Whenever the Spring Festival comes, people like to say that this year is the Year of the Loong because of the traditional habits of the Chinese nation. Next year is year of the snake, and the year after next is the Year of the Horse. Tracing back to its historical origin and cultural background, naturally leads to the following topics.
Ancient Records of the Zodiac
Since Shun Di's time, China has started to use the "chronology of branches and branches" which combines the ten phenomena of heavenly stems and twelve phenomena of earthly branches. The method of zoological chronology originated from nomadic people in the west and north of ancient China. The Book of the Tang Dynasty records: "The Year of the Tiger is bounded by twelve events. If the year is cloudy, it is called the year of the tiger. " Zhao Yi, a famous textual research scholar in the Qing Dynasty, made a textual research in Yu Yu Congkao: "In the early days, the custom of benefiting the north was childless, ugly, yin and hairy, but when rats, cows, tigers and rabbits were divided into years, by the end of the Han Dynasty, it was said that (Khan) money lived in Wuyuan, mixed with Qi people, and spread in China, so it was not abandoned.
The zodiac was first seen in The Book of Songs, the world's first collection of poems. "The Book of Songs Xiaoya Chegong Chapter" says: "At noon on an auspicious day, my horse is insufficient." See also Book of Rites, Monthly Order and Winter Order: "Digging cows for air conditioning." When did the zodiac theory come into being? There is a historical cloud: it should be formed in the Han Dynasty at the latest. Its basis is the cloud in Wang Chong's On the Balance of Things in the Eastern Han Dynasty: "Yin, wood, its birds, tigers. Hey, Tuye, its birds and dogs are also. " Another cloud said, "Good afternoon, Ma Ye. Son, mouse also. Unitary, chicken also. ..... Shen, Qitian also. " A total of 1 1 zodiac names were put forward. In addition, in Zhao Ye's "Wu Yue Chun Qiu" in the Eastern Han Dynasty, "Wu Zaichen is a dragon." Just added "Chen Long" to complete the zodiac. It can be seen that the twelve zodiac signs were formed in the Eastern Han Dynasty. As for the use of the Chinese zodiac, it appeared at least in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The Biography of Northern History Yuwen Hu records a letter written to him by Yuwen Hu's mother, which reads: "Your brother was born in Wuchuan Town, the eldest is a mouse, the second is a rabbit, and you are a snake." It can be seen that the Chinese zodiac was widely used by the people at that time to record the date of birth.
However, in the mid-1970s, from 1975 to 12, thousands of bamboo slips were found in the cultural relics unearthed from Qin TombNo. 1 1 in Yunmeng, Hubei Province. Among them, Sunrise Thief clearly records the characters used to predict the appearance characteristics of thieves in the zodiac. The appearance of this miracle proves that the Chinese zodiac has been used in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Because Qin Tomb No.11 was built in the thirty years of the first emperor, that is, 2 17 BC. Some people say that long before Qin Shihuang proclaimed himself emperor, our ancestors used the zodiac to record the year, and especially pointed out that "it began in summer and spread in Shang and Zhou Dynasties." However, how to quote it remains to be further explored by historians and cultural relics scholars.
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties in ancient China, not only the zodiac chronology was used, but also the twelve zodiac poems written by Shen Jiong appeared:
In the case of mice and dust, cattle and sheep came down at dusk.
Tigers roared in the empty valley, and rabbits opened their windows.
The dragon shadow is far green, and the snake willow lingers near.
Ma Lanfang is far away and breeds sheep in spring.
The monkey chestnut shames the fragrant fruit, and the chicken anvil attracts the clear bosom.
The dog is outside, and the pig's window is leisurely.
This poem embeds the names of the animals of the 12 Zodiac in the first letter in order, highlighting the natural characteristics of each animal and playing the role of finishing touch.
The zodiac poems written by Hu Yan, a great scholar in the Ming Dynasty, are not only embedded in the names of the zodiac in turn, but also have a code name for each name, which is quite interesting. Poetry cloud:
Cows and girls have hardly seen each other for years.
