The origin of the zodiac monkey

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 ... >>

What's the story of the monkey in the zodiac? The monkey is a very dexterous animal, and its actions are agile and quick. Its long and powerful arms stir the soup among the trees, which is even more amazing.

Monkeys are particularly curious, which is both its advantages and disadvantages, so people often use this weakness to design monkeys. Since ancient times, there have been many anecdotes between humans and monkeys. Let's take a look at them with a relaxed mood!

go back on one's word

During the Warring States Period, there was an old man who raised monkeys in the State of Song. He keeps many monkeys in the yard. After a long time, the old man and the monkey can communicate and talk.

The old man gives each monkey four chestnuts every morning. A few years later, the old man's economy became less and less affluent, but the number of monkeys increased. He wanted to change the number of chestnuts from eight to seven every day, so he discussed with the monkeys and said:

"Starting today, I will give you three chestnuts every morning and four chestnuts as usual at night. I wonder if you agree? "

Hearing this, the monkeys all thought that one was missing in the morning. So one by one began to squeak, shout and jump around, as if reluctant.

The old man saw this situation, hurriedly changed to say:

"Then I'll give you four in the morning and three in the evening. Is that all right? "

Hearing this, the monkeys thought that Xiaomi had changed from three o'clock in the morning to four o'clock, and rolled happily on the ground as before.

The ancestors of monkeys

A long time ago, there was a kind girl named Aqiao. . Because of her poor family, she was sent to a rich family as a young woman when she was very young.

One day, when Aqiao went to the backyard garden to water vegetables, suddenly, a beggar in rags, dirty and smelly appeared behind him.

"This kind girl, I haven't eaten for several days. Please give me something to eat! " Beggars beg Aqiao. Aqiao saw that the beggar was so pitiful that she secretly left half of her lunch to the beggar. The beggar left with great gratitude.

The next day, when Aqiao was washing clothes, the beggar appeared again. Aqiao was about to get some food for the beggar when the hostess saw her. She shouted to Aqiao:

"Aqiao, what are you doing? Go and do the laundry. "

Aqiao had to go back to wash clothes. When the hostess saw the beggar, she pushed him out of the door and scolded him while pushing.

"You smelly beggar, get out. There is nothing you can eat here. Get out. "

The beggar was suddenly pushed out of the door Aqiao was very sad to see this situation, so she secretly took something while the hostess was not looking and gave it to the beggar who fell by the door. The beggar was very moved and kept saying to Aqiao:

"Thank you, your heart is really good, and good people are rewarded."

Beggars eat three times, eat their feet, and say to Aqiao:

"Good girl, just be a good man and help me squeeze the pus out of my foot bag. I have been in pain for several days. "

Kind Aqiao didn't say a word: he squeezed the pus out of the beggar's feet. The pus splashed all over Aqiao's face, but Aqiao never touched it. Instead, he asked the beggar:

"Much better now?"

"Much better, much better, girl, thank you." The beggar finished speaking and walked away with a smile.

After the beggar left, Aqiao washed his hands, feet and face by the sink. When she entered the room, the hostess looked at her in surprise and asked:

"Who are you? Why are you wearing Aqiao's clothes? "

It turns out that Aqiao has become a beautiful woman as beautiful as flowers and pure as jade! The hostess was envious and asked Aqiao why. Aqiao told the hostess that she had found a beggar and not only invited him to dinner, but also helped him squeeze the pustules on his feet. As a result, the hostess not only did not become more beautiful than before, but became uglier than before. In addition, she has hair on her face and body, like a wild animal. The hostess was in tears, and the beggar took a hot tile and said to her:

"If you want to pluck monkey hair, sit on this tile!"

Hearing this, the hostess quickly sat down on the tile. Who knows that instead of losing her hair, it burned red and she cried with pain.

From now on ... >>

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 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 ... >>

One spring, the cat was sunbathing under the eaves and overheard Niu and his daughter-in-law say, "In two days, the organizing committee decided that all animals would go. Before the selection 12 animals are the most diligent animals, and they can be human animals. " The cat was very happy. It immediately told its good friend Mouse the good news. The mouse said, "I'll call you in two mornings, so you can sleep peacefully!" " "Because the mouse knows in his heart that cats are notoriously lazy.

