The Origin of the Zodiac Dragon

What is the origin of the zodiac dragon? What kind of animal is the dragon prototype? There are different opinions. To solve this mystery, we must trace it back to ancient times from the long history of the Chinese nation.

When primitive humans changed from collecting wild fruits and fishing and hunting to planting for a living, grain became the main food, and the quantity of harvest determined people's quality of life. The ancient people, who are still in infancy and have not yet developed their wisdom, can't understand and control the frequent disasters in nature and don't want to be at the mercy of nature, so they hope that some gods can influence the forces of nature to help resist disasters and try to seek protection by praying and offering these gods idols.

In the Yellow River Basin, the birthplace of the Chinese nation, affected by the temperate monsoon climate, floods are a great threat to people. Therefore, it is the greatest wish of ancient ancestors to yearn for a god who can dominate the rain, protect the weather and ensure a bumper harvest. Ancient humans living in different regions and environments benefited from different natural objects around them. Therefore, people have different objects to represent the nature and gas field of natural objects. Some animals living around them are the most commonly used materials to make gods, so our ancestors took the reptile alligator, which is unique to China, as the prototype and created a symbolic image of the dragon, the main water god.

How was the Chinese alligator, a "living fossil" that once lived with dinosaurs for more than 100 million years and still miraculously maintained its prototype, shaped into Jackie Chan? Before Xia and Shang Dynasties, the environment of the Yellow River basin was like "trees are shaded and clouds are hung by smoke" recorded in Notes on Water Classics. It used to be a place with beautiful scenery and rich vegetation. Paleometeorology shows that the climate is quite warm and humid, so many Chinese alligators live. Because of its ferocious appearance, peculiar habits of amphibious life, and secretive whereabouts, the ancients were both in awe of it, so the Chinese alligator, a majestic and mysterious animal in everyone's eyes, became an inevitable choice for the image of the main water god.

The mythical image of the dragon has all the basic characteristics of the Chinese alligator: 1, a scaly body; 2. Long chin and upturned nose on the top of the head; 3. Conical fangs with sharp edges; 4 big round protruding eyes; 5 long thick tail; 6. Strong limbs and claws with five fingers; 7. There are horizontal stripes on the abdomen.

In order to make up for the defect that the bald tail of the Chinese alligator is detrimental to the image of the gods, the ancients used their full imagination to add horns, whiskers and caudal fins to it, and transformed the protruding horny spines arranged longitudinally on the back into serrated dorsal fins to lengthen the body to render the imposing manner and enrich the decorative effect, so the Chinese alligator was shaped into the legendary dragon image, with its teeth flying about. Although the imaginary dragon is different from the real Chinese alligator after artistic exaggeration, by contrast, we can still see the main features of the Chinese alligator, such as long jaws, fangs, scales, claws and so on.

Later, due to man-made destruction of ecology, slash and burn, deforestation in the Yellow River basin, soil erosion, environmental deterioration and cold climate, the Chinese alligator, which is suitable for warm and humid environment, is difficult to survive and gradually disappears (now only exists in the south of Anhui Province, China). Because the Chinese alligator no longer exists in real life, the impression in people's memory will fade away, leaving only the image of the dragon created by ancestors. As a result, the dragon and the Chinese alligator have become two different concepts, and the origin of the dragon image has become confusing.

Early dragons had no horns. 1987 A 6000-year-old tomb excavated in Puyang, Henan Province, once found a dragon (alligator sinensis) with a clam shell. The dragon image on painted pottery in Yangshao culture is also a reptile with a big head and a long tail. The image of ceratosaurus can be found in Oracle Bone Inscriptions and Shang bronzes. A bronze ware with dragon pattern unearthed in Shanxi has an upturned nose, an open mouth and sharp teeth, and the decorative patterns on both sides of the body are exactly the same as those of the Chinese alligator. The Yunlong stone carving in Nanshan, Dazu, Sichuan is a vivid image of a Chinese alligator without horns and eyebrows.

Chinese characters are hieroglyphics, and the dragon in Oracle Bone Inscriptions is an animal with a big mouth and a bent body. The pronunciation of the word dragon is an imitation of ray. The ancients regarded the dragon as the god of thunderstorms. In Shan Hai Jing, there is a saying that "Razer has a god and the dragon has a head." According to some records, whenever the wind and rain came, lightning inspired the ancients to believe that lightning was closely related to dragons. So "rumbling" thunder became the pronunciation of the word dragon. Today, the common names of Chinese alligator in southern China are still "Dragon Map" and "Pig Polong".

