Phoenix story?

Chinese phoenix/ is a magical animal and the king of birds in China's myths and legends. Also known as Zhu Bird, Dan Bird, Flamingo, etc. In western mythology, it is also called flamingo and immortal bird. This image is usually a flamingo with a long tail and a whole body on fire. It is estimated that flamingos have undergone mythical processing and evolution. According to the myth, every time a phoenix dies, it will light a fire all over its body and then be reborn in the fire, gaining greater vitality than before. This is the so-called "phoenix nirvana". In this way, Phoenix won eternal life, so it has the name of "immortal bird", which, like Kirin, is a general term for both sexes. The male is a phoenix and the female is a phoenix, so the word phoenix is a compound word structure. Phoenix Qi Fei is a symbol of good luck and harmony. Just like the image of a dragon, it has become more and more complicated, with a red head, hips, snake neck, fishtail, tattoo, turtle body, swallow's chin and chicken's mouth. Phoenix has been an important part of China culture since ancient times. Phoenix: For China, Phoenix is a spiritual thing that represents happiness.

Phoenix appearance

According to Guo Pu's annotation in Er Ya Shi Bird, the characteristics of Phoenix are "the head of a chicken, the jaws of a swallow, the neck of a snake, the back of a turtle, the tail of a fish, five colors and six feet high". "Going out of the country of oriental gentlemen, flying over the four seas, crossing the Kunlun Mountains, drinking the mainstay, breaking feathers and weak water, and seeing the cave of Mosu Peak, the world is at peace." There are five kinds of pictographic characters in Shan Hai Jing Tu Zan: "The first word is virtuous, the wing is smooth, the back is righteous, and the abdomen is happy, imitating Ren Yue."

ancient myth

In ancient times, the earth had six fields, namely:

Five Elements and Eight Wastes (Human)

Hexagonal boundary of mustard seed (ordered)

Jiuqu Huangquan Street (Jiudi)

Zhifuling Angel (nine days)

Chaos in the universe (the sun)

Kunyuan Middle Palace Boundary (Taiyin)

Among them, every world is guarded by ancient beasts, and the phoenix is one of them.

Phoenix, the Nine-Day Queen, is called the Nine-Day Virgin of Xuan Nv. There are two incarnations, namely, golden phoenix Fairy, Qingluan Boy who serves the goddess of creation Nu Wa and Qingluan Boy who guards the gate of Nu Wa Palace. Phoenix is one of them. It is called the Nine-Day Xuan Nv, also known as the Nine-Day Virgin. The universe is chaotic (the sun), holding phoenix nirvana and burning pan-Zhu Pei.

Ming Feng

According to the existing literature, it is inferred that Feng Ming is like a flute and his voice is like a bell and drum. Phoenix Man calls it this way, Fung Wong-Nui calls it this way, and Phoenix Man and Fung Wong-Nui call it Tang Qiang.

Origin and evolution

The origin of Phoenix is in the Neolithic Age. Many bird patterns on painted pottery in primitive society are the embryonic form of phoenix. About 7400 years ago, a white clay pot was unearthed at the Gaomiao Cultural Site in Hongjiang, Hunan. The neck and shoulders of the pot are printed with patterns of oriental birds (including animal faces and the sun), one facing forward and the other looking back. According to archaeological experts' appraisal, the phoenix pattern on this pottery is at least 400 years earlier than that found in Hemudu Cultural Site in Yuyao, Zhejiang Province, and it is the earliest phoenix pattern found in China so far.

The zoological prototype of Phoenix has different opinions and is generally regarded as a mixture. According to People's Republic of China (PRC) scholar He Xin 1987 and the book Talking about Dragons and Phoenix published in 2004, the prototype animals of dragons are large reptiles, mainly crocodiles and monitor lizards, and the prototype animals of phoenixes are large birds, mainly ostriches. Three generations ago, the climate in China was warm and humid, and these two animals also existed in Chinese mainland. Fossils of crocodile and ostrich eggshells were found in Paleolithic and Neolithic sites.

According to myths and legends, Phoenix evolved from the bird totem of Oriental Yin people.

