Among the top ten mascots in China, what else do you know besides the phoenix and the dragon?

The dragon can be said to be the supreme god beast in ancient China, because the ancient emperor was called the blood of the dragon, and now we also call ourselves the descendants of the dragon, which shows that the dragon is a very sacred animal. This animal, the dragon, is recorded in both eastern and western cultures. There are also dragons in the zodiac, and there are eleven other animals in reality. So do dragons really exist? We don't know the answer. It is difficult to prove whether there is a dragon, but in many history books, there are records of dragons.

The explanation of dragons in Shuo Wen Jie Zi is: "Scale worms can be quiet and bright, thin and huge, short and long, reaching the sky at the vernal equinox and diving at the autumnal equinox." The ancients also believed that dragons had nine shapes: head like camel, horns like deer, eyes like rabbits, ears like cows, neck like snakes, belly like flies, scales like carp, claws like eagles and palms like tigers. In a word, the dragon is an animal with a strange appearance, big but small strength, long and short, capable of walking on clouds and diving deep.

phoenix

Phoenix is the king of birds in ancient legends of China. In fact, it is divided into male and female. The man's name is Phoenix and the woman's name is Phoenix. When we are together, it is called Phoenix. According to legend, a long time ago, Phoenix and Phoenix were inseparable, and Qi Fei lived together, so there were words such as "Phoenix seeking phoenix" and "Feng Huang Yu Fei" symbolizing love and harmony between husband and wife. Of course, we don't know whether the phoenix really exists like the dragon.

We often hear such words as "dragon and phoenix are auspicious" and "dragon and phoenix dance". So are the phoenix and the dragon a pair, or are they a pair with the phoenix? In fact, from the Qin Dynasty, the image of Phoenix began to turn from Yang to Yin, and was gradually "feminized". Because the image of the dragon is very domineering and majestic, it is also more masculine. Therefore, as a symbol of the emperor, Qin Shihuang called himself "Zulong", and later emperors followed suit. Because the image of Phoenix is very beautiful, similar to the image of women who like to decorate, Phoenix is regarded as a symbol of the queen's favor.

turtle

Turtle was a very auspicious sacred animal in ancient times, and it was considered as a symbol of longevity because of its long life. Moreover, the turtle's back has dense texture and strange patterns. The ancients thought that the tortoise shell contained the secrets of heaven and earth, so they used it for divination. As the oldest Oracle Bone Inscriptions in China, it was written by the ancients on the tortoise shell for divination.

The ancients believed that turtles could also be blessed. In the Warring States period, there were often patterns of turtles on the battle flags of the army, and there were patterns of golden turtles in the Han Dynasty, and patterns of turtle backs were also common in traditional patterns. In ancient times, there were four gods, also known as "four elephants", namely "Zuo Qinglong, Right White Tiger, South Suzaku and North Xuanwu", among which "Xuanwu" refers to tortoise. According to historical records, after Wu Zetian proclaimed himself emperor, she thought that her Wu surname should be in the "Xuanwu" in the north. Therefore, Wu Zetian changed the fish symbol set by the previous dynasty to the turtle symbol as a conscription certificate and a symbol of official position.

kylin

As a traditional auspicious animal in China, Kirin is said to have a mild temperament and can live for two thousand years. The unicorn described in Yi Zhuan looks like: "Lin, Zhu, oxtail, wolf forehead, horseshoe, with five picks, yellow belly and two feet high." According to records, there were also Kirin in the Spring and Autumn Period, and Confucius also saw it. "Zuo Zhuan mourns for fourteen years": "In the spring of fourteen years, Xixi took office in Xiao Ye. Uncle Sun Shi's car was bought by a dealer. It is considered unlucky to bring danger to others. Zhong Ni looked at it and said, "Ye Lin." Then take it. It means: In the spring of 14th year, Lu Aigong hunted in Juye County. The uncle of Sun Shi, the minister of the State of Lu, caught a monster. He thought it was unlucky and gave it to the dangerous man. Confucius looked at it and said, "This is Kirin! "When Uncle Sun Shi heard about it, he left the monster behind. This is the story of the famous "hunting forest in the west" in history.

Of course, we don't know whether the unicorn Confucius saw was what we thought. There is also a record in the biography of the ram: "Lin is a benevolent beast." There is a king, but there is no king. "It means: Kirin is a benevolent beast. If the country has a benevolent king, Kirin will appear. If there is no benevolent king, Kirin will not appear. Therefore, the ancients believed that wherever Kirin haunts, there must be auspicious signs.