The inscription of Phu Hoi communal house, Ham Thuan Bac district

Like other communal houses, Phu Hoi communal house still preserves many parallel sentences in Chinese characters created since the construction of the communal house. This is a natural treasure that has stored a part of the memories of the life of the ancients. People today can learn a part of the thoughts, feelings, concepts about saints, about the life, work and entertainment of the ancient people of Phu Hoi in particular and the people of Binh Thuan in general during the land opening period through these ancient sentences.

Phu Hoi communal house is currently located in Ham Hiep commune, Ham Thuan Bac district. However, the inscriptions of the communal house belong to a large, fertile land, formerly named Phu Hoi commune, Duc Thang commune, Tuy Dinh district (after 1854 changed to Tuy Ly district), Ham Thuan prefecture of Binh Thuan province, newly established in 1832 under King Minh Mang.

According to the book "Research on land registers of the Nguyen Dynasty" published in 1996 by author Nguyen Dinh Dau, Duc Thang commune under Minh Mang's reign consisted of 7 communes, 19 villages, 3 wards and 2 hamlets. The 7 communes are: Phu Hoi, Dai Nam, Phu Tai, Trinh Tuong, Duc Thang, Lac Dao and Nhuan Duc. Phu Hoi commune has a cultivated land area of ​​655 mau (320 ha), accounting for 21% of the cultivated land area of ​​the entire Duc Thang commune.

According to the scientific records of Phu Hoi Communal House's architectural and artistic heritage of Binh Thuan Museum in 1995, it is stated: "After 1977, the hamlets of Phu Hoi village were divided into 5 communes in the area of ​​Ham Thuan Nam and Ham Thuan Bac districts". These details show that Ham Hiep commune today is only a part of the area of ​​the large Phu Hoi commune of the past.

Phu Hoi Communal House was established in 1847. There is still a Chinese inscription on the beam of the communal house's predecessors as evidence: 紹治柒年歲次丁未 (Thieu Tri, the seventh year of the Dinh Mui year: Thieu Tri, the seventh year of the Dinh Mui year...).

In 1852, King Tu Duc bestowed the first royal decree on the tutelary god of Phu Hoi Communal House with the title “Quang Hau Chanh Truc Hau Thien Chi Than”. The Communal House has received a total of 5 royal decrees from the Nguyen Dynasty kings.

During the war, Phu Hoi Communal House was severely damaged. After 1975, only the shrine, the house of the ancestors, the martial artist and the guest house remained. This part of the relic was ranked as a National Architectural and Artistic Heritage by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1995. In 2008, the current heritage of the communal house was restored, including the three-entrance gate, the shrine, the house of the ancestors, the martial artist and the guest house as it is today.

In addition to the above mentioned religious values ​​and architectural and artistic heritage, Phu Hoi Communal House also has many parallel sentences in Chinese characters which are the spiritual cultural heritage of the village community. The parallel sentences were repainted in 2008 but the content remains the same as before. The author of this article has read, transcribed and translated into Vietnamese 8 parallel sentences of the communal house as follows:

1. Parallel sentences at the Tam Quan gate: On top of the gate are 3 Chinese characters 富 會 庭 (Phu Hoi Dinh). On the rows of gate pillars are 2 parallel sentences:

* Middle sentence: 前 程 遠 望 功 名 仁 義 路 / 後 來 向 業 須 臨 道 德 門

Transcription: The future of fame, humanity and righteousness

Later on, I will study ethics and morality.

Translation: The path ahead looks far and wide to the path of fame and righteousness.

The path behind career guidance, the door of morality advises the near.

The parallel sentences show the timely and appropriate thinking of the villagers when they built the communal house. Now they have to take production and construction as their career instead of pursuing the path of fame and education in their homeland. But the roots of morality and humanity must be preserved so that the village can be stable and peaceful.
This can be considered the platform for building a new life for the villagers of Phu Hoi during the land opening period.

* Side sentence: 山 水 應 禎 祥 地 靈 人 傑 / 鄉 鄰 皆 和 睦 俗 美 風 淳

Transcription: Mountains and rivers respond to the beauty of the land, a place of spiritual power and talented people.

The neighbors are all in harmony with the beautiful customs and traditions.

Rough translation: Mountains and rivers present good omens, sacred land, talented people
Villages are harmonious and preserve traditional customs.

The new land of Phu Hoi has mountains, forests, rivers and streams, a place where birds nest. But if the people are brave and talented, life will develop, and they will build a communal house "as big as Phu Hoi Communal House". The parallel sentences are like a summary and aspiration for the process of building a new life for the villagers.

The two parallel sentences at the communal house gate are meaningful as declarations of the community. It is just a pity that the form of the letters when repaired is not sharp and clear.

2. Parallel sentences in the temple: In the temple there is a parallel sentence:
聖 德 無 私 有 善 願 而 求 則 應 / 神 恩 顯 赫 人 心 行 正 道 必 扶
Transliteration: The holy and selfless have good wishes, and when asked, they will be answered.
God's grace is glorious, human heart and justice will be successful.

