Five legends about the origin of the zodiac

Do you know the story of the zodiac? Below we bring you the story of the China Zodiac, hoping to help you.

The Story of the Twelve Zodiacs in China (I)

The calendar in our country is very different from that in other countries. In the traditional culture of China, we are used to using the zodiac to represent the year, from the first mouse, cow, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken and dog to the last pig. One animal represents a year, and one * * has twelve animals as representatives. I asked my mother, "Why are there mice and cats in the zodiac?" My mother told me a very interesting story.

One day a long time ago, people said that they would choose the Chinese zodiac, one zodiac every year, which is considered as the Chinese zodiac of human beings. But there are so many animals in the world, how to choose? People thought of a way to set a day for animals to sign up and choose the first twelve animals as the zodiac.

Cats and mice are neighbors and good friends. They all want to sign up. The cat said, "Let's register together tomorrow! But I always go to bed late. What should I do? " The mouse said, "Never mind! I'll get up early tomorrow morning and wake you up, okay? " The next day, the mouse got up early, ran to register and forgot to wake the cat. As a result, the mouse became the first of the 12 Zodiacs, and the cat woke up and ran to the scene. The 12 Zodiacs were full, and the cat was not selected. It was very angry. Since then, cats and mice have become enemies. Hee hee! No wonder the cat is going to catch mice!

The Story of China Zodiac II

The zodiac is also called the zodiac. In China's calendar, there are twelve kinds of animals on duty in turn, so in our China year, rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs are used in the calendar? The zodiac began in the sixth century BC, and the number of earthly branches was first used, and later it became the year number of the year.

In fact, there has always been a folk story: when the Buddha called all the animals to attend the animal congress, the twelve animals that arrived for the first time would be regarded as the day of the animal congress in the twelfth year. The mouse comes for the first time, so it ranks the largest in the Year of Animals, followed by cattle, tigers, rabbits, dragons and snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens and dogs. The pig arrived last, so it ranked last among the twelve animals.

Another chapter of this story tells why cats and mice become enemies. At that time, cats and mice were good friends. Before going to the mass meeting, they slept together and agreed that whoever woke up first would wake up. I'm afraid that the mouse will get up early the next day and go to the meeting quietly, ignoring the cat. By the time the cat woke up and rushed to Congress, the Buddha had allocated the number for twelve years. Since then, the cat and the mouse have formed a deep hatred. According to the characteristics of animals' time and life, in ancient China, the zodiac was regarded as the zodiac, that is, each animal lasted 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.

Of course, legend belongs to legend, and the view of folklore scholar Guo Licheng is proved by historical books. People call their twelfth birthday heavenly stems and earthly branches's animal, so that it is easy to remember his famous age.

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.

The Story of China's Zodiac Three

With regard to the origin of the zodiac, historical records show that China began to use the "chronology of branches and leaves" which combines the ten heavenly stems with the twelve earthly branches from the Shun Di era. The method of zoological chronology originated from nomadic people in the west and north of ancient China. The Book of the Tang Dynasty records: "The Year of the Tiger is bounded by twelve events. If the year is cloudy, it is called the year of the tiger. " Zhao Yi, a famous textual research scholar in the Qing Dynasty, made a textual research in Yu Yu Congkao: "In the early days, the custom of benefiting the north was childless, ugly, yin and hairy, but when rats, cows, tigers and rabbits were divided into years, by the end of the Han Dynasty, it was said that (Khan) money lived in Wuyuan, mixed with Qi people, and spread in China, so it was not abandoned.

The zodiac was first seen in The Book of Songs, the world's first collection of poems. The Book of Songs? Xiaoya? "Car Attack" said: "Today is the auspicious day of the ecliptic, and it is noon. I am short of horses. "See also the Book of Rites? Monthly order? Ji Dong: "Digging cows to send cold. "When did the zodiac theory come into being? There is a historical cloud: it should be formed in the Han Dynasty at the latest. Is it based on Wang Chong's Lun Heng? The article "Things Potential" says: "Yin, wood, birds and tigers. Hey, Tuye, its birds and dogs are also. " Another cloud said, "Good afternoon, Ma Ye. Son, mouse also. Unitary, chicken also. ? Shen, Qi Tian also. "* * * put forward eleven zodiac names. In addition, in the Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu Yue written by Zhao Ye in the Eastern Han Dynasty, "Wu Zaichen is a dragon. "Just added' Chen Long', and completed the zodiac. It can be seen that the twelve zodiac signs were formed in the Eastern Han Dynasty. As for the use of the Chinese zodiac, it appeared at least in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The Biography of Northern History Yuwen Hu records a letter written to him by Yuwen Hu's mother, which reads: "Your brother was born in Wuchuan Town, the eldest is a mouse, the second is a rabbit, and you are a snake. "It can be seen that the Chinese zodiac was widely used by the people at that time to record the date of birth.

