So he and Zhao are famous in history, which is naturally attributed to the idiom "fat and thin". Unfortunately, it is also because of this idiom that many people take it for granted that Yang Guifei is a fat woman and firmly believe that "fat is beauty" in the Tang Dynasty.
But the truth is that China people's aesthetic standards have almost never changed since ancient times, and they have always maintained the standard of "taking symmetry as beauty" (thin without bones and fat without meat), and the Tang Dynasty is no exception.
In other words, it is just a misunderstanding that "fat is beautiful" in the Tang Dynasty. The reason why people in the Tang Dynasty thought that "fat is beauty" was mainly misled by the idiom "fat around thin around". Coupled with the influence of some paintings and sculptures in the Tang Dynasty, this impression has been deepened.
Next, in order to prove that the Tang Dynasty is not "fat is beautiful", I will start from two aspects: First, prove that Yang Guifei is not fat; Secondly, it proves that the aesthetic standards of the Tang Dynasty actually conform to the standards of "symmetrical aesthetics" in previous dynasties.
First of all, it is actually very simple to know whether Yang Guifei is fat or not. As long as we find the description of Yang Guifei from the poems of those literati in the Tang Dynasty, we can find clues.
For example, we can first look at how Bai Juyi, a "poet", describes Yang Guifei in his famous narrative poem Song of Eternal Sorrow, about the love tragedy between Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei. In Song of Eternal Sorrow, Bai Juyi wrote: "Because of her fatigue, a maid held her up when the emperor first noticed her and chose her as his bride. When she moves, the clouds of her hair, the petals on her cheeks, and the golden ripples of her crown are covered by warm hibiscus curtains on spring nights. " It can be seen from Delicate and Golden Step that Yang Guifei is not fat.
For another example, Du Fu, the "poet saint", also wrote a poem about Yang Guifei, which is called "Two for the Tao". In Du Fu's The Second Way, the image of Yang Guifei is "receptive, aloof, gentle, sincere and gentle, with soft skin and fine bones". So, what does this sentence mean? In fact, the general idea is that Yang is a beautiful woman with symmetrical figure (bone) and material (meat).
In addition, Yang Guifei is also described in the legendary novel Song of Eternal Sorrow by the novelist Chen Hong in the Tang Dynasty. So, what kind of image is Yang Guifei here? Chen Hong's wording is "greasy hair, moderate figure (note: slender and plump), and leisurely manner, like Li Furen, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty". At the same time, Chen Hong further pointed out that "(Yang Guifei) is weak out of water, if she is not allowed to be Luo Qi". Whether it is "slim and moderate", "like Li Furen, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty" or "weak and powerless, if you don't let Luo Qi", it all shows a problem: Yang Guifei has a moderate figure, not the fat man mentioned by the general population, but a delicate beauty.
Worst of all, everyone should know that Yang Guifei can sing and dance. After stealing the limelight of Li Longji, the early favorite of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, and Mei Fei, the founder of Jinghong Dance, Yang Guifei became the "successor" of Jinghong Dance. Jing Hong dance is characterized by lightness, elegance, softness and beautiful charm. Is this something a fat woman can do? Moreover, according to historical records, Yang Guifei is not only good at Hong Jing dance, but also proficient in Hu Xuan dance. Her figure is swaying, dancing gracefully and jumping like the wind, which is dazzling. Therefore, this can also show that Yang Guifei is not the "fat man" that many people imagine.
To sum up, we can judge that Yang Guifei is actually a beautiful woman with a well-proportioned figure and moderate weight.
Then, we continue to talk about the aesthetic standards of the Tang Dynasty.
What kind of talents were the beauties in the Tang Dynasty? We might as well look for the answer from the poem of the old driver Bai Juyi first. Yes, Bai Juyi is not only a great talent, but also an old driver. This is what I said in Bai Juyi's poem, which is more eye-catching than Su Shi's "A pear tree hits a begonia"! It has been mentioned in the text, so I won't repeat it here.
As a romantic genius, Bai Juyi is obviously a person who loves beauty. Once, he was so excited about poetry that he wrote a poem to praise his two concubines. The poem says, "Cherry Su Fan mouth, willow waist" (Su Fan's mouth is small and bright, like a cherry; Xiaoman's waist is weak and slender, like a willow. Although this poem can't be found in Bai Juyi's poetry collection now, a writer named (with "Qi") in the Tang Dynasty made a special record in his book Skills Poetry, which recorded the anecdotes of poets in the Tang Dynasty. In The Art of Poetry, Bai Meng wrote: "Bai Shangshu (Juyi) is a Su mortal who is good at singing and a prostitute is good at dancing. It tastes like a poem: cherry Su Fan mouth, willow small waist ". It can be inferred from this that the beauty in the Tang Dynasty was not fat, but a small waist.
Coincidentally. Bai Juyi also said in "Twenty Poems of Peace and Spring": "Swing your waist and sway in the wind." In addition, Liu Xiyi, a poet in the early Tang Dynasty, also wrote a poem "I would like to wear a thin waist lightly and be charming in front of the mirror". Wu, another poet in the early Tang Dynasty, also described in his poem "Songs of Sorrow" that "a beautiful girl with a small waist is amazing, but a teenager with a golden saddle once ignored it".