The twelve zodiac signs, also called zodiac animals, are the twelve animals of China and the twelve earthly branches that match the year of a person's birth, including rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog, and pig.

The origin of the twelve zodiac signs is related to animal worship. It is a visual representation of the twelve earthly branches, namely Zi - rat, Chou - ox, Yin - tiger, Mao - rabbit, Chen - dragon, and Si - snake.

, Wu - horse, Wei - sheep, Shen - monkey, You - chicken, Xu - dog, Hai - pig, with the development of history, they gradually merged into the folk belief concepts of mutual reinforcement and mutual restraint, which are reflected in marriage, life

, luck of the year, etc., each zodiac sign has a corresponding legend, which forms a conceptual interpretation system and becomes an image philosophy in folk culture, such as the zodiac signs in marriage, prayers at temple fairs, animal year, etc.

Nowadays, more and more people regard the zodiac as the mascot of the new year and the symbol of cultural activities.

As a long-standing symbol of folk culture, the zodiac has left a large number of handicrafts depicting the images and symbolic meanings of the zodiac as a way to express good wishes for the beginning of the year.

Zi means rat, the thief has a sharp mouth and sparse beard; Ugly means ox, the thief has a big nose and long neck; Yin means tiger, the thief has the shape of a thief with a gray beard and a dark face. Mao means rabbit, the thief has a big head

Mian Tou. Chen, the thief is a man, green and red; Si, insect, the thief has long and black snake eyes. Wu, deer, the thief has a long neck, small head, and his body is incomplete. Wei, horse, the thief has long whiskers and ears

. Shen means Huan, the thief has a round face; You means water...Xu means Laoyang...Hai means pig.

Son, rat. Chou, ox. Yin, tiger. Mao, rabbit. Chen, insect. Si, rooster. Wu, horse. Wei, sheep. Shen, monkey. Unity, rooster.

Xu means dog. Hai means pig.

Yinmu is also a bird of tigers; Xutu is a bird of dogs; Chou is not earth, and ugly is a bird of cattle, but not a bird of sheep. Wood is better than earth, so dogs, cattle and sheep are fed by tigers. Haishui

Ye, its bird is a pig; Sihuo is also a bird and snake; Zi is also water, and its bird is a rat; Wu is also a fire, and its bird is a horse... Wuma is also a rat, and its chicken is Mao.

Rabbit too.

Water is better than fire, why don't rats chase horses? Metal is better than wood, why don't chickens peck rabbits? Boar is better than sheep, and ugly cow is also. Earth is better than water, why don't cattle and sheep kill pigs? Snakes are better than monkeys. Fire beats gold, so

Why don't snakes eat macaques?

Chen is a dragon, Si is a snake, and Chen Si is located in the southeast. The dragon is poisonous, and the snake has a sting, so a viper has sharp teeth, and the dragon has reverse scales. Wood generates fire, and fire is poison, so the beast of the blue dragon contains sparks.

The ancients divided the stars near the ecliptic and the equator into "twenty-eight constellations". Each of the twenty-eight constellations also represents an animal.

In ancient times, the sky was divided into twelve equal parts, represented by twelve branches, and the twelve branches belonged to the zodiac, and there was a corresponding relationship between the zodiac signs and the twenty-eight constellations.

The twenty-eight kinds of animals are assigned to the twenty-eight constellations, and are "unified by seven rays", forming a pattern of "female earth bat, empty sun rat, dangerous moon swallow, and son".

Jupiter moves through one day every twelve years, and the annual branch sequence can be determined from the position of Jupiter. "Three years old, three years old, ruined, three years old, healthy, three years old, drought." Another saying is, "The world is six years old, and one year old, and six years old, one healthy.

"When you are twenty-two years old, you are hungry."

There are cycles of the rise and fall of plants and the living environment of animals. The living conditions of herbivores and carnivorous omnivores are very different in different years. If people born in different years can imitate the animals that grew vigorously in that year, they will form zodiac animals, which can be used to infer the rise and fall of animals.

Related to the year of Jupiter, the twelve zodiac signs are unified with the twelve stars.

The ancestors of primitive societies often used images of certain animals, inanimate creatures or natural phenomena as the protector and symbol of their clan, that is, totems.

The mixed image of man and beast is the totem god of ancient places. The totem of the Xia tribe is a bear or a fish, the totem of the Shang tribe is a black bird, the twelve zodiac signs except the dragon are illusory things, and the rest are visible in daily life. Among them, there are two

They are the "six animals" (horses, cattle, sheep, chickens, dogs, pigs) and the "six beasts" (rats, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes and monkeys). The former were domesticated by people for economic purposes, while the latter disturbed human life to a certain extent. The ancestors treated them

A fearful animal.

Therefore, these animals are worshiped as the name symbols of the clan.

The Chinese ancestors felt the cycle of alternation of cold and heat, and the cycle of plants withering and flourishing, and regarded it as "one year". The moon's profit and loss cycle is also related to "year" - twelve full moons are exactly one year old.

Using Jupiter as the year cycle, the "year star" goes around for exactly twelve years. As the saying goes, "the palm of a hand has twelve years, ten has two months, and ten has two chen." In addition to counting years and months, twelve is also used

Measure time.

"Twelve celestial phenomena" is the general term for the weather in ancient times, namely darkness, overcast, rain, snow, ice, fog, dew, frost, wind, sand, thunder and lightning; "Twelve meridians" are the medical description of the meridians of the human body.

Cognition; ancient music has "twelve rhythms"; diet has "twelve foods"; dressing has "twelve clothes"...

Zodiac animals have different personalities, and ancient people have always put forward many opinions on their selection and arrangement, but each opinion is difficult to justify.

