pattern. The final character of the upper couplet is typically a rising tone character (shangsheng, qu sheng, or ru sheng), corresponding to the third and fourth tones in Mandarin. The final character of the lower couplet is usually a level tone character (first and second tones).
For instance, "Green bamboo keeps the scenery of all four seasons; The golden rooster heralds spring to every home."It cannot be reversed as "The golden rooster heralds spring to every home; green bamboo keeps the scenery of all seasons." Similarly, "Spring flowers in the prosperous era bring auspiciousness to snakes; garden fields with lingzhi mushrooms usher in blessings for deer," and "Turtles and snakes offer longevity amidst sparkling seas and clear rivers; garden fields in the prosperous era vie for spring's green splendor." A very small number of couplets follow the pattern of starting with a level tone and ending with an oblique tone. In such cases, context and content must be considered for proper judgment.
When selecting couplets, ensure they match harmoniously—neither too grand nor too modest. Ordinary households should choose couplets 15 to 20 centimeters wide. Shops and businesses should select couplets around 20 to 30 centimeters wide based on their door width. Even for large institutional compounds, couplets should not exceed 40 centimeters in width.
Beyond door couplets, single-character square couplets exist, such as "Spring" (春), "Joy" (喜), "Fortune" (福), "Longevity" (寿), "Abundance" (满), and "Possession" (有). These are written vertically and placed diagonally. The most common is the "Fortune" character (福), traditionally pasted upside down.In Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, a further custom emerged of hanging upside-down square characters for "Abundance" (有). There are also double-character square characters like "Great Auspiciousness" (大吉) or "Everlasting Fullness" (常满), typically written upright. "Great Auspiciousness" is hung above a kumquat tree, while "Everlasting Fullness" or simply "Fullness" (满) is placed above a rice bin.
Four-character squares also exist, such as "Flowering Prosperity," "Safe Passage," "Joy at the Door," "Ten Thousand Blessings at the Door," "Spring Fills the Yard," "Bright Spring Light," and "The Yard Glows with Radiance."
As the names suggest, flowerpots and vases bear "Flowering Prosperity." Above the main gate, one finds "Safe Passage," "Joy at the Door," or "Blessings at the Door." Within the courtyard, "Spring Splendor Fills the Yard," "Bright Spring Light," or "Radiance Fills the Yard" are common.
Chicken coops and duck pens display "Chickens and Ducks Fill the Pen."For cattle and sheep pens, "Cattle and Sheep in Abundance" is posted. On large trees in the courtyard, "Deep Roots and Strong Trunk" is affixed. On the wall by the heated bed, "Happiness and Health" is displayed. In the kitchen, "Diligence and Thrift" is posted, among others.
Posting them in the wrong place can lead to comical situations. In the past, someone who couldn't read thought, "They're all four-character phrases—doesn't it matter where I put them?" So he decided to cut through the confusion with a swift solution.
On the pigsty, they pasted "Peaceful Population"; in the bedroom, "Plump Pigs Fill the Pen." The story soon became a laughingstock. This anecdote was recorded by Li Guangting of the Qing Dynasty in his work "Xiyang Jieyi."
The timing for pasting Spring Festival couplets varies slightly by region—some do it on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, others on the 28th or 29th.Spring couplets symbolize joy and auspiciousness; they must not be casually burned, torn, damaged, or defaced. Generally, they remain displayed until the following year, only removed before new couplets are hung. In some regions, old couplets are burned, signifying the removal of the previous year's misfortune to welcome the blessings of the new spring.
A myth suggests spring couplets are celestial deities. When burned, these deities ascend to the Jade Emperor, bringing good fortune to the household. During this period, any damaged couplets should be promptly repaired.
In some regions, spring couplets are believed to ward off the mythical Year Beast. They may be removed after the Lantern Festival or the "Second Day of the Second Lunar Month."More commonly, people adopt a hands-off approach, leaving them exposed to sun, rain, and weathering until they peel off. Traditionally, couplets were written on white paper before shifting to red paper. Chinese people associate red with peach wood, which is considered auspicious and capable of warding off evil. Thus, red paper became the standard.In recent years, couplets written on gold paper have also gained popularity. However, in present-day North Korea, South Korea, and areas within China inhabited by the Korean ethnic group, the original custom of writing couplets on white paper is still preserved. Temples and nunneries uniformly use yellow paper.
Households mourning an elderly relative's passing display white couplets in the year of death, green couplets the following year, and yellow couplets in the third year. Some regions instead use yellow couplets in the year of death, blue couplets the next year, and green couplets in the third year. Others refrain from displaying couplets altogether for three years.
These mourning couplets, written on specially colored paper, are commonly called "mourning couplets," "mourning spring couplets," or "bereavement couplets." Only in the fourth year, after the mourning period ends, can red paper couplets be displayed.
In Putian, Xianyou, Fuqing, and Xinghua regions of Fujian Province, bereaved families post plain-colored couplets, most often green.Ordinary households display white-headed couplets, also known as white-bordered couplets. This involves leaving a roughly 10-centimeter-long white paper border at the top of the red paper, also called the couplet header. The Manchu people revered white. During the Qing dynasty, the imperial court once used white paper for couplets, wrapped in blue borders with red strips inside. After the Republic of China era, Manchus gradually assimilated into Han culture, and this custom faded away.