The symbolic meaning of sheep

The first symbolic meaning of sheep: virtue

Sheep are born beautiful, symbolizing purity and preciousness. In the concept of the ancients, sheep was a symbol of beauty and kindness. There is a poem named Lamb in The Book of Songs, which uses a lamb as a metaphor for a noble doctor. Sheep are docile by nature, and the moral of sheep is kindness, easygoing and good luck. There is a saying in Shuowen that "beauty and goodness are synonyms". Sheep have the idea of kneeling to feed, and lambs seem to understand the hardships and difficulties of their mothers, so they will kneel to feed. Therefore, the lamb who kneels and suckles is given the meaning of "filial piety" and "ceremony". It is recorded in The Story of the Spring and Autumn Period: "When a lamb eats its mother's food, it must kneel down and accept it, just like a gentleman."

The second symbolic meaning of sheep: good luck.

"Sheep" was connected with "Xiang" in ancient times, and "Xiang" can also be written as "auspicious sheep", which means good luck. Sheep are also a symbol of good luck. In ancient times, some people hung sheep's heads on their doors at the beginning of the year, sent sheep in correspondence, or used sheep as a dowry. These were auspicious. Legend has it that this antelope will find a tree, find a suitable place to jump at night, and hang it on a branch with its horns to ensure that its whole body is suspended so that other wild animals can't reach it. About the origin of antelope hanging horns, it was first seen in Yaya Stone Beast: antelope sleeps at night and hangs its horns on a tree, leaving no trace to prevent the enemy from coming.

The third symbolic meaning of sheep: tenacity and unyielding.

If you see white clouds floating in the blue sky in the morning, it is a symbol of life and happiness. The ancient Romans also believed that if the first animal they saw that day was a sheep, it would be a symbol of love and happiness. "Christ called himself a good shepherd" because sheep have the characteristics of gentleness and peace. In the wilderness without aquatic plants, sheep will obediently follow people. Sheep's strong endurance and continuous progress are the characteristics of people born in the Year of the Sheep. Gentle appearance, but strong vitality.

A famous sheep breed

Boer goat

Heng yuan bo er goat lamb

Boer goat: It is an excellent meat goat breed. This variety originated in South Africa and was introduced as a seed by many African countries and New Zealand, Australia, Germany, the United States, Canada and other countries. Since China introduced the first batch of Boer goats from Germany in 1995, Jiangsu, Shandong, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Henan, Beijing and other places have introduced some Boer goats one after another, and gradually spread them to surrounding areas and all parts of the country through pure breeding and population expansion, showing good meat traits, wide adaptability, high economic value and remarkable hybridization advantages.

Boer goat's coat color is white, its head and neck are reddish brown, and there is a red hair band around its neck. Boer goats have wide drooping ears and short and thin fur. Short legs, strong limbs, plump hindquarters and many muscles. Fertility is strong, usually three children can be born in two years. Lamb has fast growth and development, good growth speed, high meat yield and strong feed intake. It is the most popular meat goat breed in the world at present.

1. Boer goat is a kind of meat goat with large size and fast growth; Strong reproductive ability and more lambs; High slaughter rate and more meat production; The meat is tender and delicious; Rough feeding resistance and strong adaptability; Strong disease resistance and stable heredity.

2. Appearance characteristics

2. 1 head

The head is thick, the eyes are big and brown; Good oral and maxillofacial structure; The forehead protrudes, the curve corresponds to the curvature of the nose and the corner of the eye, and the nose is hooked; The horn is solid and of medium length. The horn base of the ram is thick and bends backward and outward, while the horn of the ewe is thin and upright. Have a mane; The ears are long and big, and they hang wide.

2.2 neck

The neck is thick and moderate in length, commensurate with the body length; The shoulders are wide and fleshy, and the body and body armor are commensurate. The armor is wide but not pointed, the chest is deep and wide, and the neck and chest are well combined.

2.3 Body and abdomen

The forequarters are developed and the muscles are full; The body is deep and wide and cylindrical; The rib opening is commensurate with the waist and the back is wide and straight; The abdomen is compact; Tobu

Ancient bronze inscriptions

Wide and long, full of muscles in hips and legs; The tail is straight, and the tail root is thick and upturned.

