The Reflection of Chinese Beliefs in Couplets from Tombstones at Wat Phananchoeng Cemetery in Ayutthaya.

ภาพสะท้อนความเชื่อของชาวจีนที่ปรากฏอยู่ในความหมายคำกลอนคู่ บริเวณป้ายจารึกของหลุมฝังศพ สุสานวัดพนัญเชิง จังหวัดพระนครศรีอยุธยา

Authors

  • Tanyarat Malasri Department of Thai and Eastern Languagesม Faculty of Liberal Artsม Maejo University
  • Kanokporn Numtong Department of Eastern Languages, Faculty of Humanities, Kasetsart University

Keywords:

Chinese belief, couplet, tombstone, tomb, Wat Phananchoeng cemetery

Abstract

This research paper intends to study the reflection of Chinese beliefs through the couplets that appear on tombstones at Wat Phananchoeng cemetery in Ayutthaya. It studies 21 couplets from 595 tombstones and performs a content analysis of each one of them.  We categorize them into 3 main categories, which are: 1. Couplets that reflect the main principles of feng shui, which are 8 out of the total 21 couplets (38.10%); 2. Couplets that reflect the honor of ancestors and families, which are 7 out of the total 21 couplets (33.33%); and 3. Couplets that reflect life after death, which are 6 out of the total 21 couplets (28.57%). These couplets also reflect different aspects of Chinese beliefs such as 1. Life after death according to the Confucian philosophy, Taoist philosophy, and Buddhism; 2. The reflection of the concept of living according to the natural principles of the Taoist philosophy, and 3. The principles and beliefs of feng shui. These couplets show that Thai-Chinese descendants in Thailand understand their cultural roots and beliefs as well as their relations to nature and society.

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Published

2023-12-22

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 2 (2023): July-December

Section

บทความวิจัย (Research Article)

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