People's understanding is the reflection of objective reality. Throughout the ages, many records, legends and folk customs about dragons are related to the living habits of Chinese alligators.

Chinese alligators live in swamps of rivers, lakes and seas, and spread to the left ... >>

The origin of the dragon in the zodiac; The origin of dragons in the zodiac.

Dragon ranks fifth in the zodiac, and it is associated with the zodiac. It is called "Chen Shi" at twelve o'clock one day-from seven to nine in the morning.

How did the Year of the Loong come from?

It is said that ancient dragons had no horns. At that time, dragons lived on the ground. It is very strong in itself, can fly, is good at swimming, and wants to be an animal symbol, and also wants to be a beastmaster instead of a tiger. As a result, Long Hudou was born in the world, and the result is inseparable. Finally, the Jade Emperor thought that they played badly and ordered them to come to the Heavenly Palace for trial. When he left, the dragon felt that although he was tall, he was not as powerful as the tiger, and he was afraid that the jade emperor would look down on himself. He was not a beastmaster or a zodiac sign. At this time, the dragon's younger brother centipede had an idea: "The rooster has a pair of beautiful horns. Don't be afraid. If you borrow them, you will definitely add a little prestige to Brother Long." The dragon was overjoyed, so he and centipede came to the rooster to borrow horns.

The rooster heard that the dragon wanted to borrow its horn, but he refused to live or die. The dragon was in a hurry and swore to heaven, "If I don't return your horn, I will die when I get back to land." Centipede was also a protector in Qin Shihuang's time. "If Brother Long doesn't return your horn, you can eat me in one bite." When the cock saw the centipede as safe, he lent his horn to the dragon.

When Dragon and Tiger arrived in the Heavenly Palace, the Jade Emperor saw that both dragons and tigers were very powerful, so he ordered them to be the king of beasts, the tiger the king of land beasts and the dragon the king of aquatic animals. Since the tiger can be the zodiac, the dragon can also be the zodiac, only in the back. So, both the dragon and the tiger were happy, left the Jade Emperor and returned to the mortal world. When they came back, the dragon thought, if I give the horn back to the rooster, will the aquarium people believe that I am so ugly? So I decided not to return the cock's horn, plunged into the water, and now I don't go to land.

When the rooster saw that the dragon didn't return its horn, he was flushed with anger and took it out on the centipede. The centipede was so scared that it got into the crack. Today, we can also see that the cock's face is always red, and centipedes rarely climb out of the ground. When the cock sees the centipede, he always eats it one by one and always shouts, "Brother Long, give me back my horn?" ! "The dragon has never been to land again.

Although the dragon is the only fictional animal in the China Zodiac, China people respect and fear it and have a special feeling. The status of the dragon is unmatched by any animal. In China people's minds, it is a mythical thing that can make a difference. The emperor claimed to be the real dragon emperor, and the people themselves were descendants of the dragon. People give full play to their infinite imagination, make Long Bian magical and great, and combine the images of various animals into Jackie Chan, which has the wildness of animals, understanding of people and spirituality of gods, and has created many dragon legends. These legends are more fascinating after being processed by the people and polished by the literati. People's psychology that John Lone loves dragons has been sublimated into a kind of worship. Perhaps this is also the cultural factor that makes the dragon a zodiac.

7 a.m. to 9 a.m. ("Chen Shi"). Legend has it that this is when the dragon rains. Dragons are mythical animals, so Chen Shi belongs to dragons.

What is the origin of the dragon in the zodiac? Dragon ranks fifth in the zodiac, and it is associated with the zodiac. It is called "Chen Shi" at twelve o'clock one day-from seven to nine in the morning.

How did the Year of the Loong come from?

It is said that ancient dragons had no horns. At that time, dragons lived on the ground. It is very strong in itself, can fly, is good at swimming, and wants to be an animal symbol, and also wants to be a beastmaster instead of a tiger. As a result, Long Hudou was born in the world, and the result is inseparable. Finally, the Jade Emperor thought that they played badly and ordered them to come to the Heavenly Palace for trial. When he left, the dragon felt that although he was tall, he was not as powerful as the tiger, and he was afraid that the jade emperor would look down on himself. He was not a beastmaster or a zodiac sign. At this time, the dragon's younger brother centipede had an idea: "The rooster has a pair of beautiful horns. Don't be afraid. If you borrow them, you will definitely add a little prestige to Brother Long." The dragon was overjoyed, so he and centipede came to the rooster to borrow horns.

