Liaocheng： The city in western Shandong is named after its love of ＂chatting＂？

　　Liaocheng night scene

　　Liaocheng is a city in western Shandong. I remember a time when Xiao You was traveling by train and passing through Liaocheng, he heard a pupil-like child ask his father, "Is this place called Liaocheng because people in this place are so fond of chatting?"

　　The child's father didn't answer the question directly. But this question aroused Xiaoyou's interest, so he made an investigation on the origin of Liaocheng's name.

　　The first thing I learned is that Liaocheng was named after the ancient "Chatting River" (Chatting Water). However, this statement is widely questioned.

　　The reason is that there has never been any record of "chatting about rivers" or "chatting about water" in western Shandong. For example, Zuo Zhuan, Shi Ji He Qu Shu, Hanshu Geographical Records and other documents are not recorded. In particular, the authoritative work, Li Daoyuan's Notes on Water Classics, is recorded in some small rivers near Liaocheng, but there is no "talking about rivers".

　　LiaoCheng Railway Station

　　Others believe that "chat" itself is a shrub with prickly branches, which is now the Zanthoxylum bungeanum. Because the city is surrounded by this shrub, the city is named "chat". However, it seems that there is no historical record.

　　According to textual research, Liaocheng's "Chat" first appeared in Zuo Zhuan, and the original text was "Chat, shoot two cities, and be together in the west." Xibi means the western border.

　　In Ci Hai (1854, 1990), there is such a content in the explanation of "photo": ancient place names, spring and autumn. This is the land of Xing Guo, Nie Bei, and Xing Wu is in Qi. Renamed photo, it is the western boundary of Qi, in the northwest of chiping, Shandong Province. "Zuo Zhuan" Zhao Gong twenty years, (522 BC) contains: Yan Ying said that "chatting to the east" refers to this.

　　Because Qi was the leader of the five princes and nine uncles in the Zhou Dynasty, he often made alliances with various governors. In ancient times, the princes took blood as an alliance, cut off the cow's ear to get blood, and put the cow's ear in the bead plate, which was held by the main ally. Therefore, the main ally is "holding the bull's ear." "Zuo Zhuan's seventeen years of mourning for the public" records: "Who is the leader of the vassal alliance?"

　　Qi has been allied with various governors several times here, and every time it is the leader of Qi. Some people think that this is the origin of the name "chatting". The reasons are as follows: the word "photo" consists of "handle" and "Nie"; "Nie" is three ears, which means holding the ear with the hand.

　　The word "chat" consists of "ear" and "Mao"; "Mao" was the understanding of two "knives" in ancient times. Talking means cutting ears with knives. In ancient times, it was called chatting, not chatting, because in order, it was necessary to cut off the cow's ear first and then hold it.

　　Chinese character "chat photo"

　　This statement seems very reasonable. However, there is another saying that, as the border of Qi at that time, the names of the two places, She and Tan, were related to intelligence.

　　"Photograph" was originally "Nie". The word "Nie", according to Shuo Wen Jie Zi, consists of three ears, which means "whispering, whispering to your ear and talking constantly". Qi changed the name of this place to Photographer, because it is necessary to collect the information of neighboring countries here.

　　"Chat" appeared later than "Nie". According to "Shuo Wen Jie Zi", it is said: "Tinnitus is also. From the ear, Mao Sheng. Luo Xiaoche. " "Chat" means "tinnitus". This means that, as the western border of Qi, all kinds of information and intelligence are echoing in my ears. Pay attention to vigilance and identification.

　　Another explanation is: Mao, which means connection; Ear means listening. Chat consists of "ear" and "Mao", which means to keep in touch by listening. In the Justice of Historical Records written by Zhang Shoujie in the Tang Dynasty, it is said that "chatting" means "taking pictures": Liaocheng, in the Spring and Autumn Period, was in the west. Chat and take photos. During the Warring States period, it was also the same place.

　　After learning this information, Xiao You felt that he could answer the child's question at the beginning of this article: No matter whether people in Liaocheng like chatting or not, whether they are particularly chatty, the origin of the name Liaocheng, whether it is the alliance theory or the intelligence gathering theory, really has something to do with chatting and communication.