Former Site of the "Hidden-Character Couplet" Stone Carving in Chengbu

Former Site of the Chengbu Stone-Carved "Hidden-Character Couplet"

A "hidden-character couplet," also known as a missing-character or concealed-character couplet, refers to a form of couplet where one or more characters are deliberately left out by the creator, inviting others to fill them in. This process allows participants to grasp the “key point” or essence of the couplet, showcasing humor and wit in the art of couplet writing. The former site of the Chengbu stone-carved "hidden-character couplet" is located in Caiyuan Chong, YanDi Vegetable Garden, about 1 kilometer south of Rulin Town, Chengbu County, Hunan Province. The Chengbu stone-carved "hidden-character couplet" has been passed down for over a hundred years, yet its mystery remained unsolved. This couplet was created by Xiao Zixiu (1806–1887), a Qing Dynasty scholar from Chengbu, Hunan. He erected a grand gate tower (locally called a "cao men") at his home’s entrance, and on both sides of the gate tower, he had a couplet carved in large bluestone slabs. The left side reads, “My home nears green hills □□,” and the right side reads, “My gate hangs with willows □□.” The horizontal inscribed board bears no characters but features a stone carving of a design called “Double Phoenixes Facing the Sun,” depicting a radiant sun flanked by two phoenixes. Surprisingly, the creator intentionally left out two characters at the end of each line of the couplet. For over a century, no one has managed to complete those four missing characters. After the Chengbu stone-carved "hidden-character couplet" was published in the China Couplet Newspaper, it caused a huge stir in the national couplet community, drawing a continuous stream of visitors eager to see it. Several professors from Tsinghua University who visited the site were full of praise for both the "hidden-character couplet" and the architectural artistry of the entire cao men. It is rare in history for a small couplet from a private residence to generate such widespread attention. After being republished by outlets such as the Wenhui Daily, China Couplet Newspaper, Xiangchu Couplet, and Folk Couplets and Stories, it sparked a nationwide craze for discussing and interpreting couplets. However, to this day, no one has fully deciphered or completed the “key point” of the couplet.

This "hidden-character couplet" was first discovered by Xiao Zunguo, then Deputy Secretary of the Shaoyang Municipal Committee. It was subsequently examined and researched by Mr. Yu Dequan, Executive Director and Academic Committee Member of the China Couplet Society, President of the Hunan Couplet Artists Association, and Professor at Central South University of Technology, along with Mr. Yi Zhezhi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Hunan Couplet Artists Association, who made a special trip to Chengbu County, Hunan, for the investigation. After their research, Professor Yu spoke highly of the "hidden-character couplet," noting that, in terms of content, it is part of a poem by Li Bai, with intentional blanks left for people to use their imagination — a feature that gives it considerable artistic value. He stated that such a "hidden-character couplet" of cultural relic significance should be well preserved.

The Chengbu stone-carved "hidden-character couplet," especially when carved onto a cao men (gate tower), is rarely seen in China and is unique to Shaoyang City. This reflects a local custom of the time in Chengbu (as evidenced by the discovery of several other hidden-character couplets), making it of significant value for exploring the development of China’s ancient and unique literary art form — the "hidden-character couplet." It also holds important historical and scientific value for studying the origin and evolution of the cao men in traditional Chengbu residential architecture.