Folk stories say that Emperor Xuanyuan wanted to select twelve animals to serve as palace guards. The cat asked the mouse to sign up, but the mouse forgot. From then on, the cat sought revenge upon seeing the mouse.

Originally, the cow was pushed to take the lead, but the mouse secretly climbed onto the cow's back to take the lead. The tiger and the dragon were not convinced, and were named mountain gods and sea gods, ranking behind the cow.

The rabbit refused and wanted to race with the dragon. The rabbit ran in front of the dragon. The dog was not happy and bit the rabbit in anger. He was punished to be last.

There was a battle between the snake, horse, sheep, monkey and chicken, and finally the pig came to occupy the last seat.

Why is Zi a rat? It is said: The sky is open to Zi, and if it is not consumed, its Qi will not be opened. Rats are insects. So the night is not yet dark, and it is the time when the rat is ordered, so the child is a rat. The earth is born in ugliness, and

Ox is the thing that opens up the earth, so Chou belongs to Ox.

People are born in Yin, and when they are alive, there is killing. The killer is a tiger, and Yin is a fearful person. There is nothing more fearful than a tiger, so Yin belongs to the tiger. Mao is at the time of sunrise. Japan is separated from the body and contains Taiyin.

The essence of Jade Rabbit, so Mao belongs to rabbit. Chen is the hexagram of March, which is when the dragons are making rain, so Chen belongs to dragon. Si is the hexagram of April, when the grass is lush and snakes can find their place. And

, At this time, snakes do not follow the path, so they are snakes.

At noon, the yang pole is born and a yin is born. A horse is very healthy and does not leave the ground, so it is a yin type, so it belongs to the horse at noon. The sheep gnaws the grass that is not in season and sprouts, so it is not a sheep. At Shen Shi, the sunset and the ape crows, and

Shen's arms are similar to the number of Qi, which will lead to chaos and rampage, so Shen is a monkey.

You, when the moon rises, the moon itself is in the body, and it contains the essence of the sun and golden rooster, so You belongs to the Rooster. Xu is the night, and the dog is the night creature, so Xu is the dog.

Hai, when the heaven and earth are in chaos, is like a hundred fruits containing business in the core, but a pig knows nothing except food, so Hai is a pig.

The artist uses twelve animals to match the twelve stars. Each animal has its own deficiencies. For example, a rat has no teeth, an ox has no teeth, a tiger has no spleen, a tiger has no lips, a dragon has no ears, a snake has no legs, a horse has no guts, and a sheep has no legs.

There is no god, monkeys have no buttocks, chickens have no kidneys, dogs have no intestines, pigs have no tendons, and humans have no deficiencies.

Zi is the cathode, it is dark and dark, so it is matched with the rat; the rat hides its traces. Noon is the yang pole, showing strength and vigor.

Match it with a horse; a horse can move quickly. Ugliness is yin, and it is the result of bowing and loving kindness. Match it with a cow; the cow licks its calves.

If it is not yang, it should be raised up and bowed politely, so it is matched with a sheep; sheep have kneeling breasts. Yin is the three yangs, and if yang wins, it will be violent, so it is matched with tiger; the tiger has a violent nature. Shen is three yin, and if yin wins, it will be violent.

Shrewdness is matched with the monkey; the personality is cunning. The day is in the east and there is a rooster in the west.

The moon is born in the west and is separated from the east mao. This means that the yin and yang interact with each other, so it is said that maoyou is the private door of the sun and the moon.

Nowadays, if a rabbit licks its male hair, it will become pregnant, and if a chicken steps on it together, it will become invisible. They are all feeling but not interacting with each other. Therefore, Maoyou belongs to the rabbit and chicken. Chensi Yang rises and moves.

The dragon is the most powerful, followed by the snake, so the dragon and the snake are in harmony.

Dragons and snakes are things that change. In Xuhai, the yin converges and becomes silent. Dogs stay at night and pigs are calm, so dogs and pigs are in harmony. Dogs and pigs are things that persist.

The twelve zodiac signs are not only integrated into the lives of Chinese people as ordinary creatures, but their natural habits have been endowed with many cultural meanings by people, rising from animals to gods, receiving respect and worship.

Only the combination of natural creatures and cultural gods can form a complete zodiac animal impression.

Each zodiac animal is imbued with auspicious meanings, such as rats. Rats eat food secretly, which proves that "hamsters have surplus food", indicating that the family is wealthy. Having many rats in the house symbolizes wealth.

Because of cattle farming, Chinese people have a deep affection for cattle. They attach excellent qualities to cattle, such as honesty, hard work, and not asking for anything in return. There is a saying that "Tailao, one for cattle, one for sheep, and one for pigs".

Oxen are the most noble sacrificial objects. They are used by the emperor to sacrifice the country and heaven and earth. If the princes gather to form an alliance, the monarch will cut the blood from the ear of the ox and smear it on his mouth.

Tiger, tiger is the king of beasts, Yin and tiger are compatible. The word "Yin" in oracle bone inscriptions is like an arrow. "Yin" means "Yang Qi rises, even if there is frozen soil, it will break through the ground", which is consistent with the fierceness of tiger.

The yang energy matches.

If the ancient bronze tiger cannibal mortar reflects the ancients' fear of tigers, then the tiger imprint in war represents the desire for conquest. When marching, white tiger flags are carried, and brave men are called "tiger generals". Tiger talismans are used to mobilize troops. Weapons have

Tiger stripes…

Dragon, the dragon symbolizes getting ahead and being extraordinary. In ancient times, there was a saying that "a dragon rides the wind and clouds up to the nine heavens". The dragon not only symbolizes the power of the emperor and the queen, but also symbolizes the happy union of the husband and wife. It can also symbolize the harmony of yin and yang between spirit and material. The dragon and phoenix pattern
Chapter completed!