Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Lucky day inquiry - The Origin of Sheep Zodiac

The Origin of Sheep Zodiac

The origin of the zodiac sheep ranks eighth in the zodiac, belonging to the zodiac, so twelve o'clock a day is "inappropriate"-from one to three in the afternoon, also called "sheep time" Yi Gua means "changing sheep". Of the five elements, sheep belong to fire, so they are fire beasts.

In China folklore, sheep are as great as Prometheus in Greek mythology. Prometheus was put on the stage for stealing skyfire from the world, while sheep gave their lives for stealing five grains and seeds from the world.

In ancient times of panic, there were no grains on the earth. People live on vegetables and weeds, and severe malnutrition makes people look yellow, hungry and thin.

One autumn, a god sheep came to the world from the Heavenly Palace and found that human beings were pale and depressed. Ask why, I just know that humans don't grow food, and I don't even know what food is. God sheep is so kind that he immediately tells people to bring them some grain seeds next time. It turned out that at that time, only Tiangong and Yutian planted nutritious food. The stingy jade emperor doesn't want to share delicious food with human beings. After God Sheep returned to the Heavenly Palace, he sneaked into the palace in the middle of the night, picked the grains (rice, millet, wheat, beans and hemp), put them in his mouth, and slipped to the earth before dawn. Humans are very curious. I heard that God Sheep brought them the seeds of grain. God sheep gave the seeds to people and told them how to grow grain, and then quietly returned to the heavenly palace.

When humans sow the seeds of grain, they grow crops that year. What humans see when harvesting is the ear of wheat, which is like the head and tail of a sheep. The harvested grain is fragrant and sweet, and the clothes made of harvested hemp are light and warm. After the autumn harvest and winter storage, people held a grand sacrificial ceremony to thank the sheep for their kindness in sending seeds. This kind of ancestor worship ceremony for farmers in autumn harvest and winter storage is still held in some rural areas.

The ceremony of offering sacrifices to sheep by fire alarmed the Jade Emperor, who thought of the appearance of human grains. I immediately thought that God Sheep had brought Guge to the world. After finding out the situation, the Jade Emperor was furious with the God Sheep, ordered the Heaven Palace to slaughter the sheep on earth and invited people to eat mutton.

The next year, a strange thing happened. Where the sheep walked, the grass first grew, and then the lamb grew. Since then, sheep have been passed down from generation to generation, eating grass for a living and selflessly dedicating their meat and milk to human beings. Out of gratitude for the sacrifice of sheep, human beings hold the La Worship every year.

When people heard that the Jade Emperor wanted to choose twelve kinds of animals as human zodiac animals to be dedicated to the gods, people unanimously recommended sheep as such zodiac animals. Although the Jade Emperor was very unhappy about sheep stealing grain, it was hard to disagree with everyone and had to agree that sheep became the zodiac.

1- 3 pm (that is, "untimely"), it is said that sheep urinate most frequently at this time, and the urine spilled can cure their own fright, so they belong to untimely sheep.

In China folklore, sheep are as great as Prometheus in Greek mythology. Prometheus was sent to the stage for stealing human fire, and sheep gave their lives for stealing grain seeds. Sheep is the eighth of the zodiac, belonging to the twelve branches. Therefore, the "untimely" at 12 o'clock in the day-from 1 pm to 3 pm, also called "time for sheep", was changed to "changing sheep". Of the five elements, sheep belong to fire, so they are fire beasts. In ancient times of panic, there were no grains on the earth. People live on vegetables and weeds, and severe malnutrition makes people look yellow, hungry and thin.

One autumn, a god sheep came to the world from the Heavenly Palace and found that human beings were pale and depressed. Ask why, I just know that humans don't grow food, and I don't even know what food is. God sheep is so kind that he immediately tells people to bring them some grain seeds next time. It turned out that at that time, only Tiangong and Yutian planted nutritious food. The stingy jade emperor doesn't want to share delicious food with human beings. After God Sheep returned to the Heavenly Palace, he sneaked into the palace in the middle of the night, picked the grains (rice, millet, wheat, beans and hemp), put them in his mouth, and slipped to the earth before dawn. Humans are very curious. I heard that God Sheep brought them the seeds of grain. God sheep gave the seeds to people and told them how to grow grain, and then quietly returned to the heavenly palace.

