Is Kirin a beast in the sky? Why do unicorns send children?

Kirin (qílín) 1, an animal in ancient legends. It is shaped like a deer, with horns on its head, scales all over its body and a tail like an oxtail. The ancients believed that benevolent animals and auspicious animals used it as a symbol of good luck. 2. Metaphorically, a talented person. 3, the dragon is lustful, making love with cattle and giving birth to Kirin. Legend has it that Kirin is the product of mating between a dragon and a cow.

Kirin, an animal, was created by mixing thoughts according to the way of thinking of China people. The woman's name is Qi, and the man's name is Lin. Judging from its external shape, the dragon's head, moose body, oxtail, horseshoe (called "wolf's hoof" in history) and fish scales all have two horns, which are extremely hard. It is light gray, and this shape is a new combination after dismembering many real animals. It has concentrated all the advantages of these precious animals, and built the unicorn, an imaginary beast, which fully embodies the concept of "Jimei" of China people.

"Kirin" takes "deer" as the radical. When the ancients coined the word, they clearly told people that Kirin evolved from deer, but it was by no means a deer, with more parts and equipment than deer. It is said that its body is like a raccoon, and it can also be written as an owl, which is called roe for short in ancient books; There is an ox tail, a round head, but only one horn. Some say that Qi is a man and Lin is a woman, and their shapes are slightly different. But it is said that the beginning of Qijia is roughly like a deer. It was regarded as a god beast and a benevolent beast by the ancients. Its life span is very long, it can live for two thousand years. Can spit fire, sound like thunder. Caterpillar 360, unicorn long.

The unicorn in Shen Du's "Ming Rui Ying Kirin Map" is a giraffe. In the radical of ancient Chinese prose, the word "Li" is interpreted as giraffe. This ancient giraffe. The word is deer. There is a long neck on it, the words on it are very small, and there are a pair of giraffe horns. It is also stipulated that the title sound of giraffe in Japanese is Kirin (Mr. Zhang Taiyan once said that Tokyo, Japan is close to Tangyin), and Somalia is also called giraffe sound close to Kirin. Related records Xu Shen's "Shuo Wen Jie Zi" X: "Qi, a benevolent beast, the elk body is a corner of the oxtail; Hey (Lin), hey. " Duan Yucai wrote a cloud: "Like a owl, it has horns, wears meat, and is prepared for danger, so it is benevolence." ..... According to the method of Ji Xiang: "The unicorn is called Qi, and the scorpion is called Lin. ..... Xu Yunren's beast, said by the ram, does not breed insects or break grass. " The ancient unicorn or Jane Lin Yue was salty and auspicious. "Book of Rites" Li Yun: "The unearthed pottery cart, hippopotamus map and phoenix unicorn are all in the suburbs." He also said, "When the wind blows, the dragon returns, which is called the Four Spirits." [Edit this paragraph] Related customs Kirin is an auspicious beast, peaceful and long-lived. Deer itself is an animal trainer, strong and good at running, which is of great benefit to people. The legendary special god of Bailuyuan. There is a folk saying that Kirin sends children. Kirin is mainly deer, which has the characteristics of cattle, sheep and horses. Its comprehensive aspects are not as extensive as those of Longfeng, but its reputation is not small. The study of Kirin is not as popular as that of Longfeng culture. It is not clear who its original author is and where it came from. Some scholars speculate that it may be the ancestor of Zhou people, because Zhou people originally lived in the northwest, when the northwest was rich in aquatic plants and suitable for the growth of deer.

In slave society and feudal society, the dragon and phoenix were seized by the supreme ruler, losing the original meaning of totem synthesis and becoming the symbol of the emperor and queen of the supreme ruler. Kirin, with good nature, has been squeezed into the people in the power competition, and the people expect it to bring good years, good fortune, long life and beauty.

14 19, Zheng He returned to Nanjing with a giraffe presented by King Marin. Because the giraffe looks like the auspicious thing in China folklore: Kirin, and the people of China knew little about giraffes at that time, everyone agreed that the giraffe given by King Marin was Kirin.

