The relationship between donkey and literature and intellectuals
Xu Shen said in Shuowen: "Donkeys are like long-eared horses; Meng, donkey also. " Donkeys are things that look like horses, but their origins, personalities and talents can't be compared with horses. It has a close relationship with literature, which can be traced back to the creation of poetry and fu in Qin and Han Dynasties, such as "Seven Cautions of Chu Ci": "What can I do if I ride an ass?" "The Songs of the South Zhao Zhu with Nine Feelings": "It is more and more useless to waste your ears." Calling a donkey "donkey" is a contempt for its irrelevance. In this poem, the donkey and the horse are in sharp contrast. They are all objects of sustenance. As natural and independent individuals, they have no necessary connection with the author. The fate of donkeys in cultural history can be described as bumpy. As soon as it entered literary works, it was despised by literati. Later, due to accidental opportunities, the situation gradually changed. Just as Gu said: "Take donkeys as a taste, Han will be famous, filial piety will be full of forests, and filial piety will be lucky." However, its species may come from outside the Great Wall. Since King Wuling of Zhao rode and shot, it has gradually been used by China. "