Twelve zodiac signs ranking chart
Text·Duan Honggang
Whether in the East or in China, it is considered very rude to ask a woman her age. Behavior, even if asked, the person being asked will remain tight-lipped, leaving the person asking for trouble.
However, in the broad and profound Chinese context, as long as you use your brain a little, you can completely resolve this embarrassment. When a young man meets a girl he likes by chance, and they hit it off immediately and have a great conversation. If the young man wants to know the age of the other person, he can ask: What is your zodiac sign?
Then, by calculating according to the order of the 12 zodiac signs in folk culture, you can completely find out the other person’s age. After all, people’s faces will always bear traces of time. People who are 12 years apart will have different faces. Physical characteristics can completely show the exact age. If a 24-year-old girl and a 36-year-old woman are together, it is easy to tell who is older and who is younger based on their appearance.
The 12 zodiac signs are also called the 12 zodiac signs. They belong to typical Chinese folk culture. They use 12 animals to correspond to the year of a person's birth. When a person is born in the corresponding animal year, his zodiac sign is that animal. For example, this year is 2022, which is the year of the rat among the 12 zodiac signs. People born this year have the zodiac sign of rat.
12 Zodiac Signs in Fine Chinese Painting
How were the 12 zodiac signs formed? The famous contemporary scholar Mr. Liu Yaohan (1922-2012), through extensive research, believes that the formation of the 12 zodiac signs is related to the primitive animal totem worship, because these animals were the first to be contacted and conquered by the Chinese ancestors. The cultural phenomenon of totem worship, It has been circulating in our country for at least 5,000 years.
From ancient times to the present, human beings have the mentality of worshiping the strong. In primitive times, the Chinese ancestors had a very limited understanding of natural science, and their productivity and defense were very low. When faced with those powerful animals or natural phenomena, they could not help but feel a sense of awe and gratitude, and regarded them as own or ancestors.
The reason why we are in awe is that these animals are quite powerful, such as dragons, tigers, snakes, rats, etc. When humans get along with them, it is difficult to defeat them and they often suffer harm from them. and harassment, so they will be afraid of them, turn fear into worship, and hope that they can give them power and be as powerful as them.
The reason for gratitude is that after a long period of conquest, primitive people gradually domesticated some herbivores, raised them and allowed them to reproduce continuously, providing people with stable and reliable food, eliminating the need for people to The uncertainty of relying on hunting and gathering to obtain food, and gratitude to herbivorous animals such as cattle, sheep, chickens, dogs, pigs, and horses, accelerated the formation of totem worship.
12 Zodiac Chinese Paintings (works by Qi Baishi)
Whether out of fear or gratitude, when primitive people developed totem worship, they gradually It has become a kind of spirit. Whenever there is a break in farming, all tribe members will take time to hold grand activities to worship these animals and pray for them to have a good harvest, safety and health.
The Chinese ancestors worshiped dragons and tigers, snakes and eagles, the ancient Romans worshiped she-wolves, the tribesmen worshiped bears, and many people in Africa worshiped lions. These cultural phenomena are all manifestations of totem worship.
The cultural phenomenon of the 12 zodiac animals has been recorded in many ancient books. Among them, "The Book of Songs·Xiaoya·Auspicious Days" contains the following poems: Auspicious days are associated with Wu, and both uncles and prayers are prayed for. The fields and chariots are good, and the four horses are in Kongfu. Ascend to that great mountain and follow its group of uglies. On the auspicious day of Gengwu, I sent my horse. The animals are the same as the deer and the deer. The place where Qi Ju comes from. These verses are considered to be the earliest written records related to the 12 zodiac signs since the birth of Chinese characters.
The 12 zodiac signs form a complete system, which is closely related to human daily life and has been recorded in detail. It is undoubtedly from the "Lunheng" and "Lunheng" of the Eastern Han Dynasty thinker Wang Chong (27-97 AD) It is written in Volume 3 "Material Conditions Chapter" of "Heng":
Yinmu is also a bird and tiger; Xutu is a bird and dog; Chouwei is also soil, and Chou is a cow, not a bird. Sheep too. Wood wins over earth, so dogs, cattle and sheep are subdued by tigers. Hai Shui is also the bird and pig; Sihuo is the bird and snake; Zi is water, and the bird is rat; Wu is fire, and the bird is horse... Wu horse is also the rat, and unitary chicken is also , Mao rabbit. Water beats fire, so why shouldn’t the rat chase the horse? Gold wins wood, why doesn't the chicken peck the rabbit? A pig is a pig, a sheep is a sheep, and an ugly cow is a cow. Earth is better than water, why don't cattle and sheep kill pigs? It's a snake, it's a monkey. Fire beats gold, so why don't snakes eat macaques?
