Who is the Eastern Emperor Taiyi (who was the former Supreme God? )

Speaking of Emperor Taiyi, many netizens who are familiar with Tencent's mobile game the glory of the king are familiar with it. Is the hero in this online game.

However, the "Eastern Emperor Taiyi" we are going to talk about today is not a virtual character in the network, but the heavenly emperor and supreme god in the Nine Songs of Chu written by Qu Yuan in the Warring States Period.

/Wu Chu and the first chapter of "Nine Songs" When it comes to Qu Yuan's "Nine Songs", it will definitely talk about Wu Chu culture.

Wang Yi's "Songs of the Chu" said: Once upon a time, the southern city of Chu, between Yuan and Xiang, was a place where people believed in ghosts and loved shrines. Its shrine will make songs and music to inspire the gods.

In the south of the capital of Chu, there is a small town between Shui Yuan and Xiangshui. The local custom is to believe in ghosts and gods and be keen on offering sacrifices. Whenever offering sacrifices, they will sing and dance to please the gods.

At that time, Qu Yuan was exiled to this area and witnessed the sacrificial songs and dances of the local people, thus creating nine songs with strong religious and sacrificial colors.

Different from the Central Plains at that time, Chu people were less influenced by the culture of the Central Plains because of the geographical estrangement, thus retaining the local custom of attaching importance to sacrifice since ancient times.

These customs have a strong witchcraft style and are relatively primitive.

As the highest achievement of Qu Yuan's artistic creation, the word "nine" is empty, not real.

Nine songs * * * consist of eleven chapters, of which the first ten chapters are dedicated to ten gods, such as Emperor Taiyi, Dong Jun, YunZhongJun, Priestess of Death, Shao Siming, Xiang Jun, Mrs. Xiang, Hebo, Shan Gui and ghosts and gods.

These ten gods can be divided into three types.

The gods are Dong Huang Taiyi, Dong Jun, Yun Zhongjun, Priestess of Death and Shao Siming; The earthly gods are Xiang Jun, Xiang Lady, Hebo and Shan Gui. Ghosts, that is, souls after death, refer to the souls of soldiers who died for their country.

Among them, the first chapter is the Eastern Emperor Taiyi.

"Songs of the South Nine Songs of the East Emperor Taiyi": Good morning, good morning, Mu Bixi will go to the emperor; Caressing the sword, the jade is not cut; Yao Xi Yu Tang, but I want to put Xi Fang Qiong; Yao Hui steamed the borrowed wine and drank the pulp of cinnamon wine; Drum-beating, relaxing festival; Chen Yu-Sai advocated it; Lingyan Xi Jiao Fu, Xi Mantang; The dispute of five tones is complicated, and you are happy in Lekang.

Choose a good auspicious day to pay homage to God, East Emperor Taiyi. Stroking a sword in his hand, the jade on his body is dazzling. Offer sacrifices and wine. The beautiful witch sang and danced, and the fragrant aroma filled the whole hall. I sincerely wish God happiness and well-being.

As can be seen from the writing style, the whole article is solemn, courteous and courteous, expressing the poet's respect for the God Taiyi and wishing the God to enjoy the sacrifice.

So, why does Dong Huang Taiyi get such high respect?

It should be noted that before the Qin Dynasty, China had strict regulations on the words "emperor/emperor/king/public/monarch".

Emperor and emperor are the titles of gods, and Wang refers to the kings of Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties (Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties all said that their achievements were not comparable to those of ancient emperors, so modesty was only the king, not the emperor).

The greatest rulers (such as,,) after Gong Zhiwang. ), and Jun refers to people with high cultural literacy and moral quality.

Taiyi is so noble that it cannot be separated from a forgotten ancient emperor, Taiyi.

There is a word "Taiyi" in Pangu Wang Biao. His behavior cannot be tested.

Historical Records of Qin Shihuang: "There were emperors, Huangdi, Tai Huang and Tai Huang in ancient times."

The "Zen Forest Enchantment Sutra" records: "The first emperor made me sad and covered my original name. A cloud of Tai Huang, Taeho K also. "

Tai Huang is the most expensive, corresponding to Taiyi, the noblest Arctic god among the gods. According to the corresponding relationship between Xuanyuan and Xuanyuan, Tai Huang's position and astronomical practice determine the position of the Arctic God Taiyi.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Wang Yi commented on the first two sentences of "Nine Songs of the Eastern Emperor Taiyi": "God is the Eastern Emperor Taiyi. If you say that you want to sacrifice, you must choose auspiciousness, respectfully fast and entertain God. "

It can be seen that Wang Yi thinks that "Emperor Taiyi" is the "emperor" or "god" in the poem.

Cheng believes that Taiyi God is God.

Note: "Taitai is a broad name, and it is also said that the road is vast, inclusive and unified, so it is called Taiyi."

Chu people call God "Taiyi", just as Taoism says, "One scattered shape is qi, and the other gathered shape is the old gentleman on the throne", which is an abstract concept of a certain problem.

