The worship of Kitchen God, from the early stage of praying for blessings to the later stage of hoping to avoid disasters, tortuously reflects the ancient people's confusion about their own destiny, and they can only describe the various good and bad disasters they encountered. Futuo is a god, and the Kitchen God's various taboos against complaining, saying weird things, and complaining have been exploited by rulers and become a tool to constrain people's thoughts. Now, with the development and continuous progress of society, the custom of worshiping stoves has gradually faded away, and it will gradually move away from people's lives. [Edit this paragraph] 5. The Origin of the Kitchen God He is the most common god in Chinese folk belief and is worshiped by almost all ethnic groups. According to records, the custom of worshiping stoves was already popular in the pre-Qin Dynasty. But what exactly the Kitchen God’s niche is is a question that is not easy to figure out. Since there are so many theories available for reference, they can be roughly divided into four "schools":
First, the theory of ancient emperors or descendants. "The Original Meeting of Things" states that the Yellow Emperor built the stove and died as the stove god. "Huainanzi·Pan Lun Chapter": "Emperor Yan made fire and died as a stove." Gao Yuan's note: Emperor Yan governed the world with the virtue of fire, and after his death he enjoyed sacrifices as the Kitchen God. "Book of Rites of Zhou": "Zhuanxu's family had a son named Li, who was Zhu Rong and was worshiped as the Kitchen God." "Guoyu·Zhengyu": "Fu Li was the fire of Gaoxin's family. He was so pure that he made the sky clear and the earth was virtuous and illuminated. Sihai, so the name is "Zhu Rong". "The god Zhu Rong" in "Lu Shi Chun Qiu·Meng Qiu" notes: "Zhu Rong, the son of Lao Tong, the descendant of Zhuan Xu, was born in Wu Huiye and was the Huozheng of Gao Xin. He is the God of Fire. "Some people believe that the Kitchen God is the God of Fire, a variant of the product of worship of natural force that entered the human living space. Since Emperor Yan is the "Emperor of Fire Virtue" and Zhu Rong is the "God of Fire Officer", they are both regarded as kitchen gods.
Second, the theory of ghosts and gods or changes in spirits. "Book of Rites·Liturgical Vessels" "Old Women are the sacrifices of old women." Zheng Xuan notes: "Old women are the ones who cook first." "Book of Rites: Special Sacrifice" "Food-Feeding Ceremony" "Sacrifice to Cuan and Yong Cuan after eating." Kong Yingdashu said: "Cuan is the sacrifice of the old woman. ... This sacrifice is preceded by cooking, not a sacrifice to the God of Fire." This means that the Kitchen God is neither the God of Fire nor the God of Fire. The inventor of the stove was actually a goddess in charge of kitchen cooking - Xian Chu. Since cooking must be done on the stove, her sacrifices were performed as sacrifices to the stove. "Tongkao Jiaoshe No. 19 of Documents" explains the "Si Ming" name of the Kitchen God: "Si Ming means that Si Ming will eat the world under the star of Si Ming, and Si will condemn the small gods." "Zhuangzi·Dasheng Chapter" records that Duke Huan of Qi asked the prince Gao Ao: "Are there any ghosts?" The prince told Ao and replied: "Yes. There is a ghost under the water called 'Lu', and a ghost in the stove called 'Ji'." Sima Biao of the Western Jin Dynasty noted: "The Kitchen God looks like a beautiful woman. , wears red clothes, and is named Song Wuji. "Three Kingdoms·Wei Zhi·Guan Ren Biography": The humble woman of Wang Ji's family gave birth to a son, who fell to the ground and passed away in the stove. Lu said: "The demon of Wuji in the direct Song Dynasty brought him into the stove." "Historical Records·Fengchan Book" "Song Wuji" Sima Zhensuoyin: ""Baize Picture": "The spirit of fire is called Wuji in the Song Dynasty."" About the Kitchen God It is a common belief of a couple (i.e. "Zao Gong and Zao Mu"), and it also has its roots. "Records of the Age of Jingchu": "The Kitchen God's name is Su Jili." "The Book of Jade Candles" 12 quotes from "The Stove Book": "The Kitchen God's surname is Su and his name is Jili, and his wife's name is Bojie." "The Stove King Sutra" says that the Stove King in the world is , respecting the old mother who planted the fire. Some people think that this is the origin of the popular belief "Grandma Zaojun".
Third, the theory that people become gods after death. "Youyang Zazu Nuo Gao Ji" says that the kitchen god's surname is Zhang Liang, also known as Wei, with the courtesy name Ziguo, and his appearance is like a beautiful woman. His wife's nickname is Qing Ji. She gave birth to six daughters, all named Chacha. Legend has it that Zhang Dan was a loveless prodigal who got into the stove because he was ashamed to divorce his wife and became the Kitchen God. It is said that in ancient times there was a corrupt official who was the most greedy by nature. He had to find delicious food every day and the people could not bear to be disturbed.
Later, a folk girl who transformed into a fairy slapped him on the pot table and became the "Kitchen King" who could only watch others eat delicious food.
