When you use a knife and fork. You have to take the knife with your right hand and the fork with your left hand, or you can't put food into your mouth. But with chopsticks. You can solve the eating problems with just one hand.
Chopsticks were called zhu or jia in ancient China. It is said that they were invented by Da Yu. who successfully controlled the heavy flood (洪水). One day he was busy dealing with the flood. In order to save time when eating, he used two sticks from a tree to take the hot food. That was how chopsticks came into use.
In fact, the earliest chopsticks found in China were made of bronze (青铜) . Which were unearthed from Yinxu in Anyang city, Henan Province.
Many people probably haven't realized the cultural meanings of chopsticks. Do you notice that one end of chopsticks is square and the other end is round? So, why? According to our ancestors, the round end symbolized (象征) Heaven and the square end symbolized Earth. In Chinese culture, it shows the perfect combination (结合) of yin and yang.
The influence of Chinese culture has stretched (延伸) far and wide. So it's unbelievable that foreigners cannot use chopsticks.
| A. Besides, chopsticks are used in pairs. B. It's convenient and efficient (有效率的). C. It was one of the legends (传说) about chopsticks. D. At least 1.8 billion people are using chopsticks around the world. E. They are regarded as one of the symbols of Chinese food culture. |
