Commentary 1: What did the ancients think of earthquakes?

Earthquakes are common geological disasters in ancient times. Because the ancients could not explain why this happened, they often exhorted the emperors in the name of astronomical phenomena, which was a sign of chaos to show that the dynasties were in disaster or the emperors behaved badly, which was a precursor to the change of dynasties. In the eyes of modern people, earthquakes are just plate movements, and the ancients are rumors.

According to the historical book Zhou Benji, in the second year of Zhou Youwang, there was an earthquake in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and there were three earthquakes, which was the first earthquake recorded in history. A minister named Bo Yang House saw this phenomenon and said: Zhou will die. He believes that there is a certain gas order between heaven and earth. If this kind of qi is disordered, the people's country will also be chaotic, the yang will not come out, and the yin will be oppressed and unable to evaporate, so there will be an earthquake. Now the Sanchuan earthquake is due to the lack of yang and the rapid development of yin, so the plain will be blocked and the country will be in danger. For three years, you Wang loved praise, laughed for Bomei people, fought against princes and died in the Western Zhou Dynasty. In the eyes of the ancients, Bai Yang's prediction was particularly accurate. He praised the yin and disturbed the yang, so the country died.

Actually, it was just an accident. Earthquakes occur every few years, sometimes many times a year. The Western Zhou Dynasty is located in the northwest of today, belonging to the seismic activity zones such as Gansu, Qinghai and the northern foot of Tianshan Mountain, so the probability of earthquakes is very high. However, the earthquake in the Western Zhou Dynasty was really severe. According to the ancient bamboo book records: "In the second year of Wang You, Jing, Wei and Luo were exhausted, and Qishan collapsed." The three rivers recorded in Historical Records are Water Mirror, Luoshui and Weishui. The earthquake dried up the river. Modern scientific explanation is that earthquakes can change geological conditions, leading to changes in water sources and topography, so Sanchuan is likely to dry up. Xiaoya in the Book of Songs. It seems that earthquakes were also recorded at the turn of October. The poem reads: "Ye Ye gets an electric shock and is restless; Hundreds of rivers boil and mountains collapse; The high shore is a valley, and the deep valley is a mausoleum. " This further proves that the earthquake is no small matter. As for the reasons for Zhou Youwang's national subjugation, there are both internal confusion and indifference and external invasion from Xirong.

Later, when the Han Dynasty became emperor, there was a solar eclipse one day in winter and December, and an earthquake occurred that night. Unfortunately, the earthquake spread to Weiyang Palace, and the emperor was very afraid. The next day, he immediately called a German and asked what was going on. Among the people called, there is a man named Du Qin. His official position is not high, but what he said next is different. He said: "It is said that the earthquake is due to the disharmony between Yin and Yang. For monarchs and dynasties, everything belongs to Yin. Now the country is at peace, the princes are obedient, and the consorts are not in charge. The only possibility is harem disorder. " This is Du Qinli's use of celestial phenomena to persuade the emperor not to indulge the harem. His courage is worthy of appreciation, and the emperor dare not disrespect heaven, so he has nothing to say. The earthquake caused abnormal weather such as rain and snow, and the ground in kanto region cracked to a depth of more than ten feet. Bamboo and cypress withered because of the earthquake, which may be related to crustal movement.

By the time follwed arrived, he had usurped the world of the Han dynasty, but he could not get the support of the old minister. One year, an earthquake happened. General Wang Yi took this opportunity to "beg for bone", just to retire, mainly because he didn't want to help follwed. Wang Mang said: Earthquakes are different from earthquakes. Earthquakes are harmful, but they are harmless. Don't worry about the earthquake. Your application will not be approved this time. Although Wang Mang doesn't believe this, he often uses these astronomical phenomena to fool the people. Before he came to power, there were many strange astronomical phenomena. Every time he took advantage of these opportunities to suggest that his subordinates should be declared emperors, and even writers like Yang Xiong came out to write for him.

It is said that the history book that records the most earthquakes is Zi Tong Zhi Jian. Sima Guang described earthquakes as recording the time of earthquakes by month and season. Sometimes earthquakes are relatively small, which is simply "spring, January, earthquake". If the earthquake is bigger, record what kind of disaster the earthquake caused, and be more detailed. He recorded an interesting story in Zi Tongzhi Jian. The first emperor who was frightened to death by an earthquake in history was Murong Bede of the sixteen countries in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. This man is supposed to be the ancestor of Mu Rongfu. Murong Bede succeeded to the throne in his fifties. He never suffered failure, but he died because of the earthquake. "History as a Mirror" records that "on the afternoon of 15th, Beide led his ministers to Dongyang Hall, ... and then there was an earthquake. Liao Bai was frightened and Bede was dissatisfied and returned to the palace. It's night. I'm sick and can't talk. ..... looking for a pawn. " This kind of record has a certain legendary color, perhaps because Murong De is old, or perhaps some sudden illness led to his direct death. Later generations linked his death to the earthquake, but it was just a game!

