If Mei Xi can be regarded as the "number one in the ages", Daji can be regarded as a model of vixen. Daji's crime in the "Historical Records·Yin Benji" is just that "(Zhou) only used women's words"; but in the era of "The Biography of Women", the cannons and heart-cutting were all attributed to Daji's instigation. In the Yuan dramas, Daji was assigned to do many tragic things, such as eating a basin, knocking her shins, having a caesarean section, and framing Empress Jiang. By the time Xu Zhonglin wrote "The Romance of the Gods" in the Ming Dynasty, Daji had been portrayed as a nine-tailed vixen who combined evil and beauty, deceived King Zhou according to the will of the gods, and ruined the Shang Dynasty for 600 years. Nowadays, whenever people talk about vixen, they can't help but think of Daji.
Modern vixen:
A "vixen" can be defined as a "coquettish", "loose" and "shameless" woman who is good at using various means to seduce men. "Vixens" can be beautiful, but unfortunately, are usually not recognized.
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In the writings of the Warring States Period, a mythical beast based on the fox appeared, and the fox was endowed with the ability to cause mischief and mutate. The "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals" at that time recorded that in order to control floods, Dayu was thirty years old but not yet married. When he went to Tushan, he met a nine-tailed white fox and heard the blessing song of the Tushan people: "O big white fox, The nine tails are long and long. May you get married soon and your descendants will be prosperous. "The Spring and Autumn Annals of Wuyue in the Eastern Han Dynasty also contains the legend of Dayu marrying a Tushan girl who was transformed from a nine-tailed white fox. The magical fox can transform into a human being, which is the prototype of the fox becoming a spirit.
It is said that the name "Fox Spirit" began in the early Tang Dynasty. The article "Fox God" in "Taiping Guangji" says: "Since the early Tang Dynasty, people have worshiped the fox god. At that time, there was a proverb: 'Without fox charm, there is no village.'" The word "charm" is explained in "Shuowen" as "Old things are fine". "Fox Mei" means "fox spirit". The emergence of the term "fox spirit" reflects that "fox spirit" already exists as an independent image in people's consciousness and folk beliefs. The "vixen" transforms into a human form, visiting guests to eat and drink, or coming to ask for wives and concubines. Its emotions and behaviors are all shaped in human patterns. In the fantasy novels after the Tang Dynasty, such as "Rong Zhai Essays" and "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", vixens with different personalities and full of human touch are active everywhere.
In "The Book of Songs", the meaning of fox as a hidden word is sexual love.
"Sou Shen Ji" quoted a Taoist saying: "The fox is an ancient prostitute, and her name is Azi." The ancients regarded foxes as elves and ghosts with lustful temperaments and deceiving people with their beauty. Coupled with the legend of foxes becoming spirits and the descriptions of many coquettish and passionate vixens in folk novels, sexy and alluring bad women are called "vixens" in common parlance.
The reason why it is called "vixen"
1. The term "vixen" has a derogatory connotation when used on women. It refers to a woman who specializes in confusing men.
2 The allusion of vixen should come from "The Romance of the Gods". Because Daji, the wife of King Zhou of Shang in "The Romance of the Gods", was transformed into a vixen. She deceived King Zhou of Shang and led to the demise of the Shang Dynasty.
3 Foxes are animals that like women’s items, such as scarves, panties and other decorations. Therefore, people always find these women's things after capturing foxes, and they think that the fox will turn into a woman after becoming a spirit. And they are considered to be beautiful women who specialize in bewitching and seducing men, hence the vixen.
Since ancient times, people have believed that vixens are beautiful. Although they are cunning, they are the embodiment of charming foxes.
"Xuanzhongji" specifically explains the origin of the fox spirit, and it is said in a serious way: "A fox can transform into a woman at the age of fifty, a beautiful woman at the age of a hundred, or a witch. Or she can communicate with women for her husband, and can know the affairs of thousands of miles away." A good enchantment can make people confused and insane. A thousand-year-old is connected with the sky and becomes a fox."
People use vixens to express their simple and beautiful emotions. Pu Songling even used it in his "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio". ＞The novel gave them a new life, and each of them transformed into a passionate woman crazy about love.
What impressed me the most was the female fox named Jiao Na. Needless to say, she was beautiful. In terms of friendship alone, she could be considered the best among the foxes. Beautiful women are trouble, and beautiful foxes are no exception. The world hates and curses them more. The word "vixen" may have been a neutral word originally, but in its incarnation today, its meaning is self-evident.
Have you met that vixen in your life? If not, it's because she's not beautiful enough. If you can't help yourself when you meet a beautiful girl you like, then she must be a vixen! If you are looking for her, maybe she is still waiting for you somewhere in the world.
