Name: 為什麼會發明筷子？真相竟然不是你以為的那樣 (Why Were Chopsticks Invented? (It’s Not What You Think))
Uploaded: 2025-10-15T21:01:50.000Z
Duration: 8 min 35 s

程度副詞

Two little tools that have been used for thousands of years to eat, cook, and even show respect.

兩根小工具，幾千年來一直被用來進食、烹飪，甚至表達敬意。

基礎被動語態

But have you ever wondered why chopsticks were invented in the first place?

但你有沒有想過，筷子一開始是怎麼被發明的呢？

Of all the eating utensils humanity could have chosen,

在人類眾多可以選擇的餐具中，

why did millions of people across Asia end up with a pair of sticks instead of forks, knives or spoons?

為什麼亞洲數百萬人最終選擇了兩根筷子，而不是叉子、刀子或湯匙？

Today, we're diving into the fascinating history of chopsticks.

今天，我們要深入探討筷子迷人的歷史。

How they came to be, what influenced their design, and why they became such a lasting cultural symbol.

它們是如何誕生的，什麼影響了它們的設計，以及為什麼它們會成為如此持久的文化象徵。

就在這裡，在「簡單事物歷史」節目。

To understand where chopsticks came from, we have to go way back over 5,000 years ago to ancient China.

要了解筷子的起源，我們必須回到五千多年前的古代中國。

The earliest evidence of chopstick like tools dates to around 1200 BCE found in ruins from the Shang Dynasty.

最早的筷子狀工具證據可以追溯到公元前 1200 年左右，在商朝的遺址中發現。

但那時候它們還不是用來吃飯的餐具。

They were made of bronze and used mainly for cooking.

它們是用青銅製成的，主要用於烹飪。

想像一下，它們就像古代的夾子。

People used them to reach deep into boiling pots or fires to grab hot food safely with without burning their hands.

人們用它們伸進沸騰的鍋子或火堆裡，安全地夾取熱食，以免燙傷手。

At that time, eating with the hands was still common.

那時候，用手吃飯仍然很普遍。

Food was often served in large communal pots,

食物經常放在大型公共鍋子裡，

and diners would simply use their fingers or spoons made from shells or bamboo.

用餐者就直接用手指或用貝殼或竹子做的湯匙。

So it wasn't until a few centuries later that chopsticks transitioned from cooking tools to dining utensils.

所以直到幾個世紀後，筷子才從烹飪工具轉變為用餐餐具。

And the reason for that change is quite interesting.

It had to do with food preparation resources and even philosophy.

這與食物準備的資源，甚至哲學有關。

As China's population grew, so did the need to make food stretch further.

隨著中國人口的增長，對食物的需求也隨之增加，需要將食物份量拉得更長。

Around the time of the Zhou Dynasty, about 1000 BCE,

大約在周朝時期，也就是西元前一千年左右，

there was an increasing emphasis on cutting food into small, bite-sized pieces.

越來越強調將食物切成小塊，方便入口。

Before cooking, this wasn't just a matter of convenience, it was also a matter of practicality.

在烹飪之前，這不只是方便的問題，也是實用性的問題。

Smaller pieces cooked faster, which saved fuel,

小塊食物煮得更快，節省了燃料，

an important consideration as wood became scarcer in densely populated regions.

這在人口稠密地區木材變得稀少時，是個重要的考量。

Now, when food was already cut into small chunks, there was no longer a need for a knife at the dinner table.

現在，既然食物已經切成小塊，餐桌上就不再需要刀子了。

All you needed were two small sticks to pick up your food.

你只需要兩根小棍子就能夾起食物。

And just like that, chopsticks found their way from the kitchen to the table.

就這樣，筷子從廚房走到了餐桌。

Interestingly, this shift also aligned with Confucian values that were deeply influential at the time.

有趣的是，這個轉變也符合當時深具影響力的儒家價值觀。

Confucius himself was said to dislike knives at the table because they reminded people of violence and war.

據說孔子本人不喜歡餐桌上有刀子，因為刀子讓他聯想到暴力和戰爭。

He believed that dining should be a peaceful, harmonious experience,

他認為用餐應該是一種和平、和諧的體驗，

something that brought people together, not reminded them of conflict.

是能將人們聚集在一起的事物，而不是提醒人們衝突。

So chopsticks, being gentle and elegant tools, perfectly reflected those values.

所以，筷子這種溫和優雅的工具，完美地體現了這些價值觀。

Before we go further, have you ever wondered why they're called chopsticks in English?

在我們繼續之前，你有沒有想過為什麼英文叫它們 chopsticks？

The word actually comes from a bit of old sailor slang.

這個詞其實源自一些古老的船員俚語。

When Western traders reached China during the 17th century,

當西方貿易商在十七世紀抵達中國時，

they heard locals call them "kuaizi," which literally means quick little bamboo.

他們聽到當地人稱它們為「筷子」，字面意思是「竹子做的快東西」。

The Chinese word "kuai" means fast or quick, and the suffix "zi" just means small thing.

中文的「筷」意思是快速或敏捷，而後綴的「子」只是指小東西。

But English-speaking sailors from the South China Sea,

especially those who spoke pigeon English, started calling them chopsticks,

特別是說洋涇濱英語的英語水手，開始稱它們為 chopsticks，

derived from the phrase chop chop, which meant quickly in the old trade lingo.

這個詞源自「chop chop」，在當時的貿易術語裡意思是「快點」。

So chopsticks literally translates to quick sticks.

所以 chopsticks 字面上的意思就是「快速的棍子」。

It's a charming example of how languages blend through trade and travel.

這是一個迷人的例子，說明瞭語言如何透過貿易和旅行融合在一起。

One simple utensil carrying both its ancient Chinese meaning and a quirky bit of colonial slang.