The rabbit grows longer in the middle of the month.
Dragons with beads often don't sleep, and drawing snakes is very tiring.
Has the old horse ever had horns, and the sheep angered the princes?
Don't laugh at the Chu people's crown bathing monkeys, but wish the chickens were empty nests.
Wuyang slaughtered dogs in Langzhong, and Ping Jin let Gou Haidong's head go.
The first sentence "Zokor" is the water rat. The "cowgirl" in the second sentence is the legend of the folk cowherd and weaver girl. The five "jackals" are a kind of dragons, and there is a treasure under the chin, so they are called jackals. In the eight sentences, "lick the sheep" is a ram, and "touch the fan" is a corner touching the fence. "Wuyang" eleven sentences, refers to the emperor gaozu Liu Bang named Fan Kuai Wuyang Hou. He used to kill dogs for a living in Pei County, Jiangsu Province. The last sentence refers to the prime minister of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who once spared pigs in the East China Sea.
The Origin and Legend of the Chinese Zodiac
According to the literature, there were twelve earthly branches in the era of the Yellow Emperor, which were related to the twelve constellations such as Aries, Taurus, Gemini and Cancer. The earliest twelve earthly branches and twelve constellations represented twelve different months and festivals every year. Ten characters, such as A, B, C and D, were invented in the Shang Dynasty. Later, people who studied numerology called it heavenly stem, which was used in combination with earthly branches, such as Jia Zi and E Yuan, to calculate the year, month, day and time.
According to legend, it is a masterpiece of Dong Fangshuo in Han Dynasty that twelve kinds of animals are used instead of twelve earthly branches to represent the twelve-month season. In Lun Heng written by Wang Chong in the Eastern Han Dynasty, there is a clear record in Yan Dou. He mentioned the names of twelve animals. According to the zodiac, the year also began in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Zhao Yi's Textual Research on Yu Yu in Qing Dynasty also pointed out this historical fact. As for why twelve animals are chosen as symbols, it may be related to totems at the earliest. In ancient times, all tribes would choose an animal that they were particularly afraid of or loved, and take its pattern as the symbol of their tribe. Yang Gu Man Quan written by Hong Xun in the Song Dynasty and Seven Manuscripts written by Lang Ying in the Ming Dynasty all explained this. In addition, the Buddhist scripture "Dajijing" records the story of the 12 zodiac animals marching in turn, but there are lions without tigers. Therefore, some people think that the Chinese zodiac was introduced to China from ancient India, and the replacement of lions by tigers may be related to the fact that lions are not produced in the Central Plains.
Some people think that the zodiac first appeared in writing. A day and night is twenty-four hours. Ancient astronomers divided a day and night into twelve hours. At the same time, when they watch the celestial phenomena, they determine the zodiac according to the living habits and activities of twelve animals. From 11: 00 pm to 1: 00 am the next day, it is the time for mice to move in the dead of night, and they are called "mice". From/kloc-0 to 3 am, it's ugly. Cattle are used to eating grass at night, and farmers often get up late at night to feed them, so they are called "ugly cows". From three to five in the morning, it belongs to Yin Shi. At this time, tigers lying during the day and walking at night are the fiercest. The ancients often heard tigers roaring at this time, so they were called "silver tigers". From five to seven in the morning, it's Shi Mao. At dawn, rabbits leave their nests and like to eat grass with morning dew, so they are called "hairy rabbits". Seven to nine in the morning is the time of day. It's usually foggy at this time. It is said that Longxi is flying in the clouds, which is worth the rising sun, so it is called "Chen Long". It's the fourth time from 9 am to 1 1. The fog cleared, the sun was shining, and the snake came out of the hole to feed and pretended to be a "snake". From eleven o'clock to one o'clock at noon, it is noon. In ancient times, wild horses were not tamed by humans. At noon, they run around screaming, so they are called "afternoon horses". 1: 00 to 3: 00 in the afternoon is inappropriate. Some places call it "sheep out of the slope", which means it is a good time to herd sheep, so it is called "Weiyang". From 3 pm to 5 pm, it is the application time. When the sun goes down in the west, the monkey likes to crow, so it is called "Shen Monkey". From five o'clock to seven o'clock in the afternoon, it is unitary time. When the sun goes down, the chicken spins in front of the nest, so it is called "unitary chicken". From 7 pm to 9 pm, it is a time of sadness. After a hard day's work, I bolted the door and got ready to have a rest. The dog crouched in front of the door to guard. He barks and yells at every movement, so he is called "dog". From 9: 00 pm to 1 1, it is Shihai. You can hear the sound of the pig arch in the dead of night, so it is called "sea pig". In this way, the time of day is arranged by animals: mice, ugly cows, silver tigers, rabbits, Chen Long, uncles, afternoon horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and porcupines. Later, people used this method to determine the year, and the zodiac appeared.