However, in the mid-1970s, from 1975 to 12, thousands of bamboo slips were found in the cultural relics unearthed from Qin TombNo. 1 1 in Yunmeng, Hubei Province. Among them, sunrise? The thief clearly recorded the words used to predict the thief's appearance characteristics in the zodiac. The appearance of this miracle proves that the Chinese zodiac has been used in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Because Qin Tomb No.11 was built in the thirty years of the first emperor, that is, 2 17 BC. Some people say that long before Qin Shihuang proclaimed himself emperor, our ancestors used the zodiac to record the year, and especially pointed out that "it began in summer and spread in Shang and Zhou Dynasties." However, how to quote it remains to be further explored by historians and cultural relics scholars.

The fourth part of the story of China Zodiac

Tiangan, Dizhi, Jiazi, Time, Zodiac, Yin and Yang? China culture is extensive and profound. I'd like to introduce you to the zodiac.

What is the zodiac? The Zodiac, also known as the Zodiac, is a group of 12 animals used by some ethnic groups in China and East Asia to indicate the year and the year of birth, collectively referred to as the Zodiac or Zodiac. The cycle of the zodiac is 12 years. Everyone's animal year has a zodiac sign. Zodiac is a folk method of calculating age in China, and it is also an ancient chronology. The zodiac is widely popular in Asian countries and some countries in Eastern Europe and North Africa. It is a kind of culture.

So, what is in the zodiac? In ancient times, a day and night were divided into twelve hours. Zi Shi belongs to the mouse in the zodiac. Clown is a cow in the zodiac. Yin Shi belongs to the tiger in the zodiac. Shi Mao belongs to the rabbit in the zodiac. Chen Shi belongs to the dragon in the zodiac. Shi Si belongs to the snake in the zodiac. Noon belongs to horses in the zodiac. Wei is a sheep in the zodiac. Shen Shi belongs to the monkey in the zodiac. You are a chicken in the zodiac. Beginning is a dog in the zodiac. Shihai belongs to the pig in the zodiac. This is twelve constellations.

How did the zodiac come from? There is a saying that heaven and earth were born at the beginning of life, there is no gap, gas can not escape, and matter can not be used. When rats bite them, gas can escape and substances 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.

This is the story of the zodiac, an interesting story.

The Story of China's Zodiac (Chapter 5)

A long time ago, there were no zodiac signs. The Jade Emperor thinks that the lack of animals is not a good ranking. So he ordered the animals to hold a competition, and the twelve animals who arrived first could get the prescribed ranking. The game is scheduled to be held by the river in three days. The news let the animals know, and they went home to prepare for the three-day competition. Animals that come to participate in the competition are: rats, cows, tigers, cats, sheep, rabbits, dogs, horses, dragons, snakes, monkeys, chickens and pigs.

At the beginning of the game, the animals were equal in strength. They must pass three events: hurdles and five laps around the river. The last obstacle is crossing the river. The water in the river is so urgent that it will be caught in the whirlpool if you are not careful. Faced with many obstacles, animals are more motivated. The animals passed the barrier and ran around the river five times. The most difficult thing is to cross the river, because it rained heavily the day before and the river rolled into a whirlpool. If you are not careful, you will die.

Animals have their own specialties to cross the river: dogs swim over, mice and cats ride cows across the river? Rats and cats are enemies. The mouse didn't expect the cat to take part in the animal ranking competition. The mouse whispered to himself, "The cat and I are enemies. I can't compete with the cat. What if it wins the first place? In this way, it will bully our mouse family by ranking first in the cat family. No, I want to push it into the river. " The cat vaguely heard something and asked the mouse, "What were you talking about just now?" The mouse didn't answer, so it pushed the cat into the river with all its strength. The cat was gradually washed away by the current, and the mouse was so proud that he said happily, "Great, I am the first." The cow carried the mouse to the other side, and the mouse jumped off the cow's back and ran to the finish line like crazy, so the mouse won the first place. Then, the cow came second and the tiger came third? When the pig reached the last place, the cat rushed in. Seeing this, the Jade Emperor said to the cat, "Cat! Twelve kinds of animals are complete. Although you were 13, the mouse pushed you into the river. From now on, your cat will eat mice when it sees them! This is also compensation for your cat family. " The Jade Emperor left with twelve kinds of animals?

Since then, when the cat family saw the mouse, they pounced on it and ate it. The mouse asked them, "Why did you hurt our mouse family?" The cat in the cat family replied, "Because this is the compensation given by the Jade Emperor." Where's the mouse? But they steal all day and hide in dark places, because cats always guard their holes.