the year of the rabbit is coming, and the first month is the Spring Festival. On this festive day, the crowd is like a tide, firecrackers are like flowers and everywhere is filled with a happy atmosphere. Every household is decorated with lanterns, with "Daofu", couplets and red lanterns hanging in front of the door. The Year of the Rabbit is very lively!
Look, the streets are full of traffic, and everyone is beaming and smiling, helping the old and bringing the young out to watch the fun. The business of selling firecrackers stalls is booming! Just now, the shelves were covered with strings of firecrackers, which were snapped up in a short time. Naughty children kept choosing toys and food for the Year of the Rabbit in the shop with this lucky money, and filled a bag full of them.
listen, there's a powerful beating of gongs and drums, and there's a warm shouting and greeting, so it's the dragon dance team. My father and I walked forward and saw a mighty long dragon dancing in the distance. Look at him with his big mouth and his eyes staring like sea bowls. He looks awesome. This dragon keeps twisting its trunk, sometimes looking back and swinging its tail, and sometimes rolling up and down, just like a dragon going into the sea. The onlookers all praised him. At this time, I was a little puzzled and asked my father, "Why does Dad want to dance dragons in the Spring Festival?" Dad touched my head and said, "There is such a custom in Chinese New Year. Everyone should do something auspicious, eat some auspicious dishes and say something auspicious." Dragons are auspicious, but there are no real dragons in the world, so people weave dragons and hold dragon dancing activities to pin their good wishes. "
The Spring Festival in the Year of the Rabbit is really interesting! I not only spent a happy, peaceful and festive festival, but also had a deeper understanding of the traditional culture of the motherland.
"rabbit" is a beautiful word in China. It is not only one of the human zodiac signs, but also closely related to human life and people's beautiful hopes.
"rabbit" is the pictograph of animal rabbit. Xu Shen's Shuo Wen Jie Zi in the Han Dynasty explained: "Rabbit, animal name, its tail shape after image distance." Its Oracle Bone Inscriptions and seal characters depict the image of "rabbit" with long ears and short tail.
There are not many Chinese characters derived from the word "rabbit", but they are all very distinctive.
For example, "Yi" is a knowing word. A rabbit running fast is called "escape". Shuo Wen Jie Zi and other books all think that the word "escape" means that rabbits are "good at escaping".
This shows that Rabbit deserves to be the champion of long-distance running.
Then there are words such as "escape", "escape", "escape", "escape", "seclusion", "comfort", "anecdote" and "transcendence".
Three rabbits are stacked together to form a Chinese character, which indicates the appearance of running fast.
The word "injustice" is a sign for the kind rabbit to "speak out".
Shuo Wen Jie Zi explains: "Injustice is injustice." The rabbit can't escape under the net fence, but yield and can't stretch. Extended to injustice.
So there are a series of words such as "wrong", "unjust", "vindication" and "redress". And the rabbit is the first to be wronged.
It can be seen that cute rabbits are the most worthy of people's sympathy.
"Rabbit" and "Tu" are interlinked. "Tu" is the herb "Tu Si", also known as "Cuscuta", also known as "female radish", or "rabbit silk".
the word "rabbit" is added with the word "earth" and the word "mound" is next to it, which refers to the part near the flat ground at both ends of the bridge, that is, the place where the bridge goes up.
"rabbit" corresponds to "Mao" in the twelve branches of the earth. Wang Chong's Lun Heng in the Han Dynasty said, "Mao is also a rabbit." They make up our zodiac sign "Mao Rabbit".
the original word "Mao" depicts the image of budding vegetation. "Shuo Wen Jie Zi" said: "Mao, Mao also. In February, everything came out. " In twelve o'clock, "Mao" refers to 5-7 in the morning.
Therefore, "Mao" means spring, represents dawn and is full of infinite vitality.
"Liu" embodies the meaning of "Mao belongs to wood", so there is "spring breeze willow".
"Mao" is a kind of aquatic plants. It also describes how sometimes the grass grows and flourishes.