He is neither the original god in Yuan Xiang dialect, nor the "Taiyi" in the bamboo slips of Gao He Chu Tomb.

Probably because the word "Taiyi II" is too expensive and heavy, its position is still far above the ancestor Huangdi.

"Official Book" justice: "Taiyi, another name for Heaven Emperor, ... Taiyi, the noblest of the gods."

The word "too" was originally "big".

In Laozi, Ceng Yun said: "Things are mixed and naturally produced. ..... I don't know its name; Strong name, big. "

Later, the combination of "Da" and "Yi" became "Da Yi", and later became "Tai Yi", which became a philosophical term and was used by philosophers in the pre-Qin period to express the origin of the world.

Taiyi is "Tao", and Tao is the most important.

"Huai Nan Zi" begins by saying: "The hole is the same as heaven and earth, and chaos makes up for it. What has not been done is called" Taiyi ". They do different things for the same reason. There are birds, fish and beasts. This is called fen ... "

Among the existing Chinese characters, you can't find a higher word than "Taiyi". So, who is the deity in this position?

/Nine Ancient Songs Obviously, if the Eastern Emperor Taiyi is an etheric person, then no one can bear these two words at any time.

In fact, the sacrifice to Taiyi God has been clearly recorded in the ancient books of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Before that, Taiyi was not in the divine spectrum.

"Historical Records Zen Book": "God is too expensive, and Taiyi assists the five emperors. In ancient times, Emperor Tiandi offered sacrifices to the southeast suburb of Taiyi during the Spring and Autumn Period, which was too tight. Within seven days, he opened a ghost road for the altar. "

In other words, Taiyi at that time should be an adjective, not a noun.

What's more, the author thinks that the name of Nine Songs was added by scholars in the Han Dynasty, but here the author thinks that the East Emperor should be the main body.

Because as early as before Qu Yuan's Chu Ci "Nine Songs" came into being, there was an even older "Nine Songs", namely "Primitive Nine Songs".

It came into being in the Xia Dynasty, and it is an important document about the sacrificial ceremony in the Xia Dynasty with ghosts and witchcraft as the core.

In this regard, Li Zhou Guan Chun Da Le Si once said: "The Song of Nine Virtues and the Dance of Nine Hearts are both played in the ancestral hall. If the joy changes, people and ghosts can get it, and they are polite. "

Among them, the so-called "Song of Nine Virtues" is "Nine Songs".

Later, in Confucian culture, Xia Qi became a saint, and Nine Songs became the "teaching of Nine Virtues", which was preserved and recorded by later generations, either for enlightenment or for ancestral temples.

In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the original Nine Songs gradually spread from the Central Plains to a corner of Chu, especially to the people in Yuanxiang, the land of southern Chu.

Then, how did the original work of Nine Songs of Chu Ci and Nine Songs come into contact?

This is related to Qu Yuan's "exile" experience.

From many historical books and Lisao, we can know that when Qu Yuan was exiled by the King of Chu, he crossed the Yangtze River, Xiangjiang River and Yuanshui River to Fang Lin, Chenyang and Xupu.

Most of these places are between meta and item.

At that time, the ethnic group between Yuan and Xiang was mainly Puyue, and Puyue was often mentioned in many history books.

The original "Nine Songs" was regarded as a sacrificial ballad by Gu Sanmiao.

Therefore, Qu Yuan, who was in exile at that time, was both sad and angry, so it was impossible to draw lessons from the original Nine Songs when he wrote Nine Songs of Chu.

It is recorded in the Historical Records of the Five Emperors: "Yu Naixing enjoys nine tricks (Shao)."

Among them, Nine Tricks, Nine Songs and Nine Arguments are all sacrificial songs of Dayu. In Xia Qi, the sacrifice of "Nine Songs" was held in a specific area of "Eternal Land and Old Age".

In this regard, "Mandarin Lu Yu Merchants" gives a clue: "There are Yu ancestors who married the Yellow Emperor, and the suburbs are Yao and Shun ... The merchants followed their ancestors."

Yao and Shun were both named Emperor Yao and Emperor Shun, which shows that Shun was given a grand sacrifice at that time.

As the monarch who succeeded Yao and Shun, Xia Qi had the obligation to sacrifice to Shun Di. Sacrificing Shun is the most appropriate way to bury him after his death.

"Haineijing" says: "The hill of Nancangwu is the Cangwu Imperial Garden, among which Jiuyi Mountain and Shunzhi are buried in Lingling boundary of Changsha."

"Cangwu" has a cloud in "Warring States Policy Chu Ce": "South Chu has Dongting and Cangwu."

It can be seen that the so-called "wild field of Cangwu" and "wild field of Tianmu" should all be in Yuanxiang.

In other words, it was actually held in the place where Shun was buried after his death.

Therefore, the "Eastern Emperor" in Nine Songs of Chu, which is based on the original work of Nine Songs, is of course a great god "Shun".

However, why can Shun afford the title of "East Emperor"?

/Shun Di and Dong Huang Taiyi should be clear here. The gods sacrificed by Chu are not much better than the ancestors of the Central Plains. Their initial birth was the purest natural god between heaven and earth.

