Pair of Lacquered and Gilded Wooden Panels

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Pair of Lacquered and Gilded Wooden Panels

Pair of traditional East Asian wooden antithetical couplet panels, commonly known as Câu đối in Vietnamese or Duilian (对联) in Chinese.

These panels are traditionally hung in pairs on walls, doors, or pillars in ancestral altars, reception halls, or a scholar's study to display literary refinement, philosophical values, or family virtues. The panels are beautifully carved out of dark wood with a stylized decorative border and the characters are inlaid or painted with gold lacquer.

In traditional fashion, the couplet is read from top to bottom, starting with the right panel (the upper line) and followed by the left panel (the lower line):

Right Panel (Upper Line):
Characters: 詩 書 聯 氣 味
Pinyin/Pronunciation: Shī shū lián qì wèi (Vietnamese: Thơ thư liên khí vị)
Translation: ""Poetry and literature connect our tastes and dispositions.""
Left Panel (Lower Line):
Characters: 琴 舞 錄 精 神
Pinyin/Pronunciation: Qín wǔ lù jīng shén (Vietnamese: Cầm vũ lục tinh thần)
Translation: ""Music (the zither) and dance record our inner spirit and mind.""
The text beautifully reflects the classical ideals of the scholar-gentry class, emphasizing the cultivation of the Four Arts (specifically poetry/literature, music, and the artistic expression of the spirit). The pair exhibits perfect parallel structure, matching ""Poetry and literature"" with ""Zither and dance,"" and ""connecting tastes"" with ""recording the spirit.