Cultural Connotation of Zodiac Tiger

Cultural connotation of the zodiac tiger. Tiger culture is an extremely important part of China's cultural tradition. For a long time, it has been regarded as a symbol of power and strength and respected by people. Do you know the cultural connotation of the Zodiac Tiger? Let's have a look.

The cultural connotation of the Zodiac Tiger 1 1 is a "tiger culture" that has been passed down through the ages.

Tigers are gorgeous and fierce, and have always been regarded as the king of beasts. Its beauty and deterrence, as well as its multiple meanings in China culture, will always be the content that painters are keen to express, the theme that poets are chanting endlessly, the theme that scholars are deeply interested in, and the words that people relish.

The tiger is magnificent and runs like the wind. When it screams in the sky, all animals are easy to change. The ancients thought that "the wind follows the tiger", and when the tiger appeared, it was even the wind. This is probably because the tiger left the most thrilling feeling. Even today, the roar of captive tigers behind the zoo fence still makes people feel a little scared. Even if you die of old age in the mountains, you can still stop other animals. So is the so-called "tiger dies with dignity".

In ancient times, generals often hung tiger skins in tents or spread them on seats to use the power of tigers to enhance their military strength. The general's camp is "tiger account", the general's prestige is "tiger potential", the brave general is called "tiger general", and the warriors and strong men are called "tiger Ben". In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, five Shu generals, including Guan Yu, were called "Five Tiger Generals", and there were also many titles such as "Tiger Generals" and "Military Generals" among military attaché s in past dynasties. Today, brave generals and competitive players in the army are still called "tiger generals". Ancient emperors used bronze tiger-shaped military symbols to mobilize the army, which shows that the prestige of tigers has been borrowed for thousands of years.

Folk Culture of Tiger in the Zodiac

The tiger's prestige is not only used by people to strengthen military strength, but also used by people to enrich the expressive force of language. There is an idiom "the fox pretends to be a tiger" from a fable: the fox claims to be the king of beasts, but the tiger certainly can't agree. The fox lied to the tiger and said, "If you don't believe me, come with me and see how everyone treats me." The tiger patrolled the forest with the fox, and all the animals were scared to hide when they saw the tiger. The simple and honest tiger thought it was the majesty of the fox, but he didn't know that his prestige was borrowed by the fox. "Smith" is often used to satirize villains who do bad things with the help of others.

Tigers are one of the strongest carnivores on land. Tigers have high requirements for the environment, and are at the top of the food chain. They have no natural enemies in nature. People often use "tiger's den" and "tiger's mouth" to describe dangerous situations. Surviving a disaster is called "fleeing for the rest of your life", while taking risks is called "narrowly escaping", and "narrowly escaping" is just a life threat. Confucius strongly disapproved of "violent tigers and windy rivers". Fighting tigers with bare hands is not so much brave as reckless. However, Song Wu in Water Margin broke his whistle and fought the tiger with his bare hands, which made him a legendary hero. "Accompanying a monarch is like accompanying a tiger" is a description of the autocracy that shocked the emperor with the power of a tiger. However, the strategy of "drawing the tiger out of the mountain" in Thirty-six Strategies, "sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight" in Sun Tzu's Art of War and "nothing ventured, nothing gained" in The Romance of Three Kingdoms all reflect the special position of the tiger in the war culture.

2. Take the tiger as the totem

There are many ethnic groups who worship tigers in China, especially the Yi people. Their zodiac is headed by a tiger, and they think that everything in the universe is made up of tiger corpses. The Genesis epic Meige says that the tiger's head is the sky, its tail is the tail of the earth, its left eye is the sun, and its right eye is the moon. The tiger must be sunshine, its teeth are stars, its oil turns into clouds, its belly into the sea, its intestines into rivers and its ribs into roads. According to ancient books, barbarians in Yunnan call tigers "Lolo", but when they get old, they will become tigers. Yi people call themselves "Luoluo" and believe that they will become tigers when they get old.

On the Tiger in the Zodiac —— The Folk Culture of Tiger Fighting in Wusong

3. The "tiger" in fairy tales

Tigers are just animals. Zoologists believe that tigers generally do not attack humans, and only some tigers with old diseases will attack humans when hunting is difficult. In the natural food chain, people and tigers could have lived in peace, so there have been many touching stories about people and tigers since ancient times. For example, in the Spring and Autumn Period, Wen Zi, the son of Chu State, was abandoned at birth, raised by a tiger and later became an outstanding politician. The story of the tiger sending the bride to the wedding in the first year of Gan Tang is more romantic. For a time, tiger media shrines were widely established in Guizhou and Shaanxi, and all lovers hoped that the tiger god would bless their marriage. The story told in Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio is even more touching: an old woman's son died of a tiger, and the local governor sentenced the tiger to die for the old man. Tigers feed their prey to the old man every day. After the old man died, tigers howl in the grave.

