|
Evidence in Six Dynasties
1 pieces of evidence found.
Id DLP.Evidence.2100
Type Contemporary rule description
Game Chupu
Date 0500-01-01 - 0587-12-31
Rules Five dice. Black and white pieces. Pieces move along a track, can be blocked.
Content Passage from the Chupu fu, by Ma Rong, probably of late Six Dynasties date. Summary given by Schmidt-Madsen, citing an unpublished translation "Ma- Rong's (79-166) Rhapsody on the Chupu Game": "A more detailed description is found in the Chupu fu, or ode to chupu, attributed to Ma Rong (79-166) by the compilers of the Yiwen leiju in 624, but now thought to date from the late Six Dynasties (220-587).53 The Chupu fu describes the game as being played on an embroidered cloth board from the "Western neighbors" (xi lin 西鄰), which may or may not refer to India. Other game equipment includes a dice cup (bei 杯, lit. "cup"), five dice (mu 木, lit. "wood"),54 and an unspecified number of black and white pawns (ma 馬, lit. "horse"). The dice appear to have been binary throwing sticks, some of which were marked with special symbols, as detailed in later descriptions of the game (see below). Little can be said about the rules, but the overall idea is clearly that of a race game with an element of conflict between the players. This can be seen from expressions such as "advancing on the road," "facing the enemy," and "breaking through a siege." Schmidt-Madsen 2021: 14.
Confidence 100
Ages Adult
Social status Elite
Genders Male
Source Schmidt-Madsen, J. 2021. "The Crux of the Cruciform: Retracing the Early History of Chaupar and Pachisi." Board Game Studies Journal 15(1): 29-77.
|