The earliest record of Phoenix seen today may be in the chapter of Shangshu Yiji. The book describes that Dayu held a celebration ceremony after harnessing the water. The music was hosted by Solanum nigrum, and birds and animals sang and danced at the ceremony. Finally, a phoenix came-"Xiao Shao is 90%, and the phoenix emperor came to the instrument." Kong Chuan said: "Lingniao is also called the phoenix among males and the emperor among females." Zheng Xuan's note: "Yi, it is said that you can ride a horse." What we notice is that here, the phoenix is regarded as a bird symbolizing good luck by ancient families. The so-called "coming to the instrument" was interpreted by Zheng Xuan as "riding a horse".

[Note: The ancient sound of "Yi" is "Russia", which is similar to the sound of "Lian". Therefore, Zheng Xuan interpreted musical instruments as "Lian", which means "in pairs". But according to the literal meaning of Shangshu, I think the word "musical instrument" should be read as "dance" (musical instrument and dance are also interlinked. ) the phoenix comes to the musical instrument, that is, the phoenix dances. Therefore, I am happy to say: "Yu! To hit a stone, hit a stone, and all animals dance together! " ]

In fact, in the earlier pre-Qin literature, the phoenix appeared as a kind of auspicious and dancing god. Shan Hai Jing Nan Shan Jing: "There is a bird shaped like a crane ... called Phoenix. ..... It is a bird, eating, drinking and dancing. When you see it, the world is quiet. " "Phoenix sings and phoenix dances." (Wild West Classic) "There are three kinds of brightly colored birds, one is the emperor bird, and the other is the phoenix bird." (West Sutra) Volume I: "Feng Huang Yu Fei, who touched his feathers, is also a rich man in the sky. ..... Yi, in Jeremy goldkorn. Wutong was born in the morning. " Mao Chuan: "The voice with feathers. And all the birds. All the birds come to the Phoenix Emperor. It was the phoenix and the sheep that spread the Phoenix Emperor to many people. " Legend of the White Tiger says: At the time of the Yellow Emperor, the phoenix came from the sun, so there must be many. "

The question we are facing now is, are all these legends about the phoenix just a myth or a possible historical truth? In other words, does Phoenix really have a real animal prototype in history? On this issue, just like the dragon's problem, the past academic views tend to be negative. However, we didn't notice the following records of Yin Ruins in Shang Dynasty (now Xiaotun area in Anyang) found in Oracle Bone Inscriptions:

"JiaYin bligh, hum net, phoenix. Chen Bing won five. " （A 3 1 12）。

(For the explanation, see Yu's Forest of Steles in Oracle Bone Inscriptions, page 324).

According to Yu, this piece of Oracle Bone Inscriptions means that the Shang King ordered a net to catch birds, and he caught five phoenixes on the beach. "Because the network is used, you get a phoenix. “

From this point of view, in the Shang Dynasty, phoenix birds did appear in China. So this Oracle Bone Inscriptions is just an isolated case? No. In the early inscriptions of "Zhong Ding", we can also read the following records:

"... Phoenix was born by the king. "

The word "born phoenix" mentioned in this article is also recognized by Guo Moruo as a living phoenix (Textual Research on Bibliography of Two Weeks of Jinwen Ci, Zhong Ding). According to this, both Oracle Bone Inscriptions's and Jinwen's data accurately show that until the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, Phoenix was still a rare but not nonexistent bird.

After the Warring States, Qin and Han Dynasties, the phoenix was completely deified as a divine bird. However, it is worth noting that in the historical records of Qin and Han dynasties, there are still some records about the appearance of the phoenix. For example, Zuo's Seventeen Years:

"My ancestors lacked a place to plant martial arts, and phoenix birds were suitable, so the discipline was based on birdmen and bird names."

According to Hanshu, in the Han Dynasty, the number of phoenixes arrived, and the birds were "five or six feet high".

The History of Guangwu in the Later Han Dynasty records that in the seventeenth year of Jianwu, the Five Phoenix Emperor was discovered in Yingchuan County, Shaanxi Province. The note is quoted from the East View of Hanshu: "The phoenix is eight feet high." According to Biography of Fang Jing: "The Phoenix Emperor is tall and big."

The Han Dynasty is an era in which prophetic superstitions prevail, and many auspicious strange things recorded in historical books are often not enough for credit investigation. But I'm afraid we can't think that there will be no credible ingredients at all. At least the physical characteristics described by Qin and Han people have one thing in common, that is, the shape of the phoenix is extraordinary-from five or six feet to more than ten feet high.

