The origin of the zodiac

According to the time and life characteristics of ancient animals in China, twelve kinds of animals are regarded as the zodiac, that is, each animal lasts for one hour. Rats rank first (matched with "Zi"), followed by rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs.

Rat: From 1 1 in the evening to 1 the next day (that is, "midnight"). At this time, mice have the greatest courage and the most frequent activities, so they have been paired with mice since childhood.

Bull: 65438+ 0-3 am (that is, "ugly time"). At this time, the cow has eaten enough grass, and the "backward chewing" is the thinnest, slowest and most comfortable, so it is matched with the cow when it is ugly.

Tiger: 3-5 am (that is, "Yin Shi"). According to ancient books, at this time, the tiger was the most active, fierce and hurtful, so Yin Shi and the tiger became a pair.

Rabbit: 5-7 am (that is, "Shi Mao"). At this time, the sun has not yet appeared, and the glory of the moon has not completely retired. Jade rabbit is the representative of the moon and the only animal in the myth of the Moon Palace, so it is paired with rabbits in Shi Mao.

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

Snake: 9- 1 1 in the morning (that is, "Shi Si"). It is said that snakes at this time will not hurt people, nor will they wander on the road where people walk, but will hide in the grass, so this time belongs to snakes.

M: From 1 1 in the morning to 1 in the evening (that is, "noon"). The Taoist priest said that at noon, the sun was on the horizon, the yang was at its peak, and the yin was gradually flourishing. When yin and yang change columns, most animals lie down and rest. Only horses stand habitually and don't lie down even when they sleep. So it belongs to the horse at noon

Sheep: 65438+ 0-3 pm (that is, "untimely"). It is said that sheep urinate most frequently at this time, and the spilled urine can cure a kind of madness, so it belongs to sheep since childhood.

Monkey: 3-5 pm (that is, "God Ten"). At this time, monkeys like to crow the most, and the sound is the longest and loudest. So Shen Shi is a monkey.

Chicken: 5-7 pm (that is, "You's"). At this time, when the sun sets on the mountain, the chicken begins to enter the cage for the night, so it belongs to the chicken.

Dog: 7-9 pm (that is, "time"). When night comes, dogs watch the house and keep vigil, which produces a special kind of vision and hearing. They can see farthest and hear clearly. So when you are a dog.

Pig: 9- 1 1 pm (that is, "Shihai"). At this time, pigs sleep best, snore loudest, shake muscles the most and gain meat the fastest, so Shihai is a pig.

According to legend, in the northwest of Lishan ancestral temple in Lintong, Shaanxi Province, there is a huge monument engraved with the images of twelve animals, such as rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs, which is called "Twelve Elephant Stones". There is also an interesting legend in this "Twelve Elephant Stones": in ancient times, there was a "branch chronology method" that heavenly stems and earthly branches first cooperated with. In practice, our ancestors felt that the chronology of cadres and branches was complicated, and it was difficult to be deeply rooted in people's hearts. Therefore, it is suggested that the zodiac be used to mark the year. The Yellow Emperor agreed to this suggestion and ordered Cang Xie to do it. On the first day of the first month of this year, all the animals in the world were gathered in front of The Yellow Emperor's Palace Temple to take part in the election. When the animals heard the news, they all cheered and rushed to prepare for the meeting. Among them, the cow knew that her legs and feet were slow, so she left home on New Year's Eve and got the first place in the exam. The second is a tiger, the third is a rabbit, the fourth is a dragon, and then there are snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs, pigs and mice. Dragons are dignified, covered in scales and shining; Eyes are round, like bright lights; Silver beard and gold beard, fluttering in the wind; Tiger feet and eagle claws, riding fog clouds. The fly in the ointment is that the top of the head is bare, as if something is missing. When Kong Lung jumped out of the pool, he saw the rooster. I see that the rooster not only has beautiful feathers, but also has a pair of beautiful horns on his head. I couldn't help but get excited and borrowed the horn on his head. The rooster shook his head and said, "No, I have to go to the election meeting of the zodiac tomorrow!" " "The dragon said," the horn on your head is redundant. With your colorful clothes, you will be chosen. "The rooster loves flattery and is willing to lend his horn to the dragon, but he still can't bear it. Just then, a big centipede climbed up and said, "Brother Chicken, lend your horn to Brother Long. If you don't trust me, how about I be the guarantor? "The cock saw a centipede as a guarantee and agreed. The dragon was so happy that he promised to return the horn to the rooster immediately after the election meeting of the zodiac. Besides, mice and cats are good friends. The cat is sleepy. Before going to the meeting, the cat said to the mouse, "will you call me early tomorrow morning?" "The mouse nodded and said," OK, I will definitely call you. " In this way, the cat went to sleep peacefully. When the mouse woke up, it was already late. He hurried to call the cat, and when he saw the cat sleeping soundly, he thought, why should there be another competitor? He left the cat and turned out to be the last one present.