Five Elements
This passage incorporates the 12 zodiac signs into the "Five Elements" to explain, which is mainly used to record the year. Similar to the 12 zodiac signs we are talking about today, There isn't much difference anymore. Since Wang Chong, many thinkers, philosophers, and even writers have given full play to their talents and incorporated the 12 zodiac signs into many disciplines such as astronomy, astrology, divination, Neo-Confucianism, and other disciplines for interpretation, further enriching the cultural connotation of the 12 zodiac signs. Eventually it evolved into the rich folk culture we see today.
After understanding the formation of the 12 zodiac signs, let’s take a look at how the order of the 12 zodiac signs came about.
The order of the 12 zodiac animals is very interesting. Even an illiterate person can tell the order: Rat is the largest, Ox is the second, Tiger is the third, Rabbit is the fourth, Dragon is the fifth, Snake is the sixth, Horse is the seventh, Sheep is the eighth, and Monkey Nine, Rooster, Ten, Dog, Eleven, and Pig, Twelve.
Among the 12 animals, there are not only mighty and domineering dragons and tigers, but also sturdy and strong cows and horses, as well as flexible monkeys and rabbits, as well as chickens, dogs, sheep, pigs, etc. Animals are much bigger than mice in terms of size, courage, and momentum. How can a mouse, which everyone shouts about and fights but does no good, occupy the leading position? This is hard to understand.
There are some opinions and some theories about the ordering of the 12 zodiac signs. Both views have many supporters.
Speaking should be based on "story telling".
The main theory is "animal habits theory".
Qi Baishi·Rat
"Story telling" has a strong mythological color and is widely circulated. Almost everyone can tell it vividly The story is roughly as follows.
It is said that the Heavenly Palace will select 12 outstanding palace guards from many animals and select them in the form of a competition. Many animals are eager to try, ready to sign up to compete and compete.
Because cats are nocturnal animals, they are always sleepy during the day and have no time to register, so they entrust the mouse to register themselves. The mouse thought to himself: The cat is so powerful. If I sign up for it, wouldn't it be a strong competitor? So, the mouse acted mischievously and deliberately did not register the cat. Later, the cat naturally lost the chance to participate and did not enter the 12 zodiac rankings. From then on, the cat hated the mouse and they became a pair of famous enemies.
During the competition, each animal performed in its own way and tried its best to win the championship. However, the competition process is long and arduous after all. Huang Niu relies on his perseverance and endurance like a long stream of water to always be among the best in the stage. Seeing this, the mouse quickened its pace and jumped onto the back of the ox. At the moment when it was close to the finish line, the mouse used its strength to push one of them across the finish line. In this way, the mouse relied on its cleverness to take the first place, and the ox unfortunately came in second place. .
Obviously, "story telling" is more like the processing of mythological literature, which reflects the good wishes of the general public and cannot be used as the basis for ranking the 12 zodiac animals.
Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
The "Animal Habit Theory" ranks 12 animals according to their activity habits and temperament characteristics.
The wise Chinese ancestors, through long-term observation of celestial phenomena, as early as the era of the Three Emperors (Emperor of Earth, Emperor of Humanity) in ancient times, it is said that You summarized the Ten Heavenly Stems and Twelve Earthly Branches, and the Ten Heavenly Stems They are: A, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui. The twelve earthly branches are: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai. . The ancients combined the heavenly stems and earthly branches with each other and invented the "stem and branch method", which was used to record the order of years, months, and time, with 60 years as a time unit. This is still widely used today, and is used in astronomy, geography, calendar, and mathematics. and other fields, still play an important role.
By the Western Zhou Dynasty, the ancient calendar had developed relatively well. People divided a day into 12 hours, namely Zi hour, Chou hour, Yin hour, Mao hour, Chen hour, Si hour, noon hour, Wei hour, Shen hour, Youshi, Xushi, Haishi. Corresponding to the current 24-hour clock, they are: Zi hour is 23-1 o'clock, Chou hour is 1-3 o'clock, Yin hour is 3-5 o'clock, Mao hour is 5-7 o'clock, and Chen hour is 7-9 o'clock , Si hour is 9-11 o'clock, noon hour is 11-, Wei hour is 13-15 o'clock, Shen hour is 15-17 o'clock, Unitary hour is 17-19 o'clock, Xu hour is 19-21 o'clock, and Hai hour is 21-23 o'clock.
The reason why Zi Shi is put in the first place is because it follows the principle of "the ancient calendar divides the day, starting from Zi Ban". In the eyes of the ancients, the moment when the Yang alternates between Zi Shi and Yang is the center of the day. , is both the starting point and the end point of time. Therefore, the division of the twelve hours is carried out around the sub-hours. Modern people regard 0:00 and 24:00 as the beginning and end of the day, completely referring to the division method of the ancient calendar.