Myths and legends about tigers and related folk customs are also emerging one after another. According to legend, in ancient times, Shen Tu and Lei Yu were good at catching ghosts and then feeding them to tigers. The bronze tiger cannibal in the late Shang Dynasty is a kind of wine vessel, and its shape shows the theme of tiger eating ghosts. Tigers have the power to kill ghosts and ward off evil spirits, so the ancients painted tigers on the doors on New Year's Eve, and later they became door gods. In the past, the Dragon Boat Festival had the custom of hanging Ai Hu, eating zongzi and racing dragon boats. Folium Artemisiae Argyi can repel insects and treat diseases. It is shaped like a tiger and has the functions of expelling diseases and inhibiting evil. In some places, realgar is also used to draw the word "Wang" on children's foreheads, imitating the pattern of tiger heads, which of course means borrowing tigers to exorcise evil spirits.

The Folk Culture of the Tiger in the Zodiac —— Tiger Head Shoes

4. Folklore related to tigers

Married women in Guanzhong area of Shaanxi Province must accompany a pair of oversized tigers, which are carried on paint cabinets when they enter the door and walk at the front of the farewell procession. This may be the legacy of Hupu Media. After getting married and having children, grandma will give a mud tiger as a full moon gift. As for wearing a tiger's head hat, hugging the tiger's mouth, wearing tiger's head shoes and pillow tiger's head, it is a national parenting custom. These tiger-shaped daily necessities are entrusted with the deep affection of their parents, hoping that tiger dolls and tigers will thrive. There are many kinds of tiger-shaped toys, the most common one is the cloth tiger. Now almost all middle-aged people in China have childhood memories of playing with cloth tigers. These toys and articles are not as powerful as the roaring tigers in the mountains, but they add innocent childlike interest. It can be seen that people's fear of tigers has evolved into deep love, and there is a strong sense of play and auspicious protection in the minds of ordinary people.

In a word, the tiger culture of the Zodiac is a treasure of traditional culture in China, which embodies the wisdom and painstaking efforts of people for thousands of years. The symbolic meaning of the essence of tiger culture is full of positive energy, and it has the spiritual significance of inspiring people to strive to realize their ideals.

The Cultural Connotation of the Tiger in the Zodiac Chapter II Tiger is one of the Zodiac, ranking third, and is called Yin. Tiger worship originated from the tiger totem worship in Chu culture. The tiger has always been worshipped by the Han people, and it is a symbol of justice, courage and majesty. According to textual research, the image of the tiger has appeared in the ancient Qiang and Rong nationalities, but it is the most popular in the southwest of China.

The jade cong of Liangzhu culture in Neolithic age is similar to the animal-faced tiger in bronze wares of Yin and Shang dynasties. To this day, the Yi, Bai, Buyi, Tujia and other ethnic groups in China still call tigers their ancestors. People in the Han Dynasty believed that the tiger was the king of all animals.

White tiger is a kind of tiger that can only turn white in 500 years. It is a sacred object, and immortals often ascend to heaven by tiger, which is a beast in the west of town. Since the Han Dynasty, the tiger has always been the favorite protector of the working people, but it is not a symbol of the emperor. After a long historical evolution and development, the cultural awareness of tiger worship has become an unchangeable cultural concept of the Chinese nation.

The first symbolic meaning of the tiger: majesty and power

Although the west regards the lion as the king of animals, in ancient China, the king of animals was a tiger! China has regarded tigers as inviolable animals since ancient times. He is really afraid of tigers. People's faces will change when they mention tigers. When they see tigers, they may be scared to death.

The pattern on the tiger's forehead constitutes the word "king" of China. In fact, China's word "king" comes from the tiger. The tiger is the king of the forest, so China people skillfully use the pattern on the tiger's forehead as Chinese characters, which means the ruler. Today, this word has become one of hundreds of surnames.

It can be seen that the tiger is a symbol of majesty and power, and its manner is awesome and inviolable, and it is not allowed to offend and provoke. Therefore, there is a saying in folk proverbs: "You can't touch the tiger's ass" and "Who dares to touch the tiger's beard?" "Tigers don't eat people, but they look like they want to kill people" and so on.

The second symbolic meaning of the tiger is: courage and fearlessness.

Because of its majestic image, tigers have been used to symbolize the courage and strength of soldiers since ancient times, such as generals, ministers and tigers. In ancient times, a tiger was carved with gold on the military symbol of dispatching troops, which was called the tiger symbol. Another example is "The Teacher of the Tiger and the Wolf". The popular understanding is that the army is as powerful as a tiger, which is a metaphor for the strength of the army and the strength of its combat effectiveness! "Tiger Ben" symbolizes the warrior, Ben and Ben run together, which means that the rainbow dances and runs together with the tiger, as brave and powerful as the tiger.