"Chang", the name of the stars, is one of the 28 lodges.
"Mao" refers to a lake and pond with calm water surface.
"riveting" means connecting the parts of an object closely together.
These words are directly or indirectly related to "rabbit". Or from the "rabbit". Or with the "rabbit" temperament.
There are also many two-part allegorical sayings related to rabbits, such as:
male prostitute runs all over the mountain-or returns to the old nest
Rabbits don't eat grass beside the nest-be merciful (green), which is a metaphor for not hurting the villagers' neighborhood. Generally, it is derogatory to use heaven.
the rabbit climbs the hill-moves up the rabbit's leg-runs fast
the rabbit's ears-hear far
the rabbit's mouth-three pieces of rabbit's flute-the mouth is not tight
the rabbit's tail-can't grow
the rabbit doesn't light up-lights itself up < > rabbits rely on wolves to rely on their teeth-each has its own way of making a living
Rabbits run into the flock-small but fine
Rabbits drive away turtles-keep up with
Rabbits turn the hillside-sooner or later, they have to go back to their hometown
Rabbits eat grass-shivering
Rabbits run into hemp fields-they lie down anyway
Rabbits escape-
(Looking at the South of the Yangtze River by Emperor Yangdi)
If the rabbit looks low in the west, it looks at the flat peach in the east.
(Yuan Zhen's "Dream of Heaven")
The master is clearly visible, and the Jade Rabbit is at the bottom of the pool.
(Jia Dao's "To the Zen Master Zhi Ming")
Ciwu crows at people every night, but the rabbit's spirit is low in the screen window.
(Fan Wei's "To Judge Guo")
Birds fly and rabbits go, and in an instant, the summer comes to the cold, and I don't feel seven years.
(the second episode of Xu Zhonglin's Romance of the Gods)
The "rabbit, silver rabbit, king rabbit, rabbit spirit and rabbit wheel" here all refer to the moon.
In ancient times, the Emperor of Heaven used the flag of the sun and the moon to watch the guard of honor. What is painted on the moon flag is the white rabbit. Sui Jingchen, a Sanqu writer in Yuan Dynasty, wrote in his Sanqu "Like a tune involved. Whistle around. The high-impedance returns to his hometown": "On the one hand, a rabbit is caught in the frost, on the other hand, a red yeast is playing Bi Yuewu, on the other hand, a chicken is learning to dance, on the other hand, a dog is born with wings, and on the other hand, a snake is wrapped around a gourd." This is the honor guard of Emperor Gaozu in the eyes of rural farmers. The moon flag is painted to welcome the frost rabbit, the sun flag is painted on Bi Yuewu, the chicken flag to learn to dance, the dragon flag is painted on the snake, and the tiger flag is painted on the dog's wings.
Second, auspicious rabbits
People in China worship rabbits and think they are auspicious symbols. "Ruiying Map" said: "The red rabbit is a red beast, and the king is prosperous." "Bao Puzi" said: "Rabbits live long and dry years, and when they are 5 years old, they are white." Many people pay tribute to the emperor for the white rabbit. Huan Wen and Yu Xin both wrote the White Rabbit Watch or the White Rabbit Celebration Watch. Black rabbits are also auspicious things. The History of the Song Dynasty and the History of the Liao Dynasty also record that "local officials and people who get black rabbits will give them to the emperor to sacrifice to the gods. "History of Song Dynasty. Music Records" said: "The tortoise, manna, Zizhi, Jiale and Yutu written by Hexian are the five-Rui songs, which will be played for the first time in every dynasty."
