What exactly does "Tai Sui" mean?

China has a saying, down-to-earth. This sentence means to throw an egg at a stone, which is a metaphor for offending people and things beyond one's ability. We often hear this sentence, but we don't know where it comes from. So, is there a traditional saying? If so, what is it like? I'm afraid no one has made it clear. However, more than 10 years ago, an unknown creature was discovered in zhouzhi county, Shaanxi Province, and the locals all said that it was born in its infancy. So this unknown creature is the legendary Tai Sui?

On August 22nd, 1992, Wu Fenglian, a farmer from zhouzhi county, Shaanxi Province, and his son Du Zhanmeng went to Weihe River to salvage floating firewood washed into the river due to flash floods.

Interview with Wu Fenglian: We don't have firewood here. As long as there is water in the river, branches will float down from the mountains in the river, and we will go to the river to collect firewood and burn it.

At 9 o'clock in the morning, they suddenly saw a big black thing in the rushing river. His son Du Zhanmeng jumped into waist-deep water and hugged it, dragged it to the shore and put it on the beach for careful inspection and stroking.

Interview: Wu Fenglian is probably round, long and flat, and yellow is like the skin of a cow. That's it. It looks like pebbles in the river. At that time, I regarded it as a piece of meat on the leg of a cow. I didn't dare to move in the mud, so I took my feet.

Because the Weihe River often floods, sometimes dead cattle, dead pigs and other animal carcasses rush down from the upstream. The initial discovery did not attract the attention of Wu Fenglian and her mother. So they didn't take the unidentified things they found home. But after three or four days, Wu Fenglian changed her mind. It turns out that people in the village often bury dead animals in the ground as fertilizer. Wu Fenglian thought that meatballs could be brought back and buried in her own field. So I decided to take another look. However, I didn't expect the sight there to surprise them.

Interview with Wu Fenglian: Later, after a long time, the water fell and I lay on the dry beach for four days. After three days, the dead fish in the inland river had already turned into worms, and there was nothing next to it.

Seeing that it doesn't rot or attract mosquitoes in dog days, Wu Fenglian and her mother think this meatball is a bit strange. So after they brought it back, they didn't bury it in the ground, but washed it and put it in a big iron pot. A week later, something unexpected happened again.

Interview with Wu Fenglian: (A week later) I found it was too big, and some people speculated that it might be too long. This is a living thing. In my opinion, the size around it is two inches larger.

According to Wu Fenglian's memory, when they first moved back, they weighed more than 20 kilograms. After this weighing, they found that they had grown to 35 kilograms. I gained 10 kilograms in a few days. It seems that he is a living meat. What the hell is this? If it is meat, can it be eaten?

Interview with Wu Fenglian: I took a knife and cut it open. When I cut it, I saw that it looked like white meat. I said to the child: Why is this like meat? I discussed it with the children and cut a piece and put it on the stove. Cut a piece of meat, weigh two or two, pour a ladle of water, cook for more than an hour and it will melt. It looks like a sticky face when it is lifted. The child put some sugar in it, drank it and told me it was tasteless. I said no taste, no harm, only benefits. If it is bad, people will feel sick. This didn't happen.

According to Wu Fenglian, a few days after eating "meatballs", they were refreshed and full of energy. Moreover, in the dog days when there are many mosquitoes and flies, there are no mosquitoes and flies in the room where this "meat ball" is placed. A few days later, the news of Wu Fenglian's treasure hunt spread all over the local area. Many villagers come to cut meat. One of the villagers cut off a piece of weight100g, but it doubled in a few days. What's even more strange is that this "meat ball" grew back a few days later where a few pieces of meat were cut. Some people say that this is the legendary Tai Sui, and whoever eats it can prolong life and live forever. So what kind of creature is this meatball? Is it the legendary tai sui?

The news of the discovery of unknown creatures in zhouzhi county, Shaanxi Province spread rapidly in a short time, and many news media reported it in large numbers. These reports have also attracted the attention of some scientific research institutions and universities in Xi.