There is a similar saying that twelve animals deserve twelve hours. It is said that heaven and earth were formed at the beginning of life without gaps, so gas can't escape and matter can't be used. When bitten by a mouse, the gas escapes and the substance can be used. Rats have the power to open celestial bodies, and they belong to rats when they are young. The mouse opens the gap between heaven and earth, the cow comes out to farm, and the clown belongs to the cow. Legend has it that people are born in Yin, and the word "Yin" means awe. In ancient times, people were most afraid of tigers, so Yin was a tiger. Shi Mao has entered the early morning, but the sun has not yet come out. It is the moon that illuminates the earth, and the only animal in the moon palace is the "Jade Rabbit", so Shi Mao is a rabbit. Legend has it that when the dragon rains, this time naturally belongs to the dragon. Snakes are good at hiding their whereabouts with grass. It is said that when they were young, they didn't swim on the road where people walked, so they didn't hurt people, so they belonged to snakes. At noon, the yang reaches the limit, and the yin is just about to produce, so the horse can't run without land. It belongs to the yin beast, so it belongs to the horse at noon. Legend has it that sheep eat untimely grass, which does not affect the regeneration of grass. If it is untimely, it will be returned to sheep. Shen means "stretch". Monkeys are best at stretching, bending and crawling, so Shen is a monkey. At this time, the chicken began to return to the nest, and it was a chicken at this time. When it is getting dark, the dog begins to "work" and look after the home. At this point, it belongs to the dog. At night, everything is silent and the world is chaotic, and pigs, like the chaos of heaven and earth, know nothing but "eat", so Shihai naturally belongs to pigs.
Fayuan Zhu Lin quoted the origin of the 12 zodiac animals in Dajijing as saying: "Outside Jambu-Di^pa, there are 12 animals in Fanghai, which are bodhisattvas. When human nature was born, when the Bodhisattva lived in the cave, it belonged to this beast to protect the interests, so Han went with him on the 12 th. " Another cloud said, "The reason for its distribution is quite detailed in" Random Records of Grain Ears ". According to it, zi, yin, Chen, noon, Shen and Xu are all yang, so rats, tigers, dragons, monkeys and dogs are all five fingers, while horses have only one hoof; Ugly, stubble, taboo, ambiguous, unitary, and the sea belong to yin, so cows, sheep, chickens, and pigs that belong to even numbers have four claws, rabbits have two claws, and snakes have two tongues. " According to this, twelve animals are arranged in odd-even order according to their toes: cattle have four toes, which are even; Strangely, the tiger has five toes; Rabbit has four toes, even number; Dragon five toe, very strange; Snakes have no toes, only two tongues, which is an even number; Strangely, a horse has only one toe (a hoof); Sheep have four toes, even number; It is strange that monkeys have five toes; Chicken has four toes, even; Strangely, dogs have five toes; Pigs have four toes, even number; Among the twelve animals, only the mouse is the most special. Its front foot has four toes, which is even. Surprisingly, there are five toes on the back foot. In this way, it was originally odd and even, so it ranked first among the 12 zodiac animals.