Lin is also used as the official costume of the imperial court. The boudoir emblem of Yipin Guan in Qing Dynasty is decorated with Kirin, which shows that its position is second only to that of dragon. In the Qing dynasty, only the royal family and relatives were qualified to wear the dragon symbol. The emperor is Huanglong and Zilong, and the prince, elder brother, Baylor and Beizi are dragon patterns.

1, Kirin is a mythical animal in legend and may not exist in real life;

Kirin is second only to dragon in all animals. In the ancient legend of China, Kirin, dragon and phoenix, and tortoise were combined into four spirits, and they were the king of the hairy beast.

Kirin is a godsend of ordinary people. There is a folk saying that "Kirin sends a child". It is said that Confucius was sent by Kirin.

Kirin is produced by scattered stars, so the main auspicious animal is one of the most famous auspicious animals. Kirin contains benevolence and righteousness. In the ancient culture of China, there are many legends about the rise and fall of emperors and Kirin.

Kirin, like phoenix, is divided into male and female, and qi is the mother. The forest is male, with moose body, oxtail, fish scales and even hoofs (but there is also the saying that Kirin has five toes), with horns on its head and meat at its ends;

6. Kirin was a common mascot in ancient China. Historically, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty built the Qilin Pavilion in Weiyang Palace, painted heroic images as a reward, and showed the world his love for talents.

7. Kirin is also widely used in official clothes. The boudoir emblem of Yipin Guan in Qing Dynasty is decorated with Kirin, which shows that its position is second only to that of dragon. In the Qing dynasty, only the royal family and relatives were qualified to wear the dragon symbol. The emperor is Huanglong and Zilong, and the prince, elder brother, Baylor and Beizi are dragon patterns.

8. Kirin may be a giraffe? In the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He brought back giraffes from Africa after returning from the Western Ocean. At that time, the Ming people had never seen such a large animal that only produced in savanna, and thought it was a unicorn! This is why the friends above say that Kirin is a giraffe! The word "Kirin" means giraffe in Japan.

9. Kirin is also found in the western world, but it looks like a horse with long horns. In the Old Testament, unicorns are often mentioned in Hebrew legends. Many people have seen the famous Japanese cartoon "saint seiya the Saint", in which there is a bronze warrior who looks like saint seiya, the guardian warrior of Tianma constellation, and has similar armor, that is, the Kirin constellation.

10, you can still see the image of Kirin. At present, the most famous unicorn image in China is the unicorn in the tomb of Nanjing Southern Dynasties. There are many kinds of god beasts guarding Xiangrui in the tombs of the Southern Dynasties, but they all evolved from the image of unicorns. Outside the Zhongshan Gate in Nanjing, there is a sculpture, which is a symbol of Nanjing and is based on the Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Southern Dynasties outside Nanjing. This sculpture is luxuriantly decorated, and its body tends to the image of liger. It is carved from huge stones, and its height is about 3 meters. The sculpture has a chest and a waist, the eyes are really open, the neck is short and wide, and the animal's body decoration is very decorative, with a strong sense of body and thick. On the basis of attaching importance to the whole sense, it pays more attention to exaggeration and deformation, making it look magnificent and lively.

1 1. Kirin, because of its profound cultural connotation, has been made into various ornaments for underage children to wear in traditional folk etiquette in China. Have the intention of blessing and security. For example, in the thirty-first and thirty-second chapters of the classic Dream of Red Mansions, there is a lot of space to write "Because of Kirin, Whitehead and Double Star". The Kirin here is not only the amulet of Shi Xiangyun, but also the token of her marriage. In Huangmei Opera "Female Ma Xu", a pair of jade kylins also represent the testimony of love. The heroine and the hero were blocked by the decision of the woman's parents. The heroine gave the hero a jade unicorn, vowing that "life and death will remain the same, as evidenced by the cool breeze and bright moon, a pair of jade unicorns will be separated." This unicorn will be given to you, and this unicorn will stay in the body. Unicorns are paired and are not allowed to relax. " When the two sides broke through many obstacles, they finally got married, "Kirin in pairs, blooming for thousands of years", and at night, Kirin finally became a pair.