Rabbits are considered lucky, probably because they are the makers of elixirs. "Interpretation of the Name" said: "The moon is also missing. Full is short. Dark, gray. The moon dies to ashes, and the moonlight is just like it. New moon, Su Ye, the moon dies and recovers. " "Five Classics Tongyi" said: "What are rabbits and toads in the moon? Moon, Yin also. Toad, Yang Ye. And it is bright with rabbits, and the yin is in the yang. " The moon disappeared and appeared again; Missing, round again. The ancients believed that the moon came back from the dead and had the mysterious function of immortality. What Yutu made in the middle of the month is the medicine of immortality. Who at all times and all over the world doesn't like to live forever and enjoy this life and himself forever, then how can they not like the white rabbit and be friends with it? Lu You wrote: "Ji E wishes me to laugh and hold Jade Rabbit in my hand". The poet must be very happy at this time, right?
China people call rabbits "Mao rabbits" by matching them with the sockets in the twelve branches. Matching the wood in the five elements of Jin Mu's fire, water and soil, Wang Chong of the Eastern Han Dynasty put forward a question in Lun Heng:
"Afternoon, the horse is also. Son, mouse also. Unitary, chicken also. Wood, rabbits, too. Water is better than wood, why don't rats chase horses? Jin Shengmao, why don't chickens chase rabbits? "
this is really a strange question that is difficult to answer.
Third, ordinary rabbits
However, in China culture, rabbits are very ordinary.
This is because rabbits are small in size, strength and value. So "Huai Nan Zi Shuo Lin Xun" said: "The deer chaser ignores the rabbit". Proverbs and two-part allegorical sayings say:
The rabbit ran into the mill-pretending to be a big-eared donkey.
if rabbits can drive-who will keep Ili horses?
the rabbit is acting like a cow-it's a mess.
hit the rabbit and run away-the loss outweighs the gain.
rabbits pull plows and harrows-the heart is willing, but the strength is weak.
On this point, Europeans and Americans are the same as us.
Another characteristic of the rabbit is its timidity, which is the most common metaphor of "coward". There is a word "rabbit gall" in Chinese. In the novel "Boiling Mountains", the author wrote: "Those bastards are all rabbits, and they are timid and have long legs. When they heard that the People's Liberation Army was coming, they all ran away with their tails between their legs." "Rabbit" means timid and gentle.
The great skill of an ordinary rabbit is to run fast, so there are words such as "Tuo Rabbit" and "Tuo Rabbit". The famous saying that has existed since ancient times is "a virgin at first, a rabbit after that".
Another characteristic of rabbits is that they are smart and cunning. Two-part allegorical saying: "A rabbit ran in the flock-count it small, count it fine." If you are too smart, you are cunning, so there is the idiom "three caves of cunning rabbits" It can be seen that as early as the pre-Qin period, China people thought rabbits were smart and cunning.
Fourth, rabbits and foxes and dogs
In China's classical mathematics, there were exercises in which chickens and rabbits were caged together. In China culture, the most noteworthy thing is the relationship between rabbits and foxes and dogs. In idioms, rabbits and foxes are mostly juxtaposed. Rabbit and fox were mentioned in the same breath as early as in Zhouyi Shentongqi: "A sparrow does not give birth to a phoenix, and a fox rabbit does not nurse a horse." "The rabbit died in sorrow" and so on. It can be seen that in the eyes of China people, rabbits and foxes are similar images with the same fate. Both rabbits and foxes in China have mysterious colors, but rabbits have the mystery of positive values, foxes have the mystery of negative values, and foxes become women to harm people and suck people's blood, which is scary.
In China culture, the rabbit and the dog are a set of images which are opposite and unified. It's never too late to look after the dog, but it's too late to mend it. They are unified, but there are also opposites, that is, "birds are exhausted, and good bows are hidden." A wily rabbit dies and a running dog cooks.
strangely, my dog, Laifu, likes rabbits very much. Because the people downstairs keep a rabbit and put it in the stairwell, every time the dog comes out or goes home, he always runs directly to the stairwell to see the rabbit. He wants to touch the rabbit. And barked at the rabbit in a friendly way.
5. Rabbit tail, rabbit lips and male prostitute
Rabbit tail is also a good metaphor: "Rabbit tail-it won't grow!"