The rooster heard that the dragon wanted to borrow its horn, but he refused to live or die. The dragon was in a hurry and swore to heaven, "If I don't return your horn, I will die when I get back to land." Centipede was also a protector in Qin Shihuang's time. "If Brother Long doesn't return your horn, you can eat me in one bite." When the cock saw the centipede as safe, he lent his horn to the dragon.

When Dragon and Tiger arrived in the Heavenly Palace, the Jade Emperor saw that both dragons and tigers were very powerful, so he ordered them to be the king of beasts, the tiger the king of land beasts and the dragon the king of aquatic animals. Since the tiger can be the zodiac, the dragon can also be the zodiac, only in the back. So, both the dragon and the tiger were happy, left the Jade Emperor and returned to the mortal world. When they came back, the dragon thought, if I give the horn back to the rooster, will the aquarium people believe that I am so ugly? So I decided not to return the cock's horn, plunged into the water, and now I don't go to land.

When the rooster saw that the dragon didn't return its horn, he was flushed with anger and took it out on the centipede. The centipede was so scared that it got into the crack. Today, we can also see that the cock's face is always red, and centipedes rarely climb out of the ground. When the cock sees the centipede, he always eats it one by one and always shouts, "Brother Long, give me back my horn!" " "The dragon has never been to land again.

Although the dragon is the only fictional animal in the China Zodiac, China people respect and fear it and have a special feeling. The status of the dragon is unmatched by any animal. In China people's minds, it is a mythical thing that can make a difference. The emperor claimed to be the real dragon emperor, and the people themselves were descendants of the dragon. People give full play to their infinite imagination, make Long Bian magical and great, and combine the images of various animals into Jackie Chan, which has the wildness of animals, understanding of people and spirituality of gods, and has created many dragon legends. These legends are more fascinating after being processed by the people and polished by the literati. People's psychology that John Lone loves dragons has been sublimated into a kind of worship. Perhaps this is also the cultural factor that makes the dragon a zodiac.

In ancient times, the dragon symbolized that the emperor was above, and everyone had to listen to his will. Dragons are ever-changing, but dragons are short of ears. People who belong to dragons are very subjective. Everything is based on your own judgment. Although the opinions given to him by others sound passive in Nuo Nuo, they all act according to their own opinions in the end, so people who belong to dragons have ears (it is not easy to accept other people's opinions). Therefore, when creating characters, it depends on the character of the dragon. If you can't hear under the dragon, you are deaf. "This is the reason.

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 zodiac, it appeared at least in the Northern and Southern 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, cows, 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 person 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 heart's wish and quickly said, It's a deal. Let's race and let the hounds be your judges ... >>

What is in front of the zodiac dragon? What is in front of the zodiac dragon? -hairy rabbit.

