中英雙語話中國藝術 第13期:牌坊

13. Memorial Archway

13.牌坊

Memorial archway, different from either houses dwelled by humans or temples where gods are worshiped , is a unique kind of memorial architecture.

牌坊又稱牌樓，它不同於民居，民居是住人的；也不同於寺廟，寺廟是供神的；它是一種門洞式的、紀念性的獨特的建築物。

Memorial archway derives from the Ling star Gate. The first emperor of the Han Dynasty stipulated that the Ling stare should be honored first when worshiping the heaven. Ling Star Gate, first built in 1028, was rebuilt in the Confucian temple later in honor of Confucius. It is considered that people offered sacrifice to the Ling Star in the Han Dynasty in order to pray for a fruitful year which has nothing to do with Confucius and then the Chinese character "靈" was turned into "櫺" again. From the South Song Dynasty on, especially in Ming and Qing dynasties, the Ling Star Gate was not only built near the suburb altar and the Confucian temple, but also near ordinary temples, tombs, ancestral shrines, office buildings, gardens or beside the streets and cross. It is not only used to worship heaven and Confucius, but also in praise of noble acts and chastity. The purpose of the construction of the memorial archway con be classified into three types: symbolic archway, archway of credit and morality,and archway of achievement.

牌坊是由棋星門衍變而來的。提星原作靈星，靈星即天回星。漢高祖規定：祭天應先祭靈星。到宋仁宗天聖六年(1028)，築郊臺(祭祀天地的建築)外垣，設置靈星門。後移置於孔廟，用祭天的禮儀來尊重孔子。後來人們認爲漢代祭祀靈星，是爲了析求豐年，與孔廟元關。又改靈星爲梗星。宋(南宋)元年以後，尤其是明清，這種建築不僅置於郊壇、孔廟，還建於廟宇、陵基、祠堂、衙署和園林前或街旁、裏前、路口。也不僅用於祭天、祀孔，還用於褒揚功德，施表節烈等等，於是靈星門不僅一變成爲棋星門，而且再變爲牌坊。牌坊就其建造意圖來說，可分爲蘭類：一類爲標誌坊；二類爲功德坊；三類是標誌科舉成就的。

Memorial is a symbol of lofty honor in the feudal society. As act of archway an promotion of render of immortal fame the construction of memorial virtues and is the highest in people's lives. history of archway pursuit With a time-honored building up southern Anhui has many well-preserved memorial archway，archways enjoying equal reputation with the ancient shrines folk houses.

在封建社會牌坊是崇高榮譽的象徵。樹牌坊是彰德行，沐皇恩，流芳百世之舉，是人們一生的最高追求。在安徽省南部有着悠久的修建牌坊的歷史，許多牌坊至今保存完好。牌坊是當地古代建築的"三絕"之一，與古祠堂、古民居鼎足齊名。