Yang, a professor of biology at Northwest University, interviewed: Because the local villagers said it was Tai Sui, because Tai Sui was a superstitious thing, and then there were many different opinions. The impact is very great. Many people from all walks of life call to ask questions. Therefore, in this case, (Xi) the Municipal Science and Technology Commission instructed Northwest University to come up with scientific conclusions as soon as possible.

1One day in September, 992, Yang, a professor of biology at Northwest University, was ordered to make a scientific investigation at Wu Fenglian's home.

Interview with Yang, a professor of biology at Northwest University: Because the department told me that an animal had been found, but after I went there, according to the characteristics of this animal, it had no head and no body. At that time, it was an oval with a thick middle and a thin edge. Such an oval thing has a brown surface, and then there is some pure white on its abdomen. I felt like fat pork when I patted the water. So we were all surprised at the time. We don't know what this thing is, but according to its shape and morphological structure, we preliminarily judge that it may be a creature or a creature, but whether it is or not, so I will make one at that time, that is to say, I will take some materials back to our biology department to do some experiments.

Because the species and characteristics of this creature could not be determined at the scene at that time, Yang cut a piece from the meat ball as experimental material with Wu Fenglian's consent and immediately rushed back to Northwest University for scientific identification.

Interview with Yang, a professor of biology at Northwest University: First, see if it is a creature, and then judge it from the characteristics of its life. If it is biological, it has a cellular structure. Then after this cell passes through the cell structure, you can judge whether you are a plant, an animal or something else.

Through cytological identification of this unknown organism, it is found that it has a complete cell structure. This proves that it is indeed an organism. But it grew rapidly in a short time. Is it because of your own growth, or is it soaked in water like a dead creature?

Interview with Yang, a biology professor at Northwest University: I just simply measured the respiratory index in the laboratory. After instrument measurement, this thing has a breathing function, which is to produce carbon dioxide. By directly measuring carbon dioxide, it is proved that it has a metabolic process and produces carbon dioxide, which proves that it is alive.

Interview with Dong, a professor of biology at Northwest University: The reproduction speed is very fast. It has no nose, no eyes and nothing. It's just a piece of meat. What about the meat? It is dead. It stinks after three days, but it doesn't stink, so it is considered alive. But at present, people in the whole biological world don't know what it is, and they haven't identified it.

Although scientific experiments have proved that this meatball is a living organism, there are more and more legends about Tai Sui in society because there is no exact statement.

Interview with Yang, a professor of biology at Northwest University: The word Tai Sui has a long history in rural areas, and there has always been a saying of "Tai Sui", so once this meaty thing is dug up in the soil, ordinary people think it is Tai Sui. When I was young, people said that old people often told me these things, telling me whose house was built in the past and dug a lion's nest when digging. Since then, that house has collapsed, and there are still dead people. What's going on here? So this thing is widely circulated among the people in Guanzhong area, so once such a strange thing, like a meat, has no decay and no taste, their first impression may be the den of tigers.

According to some domestic dictionaries, Tai Sui is another name for Jupiter in ancient times. Jupiter orbits the sun once every 12 years. It has a position every year, and there are years underground. According to folklore, when building a house, the door can't face its star position in the sky. Otherwise, the tai sui on the ground will be angry. Over time, there is a saying that "you can't touch the ground on your head." According to the folk saying, people are ashamed to put it into the traditional era, but why should they associate it with immortality?

In fact, thousands of years ago, there were records about Tai Sui in China's ancient book Shan Hai Jing. In Shan Hai Jing, middle age is also called "seeing meat", "gathering meat" and "meat cheese". You see, everyone has the word meat, which means edible. According to Shan Hai Jing, "seeing meat" first appeared in front of ancient tombs, and it was an item that ancient emperors liked to eat before their death. It has the characteristics of "eat it up and get it back" and "eat it piece by piece", that is to say, it can grow again after eating one piece, which seems to be the same as the "unknown creature" discovered in Zhouzhi, Shaanxi Province, and has its own growth ability. As for the idea of longevity after eating, Li Shizhen, a medical scientist in Ming Dynasty, did record it in Compendium of Materia Medica. In Compendium of Materia Medica, Li Shizhen called it the "Zhi" of the "Vegetable" Department of Rouzhi, which is also called "the top grade of this classic" with the Ganoderma lucidum we see now. Compendium of Materia Medica also lists several prescriptions that focus on "treatment", which shows that they have special curative effects on some difficult diseases. Their common feature is: "Long-term consumption can strengthen the body and prolong life. And because it has the characteristics of spontaneous growth, it is more precious. So emperors of all ages tried their best to find it. Among them, it is said that ancient emperors would look for Ganoderma lucidum. The most famous story is that Qin Shihuang sent Xu Fu to lead 3,000 boys and girls to find medicine.