Let's take a more comprehensive look at the ancient records about the shape of the phoenix.

Er Ya Shi Bird: Phoenix, its female emperor. Guo Pu's Note: "Phoenix, Raptor. The head of a chicken, the neck of a snake, the jaw of a swallow and the back of a turtle are five colors, and their height is six feet. "

Shuowen: "Phoenix, the god bird. The old man said: the image of the phoenix is also: the front of the phoenix, the back of the scale, the snake neck, the fish tail, the sound of a stork, the dragon pattern, the back of a turtle, the jaw of a swallow and the beak of a chicken. Five-color preparation, out of the country of oriental gentlemen, flying around the world, crossing Kunlun, drinking the mainstay, breaking feathers and weak water, seeing the breeze at dusk, the world is peaceful. From birds to sounds. There are tens of thousands of birds in the flock, so they think they are cronies. " "Er Ya Yi" explains: "Those who are grand are mysterious. The latter is abundant. Snake neck, graceful. Fish tail, Qi Ye. The sound of storks is also spinal. Those thoughts, Zhang Ye. Dragon pattern, text also. The turtle's back is a tall house. Yan jaw, big laughs

"Han Shi Zhuan": "The bear said yes, and the woman said yes. Faint sound, morning sound, day sound, chapter protection, lifting sound, gathering sound. " (Quoted from "Taiping Yu Lan")

Li Han Lingshi: "Gorkon, Feng Huangming, can't fly with wings."

"Ruiying Map": "Phoenix doesn't peck insects, and phoenix doesn't fold grass."

The Korean Poetry Biography also records a legend about the Phoenix:

"The yellow emperor acceded to the throne. Thank God, Xiu De is kind, there is peace in space, but there is no Phoenix emperor. Ren rewelding only thinks about its image.

When I woke up in the morning, I asked the old man, "What about the phoenix elephant?" Days old to yue:

Fufeng, front rainbow, back scale, snake neck fishtail, dragon turtle body. Swallow chin and chicken beak. Virtue, benevolence, loyalty, righteousness, small sound gold, big sound drum. Stretch your neck, flapping your wings, prepare in colorful colors, sound eight winds, and the gas should be rainy. Food is quality, and drinking is a tool. Go to the beginning of the text and come to Jiacheng. Only the phoenix can reach the sky, respond to the spirit of the earth and observe the five tones and nine virtues. There is a saying in the world that one of the phoenix elephants is the phoenix. If you get the second phoenix image, it will be a phoenix, and if you get the third phoenix image, it will be a phoenix collection. The four phoenix elephants are under the phoenix spring and autumn. If you get the fifth phoenix image, then the phoenix doesn't live in it.

The Yellow Emperor said, "You are allowed to play! How dare I? " So the Yellow Emperor was dressed in yellow and wore a yellow crown. He was lent to the palace, and the Phoenix was sheltered by the sun. The yellow emperor went down to things, bowed again and kowtowed, saying, "The emperor descended from the sky, and he dared not refuse to accept his orders." Phoenix is the only place where I can stop at the Emperor's East Garden, pick the Emperor's Indus and eat the Emperor's bamboo, so I can't live without my body. "

There are obviously many absurd elements in this legend. However, it can be noted that the phoenix shape described by Tian Lao is obviously the same as the "Tian Lao Shuo" quoted in Shuowen. At first glance, Phoenix's so-called "morality, benevolence and loyalty" theory is quite puzzling (however, this theory was widely circulated in ancient times).

In this regard, there is an explanation in "Bao Puzi":

"Wood is kind and green. Phoenix's head is green, so it's called Dai Ren.

In vain, in vain. Phoenix has a white neck, so it is also just.

As a ritual, fire is red. Phoenix's mouth is red, so it is called a negative gift.

Water is wise, black, and the phoenix has a black chest, so it is still well known.

The earth is a yellow letter. Phoenix is yellow, so it is said that it is also a letter. "

According to this, the mysterious quotations of Confucian scholars in the Han Dynasty only describe the different colors of various parts of the phoenix's body with Confucian five-element symbols. Namely:

-The head is blue,

-The neck is white,

-The beak is red,

-Chest and back are black.

-Toes and claws are yellow.

