Jiaozi 饺子

舒服不如躺着，好吃不如饺子，这句老话形象地概括出饺子在中国人心目中的地位，包饺子，过大年也一直是中国人尤其是北方人民的习俗。饺子原名“娇耳”，流传是中国医圣张仲景首先发明的。
Jiaozi is regarded by many Chinese people as the best food. Making jiaozi during Spring Festival is customary, especially for the people in northern China. Originally called jiao er, jiaozi was allegedly invented by Zhang Zhongjing, China’s medical sage.
东汉末年，各地灾害严重，很多人身患疾病。南阳有个名医叫张机，字仲景，自幼苦学医书，博采众长，成为中医学的奠基人。张仲景不仅医术高明，什么疑难杂症都能手到病除，而且医德高尚，无论穷人和富人，他都认真施治，挽救了无数的性命。张仲景在长沙为官时，常为百姓除疾医病。有一年当地瘟疫盛行，他在衙门口垒起大锅，舍药救人，深得长沙人民的爱戴。张仲景从长沙告老还乡后，走到家乡白河岸边，见很多穷苦百姓忍饥受寒，耳朵都冻烂了。他心里非常难受，决心救治他们。张仲景回到家，求医的人特别多，他忙的不可开交，但他心里总挂记着那些冻烂耳朵的穷百姓。他仿照在长沙的办法，叫弟子在南阳东关的一块空地上搭起医棚，架起大锅，在冬至那天开张，向穷人舍药治伤。张仲景的药名叫“祛寒娇耳汤”，其做法是用羊肉、辣椒和一些祛寒药材在锅里煮熬，煮好后再把这些东西捞出来切碎，用面皮包成耳朵状的“娇耳”，下锅煮熟后分给乞药的病人。每人两只娇耳，一碗汤。人们吃下祛寒汤后浑身发热，血液通畅，两耳变暖。吃了一段时间，病人的烂耳朵就好了。张仲景舍药一直持续到大年三十。大年出一，人们庆祝新年，也庆祝烂耳康复，就仿娇耳的样子做过年的食物，并在初一早上吃。人们称这种食物为“饺耳”、“饺子”或偏食，在冬至和年初一吃，以纪念张仲景开棚舍药和治愈病人的日子。
In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, owing to disasters in many places, many people suffered from various diseases. There was a famous doctor named Zhang Ji, style name Zhongjing, in Nanyang. He studied medicine very diligently since childhood and later became a founder of traditional Chinese medicine. Zhang Zhongjing was skillful in medical treatment and could cure various difficult and complicated cases of illness. He also had lofty morals and earnestly treated every patient, poor or rich. As an official in Changsha, he cured many patients. One year during a plague, he distributed free medicine from a vessel in front of his government office. Changsha people respected him very much. After Zhang Zhongjing retired from his post, he came back home. Walking along the Baihe River in his hometown one day, he found many poor people suffering from cold and hunger, and they had ulcers in their ears. He felt sorry for them and decided to help. After Zhang Zhongjing returned home, many people came to him for medical treatment. He was very busy every day. But he still remembered the poor people with ulcers in their ears. He continued his practice in Changsha and asked his apprentices to build a shed as his clinic on the vacant lot in Dongguan in Nanyang. His clinic opened on Winter Solstice and his apprentices distributed medicine to the poor for free. His medicine was called “anti-chill jiao er soup.” He boiled mutton, chili and other medicines to raise inner heat in the vessel. After the materials were boiled, Zhang Zhongjing took them out and minced them. Then, he used dough slices to wrap the stuffing and made into the shape of ears. After boiling the 'ears' in water, the jiao ers were distributed to the patients. Each patient could have two jiao ers and one bowl of soup. After eating the soup, the patents would be warm, their blood circulation would be smooth and their ears would be warmer. After a period of time of treatment, the ulcers in their ears healed. Zhang Zhongjing’s donations lasted until the eve of Spring Festival. During Spring Festival, people celebrated Chinese New Year, and celebrated the recovery of their ears. They also followed Zhang Zhongjing to make jiao ers and ate them during Spring Festival. People call the food jiao er, jiaozi or pianshi, and eat them on Winter Solstice and Spring Festival so as to commemorate the dates of Zhang Zhongjing’s contributions and medical treatments.
张仲景距今已近1800年，但他舍“祛寒娇耳汤”的故事一直在民间广为流传。每逢冬至和大年初一，人们吃着饺子，心里仍记挂着张仲景的恩情。今天，我们用不着用娇耳来治冻烂的耳朵了，但饺子却已成了人们最常见、最爱吃的食品。
Nearly 1,800 years have passed since Zhang Zhongjing’s contributions. But his story of donating “anti-chill jiao er soup” has been handed down among the people. In Winter Solstice and Spring Festival every year, people eat jiaozi and remember Zhang Zhongjing’s kindness. Today, we do not need to cure ear ulcers, but jiaozi has nonetheless become the most common and most popular food.