12 how did the zodiac come from, especially why there are dragons? The dragon symbolizes nobility. Maybe one is 12 Xiao and 12 Chen. Every Xiao has its own shortcomings, such as rats without teeth, cows without teeth, tigers without spleen, rabbits without lips, dragons without ears, snakes without feet, horses without internal organs, sheep without pupils, monkeys without hips, chickens without kidneys, dogs without stomachs, pigs without tendons and people without feet. Now there is no way to research the origin of 12 zodiac. There are only some legends that you can refer to: "The dragon sees the head but doesn't see the tail". This sentence describes the mystery, preciousness and impermanence of dragons. Dragon, originally a rare animal in the imaginary legend, has never been seen before, but it has become the spiritual symbol of the Chinese nation. Don't we call ourselves "descendants of the dragon"? It can be seen that "Dragon" currently occupies a strange position in the hearts of China people. Dragons are not only auspicious symbols, but also spiritual gods. I think the legend will be more legendary for this rare beast. Once upon a time, there was a white dragon. Very funny. Because it has been playing in the water for too long, it often turns into a fish, dives into the water and swims leisurely. On this day, the white dragon turned into a fish, jumped into the river and swam in the water. A fisherman happened to come. Seeing this unusual fish, he quickly picked up an arrow and shot at it. However, the front end of the arrow was slightly off, and it only hit the fish (white dragon) in the eye. "oh! What a pity! If you photograph this fish, you will definitely get a good price. " The fisherman felt sorry and went fishing elsewhere. White dragon flew into a rage after being shot in the eye. He jumped up with an arrow wound and went to complain to the Jade Emperor. "Report to my Jade Emperor, I turned into a fish playing in the river on earth today. Unexpectedly, I was shot in the left eye by a reckless fisherman. From now on, I will become a cyclops, which will damage my long face. Ask the Jade Emperor to punish the hateful fisherman. " Bailong was still very angry when he heard this, but since the Jade Emperor ruled, he dared not disobey the orders of the Jade Emperor and took revenge without permission, so he had to admit that he was unlucky. In ancient times, Emperor Lapras ascended to heaven. Huangdi is a very wise king. He once defeated the invader Chiyou for the survival of the nation. The era of the Yellow Emperor was also a period of great inventions in ancient history. Ships, calendars, arithmetic and music were invented in this era. Huangdi invented the tripod in his later years. When the first tripod was cast, suddenly a dragon fell from the sky. The dragon has big eyes and a long silver beard. The whole dragon body shone with golden light, and when it came down, it seemed to have brought 10 thousand pieces of gold forging, which covered the sky. The Yellow Emperor and his courtiers were surprised. The dragon slowly approached the Yellow Emperor, and his eyes became very gentle. Suddenly, he said to the Yellow Emperor, "The Emperor of Heaven is very happy to see that you have made a step forward in Chinese civilization, so he specially sent me to take you to heaven to meet the Emperor of Heaven." Hearing this, the Yellow Emperor nodded, stepped onto the dragon's back and said to the ministers, "The Emperor of Heaven is going to summon me. Take care, goodbye. " "Please let us follow you!" The ministers rushed up, hoping to climb the dragon's back and follow the Yellow Emperor. But the dragon twisted its body and threw those people down. Jinlong and Huangdi flew into the sky together and disappeared into the clouds. Ministers had to watch the Yellow Emperor ascend to heaven. A minister looked at the sky and said thoughtfully, "Not everyone can get on it!" " Only a great man like the Yellow Emperor is qualified! Later, people named the place where the Yellow Emperor ascended to heaven "Dinghu" to commemorate the Yellow Emperor.

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 branches and branches" which combines the ten phenomena of heavenly stems and twelve phenomena of earthly branches. 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 zodiac, it appeared at least in the Northern and Southern 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 >>

Last year's lunar calendar in the Year of the Loong, said that the dragon can not but start from the traditional Chinese zodiac in China. As an ancient folk culture, the origin of the zodiac is related to the zodiac, which means the first group: rats and cows. Rats represent wisdom and cows represent diligence. The two must be closely combined. Only wisdom without diligence will become wisdom, and diligence will become stupidity. So the two must be combined. This is the first set of expectations and requirements of our ancestors for China people, and it is also the most important set. The second group: tigers and rabbits. Tigers represent courage, rabbits represent caution. The two must be closely combined to achieve the so-called boldness and caution. Courage without caution becomes recklessness, and blind caution becomes timidity. This group is also very important, so it is placed in the second place. The third group is the dragon snake. The dragon represents tenacity, and the snake represents 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, so combining rigidity with softness is our ancestral motto. The fourth group is horses and sheep. Horses represent indomitable spirit and go straight to the goal, while 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 environment and may not be able to achieve his goal in the end. But if a person is condescending and integrated with his surroundings, he will lose his direction and goal. Therefore, indomitable nature must be closely combined with harmony. The fifth group is 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 not get anything in the end. But if you just stay the same, stagnate and be monolithic, there will be no reform and opening up today. There is only a very harmonious combination between them. On the one hand, it has stability and maintains the overall harmony and order, on the other hand, it can continue to develop flexibly. The sixth group is 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 other hand, if a person is too easy-going and has no loyalty, he will lose his principles. Everyone in China has his own zodiac sign. Some people are pigs, others are dogs. What's the point? In fact, our ancestors expected us to be harmonious and impartial, and asked us to know how to cut into the corresponding surface. For example, a pig can pursue the loyalty of a dog in its easy-going nature; On the other hand, the loyal nature of dogs is easygoing. The zodiac is inseparable from the twelve branches of the earth.

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