In the northwest of Lishan ancestral temple in Lintong, Shaanxi Province, there is a huge monument engraved with the images of twelve animals, such as rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs, which is called "Twelve Elephant Stones". There is also an interesting legend in this "Twelve Elephant Stones": in ancient times, there was a "branch chronology method" that heavenly stems and earthly branches first cooperated with. In practice, our ancestors felt that the chronology of cadres and branches was complicated, and it was difficult to be deeply rooted in people's hearts. Therefore, it is suggested that the zodiac be used to mark the year. The Yellow Emperor agreed to this suggestion and ordered Cang Xie to do it. On the first day of the first month of this year, all the animals in the world were gathered in front of The Yellow Emperor's Palace Temple to take part in the election. When the animals heard the news, they all cheered and rushed to prepare for the meeting. Among them, the cow knew that her legs and feet were slow, so she left home on New Year's Eve and got the first place in the exam. The second is a tiger, the third is a rabbit, the fourth is a dragon, and then there are snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs, pigs and mice. Dragons are dignified, covered in scales and shining; Eyes are round, like bright lights; Silver beard and gold beard, fluttering in the wind; Tiger feet and eagle claws, riding fog clouds. The fly in the ointment is that the top of the head is bare, as if something is missing. When Kong Lung jumped out of the pool, he saw the rooster. I see that the rooster not only has beautiful feathers, but also has a pair of beautiful horns on his head. I couldn't help but get excited and borrowed the horn on his head. The rooster shook his head and said, "No, I have to go to the election meeting of the zodiac tomorrow!" " "The dragon said," the horn on your head is redundant. With your colorful clothes, you will be chosen. "The rooster loves flattery and is willing to lend his horn to the dragon, but he still can't bear it. Just then, a big centipede climbed up and said, "Brother Chicken, lend your horn to Brother Long. If you don't trust me, how about I be the guarantor? "The cock saw a centipede as a guarantee and agreed. The dragon was very happy and promised to return the horn to the rooster immediately after the election meeting of the zodiac. Besides, mice and cats are good friends. The cat is sleepy. Before going to the meeting, the cat said to the mouse, "will you call me early tomorrow morning?" "The mouse nodded and said," OK, I will definitely call you. " In this way, the cat went to sleep peacefully. When the mouse woke up, it was already late. He hurried to call the cat, and when he saw the cat sleeping soundly, he thought, why should there be another competitor? He left the cat and turned out to be the last one present.
The election meeting of the zodiac is so lively! Those who fly in the sky, those who run on the ground, those who swim in the water and those who live in trees are all gathered together. Bustling, very lively. The Yellow Emperor selected twelve kinds of animals from all kinds of birds and animals and ranked them. The Yellow Emperor thought: Although the cow is clumsy, it is tall and strong, with infinite strength, and it is the first, so the steak is decided first. Rats are humble, they should come last. As soon as the voice of the Yellow Emperor was spoken, the mouse had a brainwave and quickly jumped in front of the Yellow Emperor and said, "If you want to talk big, you have to count me in. If you don't believe it, please let the people identify it. " The Yellow Emperor was amused by the mouse's words. This little guy said, "Since we have chosen the Chinese zodiac for the people, let the people identify it." So he ordered all twelve kinds of animals to walk in the street. When the cow walked into the street, people were very friendly to it. Some touched its head and some praised it, but no one said it was big. At this time, the mouse suddenly jumped on the cow's back, which startled people. I heard someone in the crowd exclaim, "Oh dear! Where did such a big mouse jump out! " This cry made the mouse show off, and the Yellow Emperor couldn't break his word, so he had to put the mouse first in the zodiac.