Did the ancients have detailed records about earthquakes? Moreover, it was recorded by a very famous person, Pu Songling. In the second volume of Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio, he recorded an earthquake he experienced and described it in detail. The original text is as follows:

On June 17, the seventh year of Kangxi, a great earthquake occurred. I got along well with the guests and had a candle with Fang and his cousin Li. Suddenly I heard thunder, coming from the southeast and heading northwest. Many people are horrified and don't understand why. In Russia, several boxes were rickety and the glass was knocked over; The beams and rafters are staggered. Take care of each other. After a long time, we know that earthquakes and diseases often appear. Look at pavilions, servants rise again; The sound of walls falling down and houses falling down, and the voice of children chanting women's names are as loud as boiling.

People are dizzy and can't stand up, sitting on the ground and sideways. The river overflowed and the whole city crowed and dogs crowed. It will be decided after a while. Depending on the street, men and women get together naked, competing to tell each other and forgetting that they are naked. I heard that a well is inclined, so don't draw it. A building can easily move from north to south; Qixia mountain crack; A water cave, a few acres wide. This is really weird.

This article describes in detail the course of an earthquake in just a few hundred words, which shows that Pu Songling's prose is not generally good. Xia Ji is now in Zibo. At that time, Pu Songling went to visit his cousin. In the evening, they were drinking candles together and having a good time. Suddenly, the earthquake happened, and the sleeping people rushed out without clothes on. The earthquake changed the original direction of a restaurant, and the mountain cracked and the water gushed, which brought great disaster to people's lives. Pu Songling estimated that he had never experienced an earthquake before, so he thought, "This is really strange."

Natural disasters are so severe that the ancients could not have predicted them, but we all know that Zhang Heng invented the seismograph. Ye Fan's Book of the Later Han Dynasty. Zhang Hengchuan records: "In the first year of Yang Jia, (Zhang Heng) rebuilt the Hou Feng Seismograph. It is made of copper and has a diameter of eight feet. It is covered and raised in the shape of a wine statue, a turtle decorated with seal script, a bird and a beast. All of them are pillars, eight-way, and the engine is turned off. There are eight dragons outside. The first one is a copper pill, and the next one is a toad. Open your mouth and accept it. Its teeth are cleverly made, all hidden in respect, and its coverage is endless. If there is an earthquake, the statue will shake the dragon, the machine will spit out pills and the toad will hold it. The vibration was so exciting that the waiters noticed it. Although Yilong started the engine, Qige didn't move, and the air was full of places that knew about the earthquake. If you test it, it will be like a god. " This kind of machine sounds awesome, and we know its principle. Which copper pill fell out of Longkou indicates that there is an earthquake in the corresponding direction. Although we can't predict the earthquake in advance, we can let Chaoyan know where the earthquake happened in time so as to go to the rescue. Is this seismograph useful or not? According to the book, it is still useful to "try the opportunity of Yi Long and not move". Scholars in Beijing blame him for his absence. ”。 A few days later, the post arrived, and there was an earthquake in Longxi. Everyone was convinced. Since then, historians have remembered what to do. "Historians saw that it was quite useful, so they used this machine to record the place where the earthquake happened.

But whether the seismograph exists is unknown. If the seismograph is really so magical, the science and technology in ancient China will be even more powerful, but the official history says, "There is nothing in the book." There is no detailed record of seismograph in ancient books. If the seismograph really exists, it may be passed down to later generations. With the change of dynasties, the secret became more mysterious.

In any case, the ancient records of earthquakes let us know that earthquakes are actually normal geological disasters. However, some people use these natural phenomena to deceive the monarch and the people, and some people use these phenomena to spread rumors, both ancient and modern. Since there was an earthquake in Jiuzhaigou yesterday and an earthquake in Xinjiang this morning, it is really hateful to spread false information about these earthquakes on the Internet! This move is likely to cause panic among the masses, make some people in this area even more panic and worry their families far away. In order to attract people's attention and spread the news, everyone will go on strike!

I wish the people of the two places healthy and safe, and pray for Jiuzhaigou and Xinjiang! ?