When humans sow the seeds of grain, they grow crops that year. What humans see when harvesting is the ear of wheat, which is like the head and tail of a sheep. The harvested grain is fragrant and sweet, and the clothes made of harvested hemp are light and warm. After the autumn harvest and winter storage, people held a grand sacrificial ceremony to thank the sheep for their kindness in sending seeds. This kind of ancestor worship ceremony for farmers in autumn harvest and winter storage is still held in some rural areas.

The ceremony of offering sacrifices to sheep by fire alarmed the jade emperor. The jade emperor thought of the appearance of grain on the earth and immediately thought of the god sheep bringing grain to the world. After finding out the situation, the Jade Emperor was furious with the God Sheep, ordered the Heaven Palace to slaughter the sheep on earth and invited people to eat mutton.

The next year, something strange happened. Where the God sheep was put to death, the grass first grew, and then the lamb grew. Since then, sheep have been passed down from generation to generation, eating grass for a living and selflessly dedicating their meat and milk to human beings. Out of gratitude for the sacrifice of sheep, human beings hold the La Worship every year.

When people heard that the Jade Emperor wanted to choose twelve kinds of animals as human zodiac animals to be dedicated to the gods, people unanimously recommended sheep as such zodiac animals. Although the Jade Emperor was very unhappy about sheep stealing grain, it was hard to disagree with everyone and had to agree that sheep became the zodiac.

Why are there sheep in the zodiac? 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 are the most courageous and active, so they are paired with mice when they are young.

Bull: 65438+ 0-3 am (that is, "ugly time"). At this time, the cows have eaten enough grass, and the "backward chewing" is the thinnest, slowest and most comfortable, so when it is ugly, it is matched with cows.

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.

There is a myth about the origin of the zodiac:

It is said that the Jade Emperor wanted to select 12 kinds of animals as representatives, and then sent immortals to tell the animals about it, and set a time to come to the Tiangong in Maoli during the reign of Taizu. The sooner he came, the more he swallowed it, but the later one could not. At that time, cats and mice were still good friends. The cat loves to sleep, but he also wants to be chosen, so he asks the mouse to call him. But the mouse forgot as soon as it turned its head. The mouse went to the old cow and said that he got up early and ran fast, so the cow could take him. The old cow agreed

At that time, dragons had no horns and chickens had horns. The dragon told the chicken that the chicken was already very beautiful and didn't need horns, so he let the chicken lend it to him. The chicken was very happy when he heard the flattery of the dragon, so he lent his horn to the dragon and told him to pay back the money on time after the election. Long readily agreed.

In the year of Mao Mao, Uzuki, when the cat was still sleeping, many animals rushed to the Heavenly Palace.

The mouse sits on the cow's back. After reaching heaven, the mouse jumped up. The Jade Emperor said that the mice arrived first, which made them the first. Old steak is second; The tiger also arrived late, ranking third; The rabbit also arrived, ranking fourth; The dragon came late, but he was very big. The Jade Emperor saw him at a glance. Seeing that he was so beautiful, he ranked fifth. He also said that his son ranked sixth, but Long was disappointed because his son didn't come today. At this time, the snake behind came running and said, "He * * * Dad, I am the sixth!" " ! I'm sixth! "Snakes rank sixth; Horses and sheep have arrived, too. They asked me to ask you: Brother Ma first, Brother Yang first, and they pushed them around. Seeing that they were so polite, the Jade Emperor let them rank seventh and eighth. The monkey was in his thirties, but he jumped ahead with the clouds in the sky because he could jump, ranking ninth; Then chickens, dogs and pigs were also selected.

The cat didn't wake up until the end of the game, and the mouse was chased all over the world as soon as he got home. ...

