Why do you like to call a dead man driving a crane Lucy? When did this statement spread?

Crane is a symbol of beauty, nobility, longevity and happiness. Driving a crane to the west casts a mysterious color on the deceased, representing the wishes of the living to the deceased, hoping that the deceased can get rid of suffering. This sentence comes from Wang Ziqiao, a fairy in the Western Han Dynasty.

Westward does not refer to the paradise in the west, but the Kunlun Mountain in the west. In ancient legends and stories in China, the magical Kunlun Mountain is inhabited by the Queen Mother of the West. After his death, the old man will ride a crane to Kunlun Mountain and be warmly received by the Queen Mother of the West. The Queen Mother of the West is a rare fairy with high status in legends and stories, and cranes are her favorite animals. So when people come by crane, she will be very popular. ?

Moreover, the average life span of cranes is very long, and they are very agile and can avoid all kinds of dangers. When flying in the air, it is elegant and smart, flying into the clouds and surrounded by auspicious clouds, which is a symbol of the success of cultivating immortals. Therefore, the ancients gave cranes many wonderful sayings, and many enlightened people used cranes as mounts in legends. So ordinary people like to paint with cranes, and cranes appear in pine trees. Pine trees are also the object of longevity. Together, the two items represent the high expectations of ancient people for longevity.

The ancients were very shy about death, and used words such as death and death to describe the death of superiors. Civilians don't simply say who is dead, but generally use death or death to describe it. Scholars have always been different from ordinary people, so choosing to use the word "driving a crane to the west" is not only pleasant to hear, but also full of fantasy. Later, this beautiful proverb was handed down and formed a folk custom.

The earliest rise of this saying should be in the Western Han Dynasty. Legend of the Immortal once recorded the story of Wang Ziqiao, the immortal, leaving by crane. Wang Ziqiao likes blowing sheng. He sounds like Feng Ming. When traveling, he cultivated immortality and became a monk under the guidance of Taoist Palace. More than 30 years later, Wang Ziqiao stopped at Gou Mountain by white crane and circled for a few days before leaving.

This record tied the crane with the cultivation of immortals, which aggravated the legendary color of the crane and made the ancients believe in the story of driving the crane westward.