2.4 limbs

The limbs are straight and short, the joints are tough, and the hoof shell is solid and black; The forelimbs are of moderate length and well proportioned.

2.5 skin and coat

The skin of the whole body is soft, and there are obvious wrinkles on the neck and chest, especially the ram. There are spots on eyelids and hairless parts. The capillaries of the whole body are short and shiny, with a small amount of fluff. The head, neck and ears are reddish brown. The head, neck and forequarters are reddish brown, brown is allowed, and there is a leucorrhea from the forehead to the lips. The skin on the body, chest, abdomen and front is white, and reddish brown spots are allowed. The tail is reddish brown and can extend to the buttocks.

2.6 Sex organs

This ewe has a pair of well-structured breasts. Ram has a pendulous scrotum and two large testicles with uniform size and good structure.

The average weight is 65 ~ 75 kg and 90 ~ 150 kg. Mutton has moderate fat content and good carcass quality. The average weight of sheep is 4 1 kg, the slaughter rate is 52.4%, and the average weight of lamb carcass is 15.6 kg.

Small-tailed Han sheep

China national treasure small tail Han sheep is the best sheep breed in China. It is praised as "omnipotent" by sheep experts at home and abroad, and "national treasure of China". Its low price and generous returns have been the first choice for the central poverty alleviation project to promote agriculture through science and technology for many years.

Small-tailed Han sheep [1] is an excellent local breed with both meat and hair. Multiple births and high yield, with two births a year or five births in three years, with 3-5 lambs per fetus, up to 8 lambs; Fast growth, tall individual, one-year-old ram more than one meter, weight more than 180 kg, one-year-old ewe height more than 80 cm, weight more than 120 kg, strong adaptability, rough feeding resistance and easy feeding; Both stocking and captivity are suitable; Strong immunity. The annual profit of raising a suitable ewe exceeds 1 ten thousand yuan. The people in the producing areas have a deep understanding: "It is better to grow an acre of grain to raise a small-tailed Han sheep."

Small-tailed Han sheep is a famous mutton sheep and fur sheep breed in China and even in the world. It has the advantages of early maturity, multiple births, multiple lambs, fast growth, large physique, more meat production, good fur, genetic stability and strong adaptability. It can be fattened and slaughtered at the age of 4 months, and the annual slaughter rate is over 400%; You can breed and get pregnant when you are 6 months old. The annual output is 2, with 2-6 fetuses, sometimes up to 8. The average lambing rate per child is over 26.6%, which is over 500% every year. At the age of 6 months, the weight can reach 40 kg, 1 year can reach 88 kg, and the weight of adult sheep can reach 100 ~ 120 kg. Among the sheep breeds in the world, Han sheep with small tail has high yield, big head and good benefit. It eats grass and straw, which is "delicious" and "beautiful" for human beings and "gold" and "silver" for farmers. It is not only one of the best projects for farmers to get rid of poverty and become rich and well-off, but also the safest project for the government to help the poor. It is also an important measure for the country to close mountains and return fields, plant grass and raise sheep and build ecological agriculture.

Han sheep with high legs and small tail

It has the advantages of more meat production, good fur, genetic stability and strong adaptability. It can be fattened and slaughtered at the age of 4 months, and the annual slaughter rate is over 400%; You can breed and get pregnant when you are 6 months old. The annual output is 2, with 2-6 fetuses, sometimes up to 8. The average lambing rate per child is over 26.6%, which is over 500% every year. The body weight can reach 50 kg at 6 months old, 1 00 kg at age, and 130 ~ 190 kg for adult sheep. Among the sheep breeds in the world, the small-tailed Han sheep has been designated as a well-known livestock breed by the state because of its high yield, large size and good benefits, and it is known as a "national treasure" in China and a "super sheep" and a "high-legged sheep" in the world. [2]

Appearance characteristics: tall individual, symmetrical body structure, white hair, bulging nose, drooping ears, round fat tail, upturned tail tip and no longer than hock joint; Chest is wide and deep, ribs are open, back and waist are straight, body length is cylindrical, limbs are high, and body is strong and straight. Ram head is big, neck is thick, spiral angle is big, ewe neck is small, mostly angular, and hindquarters are developed.