Four. The theory of the evolution of poor cicadas. This theory is the opinion of contemporary scholar Yuan Ke. He once quoted "Zhuangzi Dasheng Chapter" "Zao has a bun" to analyze it. "Ji" is a variant or borrowed word of "蛣". "Guangya·Shichong": "蛣, also known as cicada." "Dadaili·Emperor Line Chapter": "Zhuan Xu gave birth to a poor cicada." "That's it. Got the idea: Zhuanxu's son was named Qiongchan, and cicada is the 'ji (蛣)' of 'Zao Youji (蛣)', and 'jiji (蛣)' is also said to be the Kitchen God, which is the connection between "Qiongchan" and the Kitchen God. There is a certain "connection", but this "cicada" is not a "cicada", but a small cicada-like creature commonly seen on stoves, commonly known as cockroaches, and in some places it is called "zao horse". The small creatures that often appear on the stove were considered by the ancients to be gods (or ghosts) and were worshiped as the Kitchen God. The Ding Yi of the Yin and Zhou dynasties were often decorated with cicada patterns. This is what is depicted in "The Chronicles of the Five Emperors" by Zhuan Xu. The son was called Qiongchan. Sima Zhensuoyin said: "Xi (Shi) Ben", it is Qiong Xie. "The Stove God" in Volume 13 of Yu Zhengxie's "Guisi Cunkuo" quotes "Xu Shen Yiyi": "The Stove God, the ancient "Zhou Rites" said, Zhuan Xu had a son named Li, who was Zhu Rong and was worshiped as the Stove God. "The sounds of plow, tie, and bun (蛣) are all similar, and the word "qiong" is also called "qiong cicada", which is the plow, which is also the kitchen god in ancient legends. "Book of the Later Han Dynasty·Yin Shi Zhuan" "In the morning of the twelfth lunar month, the kitchen god is cooking The form can be seen in "Li Xian's Notes and Quotations from "Miscellaneous Five Elements Book": "The kitchen god's name is Zen, with the courtesy name Ziguo. "Youyang Zazu Nuo Gao Ji 1": "The kitchen god's surname is Zhang. It can be seen that "Dan" or "Zen" are actually the evolution of the name "Qiongchan". Further speculation is that "Su Jili" should be the sound of "Song Wuji" and the sounds of "Ji" and "Ji" are close to the sound of "Ji" (蛣). At this point, it is "suddenly understood": Since Qiong Chan is also called Qiong Xie, and the sounds of Xie, Ji (蛣), Ji, and Ji are so similar, then the Kitchen God in later generations' legends, regardless of his name, is named "Zen". The one named "Shan", the one named "Song Wuji", and the one named "Su Jili" are all the evolution of Zhuanxu's son "Qiongchan (Qiongxi)", and the original face of Qiongchan is actually just that. It's just the kind of cicada-like red beetle commonly seen on stoves - cockroaches ("Man's Talk about the Kitchen God and Sacrifice to the Stove", originally published in the second issue of "Prose" in 1980). In addition, there are many other origins of the Kitchen God in folklore. "Version", and the legends about the Kitchen God from ethnic minorities are even richer. The Kitchen God, that is, the Kitchen God of the East, is named Fu Zaojun, commonly known as the Kitchen Lord, Kitchen King, and Kitchen Lord. Sacrifice to the Kitchen God has been practiced in ancient China. The "Sacrifice Method" of "Book of Rites" "" chapter says, "The king established seven sacrifices for the group's surnames." One of the seven sacrifices was the stove. But ordinary people can only offer sacrifices to one bell, either to a household or to a stove. The stove must be lit with fire. Therefore, during the Han Dynasty, some people called him Yandi Shennong, the god of fire, who entrusted him to the stove after his death; some also called Zhu Rongluhui Gao Xin's Huozheng, and after his death he became the god of fire and entrusted him to the stove. The pots and pans need to be washed before going to the stove. Therefore, the "Liturgical Utensils" chapter of "Book of Rites" also calls stove sacrifices "Old Women's Sacrifice." Those who offer sacrifices are rewarded for their contribution to food and drink." After the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Kitchen God had a name. Du Taiqing's "Jade Candle Book" of the Sui Dynasty quoted the "Book of Stoves" as saying, "The Stove God's surname is Su, his first name is Ji Li, and his female name is Bojia." Li Xian of the Tang Dynasty quoted the "Miscellaneous Five Elements Book" and said, "The Kitchen God is named Zen, with the courtesy name Ziguo, dressed in yellow, with loose hair, and comes out of the stove." The Kitchen God was originally a goddess, or an old woman, or a beautiful woman. There are many theories. The "Complete Book of Jingzao", which was probably produced in the Qing Dynasty, states that the surname of Lord Zao is Zhang, with the given name Ziguo. Definitely a male god. Nowadays, the paper horses enshrined by the people to bless the Kitchen God are often the portraits of an old couple sitting side by side, that is, the Kitchen God and his wife. The book "The Original Meeting of Things" says: "The Yellow Emperor made the stove, and died as the Kitchen God." It is believed that the Kitchen God is the divine form after the death of the Yellow Emperor; "Huainanzi 6.1 General Commentary" said: "The Yan Emperor made fire, and died as the Kitchen God" "It is believed that the Kitchen God is the god of Emperor Yan rather than the Yellow Emperor; "Zhou Li Shuo" records: "Zhuan Xu had a son named Li, who was named Zhu Rong, and he was worshiped as the Kitchen God." That is to say, the Kitchen God is Zhuan Xu's son, named Li; but some also think that the Kitchen God is Zhuan Xu's son. It is not for emperors and gods but purely for ordinary people. Kong Yingdashu in "Rituals 6.1 Special Animal Feeding Ceremony" records: "Cuan is a sacrifice for old women... This sacrifice is done first, not to the fire god." This means that the Kitchen God is neither the God of Fire nor the inventor of the stove, but an elderly woman who is in charge of cooking in the kitchen - Xian Cook.
At this time, the Kitchen God, who had been beaten by Mother Zhu with a black nose and a swollen face, appeared. He helplessly said to Zhu's mother: "Mother Zhu, God has given your Zhu family only tens of thousands of years to live in the world. Why are you still angry? It's fine now. You said that only two hundred and seventy-six years will last." Two hundred and seventy-six years later." Later, the Ming Dynasty only existed for two hundred and seventy-six years.