Throughout the above records, people who have never seen a real phoenix since the Qin and Han Dynasties have compiled various legends about the phoenix by their predecessors. There are many absurd and illusory elements in it. For example, the proverbs in Shuowen, such as "crossing Kunlun Mountain, drinking the mainstay, fighting for feathers and weak water" and "soaring to the four seas", obviously come from the famous philosophical fable about "Kun Peng" in Zhuangzi Xiaoyao Tour. But it is worth noting that this legend seems to point out that the phoenix is an animal that moves back and forth from northwest to southeast. Wang Niansun, a famous scholar in Qing Dynasty, once pointed out a series of strange statements about Singing the Phoenix in the Biography of Korean Poetry:

"The song of a bird is different from that of a joint, the plural is louder, and even the voice should be different, and it is written in verse. Words are embellished, things are illusory, and those who know it don't take it. "

However, if we remove the magical and incredible elements in the legend, we can sort out the following impressions from the ancient description of the phoenix:

1, the phoenix bird is very tall, about six to ten feet.

Phoenix bird has a soft and slender neck (snake neck)

3. The cockatoo's back bulges ("the turtle's back is very long")

Phoenix has a beak like a chicken and a chin like a swallow.

5. Phoenix birds have patterns on their feathers.

6. The tail hair of a phoenix is forked like a fish.

7. Phoenix birds feed on plants (bamboo roots).

8. Phoenix birds make different sounds. (Men say "namely" and women say "completely". )

9. Phoenix birds can easily gather in groups, and hundreds of them come.

10, phoenix birds are not good at flying.

Phoenix Bird Cave 1 1. (Living in "Danxue" and "Fengxue")

12, the phoenix has high feet (like a crane), arrogant walking gait and is good at dancing. (Phoenix bird alias "",the word from "",soso's note: Go slow. ")

From this, we can ask a question-from the perspective of paleontology, is there a bird with the above characteristics and worshipped by its ancestors in ancient China?

The answer is that it does exist.

This bird is a big ostrich.

However, more important evidence about the relationship between ostrich and phoenix was found in archaeology. 1 987 April1day Xinhua News Agency issued:

"After the Yinshan rock paintings in Inner Mongolia, there have been new discoveries in Alashan Banner recently. Among them, there is an ostrich rock painting (located in Manzoula Mountain, Alashan Right Banner).

Before this (1976- 1980), a large number of prehistoric primitive rock paintings were found in Yinshan-Langshan area of Inner Mongolia. There is a group of ancient rock paintings in Geer 'aobaogou (the place where the county was ruled in the Han Dynasty) at the southern foot of Langshan Mountain. Among them, there is a striking rock painting in group 13 (height1.28m, width 0.60m). Professor Guy Linshan, the discoverer of rock paintings, said:

"There are two ostriches above the picture of this painting. There is a headless face in front, five ostriches below ... On the right, there is a human face with long feathers on its head. Below, there is a red deer with wings on its tail. There is an ostrich and an animal in front of the deer. There seem to be two dismembered limbs. At the bottom, there is a wheel shape that looks like an abstract face. "

Professor Guy Linshan pointed out:

"There is only one explanation for carving so many ostriches, faces, deer and limbs. In other words, this is a scene of entertainment and charm of God. "

Then we have to ask, what god is sacrificed here? Another rock painting found in the same place provides an explanation for this problem. That's a picture of ancestors worshiping the sun.

"The map is 042 meters high and 0 16 meters wide, halfway up the mountain. The worshippers stood on the ground devoutly, raised their arms and crossed their heads to worship the sun. The worshiped round sun hangs high in the sky. "

In addition, there are a large number of images of sun gods and feather people in the rock paintings in the same place. As we all know, Phoenix is the bird of the sun in China. Zhou Li's memorial dance is a feather-wearing dance and a feather-holding dance. It seems no accident that ostriches, the sun, feathered people and admirers appear in the above-mentioned rock paintings at the same time. In ancient times, ostriches were actually worshipped as birds of the sun god.

The time when ostriches were on the verge of extinction in China can be roughly estimated as about 410.6 million years ago-this is the legendary period of Huangdi and Yandi. After this period, reports about the appearance of phoenix birds became less and less. Occasionally, it is regarded as a rare thing with auspicious significance. (See the introduction of "Biography of Korean Poetry")

In fact, there is a gap of nearly two or three thousand years between the last recorded "Phoenix (Zhong Ding)" in bronze inscriptions in the early Western Zhou Dynasty and the legend that Chen Wei rediscovered the phoenix bird in the Han Dynasty.