According to Records of the Historian Qin Benji, after Qin Shihuang unified the six countries, the emperor, as the king of a country, heard that there was an elixir in the East, which could make you live forever, so he personally led a team to the East to find the elixir in the 28th year of Qin Dynasty. He came to Langya Town, Shandong Province, and visited the famous alchemist Xu Fu, who was ordered to look for the elixir of life and gave Xu Fu a lot of manpower and material resources. Xu Fu immediately led 500 boys and girls eastbound and came to Penglai, Shandong Province to look for fairy medicine. So Chuifu built a ship and led 3,000 boys and girls to Fusang. He went to Yingzhou, the ancient abbot, which is now the Japanese archipelago, and continued to look for the fairy medicine. It is said that the fairy medicine that Qin Shihuang asked Xu Fu to look for included Ganoderma lucidum. However, more than 2000 years have passed, and Xu Fu and his search fleet have disappeared in the long river of history, and its dream fairy medicine has also become a historical legend. However, this unknown creature found in zhouzhi county, Shaanxi, once again linked people with Ganoderma lucidum.

Interview with Mi Jialie, Vice President of Shaanxi Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine: The description of ancient meat ganoderma lucidum in Compendium of Materia Medica is more detailed. When I went to see it, its shape was as described. Its yellow color is like purple and gold, and this incision is like a piece of meat. You look like Zijin. It's yellow and purple. Moreover, on its outer ring, it seems to be proliferating and developing in circles, and the traces left in the development process are quite clear. Touching it naked, it feels a little sticky, just like our phenomenon of salt and pepper protein appearing on it, which feels precious. I didn't dare to touch it with my hands, so I took a casual look and thought it was a.

Mi Jialie's statement comes from the description of Ganoderma lucidum in Compendium of Materia Medica. According to Compendium of Materia Medica, "Meat and cheese are like meat, and they are creatures. White people are like cutting fat, yellow people are like Zijin, and all open holes are as hard as ice. " These descriptions seem to be very similar to the unknown biological characteristics found in Zhouzhi, Shaanxi. Coupled with its rapid self-growth, we have to wonder whether it is really the legendary Ganoderma lucidum.

In the following years, this unknown creature was publicly exhibited in various places. Because people have been rumored that this is the traditional meat ganoderma lucidum recorded in ancient books, tourists come to watch it in an endless stream. Even Emperor Akihito of Japan, who has made great achievements in marine biology research, specially visited this "unknown creature" and called it a "rare treasure" after learning the news that this creature was discovered.

In order to determine whether this unknown creature found in Zhouzhi, Shaanxi Province is the legendary Ganoderma lucidum, Yang made an in-depth study of this unknown creature. After nearly a month of intense scientific observation, Yang found that this creature has two swimming cells with flagella structure, and it can be seen that one end of the flagella of the swimming cells does not selectively ingest food particles. According to this feature, Yang determined that the identity of this unknown creature is a myxomycete complex mediated during the evolution of primitive fungi to plants and animals.

Although this myxomycete is ubiquitous in other places, it is the first time to find such a large complex, because after our research at that time, a preliminary conclusion of the form was that it was a supertype between protozoa and plants, which in itself explained its uniqueness in the evolution of biology, so its value was relatively large at that time, which attracted some attention from many scholars and scientific circles. Especially after visiting the then Emperor of Japan, he was a marine biologist. After the visit, he said that this is a major discovery in the field of biology, and this value has been initially affirmed.