Shi
Judging from the time points, the twelve earthly branches and the 12 zodiac signs basically came into being during the same period. Moreover, the quantities they indicate are equivalent. It has the function of recording time and has many internal connections. When they meet, chemical changes will naturally occur and a new cultural system will evolve.
In fact, the ancients really connected the twelve earthly branches with the 12 zodiac animals. The basis is to correlate the sun's emergence and departure patterns, the light and dark changes in the sky, and the living habits of animals. From them, many natural laws have been discovered, and the living habits of various animals can be understood more thoroughly.
Midnight (23-1 o'clock) is the most active time for rats, because rats often wait for opportunities at this time, thinking about how to search for food and have a meal.
Chou hour (1-3 o'clock) is the time when cattle regurgitate or eat night grass. In order to digest it better, cattle have to regurgitate the grass they have eaten during the day into their mouths, and then chew it slowly. , to help the intestines and stomach absorb nutrients so as to store energy for work during the day.
Yin Shi (3-5 o'clock) is the time when the nocturnal tiger likes to show off its power. Tigers often roar in the mountains and forests at this time.
At Mao hour (5-7 o'clock), the sky is bright and the rabbits run out of the nest and eat the dew-stained grass, which is a great enjoyment.
At Chen hour (7-9 o'clock), the rising sun is shrouded in hazy fog. It is said that the dragon will create illusions in the fog.
At Si hour (9-11 o'clock), the sun temperature is moderate, and snakes will crawl out to bask in the sun and absorb some heat for their bodies.
The Twelve Earthly Branches and the 12 Zodiac Signs
The scorching sun is shining at noon (11——), which makes people restless. There is a kind of red-maned horse with a violent temper. Like the scorching sun, it is difficult to tame.
At the end of the day (13-15), after being exposed to the sun, the dew on the grass has been dried, which is a better time to herd sheep. Because sheep have overactive stomachs, eating dew-laden grass can cause diarrhea easily.
In Shenshi (15-17), the sun gradually moves to the west and is no longer so hot. Monkeys like to come out and play among the branches at this time.
The sun is about to set at Youshi (17-19 o'clock), and the sky is getting dark. After dark, chickens will become night blind, and they will also be regarded as prey by some wild animals. Therefore, chickens will be driven back to their nests by their owners at this time.
It is dark at Xu Shi (19-21 o'clock), and the ancients usually prepared to rest at this time. Before taking a break, the dog will inspect the house in front and behind to eliminate potential safety hazards. During the inspection, the dog will bark while helping the owner inspect the house, just like a human.
At Haishi (21-23 o'clock), people have already fallen asleep. At this time, the pigs will clang the pig trough because of hunger. When the owner hears the noise, he will get up and feed the pigs, which will help the pigs to survive. of fat.
The ancients combined the "Five Elements" and divided most of the materials in the world into two categories, and a very small part was divided into balance. For example, heaven is yang, earth is yin, men are yang, women are yin, the "five elements" are metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, wood and fire are yang, metal, water are yin, and earth is balance.
Qi Baishi·Rat
Similarly, various animals are also divided into two sexes. The rules are based on the number of claws or hooves on one foot of the animal. divide. Animals with an even number of paws or hooves correspond to the yin branch, and animals with an odd number of paws or hooves correspond to the yang branch.
Among the 12 zodiac animals, the hooves or claws of the cow, rabbit, sheep, chicken, and pig are all even numbers. The snake has no legs and is a very yin thing. Their order in the 12 zodiac animals is also an even number. Therefore, these six animals are placed in the yin branch.
Tigers, dragons, horses, monkeys, and dogs all have odd numbers of paws or hooves, and their order in the 12 zodiac signs is also odd, so they correspond to the Yang branch.
However, the mouse is a peculiar animal with a special number of claws. Its forelimbs have four claws, corresponding to the yin branch, and its hind limbs have five claws, corresponding to the yang branch. It straddles the two genera and is a balanced animal.
In the ecological theory of the ancients, balance is considered to be the most coordinated, healthy, and vital state, with outstanding adaptability to the environment. This theory further amplifies the status of the rat in the 12 zodiac signs. Coupled with the saying that "the ancient calendar divides the day, starting from the second half", the rat is naturally ranked as one of the 12 zodiac signs.
Through the above analysis, we have more reasons to believe that the order of the 12 zodiac signs and the "animal habits theory" perspective are more convincing.
The above is the content related to the ranking of the twelve zodiac signs. It is a sharing about the zodiac signs.
After reading Zodiac Sorting, Zodiac Sorting, I hope this helps everyone!