It was also during this period that the legend of the Phoenix evolved from an animal totem based on a real bird in ancient times to a mythical bird with both religious and political significance.

According to ancient records, there are many different types of phoenixes. There are many different opinions, many of which belong to the discussion of afterlife decoration in Qin and Han Dynasties. But there are four famous examples:

1. Lingniao

Step 3: You are walking. Step 4: Walk

Among the synonyms of phoenix, the phoenix bird is probably the most widely known one. Phonetically speaking, "Luan Bird" and "Xuan Bird" have the same etymology. However, the form of Luan bird described by the ancients is even more different. The popular saying in Han and Jin novels is that the mysterious bird and the phoenix bird are the messengers of the spring god and the symbols of Dong and the Queen Mother of the West.

Another saying is "Phoenix, green and black bear birds." However, another opposite view holds that the shape of the phoenix bird is "red, brightly colored and chicken-shaped, and there are five tones in the song." ("Yi Wen Hui Bird Department") Gui Fu's "Shuo Wen Jie Zheng Ziyi" concluded that:

"Red is the positive color of Lu 'an, and the theory is different. Bird Classic: Call it Luan. " Divination in the Spring and Autumn Period quoted Hanshu Taishiling Cai Heng: There are five people like a phoenix. The redder is phoenix, the yellower is pheasant, the greener is pheasant, the purple is pheasant, and the whiter is pheasant. "

Taking red as the positive color of phoenix bird is actually to train "Luan" into "Dan" (two words rhyme, and the ancient sound is similar), so that phoenix bird is a Dan bird.

Dan bird, also known as Zhu bird, is also an alias of Phoenix.

Mountain scenery, mountains and seas, Jingnan:

"Danxue Mountain ... there is a bird. It looks like a chicken, and it is colorful. It's called Phoenix, with a gift in the head, a gift in the wings, a gift in the back, a gift in the fake and a gift in the belly. It is a bird that eats naturally, sings and dances, and sees that the world is peaceful. "

It is generally believed that The Classic of Mountains and Seas was written in the Warring States Period, and the view of Phoenix in Nanshan Classic seems to represent people's views in the Warring States Period.

According to records, this kind of chicken, which is regarded as the embodiment of Phoenix, is called Golden Rooster, Golden Rooster and Red-bellied Pheasant. It is a beautiful bird unique to China, which is produced in Hunan, Sichuan and Qinghai.

Notes on Water Classics and Langshui are quoted from Annals of Nanyue, and this kind of chicken is considered to be thunder.

"Ray, pheasant also. Colorful, the king shows off and is good at fighting. "

This kind of golden rooster also had a name called "turtle" in ancient times. Shuowen: "Soft-shelled turtle, red pheasant." Yi Zheng of Guifu quoted a sentence from Han Shu: "Its tail is red and bright." Shan Hai Jing: "Shaohua Mountain, there are many red turtles, which can resist the fire." "Zuo Zhuan Zhao 17": "The family of Danniao is also closed." Note: "Dan bird, turtle pheasant."

This turtle pheasant is actually the prototype of the south-central "Suzaku" of the five-faced beast.

The tortoise pheasant, also known as "Hua Chong", is symmetrical with the dragon in Shangshu. (Shangshu: "The sun, the moon, the stars, the morning, the mountain dragons." Note:' Chinese worm, turtle pheasant. Colorful, so it is called Huachong. ) From this perspective, the birds closely related to the so-called "Phoenix" of the ancients are not peacocks that many people like to imagine, but black swallows and this kind of pheasant that lives in south-central China.

A detailed investigation of this pheasant cloud is added to the Compendium of Forestry and Grass in Li Shizhen: "Turtle, Yizhou book is called colorful chicken. Also known as golden pheasant and golden rooster. The golden pheasant is smaller than the tortoise, but its back is bright red, and the first five colors are like peacock feathers. This is the so-called elegant chicken. The two kinds are almost the same, and the golden pheasant is particularly brilliant. Or golden pheasant is its hero. "

There is a very striking record in a passage quoted from Zheng Law: "When the Yellow Emperor was a phoenix." This record has certain credibility. In the legendary era of the Yellow Emperor, ostrich Zhen Feng was very rare. Perhaps it was at this time that chicken became one of the main body double of Phoenix.