According to Yang's conclusion, this unknown creature is a slime mold complex during the evolution of life from primitive fungi to animals and plants. What does this conclusion show? Look, this is a plant, this is an animal, and this is a fungus. They all have a common ancestor. They evolved from primitive flagellated single-celled organisms billions of years ago. This creature is called protoplasm, which is the primitive state of life. Protoplasts live in water and can swim. They can survive by devouring other creatures like animals or by photosynthesis like plants. The former is called abnormal function and the latter is called autotrophic function. Later, with evolution, it differentiated in two aspects: some protozoa strengthened their autotrophic function, degraded their motor function, evolved into unicellular green algae and developed into the plant kingdom. On the other hand, the motor function and heterotrophic function of protozoa are strengthened, and the autotrophic function degenerates into unicellular protozoa, thus developing into animal kingdom. The cell structure of this myxomycete complex is very similar to that of primitive flagella cells, except that this cell does not contain photosynthetic pigments. From the origin and evolutionary pedigree analysis of life, its position should be between bacteria, algae and protozoa. That is to say, at a fork in the evolution of life, left-handed ramie will develop into the plant kingdom, right-handed ramie will develop into the animal kingdom, and it will become mushrooms such as ganoderma lucidum without moving. Because it is very rare, it has always been a blind spot in the study of biological evolution, so it is very meaningful to study the process of life evolution.

But does this large myxomycete complex have the legendary function of prolonging life? In order to further reveal the secret inside, Yang further observed its material structure. He found that this huge myxomycete complex contains nearly 50% protein and nucleic acid, which is very helpful to improve human immunity. And sometimes a substance similar to a plastic film is formed on its surface. Then this film, and it feels slippery and sticky when it is twisted on the hand, is at least a polysaccharide substance, which can contain polysaccharide. Then this kind of polysaccharide, which has a very great effect on immunity, can at least be used as a drug development or health care product development. If it enters the human body, it can activate the human immune system and enhance your immune function. On one hand, it will realize a health care.

But why can this large myxomycete complex grow rapidly? What is its specific environment? How old is it? Does it really have the value of development and utilization? Yang introduced that because it was only a preliminary study at that time, these unsolved mysteries were not uncovered. So it thinks this is a very regrettable thing. As for whether it is the meat ganoderma lucidum described in ancient books, he is not sure. However, just after 12 years, he heard that someone had found a meatball near the Yellow River that was more similar to that recorded in Compendium of Materia Medica, so he immediately went to the collector Zhang Jia to investigate and look for it.

It is understood that this unknown creature was purchased by Zhang from a farmer near the Yellow River in September 2004.

After observing the appearance of this unknown creature, Yang thinks that it is more like the legendary Ganoderma lucidum than the myxomycete complex discovered by 1992 in zhouzhi county.

Yang: There used to be a saying in Compendium of Materia Medica that gravy is like meat, so the shape inside is reflected in many textures, which is consistent with some structures of some muscle bundles on the side. Color has been recorded in Compendium of Materia Medica, among which "yellow people are like purple and gold", so it can also be reflected in the surface color, and there is also the saying of "easy to move". Well, we can also see some very white structures on the faults inside, which is also in line with the records in Compendium of Materia Medica. In addition, there is a sentence in Shan Hai Jing that "it is quite similar to Biemabo", that is, it is like a twisted horse neck. On the whole, this structure is twisted and looks like a horse skin, so this one is based on Shan Hai Jing. Moreover, it grows naturally under pure natural conditions, but now what kind of specific strain it is and what kind of species it is, we must go through rigorous scientific experiments and some meticulous work to draw a more scientific conclusion, that is to say, this conclusion says, but it may predict the value of this thing, reflect academic value, and reflect other aspects of value is also very high, because it is rare.

Although identified only from the appearance, Yang thinks that this kind of thallus is very different from the Myxomycetes complex discovered in zhouzhi county in 1992 in both external morphology and internal structure, so it can be said that this kind of thallus is more fleshy and closer to animals. So it's a slime mold complex? He believes that only through more rigorous technical appraisal can a more scientific conclusion be drawn. At the same time, Yang believes that if the appearance of the first meatball is accidental, then the reappearance of this meatball proves that these are the products of nature, not the legendary gods. He hopes that this time, he can conduct more in-depth research, so as to finally uncover the mystery of Tai Sui and Ganoderma lucidum through scientific means.