Chinese zodiacWhen to appear

In early, about Chinese era is recorded in the historical materials about the Chinese zodiac is less, relatively late, too.Twelve phase when really began, all books are not clear.So, if we can not "article" from the historical data of some related "clues"?

People have long noticed the zodiac han glyph may implicit cultural information, such as "the third" word and snake, "hai" and "pigs" and so on.1931 issue of the journal of lingnan 2 (1) papers "gan and twelve birds", the author Deng Erya.The article said.

Secretly to text image examination, yi gan so take poultry and analogy, or because of the font.Lid ugly at such a time, no significance, order is easy and accurate, and with precious things, so that memory, its origin suspected Qin Chu over the weekend, and user by folk customs.To the end of the western han dynasty, hence to prophetic-mixed and analogies, into the said, also it may be?

In this passage, Deng Erya spoke two key s and two possible.The first may, 12 stand ugly Yin bases, easy to remember, folk and the use of common animals in appellation, such as rat on behalf of the child, bull is ugly.Suppose this is Qin Chu things at the weekend.The second possibility, towards the end of the western han dynasty, with the discovery of ancient prose, prophetic-mixed gradually filled, prophetic-mixed home will GuWenZi ugly Yin frame analogy for animals.

Deng Erya twelve teams and Chinese zodiac compared the ancient word, think of there are some font links between the two.There is an old saying in China, called "the calligraphy and painting homology".At the beginning of the Chinese characters are pictographs, make a glyph, some is almost a freehand brushwork in traditional Chinese ink lines.With the twelve earthly branches of ancient prose, and the Chinese zodiac GuWenXiang comparison, there are the same, let a person think: twelve teams is the Chinese zodiac pictograms?The cattle, cattle says described, for example, positive cows, t, painted on the side lie cow, t.The former used to name the animals, is the word, 12 teams, which include the ugly word, be ordinal number symbols.Such as oracle Yin word again, quite some tiger form shadow.If at the time of the pictographic character, "cow" and "ugly" is on different side position transfer, so, this itself is earthly branches and zodiac homologous.

Chinese characters are written symbols, some ancient Chinese characters glyph is a historical data.

The inhibition and further to talk about animal signs in the qing dynasty,

Zhuxi's theory of taste "yi", "dry" horse "kun" cows, "shock" dragon "xun" chicken, "camp" pigs "from" pheasant, "gen" dog "against the" sheep, such as its own origin, not false Pi, 12 genera and gossip take quite similar, cloud has no history.QuQingJiang yue, changjie untouched, hai is a little different with the pigs, just words like a snake, has its origin Xiong remnants.

Liang Zhang giant believe in zodiac origin early, quoting the two materials.One of them is, "12 genera and gossip as similar", take theory of zhu xi's "easy" for example.About this material, here only take sima qian "too history Mr Introduction", for time: to be indicated on the "fu xi to the pure, thick as" easy "gossip."In addition, when it comes to "hai" and "pigs" form, "the third" pictographic for snakes.

In some Chinese zodiac culture material the pre-qin literature.In the book of songs has several related to king xuan of zhou's poem, the "good day" : "horse" good day GengWu that sent me will be linked with the horse, GengWu Numbers to as auspicious day of hunting.Zhou Guan 45 year of the reign of king since 827 BC."Good day" record, to the front of the qin shi huang unified China still exists, now out to five centuries.Yunmeng sleeping tiger unearthed in liye "day book" records, the slave trade, goods trade is also done to date."Day book" remember: "no to lunch in male and female servants, is the stomach (call) and death."It is said in the midday slaves unlucky livestock transactions, including buying and selling horses.

The warring states period of poet qu yuan ", "li SAO" begins to write his own birthday: "taken her virginity in busy meng xi, but heptyl Yin us to drop."It is said he was born on in Yin Yin Yin.Photograph, taken up short, said Yin years;Meng busy, in the first month, that is, Yin.Liu yao han "" beast" twelve calendar originated from primitive totem worship, inference, qu yuan's busy month instead of Yin, "Yin" and "busy" synonymous.Busy, zuo si "wei du fu" say "pretty busy fall";Zhang hua "museum makes" : "jianghan has faded, can a tiger;Common cloud, 䝙 tiger ";Busy and 䝙 register (busy also sound zou), ancient Chinese fake, busy righteous as 䝙 tiger.He thinks it is his constant for the proof of the tiger.

The book of songs "of the date of GengWu, already sent me the horse" sentences, chu qu yuan in the account of the birthday...In the pre-qin literature are only some sporadic records.Material of sporadic shi kan, written in the qing dynasty "over Gai CongKao Zhao Yi was dismissed, but a record of the convincing" on balance ".Zhao Yi believes that Chinese zodiac descendants by northern minority nationality areas in the central plains, and to match the ugly Yin bases, twelve teams;Records of the Chinese zodiac s early literature, also think of the eastern han dynasty "the theory of scale" and "enveloped q&a" credible.Although for many years that his personal point of view and failed to become clear, but the influence of the opinions of their own is considerable.

Influenced by Zhao Yi and their point of view, for a long time, our country most scholars believe that the earliest ancient books of Chinese zodiac is materialism thinker of the eastern han dynasty classics "on balance" of wang chong.In content on potential records: "Yin, wood also, the birds, tigers also.Also, soil, birds, dogs also...Noon, and the horse also., mice also.Unitary, chicken also.Sockets, rabbit also...Hai, and pigs.No, and the sheep.Ugly, cattle also...Third, the snake.Shen, monkey."Carefully read here as a Chinese zodiac.In speech on poison ", said: "for the dragon, the third for snakes, Calvin, the third in the southeast."So the twelve Chinese zodiac is complete.

But over time, people found that the rise of the 1970 s in hubei yunmeng sleeping tiger unearthed one batch of liye, found a relatively complete record about the Chinese zodiac.Are there in this batch of liye "day book" two kinds, one kind of "day book" on the back of the "steal" section contains the Chinese zodiac.According to research, "day book" bamboo slips are likely to be written before the qin shi huang proclaimed himself.This is "on" record before pushing for nearly 300 years.Complete records of the silks, the twelve earthly branches, in addition to an original Jane leakage copy outside the Chinese zodiac, the rest of the 11 items are marked with Chinese zodiac:

, mice also.Ugly, also.Yin, tiger also.Also the bases of rabbit.Calvin.Third, his wife also.Noon, deer also.No, and the horse also.Shen, ring also.Unitary, the water also.Xu-gou, old sheep.Hai, and pigs.

Rat, mao-tu, ox, tiger, pig, liye recorded the five Chinese zodiac are consistent with this;And "the third, insect", "circle", also ", "unitary, water and" three, resembles snake, you-ji chicken;The remaining three are different from today.To this, different versions within the industry.But anyway, hubei liye unearthed the yunmeng sleeping tiger, "the theory of scale" records of the Chinese zodiac had been beyond the first advantage.

Sleeping tiger to liye is a vibration, I wish liye will not always say.It can be said that the era of silks and the theory of scale, can saying is the source of the Chinese zodiac, might as well as go up and starting point.So we can infer that Chinese zodiac had appeared in the pre-qin period.

This lets a person expect, shock people searching.After all shells with power table in oracle, many wen-zhong jin is also applied to the example, there are many such examples.Earlier than liye about Chinese zodiac system records, perhaps one day will bring rich ancient cultural information and present, the origin of the Chinese zodiac also will present the truth in front of people.