In fact, the Phoenix pictures after the Tang and Song Dynasties were based on the image of golden pheasant, which was enlarged and decorated.

In Shuowen, there is a saying that "Phoenix leaves the country of oriental gentlemen", which actually refers to chickens. The so-called country of oriental gentlemen refers to the ancient Dongyi-Korea. Compendium of Materia Medica quotes Bielu: "Chicken was born in Pyeongtaek, Korea." This shows that the ancients believed that North Korea was the origin of domestic chickens. Compendium of Materia Medica records again:

"North Korea has a long tail, which is three or four feet long." "When the chicken knows the time, the habitat also knows the sunny and cloudy." "The burning of its feathers will cause the wind. ""The ancients said that chickens can ward off evil spirits, so chickens are also spiritual birds. "

About Wei Zhi's reaction:

"Malaysia and Korea have thin-tailed chickens, and their tails are more than five feet long. “

We can know that the long-tailed chicken produced in the East is another prototype of Phoenix after the Han Dynasty.

The reason why the chicken becomes the body double of the Phoenix may be mainly because of its relationship with the sun-since the day when the rooster crows. According to ancient legend, the rooster crows in the hibiscus tree where the sun lives. When it crows, the rooster crows all over the world, thus breaking the dawn and sunrise, so the rooster becomes a symbol of the sun god.

Yi Shuo Gua: "Stay for the purpose, for the pheasant."

Phoenix emperor, Luan bird, also known as pear bamboo. Leaving Zhu means that the ancient name of chicken is also Zhu.

Erya: "A big chicken is Shu." Shu was also recorded as "Zhu".

"Custom Pass": "Call the chicken Zhu Zhu." "Natural History": "People in this world are called chickens. I wish them good luck." On the other hand, it is said that pheasant is good at dancing, so it is also a bird that can dance like an ostrich:

"Pheasants like their feathers. They dance when they reflect in the water. Wei Wu's family was given by the south, and the emperor asked it to sing and dance for no reason. The public is in front of the big mirror, and the chicken keeps jumping. " ("Different Garden" Volume III)

More interestingly, ostriches also have the name of chickens in ancient languages. They are called "ostrich chickens":

"Tuo the head of a lion can be seven feet high, out of Lumos countries. Long-tailed chickens have thin and long tails, and those six-foot long-tailed chickens will leave North Korea. Those who are more than five feet long will go to Korea. " ("Yuan Jian Lei Han" quoted from "Jiao").

By understanding the relationship between Yuanyang and Phoenix, we can know that China people especially like Yuanyang among poultry because it is usually regarded as a symbol of love, which actually has the same mythological and cultural origin as the custom of treating swallows as bluebirds-high-media birds, that is, birds that announce spring and love.

Let's look at the word "phoenix" in Oracle Bone Inscriptions. In Oracle Bone Inscriptions, there are two systems of Feng Zi Gai. The first system is the word "Peng" in ancient Chinese, and other system annotations are subordinate to the word "Fan". According to Shuowen, the first system of Phoenix characters is obviously hieroglyphics. The second system, Phoenix character, is obviously a pictophonetic character.

We can notice that in these two systems, most fonts seem to vividly describe the two long feet of the wind bird. This is consistent with the physical characteristics of ostriches. However, it is in sharp contrast with bird characters and divination characters that highlight wings and feathers.

Finally, I need to add that the original meaning of the word "Phoenix" seems to be a beautiful bird. Just as in animals, Malone and Dragon Horse are common among those tall and mighty animals.

To sum up, the worship of Phoenix originated from the ostrich of the ancient Stone Age-the totem of the sun god.

However, after entering the historical period, due to the extinction of ostriches and the non-totem of the phoenix, the legend about the phoenix has become more and more complicated. On the occasion of Qin Mugong in Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the swallow and golden (golden) chicken once became the body body double of the phoenix. However, after the Tang and Song Dynasties, mandarin ducks, cranes, swans, eagles and peacocks all had a deep or shallow relationship with the phoenix. Therefore, under the same word label, animal images with different semantics are injected. This evolution is also reflected in the evolution of Phoenix maps in past dynasties. When we look at the pictures of phoenixes in the pre-Qin period, most of them are snakes with high necks, which still retain the characteristics of ostriches. During the Han and Tang Dynasties, especially after the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it gradually developed into a comprehensive shape with golden pheasant as the main body and peacock feathers as the supplement.