Variety characteristics: early maturity, rapid growth and development in the early stage, tall body, good meat quality, estrus in all seasons, strong reproductive ability and heredity.

oracle bone script

Stability and other characteristics.

Production performance: give birth to two babies a year or five babies every three years, and each baby will give birth to 3-5 lambs, with a maximum of 8 more; The average weight of ram is 85 kg, and the average weight of ewe is 62 kg. Adult ram is 98kg and ewe is 70kg. The average shearing amount of ram is 3.5 kg, and that of ewe is 2 kg. When it matures 5-6 months ahead of schedule, it can produce lambs in the same year, with a lambing rate of 260-270%.

Adaptation areas: Northeast China, North China, Northwest China and Southwest China.

Main uses: this variety is an excellent female parent material for developing mutton sheep production or introducing mutton sheep varieties to cultivate mutton sheep varieties and developing lamb meat production in China.

The way to distinguish rams: Male sheep are good at fighting, that is, two sheep collide with their heads, and the one who wins the same age is healthier.

How to choose seeds: tall individual, symmetrical body structure, white hair, raised nose, drooping ears, round fat tail, upturned tail tip and no longer than hock joint; Chest is wide and deep, ribs are open, back and waist are straight, body length is cylindrical, limbs are high, and body is strong and straight. Ram's head is big and thick, with spiral horns, while ewe's head is small and long, with horns and developed hindquarters.

Duboyang

Dubo sheep is a meat sheep breed from South Africa, which has the characteristics of early maturity, rapid growth and development, strong feeding ability, strong adaptability and obvious meat quality characteristics. Dorper sheep is a cross between Dorset sheep and Persian black-headed sheep. It was originally cultivated and raised in arid areas of South Africa, and is famous for its strong adaptability, rapid early growth and good carcass quality. Dorper sheep are divided into two types: white head and black head.

1. Appearance characteristics: Dupo sheep has a unique barrel-shaped appearance, no horns, short, dark, black or white hair on its head, short and thin light-colored hair (mainly in the first half), and obvious dry hair and dead hair on its abdomen.

Second, breed characteristics: Dorper sheep has strong adaptability and good adaptability to different climates and grazing conditions in South Africa. Eat a lot, not picky about food, ok.

Saneng dairy goat

Origin: Originated in Switzerland, it is the representative of dairy goat breeds and is the most widely distributed. It is found in almost all countries in the world except in very hot or cold regions, and more than half of dairy goat breeds are related to it.

Remarkable features: it has typical physical characteristics of dairy animals and developed hindquarters. The coat is white, and occasionally the hair tip is light yellow. It has four long appearance characteristics, namely, long head, long neck, long trunk, long limbs, well-developed hindquarters and well-developed breasts. Both male and female sheep have beards, most of which have no horns.

Breed Description: It is one of the best dairy goat breeds in the world, originated in Switzerland, and is a representative breed of dairy goat. Almost more than half of the existing dairy goat breeds contain the blood of Saneng dairy goat to varying degrees [3].

Appearance characteristics: it has typical physical characteristics of dairy animals and developed hindquarters. The coat is white, and occasionally the tip of the hair is light yellow, which has four long appearance characteristics: head length, neck length, trunk length and limbs length. Both male and female sheep have beards, most of which have no horns.

Production performance: the adult ram weighs 75 ~ 100.0 kg, the highest is 120.0 kg, and the ewe weighs 5.

goat

0 ~ 65.0 kg, the highest is 90.0 kg. The lactation performance of ewes is good. The lactation period is 8 ~ 10 months, and the milk yield can reach 600 ~ 1200.0 kg. Under different conditions, milk production varies greatly from country to country. The highest personal milk production record is 3430 kg. The lambing rate of ewes is generally 170 ~ 180.0%, and the highest can reach 200 ~ 220.0%.

White goat: White goat is full of treasures. Baishan mutton is delicious, rich in protein and low in fat and cholesterol. It is one of the important meat foods for human beings. The fat content of goat milk is lower than that of milk, which is easy to digest and absorb. Therefore, goat meat and milk are ideal foods for human beings, especially for middle-aged and elderly people, children and patients with hypertension and heart disease. The ancients listed them as precious supplements. Goatskin is an important raw material for high-grade leather products.