Translation: The saint is impartial, if you have good wishes, your prayers will be answered.
The grace of God shines, the upright will be blessed.

The parallel sentences show that the villagers' religious thinking is clear and wise. If you have bad wishes and pray, the gods will not help, but if you have a good heart, you will naturally be blessed. This is consistent with the content of the law of cause and effect according to the spirit of Vietnamese culture: Evil will be punished, good people will be rewarded, when good things happen, heaven will also favor people...

3. Parallel sentences in the temple of the ancestors:

山 海 泳 培 丹 桂 子 / 家 庭 藹 見 玉 籣 孫

Transliteration: The mountains and seas are filled with cinnamon and marigolds/ The family loves to see the jade orchid
Rough translation: Mountains and rivers nurture successful children/ Warm family atmosphere meets virtuous grandchildren.

The cinnamon tree is a red cinnamon tree, which in the past represented people with high achievements. The magnolia is a precious orchid with a fragrant scent symbolizing kindness and goodness.
The ancients believed that learning talent and taking exams were fate, and that one had to rely on the good feng shui of one’s hometown to achieve high scores. This was probably the experience and wish of the elderly who still reminisced about their old hometowns. A warm and harmonious family atmosphere and meeting virtuous grandchildren was a reasonable thing that everyone wished for.

4. Parallel sentences at the martial arts house:

The martial arts house is where the festival part of the communal house is held. Mr. Nguyen Van Minh - Deputy Manager of Phu Hoi Communal House said that in 2008, after the restoration, the communal house organized a traditional opera performance on the occasion of the autumn festival, which received a lot of support from the people. Since then, it has not been held again due to lack of funds.
The theater has a total of four decorative parallel sentences on the wall behind the stage. The parallel sentences are arranged from the middle to the two edges as follows:

* Sentence 1: 亭 前 鳳 舞 龍 飞 風 雨 润 / 社 內 麟 祥 龜 伏 氣 象 新
Transliteration: In front of the court, phoenixes and dragons fly, the wind and rain moisten the air.
Neighboring communes submit to new meteorological conditions
Rough translation: In front of the temple, phoenixes dance and dragons fly, the wind and rain are favorable.
In the palace, the tortoise sign is hidden, the air is fresh and beautiful.

* Sentence 2: 富 足 栽 培 智 德 何 村 鄰 皆 和 睦
會 意 同 心 眞 正 保 存 美 俗 淳 風
Transcription: Wealthy and virtuous, neighbors all live in harmony
True consensus to preserve good customs and traditions
Translation: Cultivate abundant virtue and wisdom, and every village will be in harmony.
Give sincere opinions, together preserve good customs and traditions.
The first two words of the parallel sentence are the name of Phu Hoi communal house, the content promotes morality, knowledge and integrity. People with virtue do not compete, people with intelligence know how to behave reasonably, so the village will be in harmony. Only with integrity will opinions be consistent to join hands to preserve the good things for the village.

* Question 3: 舞 曲 娥 嫦 鉦 鼓 樂 太 平 處 處
歌 吟 唱 詠 管 琴 和 安 樂 家 家
Transcription: The ancient music of the Nga Thuong Chinh dance , peaceful country
Singing and chanting, playing the zither, and enjoying the peace of the family
Rough translation: Nghe dance, gong drum music, peace everywhere
Chanting and reciting, the flute and zither bring peace and happiness to every home.
Nghe is a dance of fairies, created by the story of Emperor Duong Minh Hoang dreaming of going to Quang Han palace and seeing fairies dancing. Perhaps it means that the people here can enjoy watching the festival and dancing as if they were in a fairyland.
The parallel sentences show that the villagers' ability and conditions to enjoy various types of music and art are very rich, bringing a peaceful and joyful atmosphere everywhere.

* Question 4: 看 演 員 演 出 古 今 之 使 跡/ 聞 聲 音 唱 詠 爱 惡 樂 之 情
Transcription: Actors performing historical stories of the past and present
The sound of the song of love and hate is sung
Watch actors perform and think about history
Listen to the song and chant to know the love and hate of life.
Watching a dance performance here is not only for entertainment but also for enjoying good art. Through the play, there are good and evil people, so that the audience can recognize right and wrong, love and hate, joy and sadness according to the principles of life.

Conclusion:

The parallel sentences of Phu Hoi communal house have a bright literary atmosphere, the contrasting tones and ideas are all correct. The content and meaning of each sentence is clear, suitable for the purpose and location, and are highly educational. The parallel sentences depict the peaceful and prosperous life of a typical village community of Binh Thuan province in the early 19th century, imbued with the cultural identity of the Vietnamese people.

The author of this article only does the translation work and dares to make some comments to clarify the content of the parallel sentences. The analysis and evaluation of the historical and current values ​​of the above Phu Hoi communal house sentences are reserved for experts and readers near and far.

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/cau-chu-cua-dinh-lang-phu-hoi-huyen-ham-thuan-bac-123166.html