Therefore, the "Eastern Emperor" sacrificed by Chu people is probably related to the ancient people's sacrifice to Jupiter.

"Huainanzi Astronomical Training" said: "In the East, Konoha, its emperor Taiwei, its assistant Ju Mang, governs the spring according to the rules, and its god is the old star."

The emperor of the East is Taiyi, and his god is Laoxing.

In the Oracle bones of Yin Ruins, we can see that many Oracle bones record the content of "Wang Sui Bin", that is, Wang Bin offered sacrifices to the old star, but there is no record of offering sacrifices to other stars, which shows that offering sacrifices to the old star is a very old tradition.

"On Balance and Sacrifice" said: "The old star, the east is also, the owner is spring, and spring is the master of nature, so the old star is sacrificed for the blessing of spring. The four seasons are stronger than things, and those who seek spring alone must pay attention to their own respect. "

Sui Xing is also known as Zhong Hua, Zhong Hua and Di Shun.

"Historical Records Biography of Tianguan" said: "The names of the stars are Zhong Hua, Ying Xing and Ji Xing."

Historical Records of the Five Emperors: "Yu Shun's real name is Zhong Hua."

"Li Sao" said: "Jiyuan, southern Hunan, levy and write Zhong Hua." Wang Yi said: "China also has Shun.

Shen Xing is also a symbol of the monarch, also known as "Ling Weiyang", that is to say, it is magnificent and admired, so there is also a saying that Yang Feng is a god.

For example, in "Tongdian Ritual Fourteen Patrol Hunting", it is said: "The son of heaven must patrol hunting, like a god." Note: "The emperor said that the people in the southern suburbs were also worshipped by the Five Spirits (Stars) Emperor."

There seems nothing wrong with going back to the conquest and invasion of the land of Yuan Xiang during the reign of Shun Di and becoming a god dominated by one party.

"Shan Hai Jing Overseas South Jing": "Yao obeys the world, but the king of Sanmiao does not. The emperor killed it. People with seedlings rebelled into the South China Sea and became the country of three seedlings. "

Shun came from Dongyi clan. After eliminating hostile forces, he used Dongyi tribal leaders such as Boyi, Kui and Yi, and finally established Dongyi's dominant position in the Central Plains.

"Mencius Li Lou Xia" has a clear record: "Shun was born in Zhu Feng, moved to Xiaxia, died in Mingtiao, and was also a foreigner."

Therefore, Yu, as the successor of Shun, should respect Shun as the "Eastern Emperor" when formulating the "nine strokes" rites and music.

/The dispute between Taiyi God and the Jade Emperor, but why did Taiyi God's status gradually dissipate? This is about another supreme god: the Jade Emperor.

East Emperor and Jade Emperor, these two honorifics are extremely noble. The only difference is that one is direction extension and the other is material extension.

Many modern people think that the Jade Emperor is nobler than the Eastern Emperor just by looking at his name, which is actually wrong.

East of the East Emperor, here refers not to the geographical direction, but to the degree of dignity.

The east is the first of the five parties. In China, the emperor is enshrined in Mount Tai, Dongyue, and the sun, the moon and the east rise.

The jade of the Jade Emperor also means the degree of dignity. Traditionally, gold is the most important thing in China, and jade is the most precious thing, so it is clean and flawless.

In the ancient belief, the stars dominate the growth and reproduction of everything on the earth and human life.

Book of Jin: "A star, half a degree south of the sky, is the god of heaven and the master of sixteen gods, knowing wind and rain, floods and droughts, military forces, famine, diseases and disasters."

Taiyi became the most worshipped patron saint of Chu and Han people. During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the sacrificial activities of "Taiyi God" were scheduled for the 15th day of the first month of each year, which was regarded as the pioneer of the Lantern Festival celebration custom by later generations.

In the first month of spring, everything revived, plants grew and germinated, and animals began to estrus and mate. At this time, the ancients sacrificed to Taiyi God in the starry sky, praying for good weather and abundant crops within one year, and praying for human beings to thrive.

Taiyi, the Eastern Emperor, has been the highest heavenly emperor worshipped by the people of China for more than 3,000 years.

Until the Song Dynasty, in order to cover up the shame of the Great Song Dynasty, Song Zhenzong lied that the Jade Emperor was dreaming and began to flatter him.

Rising and falling, Taoism gradually appeared the ancient legend that the Jade Emperor was the Emperor of Heaven.

After the Song Dynasty, emperors of various dynasties admired the Jade Emperor in order to publicize that the imperial power belonged to the destiny. The combination of political power and theocracy led to the gradual decline of belief in the Eastern Emperor Taiyi.

In fact, whether people believe in nature or worship their blood ancestors, flowers and trees can be respected as long as they are self-sustaining and pure, but this is not important.

In short, what you believe, you stay away from what you don't believe. After all, it is wise to keep a sense of awe in the unknown mysterious field.

In this issue, I am Ru Jingshe, your cultural handbook. See you next time!