Breeding and feeding goats mature earlier than sheep, and the age of first mating varies with breeds and regions. Generally, early-maturing varieties are 8 ~ 12 months old, and late-maturing varieties are about 18 months old. The weight of the first mating ewe is equivalent to more than 70% of the adult weight. Female goats have obvious estrus symptoms such as singing and wagging their tails. The duration of estrus is 1 ~ 2 days, and the estrus cycle is 18 ~ 20 days. Most varieties are in

goat

Estrous mating in autumn and winter. However, some varieties, especially those distributed in low latitudes, can be in estrus all the year round, with three crops every two years or two crops every year. The gestation period is 146 ~ 150 days. The lambing rate is generally above 1.50%. Most ewes give birth to a lamb at first, and often give birth to two or three lambs after the second birth.

Mainly grazing and foraging. Grazing in pastoral areas and mountainous areas all year round, and supplementary feeding is only carried out before and after heavy snow closure and lambing of ewes; In agricultural areas, most farmers are decentralized, and seasonal grazing or grazing is carried out by gaps such as rivers and roadsides. In places where there are no grazing conditions, some people eat in the house all year round. In the pasture season, each sheep is fed with 3 ~ 5 kg mowing grass, and in the hay season, 1 ~ 1.5 kg hay is fed. Rams and ewes in late pregnancy and lactation should be supplemented with concentrate as appropriate. Heat-resistant, but afraid of thieves and cold rain, so we must pay attention to cold and rain. Take a medicated bath two weeks after shearing. Male lambs that are not used for reproduction are castrated about half a month after birth.

Lingzhou Heishan mutton is rich in protein, and its amino acid composition is closer to human needs. It can improve the body's disease resistance, and has the effects of invigorating the middle energizer, invigorating the spleen and stomach, strengthening bones and muscles, resolving phlegm, calming wind, quenching thirst and stopping salivation. Has the effects of nourishing yin, strengthening yang, tonifying deficiency, strengthening body constitution, improving human immunity, prolonging life and beauty beauty. Especially for the old and infirm, it has obvious nourishing effect and is suitable for all ages. Sheep like to eat leaves, such as locust leaves, elm leaves, Amorpha fruticosa leaves, poplar leaves, Hollyleaf leaves, acacia leaves, mulberry leaves and oak leaves. The crude protein content in these leaves is about 20% in dry matter, which is non-toxic and nutritious, and is the material source for sheep to gain weight in winter. Therefore, whenever sheep can't eat grass far away in cold winter, they can be driven to forests, beaches and roads to eat these leaves. Some leaves contain tannins and are astringent, which sheep don't like to eat. Oleander leaves, castor leaves and sumac leaves are poisonous, so it is forbidden to feed them.

South Xinjiang antelope (Asian antelope)

The first new breed of meat goat in China originated from Nanjiang County, Sichuan Province, and was artificially bred by China animal husbandry technicians by using modern livestock genetics and breeding principles and adopting multi-variety complex hybridization methods. 1995 and 1996 have passed the field appraisal and reexamination by the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Committee for the Management of Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources, and it is concluded that Nanjiang Yellow Sheep is the new goat breed with the best meat performance in China at present. It was officially named by the Ministry of Agriculture and issued a new breed certificate for livestock and poultry. Nanjiang Yellow Sheep (Asian Yellow Sheep) originated in Nanjiang County, Sichuan Province. It is the first new breed of meat goat cultivated in China by using modern livestock genetics and breeding principles and multi-variety complex hybridization methods. 1995 and 1996 have passed the field appraisal and reexamination by the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Committee for the Management of Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources, and it is concluded that Nanjiang Yellow Sheep is the new goat breed with the best meat performance in China at present. It was officially named by the Ministry of Agriculture and issued a new breed certificate for livestock and poultry.

Nanjiang Yellow Goat was bred with Newbin Dairy Goat, Chengdu Mayang and Jintang Black Goat as male parents and Nanjiang County local goats as female parents through multiple cross breeding, and then introduced into Tugenbao Dairy Goat's blood. At present, it is a batch of goat breeds with good meat performance in China.

Cultural tradition of sheep

Historical origin

Sheep is an animal food that is most closely related to the life of ancient ancestors. Sheep entered civilization with the Chinese nation, which has a deep historical origin with the development of traditional culture in China, and influenced the emergence and development of China's writing, diet, morality, etiquette and aesthetics.