一個簡單的餐具，同時承載著它古老的中國意義和一段有趣的殖民時期俚語。

Over time, chopsticks didn't just stay in China.

隨著時間的推移，筷子並沒有隻留在中國。

As Chinese culture, trade and philosophy spread across Asia, so did these simple eating tools.

隨著中華文化、貿易和哲學傳播到亞洲各地，這些簡單的餐具也跟著傳播開來。

By around 500 CE, they had made their way to Korea, Japan and Vietnam.

大約在西元五百年左右，它們就傳到了韓國、日本和越南。

But each country adapted chopsticks in its own unique way.

不過，每個國家都以自己獨特的方式改良了筷子。

In Korea, chopsticks were traditionally made of metal, often brass or silver.

在韓國，筷子傳統上是用金屬做的，通常是黃銅或銀。

One story says that silver chopsticks were used by royalty to detect poison in food,

有個說法是，皇室用銀筷子來偵測食物中的毒素，

Still, metal chopsticks became a long standing tradition there.

不過，金屬筷子在那裡成為了一項悠久的傳統。

They're usually shorter and flatter than Chinese chopsticks and are often paired with a spoon for rice and soups.

它們通常比中國筷子短且扁平，而且常搭配湯匙來吃米飯和湯。

In Japan, chopsticks took on an entirely different personality.

在日本，筷子則呈現了完全不同的風格。

They became shorter, more pointed, and often beautifully decorated.

它們變得更短、更尖，而且經常有美麗的裝飾。

The Japanese also developed the concept of hashim, which are personal chopsticks meant for individual use rather than communal dining.

日本人也發展出了「箸」的概念，這是指個人使用的筷子，而非用於共餐。

There are even special chopsticks for ceremonies, cooking and serving.

甚至還有專門用於儀式、烹飪和夾取的筷子。

Vietnam's chopsticks, meanwhile, are often made of wood or bamboo and are slightly longer,

越南的筷子通常是木頭或竹子做的，而且稍微長一點，

reflecting their use in both eating and cooking.

這反映了它們同時用於吃飯和烹飪。

Across these regions, the chopstick became not just a tool,

在這些地區，筷子不僅僅是一個工具，

but an extension of culture, each design reflecting local customs, etiquette, and ways of eating.

更是一種文化的延伸，每一種設計都反映了當地的習俗、禮儀和飲食方式。

Chopsticks have been made from nearly every material imaginable.

筷子幾乎可以用想像得到的任何材料製成。

Bamboo, wood, ivory, bone, silver, gold, and even jade.

像是竹子、木頭、象牙、骨頭、銀、金，甚至是玉。

But bamboo and wood remain the most common, partly because they're renewable and easy to shape,

但竹子和木頭仍然是最常見的，一部分是因為它們可再生且易於塑形，

partly because they feel warm and natural in the hand.

另一部分是因為它們拿起來感覺溫暖又自然。

Beyond practicality, chopsticks also carry deep symbolism.

除了實用性，筷子也承載著深厚的象徵意義。

In many Asian cultures, giving someone a pair of chopsticks was considered a sign of good luck or friendship.

在許多亞洲文化中，送人一雙筷子被認為是好運或友誼的象徵。

There's also symbolism in how they're used.

筷子的使用方式也帶有象徵意義。

Placing chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice, for example, is taboo

舉例來說，把筷子插在飯碗裡是禁忌，

because it resembles incense sticks used at funerals.

因為這會讓人聯想到喪禮上使用的香。

Small gestures, like how you rest your chopsticks or pass food with them,

像如何擺放筷子或用筷子傳遞食物這些小動作，

have layers of meaning tied to respect, hierarchy and harmony.

都蘊含著對尊重、階級和諧的深層意義。

Fast forward to today, and chopsticks have crossed borders far beyond Asia.

時光飛逝到今天，筷子早已超越亞洲，走向世界。

They've become a global symbol of Asian cuisine, found in restaurants from New York to Paris to Manila.

它們已成為亞洲美食的全球象徵，在從紐約到巴黎、馬尼拉的餐廳裡都能見到。

But what's fascinating is how something so old, over 3,000 years in use, still feels relevant and modern.

但最讓人著迷的是，這項有著三千多年歷史的物品，至今仍感覺既貼近生活又充滿現代感。

那麼，筷子是怎麼被發明的呢？

It's about adaptation, philosophy and culture.

They were born out of necessity during times of scarcity, refined through values of peace and respect,

它們誕生於物資匱乏的時代，因應而生，透過和平與尊重的價值觀被改良，

and shaped by generations who found beauty and simplicity.

由一代代追求簡約之美的人們塑造而成。

The next time you pick up a pair of chopsticks, think about this.

下次你拿起筷子的時候，可以想想這件事。

你手中握著的不僅僅是兩根木棍。

You're holding a piece of human history, a 5,000-year-old idea that still works perfectly today.

你握著的是一段人類的歷史，一個五千年的想法，至今仍完美運作。

If you have suggestions for our next video, feel free to share them in the comments below.

如果你對我們下一個影片有任何建議，歡迎在下方留言分享。

We'll be sure to give you an acknowledgment for your contribution.

我們一定會對你的貢獻給予感謝。

If you enjoyed this video, please check out our other bingeable channels.

如果你喜歡這個影片，請看看我們其他值得一看再看的頻道。

Thank you for joining us on this journey through the history of simple things.

感謝你與我們一同踏上這趟探索簡單事物歷史的旅程。

Don't forget to like, subscribe and stay tuned for more stories woven through the smallest details.

別忘了按讚、訂閱，並持續鎖定更多透過細節編織而成的故事。