The election meeting of the zodiac is so lively! Those who fly in the sky, those who run on the ground, those who swim in the water and those who live in trees are all gathered together. Bustling, very lively. The Yellow Emperor selected twelve kinds of animals from all kinds of birds and animals and ranked them. The Yellow Emperor thought: Although the cow is clumsy, it is tall and strong, with infinite strength, and it is the first, so the steak is decided first. Rats are humble, they should come last. As soon as the voice of the Yellow Emperor was spoken, the mouse had a brainwave and quickly jumped in front of the Yellow Emperor and said, "If you want to talk big, you have to count me in. If you don't believe it, please let the people identify it. " The Yellow Emperor was amused by the mouse's words. This little guy said, "Since we have chosen the Chinese zodiac for the people, let the people identify it." So he ordered all twelve kinds of animals to walk in the street. When the cow walked into the street, people were very friendly to it. Some touched its head and some praised it, but no one said it was big. At this time, the mouse suddenly jumped on the cow's back, which startled people. I heard someone in the crowd exclaim, "Oh dear! Where did such a big mouse jump out! " This cry made the mouse show off, and the Yellow Emperor couldn't break his word, so he had to put the mouse first in the zodiac.

At the election meeting of the zodiac, the mouse was not only selected, but also ranked first, so it was naturally proud. When I got home, I saw the cat just waking up and said, "Mao Ge, the Zodiac Festival is over, and I was elected the first." Hearing this, the cat shouted, "What? Why didn't you wake me up? You are an evil bad thing. " Then he pounced on the mouse. When the mouse saw that the cat really turned over, it was scared and hurriedly fled back to the mouse hole. Since then, cats and mice have become sworn enemies, which have continued to this day.

Besides, the rooster was behind the dragon. He was unconvinced and regretted lending his horn to the dragon. After the meeting, the rooster hurried to the dragon and begged for his horn. When the dragon saw the rooster, he knew he was wrong, but he didn't want to give it back such a beautiful horn. He jumped into the deep pool beside him and hid. The cock can't swim, so he has to go to the centipede as a guarantor. The centipede said, "You still have to ask the dragon for your horn, but he just won't give it back. What can I do? " Say that finish, centipede also hid. Since then, the rooster has no horns on his head, leaving only a red comb. Climb high every morning and shout, "Brother Long, give me back my horn!" " "I usually dig centipedes everywhere with my claws and peck at them as soon as I see them.

After the zodiac signs were selected and arranged in sequence, the Yellow Emperor ordered Cang Xie, who created the characters, to engrave the names of the zodiac signs on the stone tablet, which has been handed down to this day.

There is a similar saying that twelve animals deserve twelve hours. It is said that heaven and earth were formed at the beginning of life without gaps, so gas can't escape and matter can't be used. When bitten by a mouse, the gas escapes and the substance can be used. Rats have the power to open celestial bodies, and they belong to rats when they are young. The mouse opens the gap between heaven and earth, the cow comes out to farm, and the clown belongs to the cow. Legend has it that people are born in Yin, and the word "Yin" means awe. In ancient times, people were most afraid of tigers, so Yin was a tiger. Shi Mao has entered the early morning, but the sun has not yet come out. It is the moon that illuminates the earth, and the only animal in the moon palace is the "Jade Rabbit", so Shi Mao is a rabbit. Legend has it that when the dragon rains, this time naturally belongs to the dragon. Snakes are good at hiding their whereabouts with grass. It is said that when they were young, they didn't swim on the road where people walked, so they didn't hurt people, so they belonged to snakes. At noon, the yang reaches the limit, and the yin is just about to produce, so the horse can't run without land. It belongs to the yin beast, so it belongs to the horse at noon. Legend has it that sheep eat untimely grass, which does not affect the regeneration of grass. If it is untimely, it will be returned to sheep. Shen means "stretch". Monkeys are best at stretching, bending and crawling, so Shen is a monkey. At this time, the chicken began to return to the nest, and it was a chicken at this time. When it is getting dark, the dog begins to "work" and look after the home. At this point, it belongs to the dog. At night, everything is silent and the world is chaotic, and pigs, like the chaos of heaven and earth, know nothing but "eat", so Shihai naturally belongs to pigs.