Chinese characters are one of the oldest and most widely used characters in the world. The origin and development of Chinese characters are closely related to the civilization of the Chinese nation, which is the basic carrier of China traditional culture. Chinese characters contain abundant information, which is the most powerful "original record" to record, reflect and reveal the development process of ancient culture in China. Early Chinese characters are like fossils of ancient culture, recording ancient culture and ancient people's thoughts. Chinese characters, like a specimen, inherit the ancient culture of China, and sheep culture is a traditional culture with China characteristics.

Xu Shen explained the word "sheep" in the Han Dynasty and said, "Beauty is fragrant. From sheep to big. " At the end of Ming and the beginning of Qing Dynasty, Qu Dajun applied Xu Shen's model and said in Guangdong Newspeak: "There are people who don't know the taste of sheep in the southeast, but there are people who don't know the taste of sheep in the northwest." You can have both, so both fish and sheep are "fresh". "

"Yang" and "Xiang" have a holiday. Dong Zhongshu, a great scholar in the Western Han Dynasty, said: "Sheep are auspicious things, so they are used for auspicious purposes." "Hanshu Nanyue Record" said: "In the era of Wei Tuo, there were five-color sheep, which were considered auspicious." [6]

In the old days, there was a custom of "sending sheep" among the Han people. "It's cloudy on June 6th, and cattle and sheep are as expensive as gold." Others think that people who belong to horses, dogs and rats should avoid sheep, while people who belong to sheep should avoid rats, cows, horses and dogs.

Kazak, Mongolian, Tajik and other ethnic groups are popular in the game of "grabbing sheep". On festive days, people put a sheep hundreds of meters away, and the riders divided into several teams to catch it.

Xibo people have the wedding custom of "grabbing sheep bones", and then let them choose one cup. People who drink wine will be very lucky, and then drink three cups in a row. After that, the brothers and sisters of both sides grabbed the sheep bones. Family harmony and prosperity.

The communication custom of "sheep's head respects guests" is popular among Kazaks in Xinjiang. When new friends arrive, they will slaughter sheep for dinner.

Guangzhou, known as Yangcheng, originated from a wonderful legend: in Zhou Yiwang, five immortals rode five sheep with six ears of grain to Chuting (the ancient name of Guangzhou) and dedicated them to people, hoping that there would never be a famine here. Now, there is a Five-Sheep Album in Guangzhou Yuexiu Mountain Park, on which stands a stone sculpture with a height of 1 1 m, which has become a famous urban sculpture at home and abroad.

There is a folk saying in the Ming Dynasty: "Cattle eat grass, such as watering; Sheep eat grass, such as burning. " It means that cows eat grass, and grass can grow, while sheep eat grass and destroy grass roots.

Health maintenance

From a cultural point of view, the key to the occurrence of human civilization is the invention of plant cultivation and animal feeding. If human beings can't grow plants and raise animals, they will always be in the primitive stage of fishing and hunting, and civilization will not come into being. The transition from predatory fishing and hunting production to productive farming and animal husbandry production is a great revolution of human society. This great revolution has brought great changes to human society, and the way of life has also begun to transition from vagrancy to settlement, thus gradually bidding farewell to the instinctive production activities and way of life left over from the animal kingdom.

The myth of "Five Sheep Holding the Valley" is said to have happened in the Zhou Dynasty, when China began to enter a civilized society and animal husbandry was very developed. The entry of the Chinese nation into a civilized society cannot be separated from the material foundation. In China, firstly, with the development of animal husbandry, sheep were domesticated at the earliest time, thus solving the hunger and good diet problems of our ancestors. From eating fish to eating sheep is the material manifestation of the progress of Chinese food civilization. Therefore, sheep are very important to the activities and life of the ancestors of the Yellow Emperor. From the time when wild animals were the main food source in the fishing and hunting era to the time when they knew how to adopt and entered the animal husbandry period with the accumulation of prey, food was preserved. "Livestock" is the beginning of food accumulation, and five animals become the staple food of health food, among which sheep is the main food, so "sheep" becomes the "food" of "nurturing" life, and "eating" and "sheep" constitute "nurturing"; "Kindness" (related to food in ancient times) means having sheep in your mouth, and "eating" means eating sheep to fill your stomach. Judging from the Moon Order, it shows that the staple food at that time was meat.

virtue

Sheep are born beautiful, symbolizing purity and preciousness. In China, both the original meaning of beauty and aesthetic consciousness originated from eating. The original aesthetic consciousness contained in the word "beauty", that is, the aesthetic consciousness of taste, is the precedent of other human aesthetics. Aesthetic worship is the source of human aesthetic activities.