Day by day passed, and soon on the third day, the mouse 1 got up. It didn't wake the cat, but left by itself.

In this way, the mouse won the first prize and the cat and mouse became enemies.

Zodiac: Introduction to the Monkey Zodiac: Monkey is one of the zodiac series, which introduces the origin of the monkey zodiac, the century chronology of the monkey zodiac, the annual chronology of the monkey zodiac, the celebrities of the monkey zodiac, the animals corresponding to the monkey zodiac, the complex between people and the monkey zodiac animals, the anecdotes between characters and the monkey zodiac animals, and the monkey zodiac animals in literary works. Rich in content, concise, informative, interesting, readable and ornamental.

A long time ago, one day, people said, "We want to choose twelve animals as the human zodiac, one animal a year." How many kinds of animals are there in the world? How to choose? Tell you what, set a date. On this day, when animals come to sign up, they will choose the first twelve animals as the zodiac.

Cats and mice are neighbors and good friends. They all want to sign up. The cat said, "we have to get up early to register, but I like to sleep late." What should I do? " The mouse said, "Don't worry, don't worry. You can sleep deeply. I'll call you as soon as I wake up. Let's go together. " The cat was very happy and said, "You are really my good friend, thank you."

By the morning of registration, the mouse was awake, but it only thought about its own business and forgot its good friend's cat. I signed up myself.

As a result, I chose the mouse. Where is the cat? The cat got up too late because it went to bed late. When it arrived, twelve animals had been selected.

If the cat is not selected, it will be angry with the mouse, blaming the mouse for not calling it. Since then, cats will eat mice when they see them, and the mice have to run away desperately.

It's still like this.

Do you know which constellation?

They are rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs.

How to make the mouse rank first? Here's another story.

On the day of registration, the mouse got up early and the cow got up early. They met on the road. Cows take big strides, mice take small steps. The mouse was out of breath and barely kept up with the cow. The mouse thought, the road is still far, and I can't run fast. what can I do? He used his head and came up with an idea. He said to the cow, "Niu Ge, I'll sing you a song." The cow said, "OK, you sing-hey, why don't you sing?" The mouse said, "I am singing." Why didn't you hear me? " Oh, my voice was too low for you to hear. Tell you what, let me ride around your neck and sing, and you will hear me. "The cow said," good, good! "The mouse climbed up the cow's neck along the cow's leg, so the cow was comfortable carrying it. It bobbed to sing:

Niu Ge, Niu Ge, cross the river, climb the hillside, drive, drive, hurry up! Niu Yi was very happy to hear that. He spread his legs and ran as fast as he could. He ran to the registration place and saw that no one had come. He wept with joy: "I am the first, I am the first!" " Before the cow finished speaking, the mouse jumped down from the cow's neck, jumped to the ground, squeaked and jumped in front of the cow. As a result, the mouse won the first place and the cow won the second place. So in the zodiac, the little mouse ranks first.

The Story of the Zodiac II

How to choose the zodiac is a topic handed down from ancient times. Legend has it that one year, when the Jade Emperor celebrated his birthday, he ordered all the animals to come to celebrate his birthday on the ninth day of the first month, and decided to choose 12 kinds of animals to celebrate his birthday in the order of reporting, as the guards in heaven, and take turns to be on duty every year.

According to legend, mice and cats were neighbors at that time, but big cats often bullied weak mice, and mice often just got angry with cats and dared not speak. This cat has a problem with sleepiness. After receiving the jade emperor's order, the mouse secretly rejoiced that the opportunity to retaliate against the cat had finally come. Sure enough, the cat knocked on the door of the mouse's house and asked the mouse to wake him up for the jade emperor's birthday. The mouse readily agreed. In order to get back at the cat, the mouse set off quietly in the early morning of the ninth day of the first month.

Although the mouse got up early and ran fast, it was worried when it reached the wide river facing Taotao River, so it had to sit by the river and wait for other animals to cross the river, jump on their backs and cross the river with their help. After waiting for a long time, the earliest Niu Yi walked silently to the river. At the moment the cow swam into the water, the mouse jumped into the cow's ear. Cows are usually known for their simplicity and helpfulness, so they don't care about mice's guesses. After crossing the river, the mouse found it comfortable and labor-saving to lie in the cow's ear. It didn't mean to jump. Near noon, the cow carried the mouse outside the Jade Emperor's mansion.