Finally, it should be pointed out that among the phoenix cultural relics unearthed in the pre-Qin period, a bird with a very strange shape and huge antlers on its back is very common. This bird does not exist in nature, and archaeologists do not know its origin. However, if we pay attention to the habits of herbivores (deer) in ostriches at room temperature, the mystery of the combination of deer and birds is self-evident. Modern people often think that our ancestors were mythmakers full of fantasy. However, my research on China's ancient myths has convinced me more and more that the highest myth must have its realistic foundation, just to see if we can decipher it through rational analysis. In this sense, myth is only a sublimation of ancient human experience.

sign

Phoenix is an auspicious bird in people's minds and a symbol of world peace. The ancients thought that in times of peace and prosperity, the phoenix could fly. Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Fengqi and Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Fengfeng are the same, which means that the wind and spiritual power are everywhere; Burn is the word of the emperor, which means supreme and great.

Phoenix is also a symbol of China's imperial power. It is often used with dragons. Phoenix belongs to the dragon and is used for the queen's concubine. The combination of dragon and phoenix is the most characteristic totem in China. There are many similar shapes in folk art. Phoenix also represents yin. Although phoenix is divided into male and female, it is more commonly regarded as negative. "Phoenix" and "Phoenix" are very common in female names.

Phoenix is considered to be the noblest bird and the king of birds (although she is fictional), and there is a saying that "a hundred birds fly at the phoenix".

According to the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements, the phoenix is red, and the five elements belong to fire, which is the image of the southern seven-night Zhu bird. It is also one of the four gods (Li Yun, Dragon, Phoenix, Kirin and Turtle) that China people call.

In the minds of China people, "Phoenix" has been the most important auspicious and magical thing in legend since ancient times. It is said that the phoenix can be reborn in the fire, symbolizing beauty, wisdom and good luck.

1.5 Chu culture totem

Chu people's respect for the phoenix stems from their primitive belief that their distant ancestors worshipped the sun and respected the phoenix. So far, it has a history of more than 7000 years. Zhu Rong, the ancestor of Chu people, was Vulcan and Thor. White Tiger Tong in the Han Dynasty said that Zhu Rong was "a bird and he was a phoenix." "Birds in the Yajiang River" notes: "Phoenix is also". It can be seen that Zhu Rong is also the embodiment of Phoenix. A large number of patterns of human head, snake body and bird body appear in the cultural relics of Chu, which shows that it is the ancestors of Chu who experienced the worship of birds with the image of human mind, thus opening the cultural origin of "dragon and phoenix are auspicious" in the legendary culture of China. Judging from the prominent characteristics of totem worship in the clan system, Feng is the ancestor of Chu people, and it is inevitable that he will be worshipped and respected by Chu people as a totem of his clan.

Phoenix is not only a divine bird, but also a symbol of the national dignity of Chu. Chu people's reverence for Phoenix has penetrated into all fields. For example, among the cultural relics of Chu State, there are countless images of phoenix, Xiu Xiang and statues, and the embroidery patterns on Chu people's clothes also take phoenix as the main content. In addition, there are "phoenix birds connecting beads", "tiger standing phoenix drum", "phoenix dragon tiger embroidered Luo Zen clothes" and so on. The phoenix-patterned paintings in Chu state are various and strange.

1.7 Cultural Orientation of Phoenix

China people's auspicious concept has a long history, which expresses people's emotional desire for happiness and harmony. The people of China endowed the mascot with moral and aesthetic meanings, and through artistic processing, it was deeply branded with national culture. Specifically, China's worship culture has the greatest influence on four kinds of animals, namely Linglong, Phoenix, Turtle and Forest. Phoenix is a magical animal, the king of birds in China's myths and legends. It can be regenerated in fire, and together with dragons, it constitutes the dragon and phoenix culture. Just as the dragon is the symbol of feudal emperors, the Phoenix has become the Fu Rui of empresses. The image of Phoenix appears widely in China culture. After artistic processing, Phoenix contains many romantic colors. Phoenix, one of the four great beasts in ancient China, has an irreplaceable influence in the cultural history of China.

