Ever wondered what dialect is spoken in Henan? From the refined speech of the ancient Heluo region to the everyday "Zhong bu zhong?" (Is it okay?) heard in streets and alleys today, the Henan dialect carries within it three thousand years of stories from the Central Plains. Every phrase is a living piece of history.
According to Records of the Grand Historian, "the dwellings of the Three Dynasties were located between the Yellow River and the Luo River." The "Yayan" (refined speech) used by Confucius when reading the Book of Songs and the Book of Documents or practicing rituals was, in fact, the ancient Henan dialect represented by the Luoyang accent. This language endured through the upheavals of the Qin and Han dynasties. During the Western Jin Dynasty, it traveled south with the nobility, enriching the Jianghuai dialects. In the Tang Dynasty, it was praised as "the finest pronunciation of China, none surpassing the eastern capital." The Song Dynasty poet Lu You even claimed that "the Luoyang accent is the most authentic." For thousands of years, the Henan dialect has remained the "vocal carrier" of Central Plains culture, witnessing the rise and fall of dynasties while preserving the roots of its literary heritage.
It is not merely a "living fossil" of history but also embodies the wisdom of daily life passed down through generations. Words from Song and Yuan zaju plays, such as "sigen" (to follow) and "daijian" (to like), still roll off the tongues of Henan people today. Phrases from the agrarian era, like "yi cha ren" (a generation of people) and "po e shui" (to dump dirty water), conceal the life philosophies of those living along the Yellow River. Just like the cuckoo's call, which people in Xinyang interpret as "da huo ge gu" (let's harvest the grains together) and those in Zhengzhou hear as "ge mai zhong dou" (harvest wheat and plant beans), the dialect is imbued with the imprint of agrarian civilization in the Central Plains.
Today, while Mandarin helps us journey far and wide, the Henan dialect is a nostalgia etched into our very bones. It has traveled from the courts of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties to the homes of ordinary people, encapsulating the warmth and sincerity of the Central Plains across millennia. A simple "Come back, have some soup" carries warmth that spans thousands of years, while an encouraging "Don't be afraid, go for it!" reflects the confidence ingrained in the dialect of the Central Plains people. This dialect is more than just a means of communication—it is the continuation of a millennia-long cultural legacy, the roots of home that remain unforgettable no matter how far we roam.
So, what dialect is spoken in Henan? It is this rich, historical, and deeply cultural language that continues to tell the story of the Central Plains.
