What is the function of the zodiac?

What is the function of the zodiac? 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 at the back ran over and said, "He * * * Dad, I'm in the sixth place! I am ranked 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 ... >>

What's the function of the zodiac? Rats, rats.

Take mine. .

What is the zodiac? Zodiac is an important part of China traditional culture. It consists of 12 kinds of animals from nature, namely rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs. Used to record the year, the order is mouse, ugly cow, worker, rabbit, dragon, snake, afternoon horse and pig. It is widely used in China cultural circles. There are many literary works describing the zodiac. At the same time, the zodiac is also used for Chinese medicine and animation names.

What's the use of the zodiac? Zodiac originated from animal worship in primitive times, a totem in disguise. The productivity of primitive society is low, and the ability to understand nature is extremely limited, so we have a sense of dependence on animals closely related to our lives (such as horses, sheep, cows, chickens, dogs, etc.). ), the fear of animals that endanger our own safety (such as tigers and snakes), and the awe of some animal organ functions that transcend human beings (such as dogs' sense of smell, etc.). ), which leads to the worship of animals. The zodiac is an animal calendar that people use to record the years and months under the influence of the primitive belief of animal worship.

What are the benefits of 12 Zodiac? Every zodiac has every feature, they all have extraordinary will and kindness, and each zodiac has a different life, and their joys and sorrows are not divided into time.

12 the meaning of the zodiac The first group is mice and cows. Rats represent wisdom and cows represent diligence. Wisdom and diligence must be closely combined. If you are smart and not diligent, you become smart; But if you are diligent and not thoughtful, it becomes stupid. The two must be combined. This is the expectation and requirement of our ancestors for our first group, and it is also the most important group. "

The second group are tigers and rabbits. Tigers represent courage, rabbits represent caution. Courage and caution must be closely combined in order to be bold and cautious. If courage leaves prudence, it becomes recklessness, but without courage, it becomes timidity. This group is also very important, so it is placed in the second place. Through this group, I can also tell you Westerners that when we in China show caution, don't think that China people don't have a brave side.

The third group is dragons and snakes, representing tenacity and snakes representing flexibility. The so-called rigidity is easy to break, too rigid is easy to break, but if there is only a soft side, it is easy to lose your mind. Therefore, combining rigidity with softness is our ancestral motto. "

Horses and sheep, horses represent courage and sheep represent harmony. If a person only cares about himself and goes straight to the goal, regardless of the surrounding environment, he will inevitably bump into the surrounding area, and he may not be able to achieve his goal in the end. However, if a person is too busy letting nature take its course, he may even have no direction. Therefore, going forward must be closely combined with harmony, which is the fourth set of expectations of our ancestors.

Monkeys and chickens. Monkeys represent flexibility, and chickens crow regularly, representing constancy. Flexibility and constancy must be closely combined. If you are flexible and not static, no matter how good the policy is, you will get nothing. On the one hand, it has stability and maintains overall harmony and order, on the other hand, it can move forward in flexibility, which is the most fundamental essence. "

Dogs and pigs. Dogs represent loyalty and pigs represent easygoing. If a person is too loyal and doesn't know how to be easy-going, he will exclude others. On the contrary, if a person is too easy-going and has no loyalty, he will lose his principles. Both loyalty to a nation and loyalty to one's own ideals must be closely combined with easygoing, so that it is easy to maintain a deep balance. "

What does the zodiac mean? China's zodiac animals are made up of eleven natural animals, namely, rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs, pigs and legendary dragons. Used to record the year, the order is mouse, ugly cow, silver tiger, hairy rabbit, dragon, snake, afternoon horse, sheep, monkey, chicken and sheep. It is widely used in many countries and nationalities.

Source history

introduce

The use of 12 zodiac dates began in China at least in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. "Northern history? Yuwen Hu Biography records a letter written by Yuwen Hu's mother. The letter said, "Your brother was born in Wuchuan Town. The eldest is a mouse, the second is a rabbit and you are a snake. "Explain the folk usage of 12 zodiac at that time. However, what is the origin of the 12 zodiac? According to Chinese ancient books, in the Central Plains of ancient China, the "chronology of branches and branches" was originally used, that is, 10 heavenly stems symbols A, B, C, D, E, Kyrgyzstan, G, Xin, Ren, Guihe 12 earthly branches symbols Zi, Ugly, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, and Mao. In the northwest of China, a few nomadic people use animals to record the years. It is recorded in the Book of the Tang Dynasty: "Tuoba Sinian takes twelve things as the standard. If a year is a cloudy year, it is called the Year of the Tiger. " In addition, "Song history? It is also recorded in the biography of Tubo that when the Tubo leader narrates, he records the year with things. As the saying goes, "The old story lasts for twelve days, so is the Year of the Rabbit and so is the Year of the Horse." Later, in the communication between the Central Plains and ethnic minorities, the two ways of dating contacted each other, forming the present 12 zodiac. As Zhao Yi pointed out in the Qing Dynasty's Jade Cong Kao, "At the beginning of the custom of covering the north, there was no ugliness on the 12th, but when rats, cows, tigers and rabbits were separated in age, they were spread in China and their ears were not wasted." This explanation about the origin of 12 zodiac has been recognized by many people.

In addition, the story about the origin of 12 is as follows: Hong Xun's Miscellanies of Yanggu says that the odd-numbered earthly branches of 12 are also equipped with odd-numbered fingers or hooves of animals. If the child is in the first place, the matching mouse is 5 fingers, and if the ground branch is even, the name is even, such as cow, ugly and so on. Ye Shijie explained the origin of Cao Zhong 12 Zodiac as follows: the painter matched 12 with 12, and each Xiao had its own shortcomings, such as toothless mice, toothless cows, toothless tigers, toothless rabbits, toothless dragons, legless snakes, gutless horses, eyeless sheep and legless monkeys. "

There are other kinds of sayings. For example, the Yellow Emperor chose 12 animals to be on duty in the sky on time ... Through the competition, he selected 12 animals such as mice, cows and tigers. 12 the zodiac originated from the totem worship of some clans in primitive society; 12 Zodiac may have been introduced by Tianzhu; Or 28 stars are distributed in a week or so, and the value is 12 hours. Each star is named after an animal. Choose a common animal on duty every hour as an agent for a certain year, and so on.

Although people can't determine the exact origin of the 12 zodiac, it has been used to this day because of its popularity, convenience and interest, and has become a valuable legacy with practical value left by the ancients.

Myths and legends

There is a myth about the origin of the zodiac: the Jade Emperor wanted to choose 12 animals as representatives, and then he sent a fairy to tell the animals about it, and set a time to come to the Tiangong to run for office in the year of Taizu. The earlier he comes, the higher the line will be, and the last one will 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. The dragon has no horns and the chicken has 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 at the back ran over and said, "He * * * Dad, I'm in the sixth place! I am ranked sixth! " Snakes rank sixth; Horses and sheep have arrived ... >>

What is the function of the zodiac in Yuanmingyuan? There is a stone-throwing fountain in front of the West Building of Yuanmingyuan, which is called Dashuifa. The architect reported the twelve hours of the day with the zodiac sign of the animal head, and sprayed water to the center of the pool in turn every day. At noon, the zodiac will spew synchronously in the middle of the pool, and the scene is spectacular.

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 >>