When Niu Gang wanted to enter the door, the mouse jumped out of the cow's ear and jumped to the jade emperor first. In this way, the mouse finally won the first place. And the cow that carried it all the way won the second place. Later, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens and dogs also came one after another. Although the pig is stupid, it still arrived on time, ranking twelfth. The Jade Emperor awarded them as annual rotation students according to the order of their registration, thus determining the order of the zodiac.

Positive ... >>

The origin and evolution of monkeys The origin and legend of the zodiac We all know that the zodiac is mouse, ugly cow, silver tiger, hairy rabbit, dragon, snake, afternoon horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog and pig. What are their origins? Why do you use these twelve animals as the zodiac? Let's take a look at this knowledge today. At that time, the book was used for divination. In the book, the author described the appearance characteristics of animals visited by thieves. This is the earliest and most complete zodiac record ever discovered. Among them, all the twelve earthly branches have complete records. Except one zodiac sign, all the other eleven earthly branches have zodiac signs. Five zodiac signs, rat, ugly cow, silver tiger, hairy rabbit and Haizhu, are the same as today. As for "Si is a worm, Shen is a ring and you are water", it can also be interpreted as Si snake, Shen monkey and you chicken. The note in the book that "noon is a deer, not a horse, but an old sheep" is different from the general statement, which may reflect the situation of the twelve zodiac animals in Chu. For a long time, many people regard Lun Heng in the Eastern Han Dynasty as the earliest and most complete document to record the zodiac. "On the whole?" "Things" contains: "Yin, wood, its birds, tigers. Soil, its birds and dogs are also. Good afternoon, Ma Ye. Son, mouse also. Unitary, chicken also. Hair, rabbits, too. Hai, the pig is also. No, so are sheep. Ugly, cattle are also. Third, snakes are also. Shen, Qi Tian also. "There are only eleven zodiac signs in the above quotation, and what is missing is the dragon. The book "Poisonous Words" also said: "Chen Weilong, Si is a snake, and Chen and Si are in the southeast. In this way, the zodiac is completed. Later, some astronomical observers found that the length of a year can be measured by the moon's profit and loss cycle, and found that all twelve full moons are one year old. This discovery is one of the most accurate achievements of the early calendar, and "Twelve" is regarded as "days" to convey God's will. Heavenly stems and earthly branches, the sun and the moon are opposite, and heaven and earth are opposite. This is the "Twelve". A mouse and an ugly cow ... a dog and a pig. There are many animals in the world. Why did the ancients choose these twelve animals as their zodiac signs? Xuanyuan Huangdi is the ancestor of all ethnic groups in the Central Plains of China. After the Yellow Emperor ruled the Central Plains, many things happened. In order to facilitate management, he ordered the historian Cangjie to create characters, and ordered the warlock in charge of astronomy and geography to make a branch chronology, that is, heavenly stems and earthly branches should coordinate and weigh "Jia Zi" every 60 years. The chronology of heavenly stems and earthly branches is complicated, which is not popular among the people. Therefore, it was suggested to name twelve kinds of animals, which was approved by the Yellow Emperor and Cang Xie was ordered to do. Cang Xie ordered all animals to take part in the election in front of the palace on the first day of the first month. Knowing that his legs and feet are slow, Niu started early on New Year's Eve. As a result, cows arrived first, followed by tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs, pigs, and cats were the twelfth. The mouse came late, far behind the twelve, and was hopelessly selected, so he slipped into the warehouse of the Yellow Emperor and stole the big red candle in the warehouse. The big red candle is a gift from the Yellow Emperor to his opponent Chiyou. The middle is empty and filled with gunpowder. As long as the candle is lit, it will explode. The next day, when the Yellow Emperor held a naming ceremony for the zodiac and lit the candle, the guards found gunpowder in the candle from the place where the mouse had bitten. The mouse inadvertently saved the life of the Yellow Emperor. The Yellow Emperor thought that the mouse was meritorious and chose it as the zodiac, which tied for the first place. The other animals retreated in turn, and the cat was eliminated. So up to now, cats still hate mice and are their sworn enemies. Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor chose the zodiac: Xuanyuan Huangdi wanted to choose the zodiac as a palace guard, and the cat asked the mouse to sign him up, but the mouse forgot. As a result, the cat didn't choose it, and from then on, it became an enemy with the mouse, biting when it saw it; The elephant also signed up, and the mouse got into the elephant's nose and made the elephant run away in pain. Of the twelve animals, the cow was originally recommended as the first, but the mouse jumped on the cow's back and the pig followed, so that the mouse ranked first and the pork chop was the last. The dragon and tiger refused to accept it and were named the king of the sea and king of the hill, ranking behind the mouse and the cow; The rabbit refused to accept and raced with the dragon, so that the rabbit was in front of the dragon again; The dog quit again. In a rage, he bit the rabbit and was punished later. After some contests, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys and chickens were also placed one by one, and finally the pattern of rats, ugly cows, silver tigers, hairy rabbits, Chen Long, fourth uncle, five horses, Weiyang, Shenhou, You You chickens, dogs and pigs was formed. After the zodiac was selected, the Yellow Emperor ordered Cang Xie to engrave the results on a stone tablet. There is still a huge stone tablet in the northwest of Lishan ancestral temple in Lintong, Shaanxi Province, which is engraved with the images of twelve animals, such as rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs. It is called "Twelve Elephant Stones". Some people may ask why there are no cats in the legendary zodiac. In fact, there were no cats in ancient China. The hometown of domestic cats was in Sudan, Africa, and later it was introduced to Egypt, and from Egypt it was introduced to China. At that time, the zodiac was already formed. This legendary story, ... >>

