Chinese Chopsticks: Origins & History

The Chinese character “箸” is translated as “chopsticks”, which are unique eating utensils invented by the ancient Chinese civilizations during the Neolithic Age, 7,000 to 6,000 BC. The ancient chopsticks were mainly made of animal bones. Today, among the various tableware available, chopsticks perfectly embody Chinese cultural characteristics, becoming an important symbol of Chinese tradition.

Meaning of Chinese Chopsticks

The history of Chinese chopsticks

One of the main features of China’s culinary custom is the use of chopsticks. Chopsticks, also called “zhu” (箸) in ancient times, have a long history in China. In fact, the Book of Rites advocated, “You cannot have a meal without chopsticks”. These objects, rich in several centuries of history appeared during the Sang Dynasty.

The Origin of Chinese Chopsticks

Lan Xiang, the curator of the Folk Chopsticks Pavilion, said that historical records date the ivory chopsticks to 3,100 years ago. As it is written in the records, “Zhou” (the emperor at the end of the Sang Dynasty) used the ivory chopsticks while Ji Zi, Zhou’s uncle, worried “because it was too luxurious”.

After the emperor killed the elephant to impose his power, he sawed the ivory to make chopsticks that are known as the first chopsticks in history. However, historically they were not the first chopsticks but the first ones made of ivory in China. That is why Chinese ivory chopsticks have a strong symbolism.

Legends about Chinese chopsticks

People who use chopsticks, including the Chinese, admire the invention, but nobody knows who invented it. There is no precise data as to the creator of this invention that has made significant contributions to human civilization.

Some believe that the increase in illiteracy, among other reasons, explains this lack of information. There are, however, myths surrounding the birth of chopsticks. Here is a summary of two legends, centered on the origin of chopsticks:

The legend of Jiang Ziya

Standing on a bamboo branch, the divine bird sang, “Jiang Ziya, don’t eat the meat with your bare hands, use what is under my feet.” Hearing this, Jiang took two small sticks from the bamboo and went home. Then he took the meat with the two sticks. After doing this, smoke came out of the bamboo. Jiang understood that the sticks were reacting to the poison that his wife had poured into his food.

Jiang Ziya knew that the magic bamboo given by the divine bird could detect the poison. So he ate all his meals with them. After the incident, his wife did not dare to poison his food and his neighbors learned to eat with a bamboo branch. Later, more and more people followed this habit, so the custom of eating with chopsticks was passed on from generation to generation.

The legend of Da Yu

This legend has spread throughout northeast China. It is said that Yao and Shun, mythical rulers of ancient China, ordered Da Yu to control a flood. After receiving the order, Yu vowed to eliminate the flood disaster. He did his best to fight the flood day and night, to the point of not eating and sleeping, let alone resting.

Yu went to an island by boat where he was so hungry that he used an earthen pot to cook the meat. Once the meat was well cooked in the boiling water, he couldn’t take it by hand and didn’t want to waste time waiting for it to cool, so he took two branches to pick up the meat from the soup.

He kept this habit to the point of becoming skilled at picking up food with small sticks, which was imitated by his subordinates who understood that this way of eating could allow them to avoid touching the hot and greasy food with their hands. Thus, the first types of chopsticks were born.

Although these legends are not historically accurate, they show the way people thought in the past.

How to use chopsticks?

The correct use of chopsticks can be described as follows: the right hand holds the chopsticks with the thumb and forefinger pinching the upper end of the chopsticks and the other three fingers naturally hold the chopsticks, so the two ends of the chopsticks should remain aligned. Before the meal, the chopsticks are carefully placed on the right side of the bowl and after the meal, in the middle of the bowl, in a vertical direction.

Taboos on Chopsticks

Chinese chopsticks have their share of good, but also bad manners that you should not do at the risk of bringing you bad luck:

• Unexpected bad luck: Arranging chopsticks of unequal lengths on the table is considered an omen of bad luck.
• Immortal guidance: If the chopsticks are pinched by the thumb, middle finger, ring finger and little finger while the index finger reaches out, this is considered bad luck.
• Sucking on chopsticks with a sound: Having a piece of chopstick in your mouth and repeatedly sucking on it with a sound is rude behavior.
• Hitting the cup: Hitting plates and bowls is considered disrespectful and is looked down upon by others.
• Shaking to make choices: Taking chopsticks to “dig” into plates is a bad way to “dig the grave”.
• Sinking food: Dropping soup on other dishes or on the table when picking up food with chopsticks is considered disrespectful.
• Upside down heaven and earth: Using chopsticks upside down means you are a beggar.
• Key ring: Using a chopstick to stick food on plates is seen as humiliating to others at the table.
• Burning incense in public: Chopsticks should not be left upright in a bowl of rice, as this is similar to the incense ritual that symbolizes “feeding” the dead.
• Cross: During the meal, chopsticks should not be crossed on a table as this is perceived negatively.
• Falling chopsticks disturbs the immortal: During a meal, it is discourteous for chopsticks to accidentally fall on the floor, as falling chopsticks represent a disturbance of the buried ancestors.

The materials of Chinese chopsticks

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