“橘生淮北为枳”与楚国领土扩张

The Idiom That Witnessed the Concept of Territorial Expansion of State Chu in the Warring States Period

在先秦时代,树木具有独特的文化意义。《逸周书》程寤篇记载的太姒之梦,树木象征天命所归。传世文献与出土文献中多有关于"社树""封树"的记载,表征着社禝所在与国界范围。古代典籍中关于橘树的记载表明,橘树是楚国特有的社树。"南橘北枳"历来被目为说明环境重要性的成语,其背后的文化意义尚无学者探究。"北枳"表明楚国在淮北地区种植橘树的规模浩大,枳味酸不可食,不具备食用价值,在淮北种植橘树显然不是为了满足口腹之欲。联系树木在先秦时代的文化意义与楚在淮北的势力扩张,可以得出结论:"南橘北枳"与楚国领土扩张有密切的关系。

In the pre-Qin era,trees had unique cultural significance. Yi Zhou Shu wrote a story about Tai Si,who dreamed a tree dream. In this book tree was a symbol of destiny. In the handed down literature and unearthed literature,there were many records about“She trees”and“Feng trees”,which represented the state power and borders. The records of orange trees in ancient books showed that orange trees were unique to the Chu.“Orange trees were planted on both sides of Huaihe”has always been used as an idiom to explain the importance of the environment. However,no one analyzed its cultural significance.“Orange tree was planted in Huaibei”showed that the planting scale of orange trees in the Huaibei region was large. Planting oranges in Huaibei were too sour to eat,obviously,that were not for food. Linked to the cultural significance of the trees in the pre-Qin period and the expansion of Chu’s forces in Huaibei,it can be concluded that the“Orange tree was planted in Huaibei”has a close relationship with the territorial expansion of the Chu.