A moment of joy, a moment of sorrow; thinking of a thousand things that are wrong. If you could think of a thousand things, you would solve your own worries and ease your own sorrows.
This poem is itself a riddle, and its answer is "guessing riddles." It is said that more than two thousand years ago, there was already this kind of game activity called guessing riddles. But how did guessing riddles become lantern riddles? There is an interesting story behind it!
It is said that long ago, there was a rich man named Hu, who had great wealth and ruled over the countryside with tyranny. He smiled politely but never truly smiled, and people called him "Smiling Tiger." Whenever Smiling Tiger saw someone dressed better than himself, he would act like a mouse grooming a hunter's beard—trying his best to please them. However, for poor people dressed in ragged clothes, he would behave like a hungry dog gnawing on bones—desperately wanting to extract every bit of oil from them.
That year, as the Spring Festival approached, two people arrived at Hu's house, one after another. The first one was Li Cai, and the second was Wang Shao. Li Cai was well-dressed and elegant, while Wang Shao was poorly dressed. When the servants saw Li Cai, they quickly went back to report. Smiling Tiger hurriedly came out to meet him. Seeing the well-dressed guest, he smiled warmly and welcomed him politely. Li Cai asked to "borrow ten taels of silver," and Smiling Tiger immediately took out the silver. Li Cai took the silver and left proudly. Before Smiling Tiger could recover, Wang Shao rushed forward and said, "Sir, I want to borrow some grain." Smiling Tiger glanced at him and, seeing his ragged clothes, became furious and shouted, "You little brat, get out!" Without even a chance to explain, Wang Shao was driven out by the servants.
On the way home, Wang Shao felt more and more angry. Suddenly, he came up with an idea and decided to play a trick on Smiling Tiger.
Before long, the Spring Festival passed, and the Lantern Festival was approaching. Everyone was busy making lanterns. Wang Shao also worked happily all day. On the night of the Lantern Festival, everyone hung various kinds of lanterns on the streets and in front of their houses. Wang Shao also made a large, bright lantern and took it out onto the street. The lantern was not only big and bright, but it also had a poem written on it. Wang Shao came to Smiling Tiger's house, raised the lantern high, and attracted many people to gather around. Smiling Tiger was watching the lanterns in front of his house when he saw this scene and rushed over to look at the lantern. He couldn't read all the characters and couldn't understand the poem, so he ordered his accountant to read it for him. The accountant read with a dramatic tone:
The head is sharp, the body thin, white as silver, no weight at all. Eyes are on the buttocks, only recognizes clothes, not people.
Smiling Tiger heard this and turned red with anger, his eyes wide open, shouting, "You little scoundrel, dare to insult the master!" He ordered the servants to take the lantern away. Wang Shao quickly lifted the lantern and smiled and said, "Sir, how do you know it's insulting you?" Smiling Tiger angrily said, "What's written on your lantern?" Wang Shao recited it again loudly. Smiling Tiger said with resentment, "This isn't insulting me, then who?" Wang Shao still smiled and said, "Ah, sir, you're being suspicious. This is a riddle. The answer is 'needle.' Think about it, isn't that right?" Smiling Tiger thought for a moment and realized it was indeed correct. He could only glare helplessly, had nothing to say, and left in embarrassment. The people around laughed heartily.
Later, this incident spread far and wide. The following year, during the Lantern Festival, many people began writing riddles on lanterns for people to guess and enjoy, and thus it became known as "lantern riddles." Later, this tradition continued, and every year during the Lantern Festival, people in various places held lantern riddle activities, which have been passed down until today.
