First, addition
Cao Feng, a painter in Tongzhou in Qing Dynasty, painted a picture of a hundred birds returning to their nests, and asked his 12-year-old son to write the meaning of a hundred birds, but he was not allowed to write the word "hundred". Son is very smart, after a little thinking, he said smoothly:
Three, four, five, six, seven, eight;
One after another in the sky.
Hearing this, the painter paused and asked, "How do you understand this?" The son replied, "Three times four equals twelve, five times six equals thirty, and seven times eight equals fifty-six. Twelve plus thirty and fifty-six equals ninety-eight. Plus one in the sky and one on the ground, isn't it a hundred? " Father suddenly realized, nodded again and again, and wrote it on the "Birds Return to their Nest". Addition is used in the upper and lower couplets, and the idea is very clever.
Second, subtraction.
Cheng Hao of the Northern Song Dynasty won the first prize at the age of 82 and was very excited. He lamented that I was old and was glad that where there is a will, there is a way. He was happy for a while and wrote a good couplet.
Bald and poor, eight years old.
It will be more than two years before I succeed in my career.
This means that although I am two years older than Jiang Taigong who assisted Zhou Wenwang, I am eight years younger than Fu Sheng who became famous at the age of 90. This couplet uses subtraction, implying that he is 82 years old.
Third, multiplication.
Chen Lanbin, a diplomat in the Qing Dynasty, hosted a banquet in honor of the Japanese Prime Minister in the pavilion of the rockery in the back garden of the Embassy in Japan. After a full meal, I wanted to play a joke on Ambassador Chen. I heard that there are nine songs in the Hetao of the Yellow River in your country, so I thought of a couplet and wanted to ask your minister if it was right. Then read:
The yellow river and green water turn three or three times.
The first part of the couplet is very clever, and the nine songs say three turns. After hearing this, Chen Lanbin walked around the corner of the mountain road instead of facing the lake below. Immediately, Chen Lanbin said with a smile, "This practical relationship is inferior in our country. If the Prime Minister really wants to be right, then respond with the scenery in front of him. " Then read:
Purple sea and green hills, six or six bends.
And smiled and said, "Do you remember that our uphill path has six bends, six bends and thirty-six bends?" Japan is called "admire, admire!" And then leave angrily. This couplet uses multiplication.
Fourth, division.
Outside the Golden Gate from Suzhou to Huqiu, there is a scenic road called Shantang, which is about seven miles long, and there is a place called Bantang in the middle. One day, Tang Bohu and Zhu Zhishan play together, and Zhu Zhishan leads to the first part:
Qilishantang, go to half soup for three and a half miles;
Tang Bohu was speechless and could not answer. Later, when they came to a place called "Jiuxi Cave", Tang Bohu was inspired and sang freely:
Jiuxi Mandong passes through the Middle East and Wuxi Middle.
Seven miles divided into two is three and a half miles; Nine streams divided by two is four and a half streams, which is the middle of five streams. Division is used very skillfully.