Drinking Customs · FFET10458
Banquet drinking games (jiuling)
Words, dice and hand games bring play and laughter to drinking at a banquet.
Drinking etiquette, the manners of urging a drink and drinking games.
Jiuling comprises games and rules played while drinking at a banquet, with forms involving words, verse, dice and hand gestures. In one fictional family banquet, a chosen game leader sets the rules, guests answer in turn, and a wrong answer means drinking a cup. A Ming notebook also records colleagues splitting words and making rhymes at a farewell party.
What
Jiuling is played while drinking at a banquet and includes games with words, verse, dice and hand gestures. A word game may be directed by a chosen leader, with participants answering in turn according to the rules.2,3
When
Jiuling appears at feasts and farewell parties; a Ming notebook records colleagues splitting words and making rhymes at a send-off. Earlier accounts of banquet pitch-pot do not establish the origin of jiuling, whose precise starting date remains uncertain.1,4
Where
Jiuling appears at Chinese banquets, with written depictions including family gatherings and farewell parties among colleagues.3,4
How
At the fictional family banquet, guests first choose a woman to lead the game and set its rules. They take turns giving a line that matches the tile count and rhymes with the preceding line; a wrong answer means drinking a cup. A different game at the Ming farewell party involves splitting two-character words and making rhymes.3,4
Why
In the fictional scene, the game brings a contest of wit and shared laughter to the table. The leader's rules also give order to the rounds of answers.3
Impact and influence
Notebooks and fiction preserve banquet depictions of word-based drinking games, recording different ways to split words, make rhymes and answer in turn.3,4