After the game, the dragon came to the seaside and saw that he had horns much more beautiful than before, so he didn't plan to return the chicken. In order to avoid the chicken, he disappeared from the world. The chicken was very angry, so he got up early every morning and shouted at the sea: Give it back quickly! Give it back! The hen shouted, give him back quickly! Give him back to me! The chicken also crows: Come back! And!

With regard to the origin of the zodiac, historical records show that China began to use the "chronology of branches and leaves" which combines the ten heavenly stems with the twelve earthly branches from the Shun Di era. 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? "Car Attack" said: "Today is the auspicious day of the ecliptic, and it is noon. I am short of horses. "See also the Book of Rites? Monthly order? Ji Dong: "Digging cows to send cold. "When did the zodiac theory come into being? There is a historical cloud: it should be formed in the Han Dynasty at the latest. Is it based on Wang Chong's Lun Heng? The article "Things Potential" says: "Yin, wood, birds and 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. "* * * put forward eleven zodiac names. In addition, in the Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu Yue written by Zhao Ye in the Eastern Han Dynasty, "Wu Zaichen is a dragon. "Just added' Chen Long', and completed 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? The thief clearly recorded the words used to predict the thief's appearance characteristics 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." But how to quote it remains to be understood by historians and cultural relics scholars ... >>

The legend of the zodiac comes from the fact that mice and cows, horses and sheep were selected into the zodiac. The mouse said, I should be the first. Cattle, horses and sheep said unconvinced, why do you rank first? The mouse said: I am old, so I want to be the first. Niu Ma and others couldn't help laughing: Are you as old as us? The mouse said, we don't count when we argue. Let others speak. Cattle, horses, sheep, etc. Everyone agrees to let people comment. So they discussed ways: led by cows, horses, sheep and mice, they walked through the streets one by one to see what people said.

In the street, a cow came and people said that this cow is very strong. The horse is coming, people say, this horse is really tall. Here comes the sheep. People say that this sheep is very fat. Finally, the mouse swaggered over. People saw a big mouse suddenly appearing in the street, and everyone chased it and shouted, What a big mouse! What a big mouse! In this way, cattle, horses and sheep have nothing to say, and mice rank first.

In addition, there is a similar story about the ranking of the twelve genera among the people.

There is an interesting story about how the zodiac is arranged:

At the beginning of chaos, just after heavenly stems and earthly branches timed it, the Jade Emperor ordered the gathering of all the animals in the world, and selected the twelve zodiac signs according to the twelve branches: Zi, Ugly, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu and Hai.

After the news came out, it alarmed two good friends, Flower Cat and Mouse. The cat said to the mouse, I'm going to heaven at five o'clock tomorrow. I have a problem with sleepiness. You should call me! The mouse repeatedly said, OK, OK!

But the next morning, the dishonest mouse got up secretly and left without saying goodbye.

On this day, Yunnan, the beast in Lingxiao Hall, began to be selected. According to the difference between heaven and earth, the Jade Emperor selected twelve kinds of land and water animals, including dragon, tiger, ox, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog, pig, rabbit, snake and mouse, as the zodiac. The rooster had two beautiful horns at that time and was also included in the beast.

The Jade Emperor was about to arrange their seats when the black raccoon pig flashed out. Although it is stupid, it only likes to make trouble. It says: Now that the Jade Emperor has chosen a leader, I am willing to share your worries, be a fair man and arrange my brothers in turn. The Jade Emperor was overjoyed. He told the pig to be selfless and cut off contacts, so he retired from the DPRK.

As soon as the Jade Emperor left, the zodiac became a pot of porridge.

At the beginning, everyone unanimously elected a gentle and generous workhorse to sit in the first place. Even the mighty tiger and black dragon respected it and agreed. However, the mouse in the corner appeared and proposed * * *. It said: in terms of numbers, I am big. If you don't believe me, let's have a game on earth and listen to people's comments. So, the cow and the mouse came to the street in the city center.