When did the zodiac originate? Zodiac animals, namely rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs, are distributed in the zodiac in turn. When did this custom come into being?

Zhao Yi, A Qing Dynasty, thinks that it started with the Yu Yu series in the Eastern Han Dynasty. His basis is: "On the whole?" "Things" contains: "Yin, wood, its birds, tigers. Soil, its birds and dogs are also. ..... At noon, the horse also arrived. Son, mouse knife. Unitary, chicken also. Hair, rabbits, too. ..... hey, tapir. No, so are sheep. Ugly, cattle are also. ..... Third, snakes are also. Shen, Qi Tian also. "There are only eleven zodiac signs in the above quotation, and what is missing is the dragon. The book "Poisonous Words" also said: "Chen Weilong, Si is a snake, and Chen and Si are in the southeast. In this way, the zodiac is complete, and the subordinate relationship between the twelve earthly branches and the zodiac is also so complete, just like today.

Zhao Yi's viewpoint has been accepted by people for quite a long time!

However, at the end of 1975, 1200 bamboo slips were unearthed from TombNo, Qin. Yunmeng Shuihudi 1 1 in Hubei Province. Among them, there is a chapter called "Thief" in the A-type book "Japanese Book", which talks about the appearance characteristics of divination thieves. , which mentioned the zodiac. For example, "Son, mouse, thief is anxious to speak …" "Ugly, cow, thief has a big nose and a long neck …" and so on. The twelve earthly branches mentioned in Thief are generally similar to those mentioned since Lun Heng in the Eastern Han Dynasty. According to textual research, the tomb of Shuihudi 1 1 was in the third year of Qin Shihuang (2 17 BC). In addition, the contents of Japanese books can be traced back to Chu and Qin in the Warring States period, so the custom of the zodiac has existed since the Warring States period. This is more than 300 years earlier than the saying that it originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

