Source: Economic Daily
Time is slowly moving forward, and the Spring Festival is coming. According to the year of the zodiac, 2020 should be the year of the rat in the lunar calendar. Similarly, according to the year of birth, we all have a "genus". So, how did the zodiac come from? Why does the seemingly unremarkable mouse rank first?
The "Evolution History" of the Zodiac: It has been recorded in the pre-Qin period.
The zodiac, also known as the "animal sign", includes rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs. They have a long history, and as early as the pre-Qin period, relevant records appeared in ancient books.
Data Map: The picture shows the element light group in the Year of the Rat. Yu Jing photo
In December 1975, two batches of bamboo slips of Qin Dynasty were excavated in Yunmeng Sleeping Tiger Land, Hubei Province. Among them, the contents of "thief" in "Japanese Book" are close to those in the zodiac, such as "son, mouse, thief with sharp mouth and rare beard; Ugly, cattle, thieves have a big nose and a long neck … "
By the Han Dynasty, the zodiac was basically shaped. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Wang Chong wrote Lun Heng, in which he mentioned: "Yin, Mu Ye, its birds and tigers are also … Hai, Shui Ye, 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 improved, gradually accepted by people and passed down to this day.
For example, in the Southern Dynasties, Shen Jiong wrote a poem "Twelve Genus", in which he wrote: "The case of mice and dust, cattle and sheep came down at dusk. The tiger roars in an empty valley, and the rabbit opens to the window. Dragon Ji is far green, while snake willow lingers near. Malan Fang is far away, and sheep are planted in spring. The monkey chestnut shames the fragrant fruit, and the chicken’s feet lead to a clear cup. The dog is pregnant with things, and the pig is stupid. "
How did the zodiac come from?
People can always talk about the anecdotes of the zodiac, but their origin is still inconclusive.
Data Map: The auspicious paper-cut of the Year of the Rat is eye-catching in the exhibition. Photo by Tang Yanjun
There is a saying that the zodiac culture originated 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 "cow’s head", so the descendants of Emperor Yan take cows as totems.
Others said that the zodiac originated from animal worship. In primitive society, human productivity is very poor. Livestock such as pigs, cows 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 lead to the formation of the zodiac.
In addition, some scholars put forward a view: the zodiac is not only related to real animals, but also has an "astronomical" background, which is related to the ancient people’s association with the stars. Wu Ma, Chen Long and Yin Hu are related to the images of these constellations.
Of course, there is also the saying that "the zodiac is foreign", but it has not been widely recognized.
Why do rats rank first in the zodiac?
As a symbol system of chronology, the mouse, which seems inconspicuous and a little annoying, ranks first among them. Why?
Data Map: The colored lights in the shape of cartoon mice are very eye-catching. Photo by Luo Bo
Ancient scholars in China once explained it from the perspective of twelve o’clock a day and night. When heaven and earth are in chaos, rats just come out in the middle of the night and bite out a gap between heaven and earth, that is, "rats bite the sky", so they belong to rats; 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 believe that mice have strong reproductive ability, and the ancients expected the reproduction of life and the prosperity of extended families, so they came up with the fertility concept of many children and many blessings. In Ren Yu’s Atlas of the Twelve Zodiacs at the end of the Qing Dynasty, five rats were grabbing melon seeds in a jar, and "seed" has the same sound as "zi" and also stands for "many children".
There was another interesting question before: Why are there no cats in the zodiac? In fact, the answer is very simple. Cats originated in Egypt, and the Chinese zodiac was introduced to China after it was finalized, so there is no way to include them.
Zodiac rats in legends and stories
However, mice are not always stealthy in ancient legends, stories or books.
Data Map: Cao Zhenrong, the inheritance artist of Nanjing Qinhuai Lantern, shows his design and production of the "mouse in the palm" mini lantern. Photo by Luo Bo
There is also a novel in the late Qing Dynasty called "The Biography of the Eight Immortals", which also mentions a legend related to rats: in a big flood, the bridge was washed away, and rats bridged the bridge to save people, and finally they exhausted their strength and were swallowed up by the flood. The immortal was moved, gave the mouse a fairy fruit, and accepted it as a disciple, and finally helped the mouse become immortal.
In addition, there was a book in the Qing Dynasty called "Dream Garden", which recorded that there was a toy in eastern Guangdong called "suncus murinus", which sounded like counting money. Rats can make a sound like counting money. In the old days, some places used this sound as a sign of good luck. In auspicious New Year pictures, paper-cuts and lanterns, there are also mouse images.
In fact, to a certain extent, the zodiac is a vivid representative of the twelve earthly branches, each with rich legends, and then gradually merged with some folk beliefs. In modern society, they are also regarded as the mascots of the Spring Festival.
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