When the cow passed through the crowd, people didn't respond. At this time, the mouse suddenly climbed onto the cow's back and set up a pile. People in the street shouted: What a big mouse! By the time people took out sticks to hit them, the mouse had run away.

When the mouse came back to brag, all the animals were keen on cows. Only the black pig is secretly happy. It feels that only in this way, no matter how big or small, it is difficult to distinguish between good and bad, so it may be an impostor and it also benefits from it. So, with a stroke of a pen, it picked the mouse first and put the old cow behind.

This annoyed the tiger and the black dragon. They shouted loudly and made all the animals tremble. All the animals are busy worshipping dragons and tigers, unanimously electing tigers as mountain kings and black dragons as fish kings to rule the world. The monkey wrote a gold plaque for the tiger and hung it on the tiger's forehead. The rooster gave the black dragon two horns. Since then, the black dragon has been crowned. Tigers and black dragons have power in the world, so they are only behind rats and bulls. At this moment, another disruptive hare jumped out, sneering and saying, Hey, hey! I am almost like a mouse in appearance, but I am bigger than a mouse in height. I am the guardian of the mountain king, and I should be in front of the sea king.

Hearing this, the black dragon was furious. He said, don't force it. If you don't believe me, let's have a try. The black pig listened to his request and said, It's a deal. Let's race and let the hounds be your judges ... >>

What was the previous life of the zodiac sheep? Or sheep?

How did the zodiac come from? There is a myth about the origin of the zodiac:

It is said that the Jade Emperor wanted to select 12 kinds of animals as representatives, and then sent immortals to tell the animals about it, and set a time to come to the Tiangong in Maoli during the reign of Taizu. The sooner he came, the more he swallowed it, but the later one could not. At that time, cats and mice were still good friends. The cat loves to sleep, but he also wants to be chosen, so he asks the mouse to call him. But the mouse forgot as soon as it turned its head. The mouse went to the old cow and said that he got up early and ran fast, so the cow could take him. The old cow agreed

At that time, dragons had no horns and chickens had horns. The dragon told the chicken that the chicken was already very beautiful and didn't need horns, so he let the chicken lend it to him. The chicken was very happy when he heard the flattery of the dragon, so he lent his horn to the dragon and told him to pay back the money on time after the election. Long readily agreed.

In the year of Mao Mao, Uzuki, when the cat was still sleeping, many animals rushed to the Heavenly Palace.

The mouse sits on the cow's back. After reaching heaven, the mouse jumped up. The Jade Emperor said that the mice arrived first, which made them the first. Old steak is second; The tiger also arrived late, ranking third; The rabbit also arrived, ranking fourth; The dragon came late, but he was very big. The Jade Emperor saw him at a glance. Seeing that he was so beautiful, he ranked fifth. He also said that his son ranked sixth, but Long was disappointed because his son didn't come today. Then the snake behind came running and said, "He is my father!" " I'm sixth! "Snakes rank sixth; Horses and sheep have arrived, too. They asked me to ask you: Brother Ma first, Brother Yang first, and they pushed them around. Seeing that they were so polite, the Jade Emperor let them rank seventh and eighth. The monkey was in his thirties, but he jumped ahead with the clouds in the sky because he could jump, ranking ninth; Then chickens, dogs and pigs were also selected.

The cat didn't wake up until the end of the game, and the mouse was chased all over the world as soon as he got home. ...

After the game, the dragon came to the seaside and saw that he had horns much more beautiful than before, so he didn't plan to return the chicken. In order to avoid the chicken, he disappeared from the world. The chicken was very angry, so he got up early every morning and shouted at the sea: Give it back quickly! Give it back! The hen shouted, give him back quickly! Give him back to me! The chicken also crows: Come back! And!