As an ancient folk cultural phenomenon, there are different opinions about the origin of the zodiac. Some people think that the zodiac and earthly branches are homologous and can be traced back to prehistoric legend times. In Historical Records, the Yellow Emperor's statements of "building Jiazi for life" and "making every effort to cure Jiazi" are the embodiment of this statement, and scholars believe that Jiazi here refers to the zodiac. Zhao Yi, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, said in "Examination of Jade Cong": "At the beginning of the custom of covering the north, there was no such thing as the twelfth birthday of ugly yin, but in the next year, it was spread in China, and its ears were not wasted." (see Qing? Zhao Yi's Language Congkao). Some scholars even think that the zodiac was introduced to China from Babylon. The representative of this view is Guo Moruo, who wrote in The Study of Oracle Characters? Shi Zhigan said, "Twelve statues are found in Babylon, Egypt and India, but they are not very old, nor are they more than 100 years after the Western Dynasty. The original intention is that this was made in the Western countries during the Han Dynasty, imitating the Babylonian zodiac and then spreading to the surrounding areas. " It is believed that the Chinese Zodiac was formulated by Middle Eastern residents imitating the Babylonian Zodiac, and was introduced to China when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty communicated with the western regions. The above viewpoints are different, so I dare not judge right or wrong subjectively. However, it is proved by a large number of documents that the Chinese zodiac really originated in China, and it is the crystallization of animal worship, totem worship and early astronomy of China ancestors.

The Book of Songs is the earliest record of the zodiac in the existing literature. The Book of Songs? Xiaoya? There are eight words for "auspicious day", which means auspicious day, and it is a good day for prancing hunting. This is an example of a horse in the afternoon. It can be seen that the corresponding relationship between earthly branches and twelve kinds of animals has been established and spread around the Spring and Autumn Period.

In the early references to the 12 zodiac, it is slightly different from the current version. For example, the dragon no longer exists, and its position is replaced by a worm.

1975, the bamboo slips unearthed from TombNo. 1 1 in Shuihudi, Yunmeng County, Hubei Province, further prove that the zodiac existed around the Spring and Autumn Period. There is a chapter on "Thief" in the bamboo slips unearthed in Japan, which talks about the appearance characteristics of thieves, and records: "Son, mouse, thief wants his mouth, ... ugly, cow, thief with big nose and long neck, ... yin, tiger, thief, if he wants his beard, his face is black." Hair, rabbits, thieves are big. Chen, [original leak] The thief is a man, green and red ... Third, the worm is also black. In the afternoon, the deer came. The thief had a long neck and a small body. ..... No, horse, thieves have ears. Shen zhe, Huan ye, thief is round ... "The zodiac recorded in Japanese books is roughly similar to the popular saying now. According to textual research, the tomb of Shuihudi 1 1 was in the 30th year of Qin Shihuang (2 17 BC), so the appearance of the zodiac can be traced back to at least the Spring and Autumn Period before Qin Dynasty. Scholars believe that this is the earliest and most systematic record of the zodiac found in China so far.

For a long time, many people regard Lun Heng as the earliest document that records the zodiac. Lun Heng is the representative work of Wang Chong (AD 27-97), a materialist thinker in the Eastern Han Dynasty. "On the whole?" "Things" contains: "Yin, wood, its birds, tigers. Soil, its birds and dogs are also. ..... At noon, the horse also arrived. Son, mouse also. Unitary, chicken also. Hair, rabbits, too. ..... hey, tapir. No, so are sheep. Ugly, cattle are also. ..... Third, snakes are also. Shen, Qi Tian also. "There are only eleven zodiac signs in the above quotation, and what is missing is the dragon. The book "Poisonous Words" also said: "Chen Weilong, Si is a snake, and Chen and Si are in the southeast. In this way, the zodiac is complete, and the subordinate relationship between the twelve earthly branches and the zodiac is so complete, and it is the same as today. This is indeed the earliest and most complete record of the zodiac in ancient literature.

By the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the zodiac had been widely used. There have been specific records in the Five Elements Annals. According to the year of birth, people belong to an animal. Another example is Zhou Shu? Biography III records a letter written 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. " This can prove.

Southern dynasties? Chen? The poet Shen Jiong once wrote a poem about the zodiac, which said:

In the case of mice and dust, cattle and sheep came down at dusk.

Tigers sit in empty valleys for food, and rabbits open windows to the moon.

The dragon ridge is far green, and the snake willow lingers near.

Ma Lanfang is far away and breeds sheep in spring.

The monkey chestnut shames the fragrant fruit, and the chicken anvil leads to a clear cup.

A dog cares about things, but a pig is carefree.

This poem of the zodiac is obviously written in the order of animals assigned by the twelve branches, which shows that people at that time were already very familiar with the zodiac.

However, in ancient times, the nomadic minorities in northwest China used animals to record the years. The Book of the Tang Dynasty records: "Tuoba Siguo Ten ... >>"