The third symbolic meaning of the tiger: praying for good luck and avoiding evil spirits.

In the legend of China, people think that tigers are extremely powerful animals, and they can drive away three disasters in the family: fire, theft and evil. Tiger paintings are usually hung on the wall and face the gate to keep demons from entering. Even in contemporary China, some children wear tiger hats and shoes to ward off evil spirits, while others sleep on tiger pillows to make themselves stronger. In the Year of the Tiger, the red word "Wang" is written on children's heads, which seems to enhance their energy and vitality.

People in China like auspicious things, so tiger symbols and tiger-shaped flags become the targets of catching opponents, and people have always been willing to pray for evil spirits with tiger paintings, tiger faces and Humen gods. This custom has been circulating for thousands of years.

The Cultural Connotation of the Zodiac Tiger Chapter III The Symbolic Significance of the Tiger

Tigers symbolize majesty and power.

The tiger's character is brave, powerful and violent, which makes people afraid and afraid to approach, just like in front of the "emperor" or authority. In people's minds, the tiger is a symbol of majesty and power, and its manner is awesome and inviolable. It can't be offended or provoked, so there are such sayings in folk proverbs: "You can't touch a tiger's ass" and "Who dares to touch a tiger's beard?" "Tigers don't eat people, but they look like they want to kill people." .

Some proverbs show the habits of tigers and their special relationship with humans, the environment and other animals. The former is like "tigers sometimes take a nap" and "tigers hide in holes without showing prestige"; The latter, such as "the front door refuses the tiger, the back door enters the wolf", "the sheep runs into the tiger", "the tiger enters the city, and every family closes", "the good tiger can't accommodate the wolves" ... Some proverbs have deep meanings in essence besides superficial metaphors or symbolic shallow meanings, which are manifested as or have some philosophy of life, or prompt the essential characteristics of things, or summarize people's life experiences. This proverb is actually a metaphor, perhaps a symbol, a beautiful flower of thought, conceived or invented by people for a certain purpose. For example, tigers fly overhead, tigers scratch their heads, when two tigers fight, there are bound to be wounds, sheep are still afraid when they see tigers, sheep will lose friends with tigers one day, pigs pay New Year greetings to tigers but never return, tyranny is fiercer than tigers, and never venture into tigers' nests. "There is no tiger in the mountain, and the monkey is king" ... These proverbs all have meanings, and they all have the characteristics of duplicity. Some of them can even be the generalization and condensation of fables, which are extremely exquisite language arts.

Introduction of Tiger's Zodiac

Tiger is one of the 12 Zodiacs, ranking third, and is called Yinhu.

Tiger Totem Worship and Cultural Heritage

The traditional folk ceremony "Jumping Yu Tu" (that is, "Jumping Tiger") is the relic of tiger totem worship of the ancient Qiang people. At present, it only exists in Nianduhu Village, Tongren County, Huangnan Prefecture, Qinghai Province. Every year, from the fifth to the twentieth day of the first lunar month, "dancing pictures", that is, "jumping tigers", are held to exorcise demons and epidemics. On May 20th, 2006, Turkish Yu Tu was approved by the State Council to be included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.

The worship of tigers should originate from the totem worship of tigers in Chu culture. The tiger has always been worshipped by the Han people. It is a symbol of justice, courage and majesty. According to textual research, the image of the tiger has appeared in the ancient Qiang and Rong nationalities, but it is the most popular in the southwest of China. The jade cong of Liangzhu culture in Neolithic age is similar to the animal-faced tiger in bronze wares of Yin and Shang dynasties. To this day, the Yi, Bai, Buyi, Tujia and other ethnic groups in China still call tigers their ancestors. People in the Han Dynasty believed that the tiger was the king of all animals. White tiger is a kind of tiger that can only turn white in 500 years. It is sacred, and immortals often ascend to heaven by tiger. It's the beast of Zhenxi. Since the Han Dynasty, the tiger has always been the favorite protector of the working people, but it is not a symbol of the emperor. After a long historical evolution and development, the cultural awareness of tiger worship has become an unchangeable cultural concept of the Chinese nation.

Tiger related culture

Shu Wei, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, wrote "Red Seedlings on Bamboo Branches in Qian Miao": "Weaving silk is not given to people, but turning bronze drums to compete with mountain gods, and they are speechless." Tonight, the vacancy is to avoid the shade. (Note: Hongmiao is only available in Tongren, and the clothes are all made of silk, which is the service of Nvhong. Beating the bronze drum to boost morale is called drum tuning. On the fifth day of May every year, both husband and wife stay up and dare not talk to each other, thinking that they have committed the crime of tiger injury. ) In other words, Yin belongs to the tiger, who dares to violate the custom of avoiding Yin? If couples sleep together on a cloudy day in May, the tiger will hurt them.