At the election meeting of the zodiac, the mouse was not only selected, but also ranked first, so it was naturally proud. When I got home, I saw the cat just waking up and said, "Mao Ge, the Zodiac Festival is over, and I was elected the first." Hearing this, the cat shouted, "What? Why didn't you wake me up? You are an evil bad thing. " Then he pounced on the mouse. When the mouse saw that the cat really turned over, it was scared and hurriedly fled back to the mouse hole. Since then, cats and mice have become sworn enemies, which have continued to this day.
Besides, the rooster was behind the dragon. He was unconvinced and regretted lending his horn to the dragon. After the meeting, the rooster hurried to the dragon and begged for his horn. When the dragon saw the rooster, he knew he was wrong, but he didn't want to give it back such a beautiful horn. He jumped into the deep pool beside him and hid. The cock can't swim, so he has to go to the centipede as a guarantor. The centipede said, "You still have to ask the dragon for your horn, but he just won't give it back. What can I do? " Say that finish, centipede also hid. Since then, the rooster has no horns on his head, leaving only a red comb. Climb high every morning and shout, "Brother Long, give me back my horn!" " "I usually dig centipedes everywhere with my claws and peck at them as soon as I see them.
After the zodiac signs were selected and arranged in sequence, the Yellow Emperor ordered Cang Xie, who created the characters, to engrave the names of the zodiac signs on the stone tablet, which has been handed down to this day.
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The origin of the zodiac
According to the time and life characteristics of ancient animals in China, twelve kinds of animals are regarded as the zodiac, that is, each animal lasts for one hour. Rats rank first (matched with "Zi"), followed by rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs.
Rat: From 1 1 in the evening to 1 the next day (that is, "midnight"). At this time, mice have the greatest courage and the most frequent activities, so they have been paired with mice since childhood.
Bull: 65438+ 0-3 am (that is, "ugly time"). At this time, the cow has eaten enough grass, and the "backward chewing" is the thinnest, slowest and most comfortable, so it is matched with the cow when it is ugly.
Tiger: 3-5 am (that is, "Yin Shi"). According to ancient books, at this time, the tiger was the most active, fierce and hurtful, so Yin Shi and the tiger became a pair.
Rabbit: 5-7 am (that is, "Shi Mao"). At this time, the sun has not yet appeared, and the glory of the moon has not completely retired. Jade rabbit is the representative of the moon and the only animal in the myth of the Moon Palace, so it is paired with rabbits in Shi Mao.
Dragon: 7-9 am (that is, "Chen Shi"). Legend has it that this is when the dragon rains. Dragons are mythical animals, so Chen Shi belongs to dragons.
Snake: 9- 1 1 in the morning (that is, "Shi Si"). It is said that snakes at this time will not hurt people, nor will they wander on the road where people walk, but will hide in the grass, so this time belongs to snakes.
M: From 1 1 in the morning to 1 in the evening (that is, "noon"). The Taoist priest said that at noon, the sun was on the horizon, the yang was at its peak, and the yin was gradually flourishing. When yin and yang change columns, most animals lie down and rest. Only horses stand habitually and don't lie down even when they sleep. So it belongs to the horse at noon
Sheep: 65438+ 0-3 pm (that is, "untimely"). It is said that sheep urinate most frequently at this time, and the spilled urine can cure a kind of madness, so it belongs to sheep since childhood.
Monkey: 3-5 pm (that is, "God Ten"). At this time, monkeys like to crow the most, and the sound is the longest and loudest. So Shen Shi is a monkey.
Chicken: 5-7 pm (that is, "You's"). At this time, when the sun sets on the mountain, the chicken begins to enter the cage for the night, so it belongs to the chicken.
Dog: 7-9 pm (that is, "time"). When night comes, dogs watch the house and keep vigil, which produces a special kind of vision and hearing. They can see farthest and hear clearly. So when you are a dog.
Pig: 9- 1 1 pm (that is, "Shihai"). At this time, pigs sleep best, snore loudest, shake muscles the most and gain meat the fastest, so Shihai is a pig.