It is a common god beast in China ancient books, and it can distinguish right from wrong. Han Yangfu's Record of Foreign Bodies most representatively summarizes the characteristics of arrogance: "Sex is right and wrong. Seeing people fighting, you can't touch them straight. When people argue, they are wrong. " This means that an argument can distinguish good people from bad people. When two people fight, it will use its horn against the indefensible person. When he hears someone quarreling, he will bite the person who stirs up trouble. According to legend, officials in the pre-Qin period tried to find out the merits and demerits of this case.
The image of sheep is docile and kind, and it is not easy to be deified. Although the ancients said "fire beast" and "Dolly", no corresponding story has been handed down. Even if there is something magical, it is in other stories, playing a supporting role.
The love story between Liu Yi, a scholar, and the Dragon Girl in Dongting. When the hero and heroine met for the first time, the dragon girl was herding sheep. Liu Yi said, "I don't know what my son is collecting sheep for?" Will the gods slaughter? The dragon lady replied, "It's not a sheep, it's a rain worker." . "Liu asked," What is a rain worker? " A: "Thunder and the like. After careful observation, Liu Yi found that these sheep were "cautious and angry. They drank a lot of wine, but their hair horns were no different from sheep". "
Whether it is "fire beast", "gold essence" or "rain worker", it seems that they are not as clear as those who are right and wrong, and they are clear at the top of their heads, which greatly simplifies the judicial process. It is said that the king of Chu once got this beast, crowned it with its shape, and later became a high hat for law enforcement officers.
Because of this feature, from the pre-Qin dynasty to the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was regarded as a symbol of the integrity of judicial officials and was often used in various occasions. In ancient times, there was a saying that "a lawsuit is decided by teasing". Faguan, a pillar, or "Guguan", is five inches high. It is made of iron and will not bend or twist. Shi and Ding Wei are in prison, and all law enforcement officers are convinced. On behalf of the imperial envoys and according to the history of military service, the pattern was embroidered on the back of the heart, which is the same as that of western judges wearing black robes and wigs to show legal dignity. Because it is a kind of auspicious beast, it became one of the six great beasts in front of ming tomb's tomb, guarding Zhu Yuanzhang's tomb for 600 years. Saturnalia patterns also appear on clay seals, your seals and stone reliefs.
What animal is it? It not only attracted the interest of archaeologists, but also attracted the attention of calligraphers. Because the pattern of sabre also appears on clay, seals and relief stones, this is an unavoidable problem for scholars who study the history of China's calligraphy. Professor Xu Chang, a calligrapher, made an in-depth study on this issue. Different from most researchers, Xu Chang is not addicted to literature classics, but starts with physical objects, looks for clues in ancient artifacts, and then makes a classification analysis. By studying a large number of bronzes, stone reliefs and seals, he discovered the law of the evolution of the image of the Avengers.
Xuchang pointed out that most of the artifacts before Qin dynasty were sheep, and the images on the fragments of bronze wares unearthed in Liyu village, Hunyuan, Shanxi Province were obvious proof. In the clip, the lion is a sheep-shaped animal with a short tail hoof and a horn. When facing a wolf, it bows its head to make symptoms to protect the escaped lamb. This picture perfectly embodies the characteristics of the arrogant man who is not afraid of treachery and violence and protects the weak. After the Eastern Han Dynasty, the image of the horse changed and became a beast similar to an ox. For example, on the Han Dynasty stone reliefs found in Suide, Shenmu and other places in Shaanxi Province, all horses, like cows, stomped on the ground with all their limbs, bowed their heads and glared at each other, making an angle.
Xuchang came to the conclusion through research that the Avenger is not a specific animal, but its image originated from sheep at the earliest, and changed after the Eastern Han Dynasty, becoming a cow-shaped animal. Xuchang wrote this research achievement as an essay "Surrounding Mud and Seal" and published it in the national Chinese core periodical "China Calligraphy", which was recognized by the archaeological and calligraphy circles.
Solve many misunderstandings about seals.
Deciphering the Avengers mystery seems to clarify what an ancient animal in China is, but it will have a far-reaching impact on the study of China's elephant seal history. Using this discovery, Xuchang corrected many misunderstandings about ancient image seals.
For example, some jade "sheep prints" collected in the Forbidden City, many of which are from the mouth of a wild horse, were originally mistaken for Chinese seals in the Forbidden City Xiao Zhuan, and now can be traced back to the Warring States Period. The seal No.529 of the Collection of Ancient Seal Carving collected by Hunan Provincial Museum was originally thought to be a horse-shaped seal in the Han Dynasty, but now it can be confirmed that it is a argus seal, but this argus is bent with a bent head in the lower right corner of the seal.