"Rabbit's lips" have three petals, just like rabbits. So "Natural History" records that: "Pregnant people should not spit rabbit meat, and rabbits are not visible, which makes their children's lips missing. You can't spit ginger, which makes your children finger more. " This taboo is still popular and believed, especially in many rural areas.
male prostitute is neither a rabbit nor a grandfather. It is a rabbit's head toy, and all children like it. Ordinary rabbits are very likable in China. According to the custom in Beijing, on the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th every year, people make rabbits out of mud, put on clothes and hats, and ride on big tigers, or big lions and sika deer. This is the "male prostitute". Ji Kun, a Qing Dynasty poet, also wrote a poem about male prostitute:
Chen's melons and fruits are covered in cloth,
just like the Eastern Guo Wei.
I've always heard of playing tricks, but
this day is a miracle.
You're crafty, so I'll borrow a round from Qingguang.
Han Luxiu looks askance,
he looks like a man in the middle of the moon.
It is said in "Clear Barnyard Notes": "In Mid-Autumn, the capital made a rabbit out of clay, which looked like a human being. Painting, the giant is three or four feet high, worth nearly ten thousand dollars. Your rich family buys more, supports it with fragrant wood cakes and fruits, and so does the ban. "
VI. Rabbits with different sexes
At the end of Mulan Ci:
The male rabbit's feet are complicated and the female rabbit's eyes are blurred;
When two rabbits walk beside the ground, can Ann tell whether I am a male or a female?
since the male rabbit is characterized by its complicated feet and the female rabbit is characterized by its blurred eyes, the difference between them is so great that it could have been distinguished at a glance. I'm not afraid of not knowing the goods, but I'm afraid of comparing the goods. Two rabbits-a female and a male-are juxtaposed in front of you, and with such different characteristics, what is there to distinguish? But the poet said, "Can Ann tell whether I am a male or a female?" This is difficult for China literati. So there are many explanations.
one of them-I used to play it like this, that is, it is an intertextuality, that is, the male rabbit's feet are complicated and his eyes are blurred, and the female rabbit's eyes are complicated and his feet are complicated. Can I tell if I am a male or a female? Since there is no difference between the two rabbits, how can you tell which one is a male rabbit and which one is a female rabbit, even if you walk beside the ground?
it was not until the 199s that I realized that this explanation was wrong and inappropriate. This is not mutual meaning. If it is mutual meaning, then there is no difference between a male rabbit and a female rabbit, and there is no difference between a man and a woman. Then it is nothing for Mulan to dress up as a man and join the army instead of her father. It is not worth writing such an article "Mulan Ci". But people's common sense tells us: female rabbit ≠ male rabbit, woman ≠ man.
It is an undeniable fact that male rabbits and female rabbits, men and women have their own characteristics-sexual characteristics, physiological inheritance, acquired customs, social culture and so on. These poems are written in Mulan's tone, and Mulan does not deny the differences between men and women. So, since the characteristics of male and female are so obvious, why can't you tell them apart?
the key is the word "go". Modern people understand this "walk" as one step, three shakes, four steps, gentle and slow motion. At this moment, the other two rabbits with sexual characteristics, male and female, are of course distinct and clear. However, in the era of Mulan Ci, this "walking" is a modern "running", "running" and "rushing", which is a fast and high-speed running, that is, "leaving the armor and dragging the troops" in Mencius-can you still be unhappy when you run for your life after losing the battle?
The female rabbit's eyes are blurred, and the male rabbit's feet are confusing and in a static state. Their sexual characteristics are so clear that three-year-old children can distinguish their male and female. But if you walk beside the ground-running around, that is, you are in a dynamic state, then, even if you are an adult, an old man and a wise man, how can you distinguish the male and female of a rabbit? In the static state, in ordinary days, men plow and women weave, men are shirtless, and women wear heavy makeup. Three-year-olds can also tell men from women. But once you get into the dynamic, when you go to the battlefield and men and women kill the enemy together, how can you tell the difference between men and women at that time?
Mulan's companions don't know what Mulan is doing.