Why is the twelve animal signs

Chinese zodiacAncient, also known as twelve birds, twelve beast, and the twelve gods, twelve, twelve, twelve worm, now known as folk animal signs.

Although these terms are different, but no matter how the name change, but cannot leave the "12", what reason is this?

People may take it for granted to blurt out: "that's because to and match the twelve earthly branches, rat, mao-tu, ox, tiger, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, pig things."Carefully, the answer seems to be not so accurate, why should our ancestors created the twelve earthly branches, why like to use the number "12", rather than a nor ten or eleven?

Twelve Chinese zodiac, twelve earthly branches, "12" in the ancient culture it is a remarkable series of ordinal number, flashed a mysterious color, but also contains the rich content of ancient culture.

In ancient China, "12" is a very important number, people have a special liking for it.", zuo 6 seven years, "said:" Zhou Zhiwang also, making ritual objects, but twelve, thought also large Numbers of the sky."The rites, the spring's official von phase "records:" palm ten for two years, and ten in February, two 10 Chen, 10, 28 star, its narrative, on May Day."We found that our country has been preserved from ancient practices: a ji has 12 years, are there in a year in December, twelve hours a day.Time division to twelve progressive, age 12 years, a year in December, from a day.

A book about the warring states period of the "yugong" is an article in the history, the book broke the political boundaries, the governors regime of dayu divided the country into kyushu.But even space delimit region of the world have kyushu, also somebody out make up twelve.Jiu ge "of local nine is, how grave?"Qu yuan's question: the world has ji, rival, green, xu, Yang jing, yu, beam, harmony kyushu, dayu with what go to higher ground?Map of the seas, to answer: "the emperor is life yu died cloth soil in kyushu."Then god let yu from interest cloth (growth) of soil, soil pacify kyushu floods.And there are twelve states shun points legend, spent from jizhou gives deep and remote, and two states, the states from qingzhou to separate camp.Guo moruo was also deals with twelve states, it is linked with ancient astronomy, release the dry said: "although the shun Canon WeiTuo by Confucianism over the weekend, but its' zhao has two states, ten of the language of two mountains', and then from kyushu mountains, ancient when there is the word of mouth.Ten immediately. Chen have two states with eset also."Eset is corresponding to the stars of heaven the dividing method of the area of the earth.The ancient Chinese astrology that different azimuth of astronomical variations, can make corresponding area on the ground change.Twelve Chen guo moruo said, with 12 times in the history of astronomy, cross the sky for twelve equal parts.

Ancient Chinese music also has twelve melody respectively is huang, lu, too clusters, clock, aunt wash, zhong lu, bing, Lin zhong, yi, south lu, no radiation, should the clock;Song dynasty zhang uncle choose 12 kinds of flowers, claim "12", rumei for passengers, chrysanthemum for life of guest, lotus for static.Chinese emphasize three Yin and three Yang hand, foot three Yin and three Yang twelve meridians and organs can be divided into twelve hidden, and called the twelve points 12 genera.Even old wu zhe for young children to look at "shut down", also to break twelve shut down phase.Hehuang area in qinghai, there are twelve of pure liquid funeral customs."Three yuan total record, and was buried" : "12 fine medicine possessions, all demon ever lie low."Corresponding to "all" to "twelve", it is in line with the traditional psychology, contains mysterious meaning of Numbers is chosen.

"12", accepted the ancient astronomy nourish, not only in the calendar, not saturate folklore, it made a deeply rooted into the Chinese culture.Classification of yuan drama, for the fairy, wearing robe grasp wat, affair, sensitized etc.;And however rich traditional culture encyclopedic novel a dream of red mansions is to "twelve" made important Numbers, and the performance of unbounded.Jia baoyu fugue in book too wonderland, rush the storage "jinling twelve women" ZhengCe twelve copies, vice copies of copies, and all are twelve books.Famous book of those women, is the main character of the novel.Cao xueqin "peruse ten years, add five times," like all work wholeheartedly "twelve".There are twelve in the grand view garden pavilion gardens, the maid and twelve sin diva twelve.Xue baochai is prepared roasted pellets, want to use "open twelve two white peony flower, spring summer leaves of twelve two white lotus flower, twelve two white lotus flower, autumn winter 12 two salted and dried plum flower".With four water to mediate, namely "rain the day of meteoric water. Money", "twelve money on this day, white dew dew, frost twelve money this day cream, light snow the day of snow twelve money".Write medicine material, but again, the dose of herbs and water are all so much for the "12", like the echo of the no longer.Like a dream of red mansions both wrote poetry responsory literati culture, also wrote of folklore culture.Cao xueqin the novelist is a liberal, widely absorbs the nutrition of the Chinese culture, he chose in the infinite ordinal number "12", that can't say that just is the preference of the novelist himself.

Such, too numerous to list.

In addition to the "12", the ancients also for twelve related multiples, such as "36", "seventy-two", "one hundred and eight" is also very fascinated.The ancients put these number to become number of the "perfect".No matter in ancient literature and ancient life are the number of the shadow.Such as Taoism thirty-six cave, seventy-two lucky;Profession has 36 lines, seventy-two lines;Art of 36 plan.Again, like in the story of journey to the pig eight quit to 36 change change sun wukong, seventy-two;"Water margin" in the list of eight36 plough、Seventy-two the detective。

"36", "seventy-two", "one hundred and eight" by people praise highly because these count is often thought of as the result of "nine" weight gain."Nine" for the greatest number of Yang, and with "long" homophonic, nature has a "component".In ancient times, the number of "nine" is a, said sovereign, only the emperor or the palace to use, such as "the statue of five-year" is only the emperor is used.However, "36", "seventy-two" or a multiple of that of the "12", has 11 within the multiples of 9, but only "36" and "seventy-two" and "12" at the same time there is a whole than relationship;And "one hundred and eight" for "36" and "seventy-two", and, again as the product of "twelve" and "nine".Therefore, although its role is "nine", but this kind of digital advocating "12" there is no doubt that the hidden component.

A word "12" is in ancient China had great charm, the division of many things, such as classification has its shadow.

In addition, the Chinese zodiac, with the background of astronomy.

In primitive times, people experience the year cycle to observe the things around the turn of the repetition of change.At that time, people haven't invented astronomical calendar, let alone a calendar., dalai back-up records according to the song dynasty Meng Gong "" the common every grass green for a year, its age, was asked a few grass yue yi." this shows that people at that time is by observing the grass withered flourish to calculate time. Later, people found the moon cycle of profit and loss can be used to measure the length of the age, found that the grass green time of 12 full moon for a year, the discovery is one of the most precision results early calendar, "12" by the ancients as convey god's will "" of large number of days. Air-dried to earthly branch company, the moon and sun, heaven and earth, nature is not a" 12 ".

Of course, the most authoritative the most plausible explanation, remains to be proven.