Xi harvest forest

The "Western Expedition for Forest Hunting" took place in Konosawa, the western border of Shandong Province, at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period. Its written history can be found in the earliest chronicle Spring and Autumn Annals in China during the Warring States Period, and it is also recorded in Gong Yanggao's Biography of Ram and Gu Liangchi's Biography of Gu Liangchi. Zuo Qiuming, a contemporary of Confucius, wrote in Volume 12 of Zuo Zhuan: In the spring of the fourteenth year of Ai Gong, he went hunting in Xiao Ye, and his uncle got a car key dealer, who thought it was unlucky to give it to others. Zhong Ni said, "Ye Lin". History of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty: In the thirty-ninth year of the week, when he took office in Xiao Ye, his uncle, a minister and key businessman, got a beast, including a deer's body, oxtail and horseshoe, with meat horns on his head, so he killed it strangely. Confucius sighed: "The benevolent beast, the forest also, it also comes", so that his disciples buried it. Although the History of Eastern Zhou Dynasty is a historical novel, the contents recorded are basically the same as those in historical books, and it is by no means empty. "Historical Records Confucius Family" contains: In the spring of Lu Aigong's fourteenth year, his uncle Sun Shi's car dealer got a beast, which was considered ominous. Zhong Ni thought it was "Yelin" and took it. He also noted in Xie Ji and Justice: "Xiao Ye, the name of Mi, is a common land paved by Lutian, and it is also right to build this giant field." "Yanzhou Fu Li Zhisheng Zhi" contains: "In the spring of the thirty-ninth year of the week (the fourteenth year of mourning for the public), I went west to hunt in Xiao Ye. Uncle's key dealer won Lin. " "Fold his left foot to return it. Uncle Sun Shi thought it was ominous, so he gave up the country and asked Confucius, "Who has elk and horns? "? Confucius said to the viewer: Ye Lin, Hu Wei is coming! Wipe your face back and you will cry. Uncle Sun Shi smelled it and took it away. Zi Gong asked, Master, why are you crying? Confucius said: Lin is a wise man. When I see harm, I will harm it. "

199 1 published the article "Talking about Kirin with Knowledge of Literature and History", which recorded that "Lin" was first recorded in ancient books in China, including the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Book of Songs. "Spring and Autumn Annals is famous for its rigorous records, and its speech is never bizarre, powerful or chaotic, or there is nothing that God does not have, let alone nonsense. Another example is Compilation of Chronicles, Zhi Yi Zhi Outline, Cao Nan Wen Shu Zhi, Cao Zhou Fu Zhi and Juye County Zhi. " Hunting in the West took place in the year 39 of Gengshen, Zhou (the 14th year of Spring and Autumn), and Confucius' book Spring and Autumn was just published in this year. At this time, Confucius was seventy-one years old and had stopped writing books. This fully proves that the story of "Confucius alone" that Juye is still circulating is true. Objectively speaking, Confucius is old and has poor energy. But subjectively speaking, being worried is also an important reason. According to legend, in 55 BC1year (in the 22nd year of Lu Aigong), Yan Zai, the mother of Confucius, was pregnant, prayed at Niqiu Mountain and met Kirin to give birth to Confucius. When Confucius was born, his head looked a bit like a mud hill, so he was named Zhong Ni, the word Kong Qiu. Confucius was born in the forest and died in it. He thought it was ominous and immediately wrote an elegy for Kirin: "Tang Yu's world is full of happiness, so what else can he ask for now?" "I'm worried about Linlin." Confucius was very sad because of his anxiety and the early death of his only son, Kong Li. Finally, in the sixteenth year of Lu Aigong (BC

479), died. After the death of Confucius, the story of winning Lin Daizuo was widely circulated. Li Bai, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty, wrote a poem in "Ancient Poetry", which said, "I hope the saints will stand still, and I won't get it again."