Another statement about the origin of the word "beauty" comes from people who wore horns and sang and danced during labor or celebration in ancient times.

Kindness in the ancient concept, sheep is a symbol of beauty and kindness. There is a poem named Lamb in The Book of Songs, which uses a lamb as a metaphor for a noble doctor. There is a saying in Shuowen that "beauty and goodness are synonymous".

Living in groups is an important feature of sheep. There is a saying in the Book of Songs: "Who said that you have no sheep, and there are three hundred dimensional groups?" "Shuo Wen" Xu Xuan notes: "Sheep are good." The resulting "masses" reflect the importance that the Chinese nation attaches to groups. [7]

This filial lamb seems to understand her mother's hardships and difficulties, so she will kneel when nursing. Lambs kneeling on their breasts are endowed with the meanings of "filial piety" and "knowing courtesy". "Spring and Autumn Stories" says: "Lambs eat their mothers, and they have to kneel down and accept them like gentlemen."

In ancient France, the word "law" was "order". According to Shuowen, "As flat as water. Go if you can't touch it straight. " This means that Buddhism should be as flat as a bowl of water, so it should start with "water"; "Kun" is a legendary one-horned god sheep in ancient times, that is, loyal and honest. When people fight with each other, they touch the wrong side with their horns, so the words "Kun" and "Qi" are used in the right half. This fable symbolizes fairness, justice and avoiding evil spirits.

Justice is a just and proper truth or action, and an action that conforms to justice or public welfare. Sheep give people a beautiful and kind feeling. Sheep sacrifice for people's lives or sacrifices. They are just and enforce the law. Therefore, sheep have righteousness.

Music is called "the first of eight tones" and is made of sheepskin. Primitive people like to sing and dance with horns in their spare time.

"Five Tones and Twelve Laws" is China's early musical system theory. Five tones represent five tones according to the sounds of cows, sheep, chickens, pigs and horses, among which the sound of sheep barking is "business".

And sheep are docile by nature; Gregarious and harmonious; Music is "the sum of heaven and earth". The meaning of sheep: kind and easy-going, good luck. Harmony means impartiality, but nothing can be done. The ancients called it great virtue.

The Class Reunion

"Sheep" was connected with "Xiang" in ancient times, and "Xiang" can also be written as "auspicious sheep", which means auspiciousness, and sheep is a symbol of "auspiciousness". At the beginning of the year, the ancients hung a sheep's head on the door, sent sheep in correspondence, and took the sheep as a dowry. These are auspicious.

Legend has it that when an antelope sleeps at night, it is different from ordinary animals and wild animals. It will look for a tree, seize its position, jump hard and hang it on a branch with its horns to ensure that its whole body is suspended and other wild animals can't reach it.

About the origin of antelope hanging horns, it was first seen in Yaya Stone Beast: the antelope sleeps at night and hangs its horns on the tree without leaving any traces to prevent the enemy from coming.

Song's Cang Bian said: "Poets praise love. In the prosperous Tang dynasty, people were only interested, and there was no trace to be found. Therefore, its beauty is thorough and exquisite, and it is impossible to gather. " He also described this ethereal and mysterious poetic realm with "sound in the air, color in the phase, moon in the water and image in the mirror".

There is also: in the sixteenth year of Jingdezhen Lantern Legend, the Zen master said in public: "I am in charge of the West Road, so you can find words and sentences;" If I were a gazelle, where would you touch it? "

Once again: In the seventeenth year of Jingdezhen Lantern Legend, the Zen master told the public: "If you are a good hunting dog, you can only find traces. Suddenly, when I met a gazelle, I knew nothing. I knew nothing about it. "

Later, people understood it as a Zen language, which is a metaphor, referring to "witty remarks" that don't touch the road and say nothing.