孔府内宅之壁图

孔府是中国封建社会官衙与内宅合一的典型建筑,界限在内宅门。内宅门的一切设置,充分表现了中国高门大第家规家教的森严。

内宅门严禁任何外人入内。清朝皇帝特赐虎尾棍、燕翅、金头玉棍三对兵器,由守门人把持,有擅入者,“打死勿论”。内外联系由特设的两种传事差役担任:一种叫差弁,一种叫内传事。都有十几人,轮番在门旁耳房内值班,随时向外和向内传话。

孔府的内宅自然也是其私密的宅居之所。

在孔府的内宅门内壁上,有这样一幅彩画:彩云中间一怪兽,状似麒麟而非麒麟。该兽头上长冠,狮尾,龙头,周身挂鳞,披毛,张口昂首,卷舌露齿。

这是传说中天界里的兽,名叫“”,生性贪婪,据说能够吞食金银财宝。画中,在它的周围到处都是宝贝,八仙宝物俱全,都被它占据。可“”并不满足,它虎视眈眈,张开血盆大口,想把太阳吞而食之,结果在奔向太阳时被太阳烧死。也有一说:说它想把大海里的水都吞进肚子里,结果被大海淹死了。

当年,衍圣公(公元1055年宋朝仁宗皇帝赐给孔子第46代孙孔宗愿的封号,由孔家子孙相继,整整承袭了32代,历时880年)每次出门时,都会在壁图前停一停,在听到有人高喊一声“过贪心”后,才会迈步走出内宅门。

衍圣公把壁图建到这个进出宅院的必经之路上,就是为了自己及其子孙后代进出家门时,一眼就看到“”的形象,把它当做一面镜子,以告诫子孙后代要廉洁奉公,切不可像“”那样贪得无厌。由此可见,孔府家训甚严。

On the gate wall of the inner residence of the Confucian Family Mansion in Qufu, there is a colorful painting in which among the colorful clouds there is a monster looking like a kylin. The monster has a coronet on its head, a lion’s tail and a dragon’s head. Its body is covered with scales and fur.

This is a legendry monster living in the heavens called a “Tan”, literally meaning “greedy”. Legend has it that it can devour gold, silver and jewels. In the painting, it is surrounded by jewels. However, it is not satisfied. Opening its mouth wide, it wants to devour the sun. Finally, when it marches towards the sun, it is burned to death. Another story tells that it wishes to devour all of the water in the sea and finally is drowned in the sea.

Whenever Duke Yansheng (an imperial title conferred upon Kong Zongyuan, the 46th lineal descendant of Confucius in 1055 by Emperor Renzong during the Song Dynasty, which was inherited by later lineal descendants of Confucius for 32 generation until 880) went out of the mansion, he would pause in front of picture, and only after hearing someone shout “over greedy,” would he go out of the gate.

The reason why Duke Yansheng constructed the wall of the Tan picture at the entrance to the inner residence was to enable himself and his descendants to see the image of the Tan, through which he wished to warn his descendants not to be as greedy as the Tan.