Later, in order to commemorate the story of "Hunting the Forest in the Western Expedition", people built the Kirin Terrace, also known as Lintai, which was called Delin Tomb in ancient times. The building is located in Dawa, seven kilometers east of Juye City, east of Chenhuzhuang in Qilin Town and north of Houfeng Bridge. It is a key cultural relic protection unit at the county level. Located in Lu Aigong, this station is 73 meters long from east to west and 52 meters wide from north to south, covering an area of 3,800 square meters. There were several original Tang Dynasty stone tablets here, which were destroyed by years of oblivion. In the 14th year of Jiajing in Ming Dynasty, Jining Prefecture sentenced Zhang Jiuxu to rebuild a unicorn monument and stand beside Caoji Highway. The inscription and date signature on the monument still exist. "Hunting for Forest in the Western Expedition" is famous all over the country. Some states, counties, townships and villages were named after this, such as Linzhou in the Tang Dynasty, Jiaxiang County to the east of Juye, Baolinbao (township) and Jilin Ji to the east of Juye.

In ancient times, dragons, phoenixes, turtles and forests were regarded as gods, and capturing them in the west became an important content of literati's works. Du Yu, a general and historian in Jinnan, wrote "Notes on Zuo Zhuan in the Spring and Autumn Period": "Lin is a benevolent beast and Jia Rui is a holy king". Han Yu, a great writer in the Tang Dynasty, said in "Discussion" (Note): "There is meat in one corner of the forest, so you should be prepared without harming it." "You must swim in the mud, and you will be behind. You won't live in insects or practice grass. The king has a position, and the phoenix, turtle and dragon are also called the four spirits. " Because Kirin is one of the Four Spirits, some historical stories, such as Qilin Shu, Story, Lin Tai Story in Song Dynasty, and Qilin Pavilion of Li Yu in Qing Dynasty, all take Kirin as the title or content. Another example is the year number of ancient emperors or ancient buildings and place names, and the word Erh Lin is often used as an auspicious symbol. Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu, called Weiyang Palace Qilin Hall, and Xuan Di, Emperor Gaozu, called Qilin Pavilion. In the fourth year of Tang Gaozu's military service, taking advantage of the Western Expedition, he set up Linzhou in Juye. Tang Gaozong called it "Linde" and Wuhou called it "Lin Tai". In the four years of Tang Dezong's Dali period, Kirin Terrace erected a monument. In the seventh year after Jin Dynasty, Jiaxiang County was established in Shankou Town, Juye County (now Dashantou area of Jiaxiang County). In the sixteenth year of Zhiyuan, Lin Feng Pavilion was built in the north of Juye County. In the second year, from Yuan Wenzong to Shunshun, Fan Xun wrote Juye County and rebuilt Lin Fengting. In the Ming Dynasty, Fang Shifen, the magistrate of Juye, built Rui Lin Temple in Qilintai. Rui Lin Temple is built on a grand scale. According to local legend, the whole temple occupied an area of 100 mu, with 100 monks and dozens of tenants. There are shops, stone mills, vegetable gardens, salt beds and car workshops near the temple, which is obviously a self-sufficient economic unit. In the south of Rui Lin Temple, there is a small river called Bali River, which flows from east to west. There are Liu Chengxing, flowing water and countless fish on the shore. There is a ferry on the south bank of the river, which is "crossing the ancient forest" mentioned in Juye County Records. Every spring, the weather is warm, birds are singing and flowers are fragrant, and noble businesses, men, women and children come here for sightseeing in an endless stream. Unfortunately, due to the war at the end of Chongzhen in Ming Dynasty, the whole temple became a virtual market. Today, what we can see is this grassy earthen platform.