With regard to the origin of the zodiac, historical records show that China began to use the "chronology of branches and leaves" which combines the ten heavenly stems with the twelve earthly branches from the Shun Di era. 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? "Car Attack" said: "Today is the auspicious day of the ecliptic, and it is noon. I am short of horses. "See also the Book of Rites? Monthly order? Ji Dong: "Digging cows to send cold. "When did the zodiac theory come into being? There is a historical cloud: it should be formed in the Han Dynasty at the latest. Is it based on Wang Chong's Lun Heng? The article "Things Potential" says: "Yin, wood, birds and 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. "* * * put forward eleven zodiac names. In addition, in the Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu Yue written by Zhao Ye in the Eastern Han Dynasty, "Wu Zaichen is a dragon. "Just added' Chen Long', and completed 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? The thief clearly recorded the words used to predict the thief's appearance characteristics 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." But how to quote, fear ... >>

12 the origin of the zodiac sheep is also known as the zodiac. In China's calendar, there are twelve kinds of animals on duty in turn, so in our China year, rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs are used in the calendar? Zodiac animals in China began in the 6th century BC, and the numbers of earthly branches were applied to each other at the beginning, and later became years. In fact, there has always been a folk story: In that year, the Buddha called all the animals to attend the animal meeting, and the twelve animals that arrived first were regarded as the date of the 12-year animal meeting, so the mouse arrived first, so it ranked the highest in the animal year, followed by cattle, tigers, rabbits, dragons and snakes. At that time, cats and mice were good friends. Before going to the mass meeting, they slept together and agreed that whoever woke up first would wake up. I'm afraid that the mouse will get up early the next day and go to the meeting quietly, ignoring the cat. By the time the cat woke up and rushed to Congress, the Buddha had allocated the number for twelve years. Since then, the cat and the mouse have formed a deep hatred. Of course, legend belongs to legend, and the view of folklore scholar Guo Licheng is proved by historical books. People call their twelfth birthday heavenly stems and earthly branches's animal, so that it is easy to remember his famous age.

What is the origin and significance of the zodiac? The Origin and Legend of the Chinese Zodiac

In China, everyone has their own zodiac sign, you are a tiger, he is a rabbit, I am a dragon and so on. To know a person's age geometry, just ask his zodiac sign. It is said that when former Japanese Prime Minister tanaka kakuei visited China for the first time, he gave Zhou Enlai, then Prime Minister of the State Council, a riddle: There are only twelve China, but everyone has one, which is rare in foreign countries. What is the answer? Premier Zhou couldn't help laughing after listening, and blurted out: Zodiac. This anecdote became a beautiful talk to show Premier Zhou's agile thinking and was widely circulated.

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 trunk and branch" which combines ten phenomena of heavenly stem and twelve phenomena of earthly branch. 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? "Car Attack" said: "Today is the auspicious day of the ecliptic, and it is noon. I am short of horses. "See also the Book of Rites? Monthly order? Ji Dong: "Digging cows to send cold. "When did the zodiac theory come into being? There is a historical cloud: it should be formed in the Han Dynasty at the latest. Is it based on Wang Chong's Lun Heng? The article "Things Potential" says: "Yin, wood, birds and 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. "* * * put forward eleven zodiac names. In addition, in the Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu Yue written by Zhao Ye in the Eastern Han Dynasty, "Wu Zaichen is a dragon. "Just added' Chen Long', and completed 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? The thief clearly recorded the words used to predict the thief's appearance characteristics 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.

Bones are harvested far away, and sheep breed 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. Eleven sentences >>

What does the zodiac mean? The zodiac is also called the zodiac.

It is a dozen animals used by some ethnic groups in China and East Asia to represent years and people's birth years. The cycle of the zodiac is 12 years. Everyone's animal year has a zodiac sign. The zodiac is a mouse,

Cattle, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs are distributed in the Chinese zodiac in turn. This is a folk method for calculating age in China and an ancient chronology, also known as the Chinese zodiac.

The zodiac is also called the zodiac. In China's calendar, animals take turns to be on duty for twelve years, so our China Year has been applied to the calendars of rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs.

Legally. That's what people often say

Mouse, Ugly Cow, Silver Tiger, Hairy Rabbit, Chen Long, Fourth Uncle, Wuma, Weiyang, Shenhou, You You.

Chickens, dogs and porcupines.

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