Another theory is that Nurhaci, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, had just come to power in China and did not understand the living habits of the people, so he asked Huang Taiji to investigate the people's customs, even brothels and brothels could not be ignored. One day, Huang Taiji came to a Minnan brothel in Fujian to check out. He found that the fireworks woman was very good at seducing men, which was beyond Huang Taiji's expectation. However, the customers who were looking for women kept pouting and shouting "fox, vixen". Only then did Huang Taiji understand the Chinese description of the brothel. If a woman is very good at seducing a man, she would call him a "vixen"
Because Huang Taiji couldn't understand Hokkien, he misunderstood "(Taiwanese pronunciation) I'll kiss you, I'll kiss you" as "vixen" Therefore, this idiom has been spread to this day. Whenever we describe a woman who is very charming to a man, we call her a "vixen".
The origin of vixen
When we describe a woman who is very good at charming men, we usually call her a "vixen". Because it is a short and powerful description of a person, and it has its origin and allusion, so " "Fox spirit" is barely an idiom.
This idiom comes from Nurhaci, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, who had just come to power in China and did not understand the living habits of the people, so he asked Huang Taiji to investigate the people's customs, even brothels and brothels could not be ignored.
On this day, Huang Taiji came to the Minnan brothel in Fujian to check out. He found that the fireworks woman was very good at seducing men, which was beyond Huang Taiji's expectation. Only then did Taiji understand that the Chinese would call a woman a "vixen" when describing a woman who is very good at seducing men.
Since Huang Taiji couldn't understand Hokkien, he said "(Taiwanese pronunciation) I'll kiss you, I'll kiss you" "Misunderstood as "vixen", so this idiom has been spread to this day. Whenever we describe a woman who is very charming to a man, we call her "vixen".
In our Chinese culture, there is a unique name for so-called bad women in matters of men and women: "vixen". In the "Essay on Discussing the Wu Family" written by King Luo Bin of the Tang Dynasty, it was said that Wu Zetian "hides her sleeves and slanders, and her charm can confuse her master." "Fox-mei" refers to a fox-like attitude. There are many "fox spirits" in "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", but most of these "fox spirits" are kind-hearted and cute. They have the name of "fox spirits" and have no intention of harming others. But this does not change the reputation of "vixen". If a woman is called a "vixen", people will know where her "vixen" is without any specific explanation, and her reputation will be discredited.
Why are so-called bad women called "vixens"? This is due to the Chinese people's aesthetic view of women.
Since ancient times, there have been two standards for women’s aesthetics in terms of facial appearance. First, the face is like a full moon and the face is like a lotus flower. The beauty of the Tang Dynasty, Concubine Yang, had a face like a lotus flower. Therefore, "Song of Everlasting Regret" contains this sentence when Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty misses the dead Concubine Yang: "Hibiscus is like a face and willows are like eyebrows, how can you not shed tears about this?" "Furong" means lotus, describing Yang Guifei's face as beautiful as a lotus. Not only is it beautiful for a woman to have a lotus-like face, but it is also considered beautiful for a man to have a lotus-like face. Wu Zetian's male concubine (also known as "Mian Shou") Zhang Zongchang was very favored by Wu Zetian. Once when he attended a banquet, someone complimented him as having a "face like a lotus flower". People echoed in unison.
A man named Yang Zaisi said loudly: "That's not right." People were shocked, and the whole place was silent for a while. Zhang Zongchang's expression also changed drastically. At this time, Yang Zaisi said: "It's not that Liulang is like a lotus, but that a lotus is like Liulang!" As soon as he finished speaking, the audience burst into warm applause. People laughed and said the metaphor was better. From this we can also see how the lotus flower is praised and touted by people.
Another type of face that is considered beautiful is the so-called "melon face". The two faces each look like a melon seed with the pointed end pointing down. This kind of face shape is indeed very handsome. Most of the "ladies" in "Ladies Pictures" have "melon-seed faces". For beauties in literary works, authors often give them a "melon-seed face".
The "lotus face" is a look of wealth and kindness. Most of the faces of Clay Bodhisattva are close to this face shape. The Tang Dynasty believed in Buddhism, so the women in Tang Dynasty murals usually had rich "lotus faces". Xue Baochai in "A Dream of Red Mansions" has a rich look, and I think her face is also a "lotus face". Xue Baochai is a scheming person and is not a praised character in "A Dream of Red Mansions". But on the issue of male and female styles, it is impeccable. So no matter how bad she is, she can't be called a "vixen".
"Melon seed face" is different. The face shape of a fox is the most typical "melon face". Therefore, women with "oval face" shapes have a relationship with foxes - not by themselves, but by others. When they associate with men because of their beauty, it is their fault whether they seduce the men or the men tease them. Foxes also have "melon-seed faces", and they are naturally charming, so they are called "vixens" because of their "red apricots cheating".
There is a saying in the West about "mermaids". This must be an invention of peoples who are closely related to the ocean, and it also reflects their different aesthetics from China. Chinese people pay more attention to faces, but they seem to pay more attention to body shape. The shape and posture of fish swimming in the water are smooth and graceful, and they use this to describe women. We use "lotus face" and "melon seed face" to describe a woman's beauty. It's a pity that when a woman with an "oval face" is called a "vixen", the "oval face" becomes a "disaster". And when a woman's body shape is said to be like a "water snake's waist", she is almost likely to be a "beautiful snake" who can cause harm to others.