In the thirty-first year of the Southern Song Dynasty (after the first year of Yan Hongyong), Xin Qiji, a 21-year-old patriotic poet, took part in the anti-gold war and improvised a five-character poem:

Beginning in the Spring and Autumn Period, the brushwork is a classic old record. The barren platform once built Lu, but the weeds did not burn Qin.

The lush mountains and rivers are beautiful, and the lush scenery is new. Bian Wei continued? The book tape has been infected.

Sun Bin, a poet in Ming Dynasty, wrote a five-character poem when he swam to Lingudu, saying:

Old friends have accumulated cold smoke, and they are ashamed to shine. The spring and autumn are sad, and the world cries for several years.

Lu's change, encounter obstacles, and the cycle will decline unexpectedly. It is a masterpiece so far, and the real meaning is more about inheritance.

Folks have the reputation of "son of Kirin" and "son of forest". In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, people often called smart and lovely boys "my Kirin". Since then, "Kirin has sent pictures." As a woodcut, it is a good omen to engrave the couplet "Kirin in the sky, Lang on the ground as the champion". It is generally believed that worshipping Kirin can give birth to children. Tang Du Fu's Song of Summer Xu's Two Sons: "Don't you see Summer Xu's two sons?" Inducing auspicious dreams followed. Confucius gave the stone family, not the unicorn in the sky. China's national customs recorded in Hu Pu 'an. "Hunan" quoted "Changzhi New Age Folk Poetry": "It is also strange for a woman to be surrounded by dragons. A real dragon is not as good as a paper dragon, but it can send a child to the forest. " Original note: "If a woman is barren for many years, every time a dragon lantern comes home, she will be given a seal instrument to surround her with a dragon body once, and the dragon body will be shortened and she will ride around the hall once, which is called the gift of Qi Lin." According to Lin Qiqi, it belongs to the dragon, that is, the person who replaces Qijia with the dragon lantern.

Juye is the hometown of Kirin, and Juye people have a special liking for Kirin. In Juye, there are many folk relics about Kirin. Poems and songs depicting Kirin, calligraphy and paintings depicting Kirin, and carved inscriptions commemorating Kirin are numerous among Juye folk. There are countless people and things named after Lin in Juye in past dynasties. In 2007, Juye was named as the hometown of Kirin culture in China, and Juye ushered in an opportunity to develop Kirin culture. Kirin's giving away children is a way of blessing in ancient China. Legend has it that Kirin is a kind beast, a symbol of good luck and can bring children to people. Chong Wang is on the balance. It is described in Ding Xian that before Confucius was born, Kirin spit jade books in his home. This allusion became the source of "Kirin sends a son".

kylin

It's male, and Lin is female. Ren Moming, one of the four spirits, is the god Mi, the oxtail, the wolf's head and the horn. According to the Book of Songs, Lin Zhi and Zhen Gongzi are in the forest, that is to say, our descendants are all sensible and do good.

Folk-related nomenclature

Folks have the reputation of "son of Kirin" and "son of forest". In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, people often called smart and lovely boys "my Kirin". Since then, "Kirin has sent pictures." As a woodcut, it is a good omen to engrave the couplet "Kirin in the sky, Lang on the ground as the champion". It is generally believed that worshipping Kirin can give birth to children.

Related literature records

Tang Du Fu's Song of Summer Xu's Two Sons: "Don't you see Summer Xu's two sons?" Inducing auspicious dreams followed. Confucius gave the stone family, not the unicorn in the sky. China's national customs recorded in Hu Pu 'an. "Hunan" quoted "Changzhi New Age Folk Poetry": "It is also strange for a woman to be surrounded by dragons. A real dragon is not as good as a paper dragon, but it can send a child to the forest. " Original note: "If a woman is barren for many years, every time a dragon lantern comes home, she will be given a seal instrument to surround her with a dragon body once, and the dragon body will be shortened and she will ride around the hall once, which is called the gift of Qi Lin." According to Lin Qiqi, it belongs to the dragon, that is, the person who replaces Qijia with the dragon lantern.