Why is the year of the rat the first zodiac sign, and why is the mouse the first?
Ancient Chinese scholars once explained it from the perspective of twelve o'clock a day and night. When there was chaos between heaven and earth, the mouse just came out in the middle of the night and bit out a gap between heaven and earth, that is, "the mouse bit the sky", so it belonged to the mouse; After the beginning of the world, people had to farm for a living, and cows were the main force of farming at that time, so ugliness corresponded to cows and so on.
People in China thought that mice had strong reproductive ability, and the ancients expected life to multiply and large families to prosper, so they came up with the concept of having more children and more happiness. In Yu Ren's picture of the late Qing Dynasty Zodiac, five mice are catching melon seeds in a jar. The word "seed" is homophonic with "zi" and also stands for "many sons".
Zodiac rats in legends and stories
However, in ancient legends, stories or books, rats are not always invisible.
There is also a novel called Biography of the Eight Immortals in the late Qing Dynasty, which also mentions a legend related to rats: in a big flood, the bridge was washed away, and the rats crossed the bridge to save people, and finally exhausted their strength and were swallowed up by the flood. The immortal was moved, gave the mouse a fairy fruit, accepted it as a disciple, and finally helped the mouse become immortal.
In addition, there was a book called Garden of Dreams in the Qing Dynasty, which recorded that there was a toy in eastern Guangdong called "suncus murinus", which sounded like counting money. Rats can make sounds like counting money. In the past, some places used this sound as a sign of good luck. In auspicious New Year pictures, paper-cuts and lanterns, there are also images of mice.
In fact, to a certain extent, the zodiac is a vivid representative of the twelve earthly branches, each of which has rich legends, and then gradually merged with some folk beliefs. In modern society, they are also regarded as the mascots of the Spring Festival.
"Evolutionary History" of the Zodiac
The zodiac, also known as the "Zodiac", includes rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs. They have a long history, as early as the pre-Qin period, there are related records in ancient books.
197565438+February, two batches of bamboo slips of Qin Dynasty were unearthed in Hubei Province. Among them, the contents of "thief" in the Japanese Book are close to those in the zodiac, such as "son, mouse, thief with thin mouth; Ugly, cattle, thieves have big noses and long necks ... "
By the Han Dynasty, the Chinese zodiac basically took shape. In Lun Heng, written by Wang Chong in the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was mentioned that "Yin and wood leaves, its birds and tigers are also the sea, and its birds and dragons are also …", which stated the twelve zodiac signs and the corresponding twelve earthly branches.
With the passage of time, the sayings about the Chinese zodiac have been constantly improved, gradually accepted by people and spread to this day.
For example, in the Southern Dynasties, Shen Jiong wrote a poem "Twelve Genus", in which he wrote: "In the case of rat dust, cattle and sheep came at dusk. Tigers roared in the empty valley, and rabbits opened their windows. 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 feet lead the clear cup. Dogs are pregnant and pigs are stupid. "
The origin of the zodiac
There is a saying that the zodiac culture originates from totem culture and has different symbolic meanings: since ancient times, different tribes have their own animals to worship, such as cattle, which is a symbol of farming society. According to legend, Emperor Yan of Shennong is a "bull's head", so the descendants of Emperor Yan take cattle as their totem.
Some people say that the zodiac originated from animal worship. In primitive society, human productivity was very poor. Livestock such as pigs, cattle and sheep are closely related to farming activities. Animals such as tigers and snakes may threaten people's own safety, and people will feel fear ... all these reasons eventually led to the formation of the zodiac.
In addition, some scholars put forward a view that the zodiac is not only related to real animals, but also has an "astronomical" background, which is related to the association of the ancients with the stars. Wu Ma, Chen Long and vulva are all related to the images of these constellations.
Of course, there is also a saying that "the zodiac is foreign", but it has not been widely recognized.
Zodiac of the world.
China's twelve zodiac animals: mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog and pig.
Indian zodiac: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog and pig.
Egyptian zodiac signs: ox, sheep, monkey, donkey, crab, snake, dog, cat, crocodile, flamingo, lion and eagle.
Greek Zodiac: ox, sheep, lion, donkey, crab, snake, dog, mouse, crocodile, flamingo, ape, eagle.
Babylonian Zodiac: bull, goat, lion, donkey, cockroach, snake, dog, cat, crocodile, flamingo, ape, eagle.
The zodiac signs in eastern culture are basically the same, while western culture is relatively diverse, with many fresh cats, crocodiles, eagles and donkeys.
The Chinese zodiac signs of the East and the West are similar all over the world, especially the twelve, which is amazing and has a source.
Decimal system is the result of astronomical culture (zodiac, zodiac, zodiac, December calendar and even the remaining dozen, one dozen is twelve), decimal system is the result of humanistic culture (perfect, ten fingers, ten squares), decimal system is the result of geographical culture, and binary system is the result of cosmic chaotic culture (black and white, 1 and 0,0.