Do textual research

Phoenix is the divine bird of China, and later it became a symbol of China national spirit together with "Dragon". But its appearance has always been a mystery. In recent years, a white pottery jar unearthed from the Gaomiao cultural site in hongjiang city, Hunan Province, bears the oldest phoenix pattern in China, with a history of 7800 years. This discovery provides extremely valuable materials for uncovering the mystery of the birth of the phoenix that shocked the archaeological community.

It is no accident that the oldest phoenix pattern in China was found in Hunan. Hunan is the hometown of rice culture in China, and the birth of Phoenix is closely related to ancient rice culture. It can be said that it was originally the product of rice culture. The 7,000-year-old phoenix pattern unearthed from the Datang site in Changsha contains a seedling in its mouth.

A large number of documents show that in primitive times, the rice-growing people in southern China took "bird" as their totem. This has been recognized by the academic community. Last year, I found a Wanli map of Ming Dynasty 44 years ago in central Hunan. The five bare huts and Thor painted on them are the heads of birds, holding a bird in their hands. This image of the unity of man and bird is a typical product of bird totem worship, which shows that the concept of bird totem worship was still outstanding among Hunan people 390 years ago. Up to now, birds are still carved on the wind and rain bridges in Hunan minority areas, which can also be regarded as the cultural heritage of bird totem worship.

This kind of bird regarded as a totem by primitive humans was called "Danque" in ancient times, also known as "Yang Bird" and "Luan Bird", which is closely related to the origin of rice culture. Volume I of Memory Collection says: "When Emperor Yan (Emperor Yan) lived, there was a sparrow with nine ears of grain. The emperor picked it up in the field and the eater was old and never died." The so-called "Danque", "Yang Bird" and "Luan Bird" are all prototypes of phoenix birds. "Guangya" says: "Phoenix belongs to the phoenix emperor."

Because Phoenix culture is deeply rooted in rice culture, "harmony" has become the basic feature of Phoenix image. "Mountain, Sea, Beijing and South Mountain Scenery" says: "It is a bird that eats naturally, sings and dances alone. When you see it, the world is peaceful." Therefore, since ancient times, Phoenix has represented beauty, harmony and auspiciousness among the people.

The image of "Phoenix" itself is the product of the concept of harmony. On the one hand, it is the unity of opposites of "two in one", in which the man is a phoenix and the woman is a phoenix, indicating harmony, harmony and auspiciousness of Yin and Yang; On the other hand, it is based on bird totem, which combines the characteristics of natural objects worshipped by many different clans in primitive times, and integrates many elements and combinations of great beauty. For example, Shuowen describes the diverse and harmonious image of the phoenix: "Like a rainbow, the image of the phoenix is pecked by storks, turtles, swallows and chickens, and there are five colors to show."

In China culture, the image of Phoenix not only represents the harmony of natural things, but also represents the harmony of human society. Phoenix's "five colors" are regarded by later generations as the symbol of "morality, righteousness, courtesy, benevolence and faith" to maintain the harmony and stability of ancient society. For example, "Shan Hai Jing Nan Shan Jing" said: "(Phoenix) has a first literary talent, a wing literary talent, a back literary talent, an imitation literary talent, and a belly literary talent." "Shan Hai Jing Hai Nei Jing" also said: "A phoenix sings and a phoenix dances. The phoenix bird's head is literary and elegant, its wings are literary and elegant, and its back is literary and just. "

In ancient times, the phoenix was also used to refer to virtuous people. Confucius was the first person to be honored as "Phoenix" in the history of China. He advocated "harmony is the most important thing". Laozi, an ancient thinker, once compared Phoenix to Confucius. According to Zhuangzi, "I saw Confucius following five disciples and asked,' Who was it before?' Yes:' Luz is very brave. Secondly, Zi Gong was wise, Ceng Zi was filial, Yan Hui was kind, and Zhang Zi was martial. "I sighed:' I heard that there is a bird in the south, and its name is Phoenix.' ..... The text of a phoenix bird, wearing a sacred baby and kindness, is wise on the right and left. It can be said that the harmonious concept of Phoenix culture covers all aspects of nature and society. This "harmonious" feature of phoenix image is often used in idioms about phoenix. The ancient rice cultivation culture in Huxiang gave birth to the perfect symbol of China people's harmonious culture, which is one of the harmonious charms of Huxiang culture.