White Tiger

Therefore, in some places, there is a custom of avoiding shade.

White Tiger God is the patron saint of ancient Taoism in China. It was originally the name of a star official in ancient times. It was named after seven western residences in the twenty-eight stars, because it was tiger-shaped, located in the west, with five elements and five colors. It is also one of the four gods. There is a saying in the Book of Rites Quli that "Suzaku is in front, Xuanwu is behind, Qinglong is on the left, and white tiger is on the right". Most Tujia people believe in the White Tiger God. When Tujia people in Hubei offer sacrifices to the white tiger, the altar owner will kill the pig and cut blood, drop it on paper money, hang it up and burn it. Children of Tujia people in Hunan are usually considered to be caused by white tigers, so wizards must be asked to drive them away. When driving away, you should put a chair outdoors, tie bamboo with branches and leaves, and tie a white rooster. Wizards will cast spells indoors. If the cock crows, the white tiger will be driven away. Shaanxi has the custom of sending cloth tigers to raise children. When the child is full moon, my uncle's family will send a tiger made of yellow cloth. When I enter the gate, I will break a tiger's tail and throw it outside. Sending cloth tigers is to wish children to be as strong as tigers when they grow up; Breaking the tiger's tail is to hope that children can avoid disasters and difficulties when they grow up. The custom of giving tiger pillows is very popular all over Shanxi. Whenever a child has a birthday, his uncle will give his nephew a tiger pillow or a pair of tiger pillows, which can be used as pillows, toys and blessings.

Sun Yat-sen (Tiger)

The marriage custom of "hanging a tiger's head" is popular in hua county, Shaanxi Province. Before greeting the New Year, the man's uncle will steam a pair of tiger buns and tie them together with red rope. When the bride arrives, she will hang the tiger bun around her neck and take it off after entering the door. The bride and groom will share food, which shows that they will be United forever. It is worth mentioning that this kind of steamed bread is also divided into male and female. There is a word "Wang" on the head of Xionghu's steamed bun, which means that this man should be the master of this family. There are a pair of birds on the forehead of the tiger's head bun, which means that the wife flies with her husband. There is a little tiger in front of each tiger's neck, which means wishing the new couple an early birth.

Idioms related to the Tiger of the Chinese Zodiac in China

When two tigers fight, one will always get hurt: when two fierce tigers fight, one of them will get hurt. Metaphorically, the strength of both opposing sides is very strong, and the result of fierce struggle is that one side will suffer.

Feng He: Tigers pounce: Fighting tigers with bare hands; Feng He: Wade across the river. Metaphor is foolhardy and reckless.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained: what. Nothing attempted, nothing gained. Metaphor means that you can't succeed without experiencing danger.

Helping tigers eat: a metaphor for helping wicked people do bad things.

Crouching tiger, hidden dragon: refers to hidden undiscovered talents, and also refers to hidden talents.

Eye-catching tiger kiss: owl: kite, a kind of raptor; Kiss: On the lips. Describe a person's sinister appearance.

Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers: a metaphor for young people who have little concern and dare to do things.

Tiger tail on the ice in spring: step on the tiger tail and walk on the ice that will thaw in spring. Metaphor is dangerous.

Casual eye: deliberately pretending to be confused and deceiving.

Tiger change: tiger change: such as the change of tiger body pattern. The source of metaphor is unpredictable.

Great Sage Tiger Change: Tiger Change: Such as the change of tiger body pattern. The source of metaphor is unpredictable.

Move the tiger on the mountain: try to get the tiger away from the original hill. Metaphor is to use tricks to make the other party leave the original place in order to take the opportunity to act.

Evil tigers don't eat children: even fierce tigers don't eat their own cubs. Metaphor does not hurt close people.

Hungry tiger and hungry eagle: metaphor for cruelty and greed.

Hungry tigers pounce on food: just like hungry tigers pounce on food. Metaphor action is fierce and fast.

Hungry tigers pounce on sheep: just like hungry tigers pounce on food. Metaphor action is fierce and fast.

Hungry tiger: a metaphor for a very dangerous place.

Release the tiger to the mountain: release the tiger to the mountain. Metaphor is to drive the bad guys back to their lair, leaving a curse.

Self-defense: Self-defense. Metaphor uses bad guys to cause disaster.

The wind follows the tiger, and the clouds follow Long Xing: a metaphor for the mutual induction between things.

Wind, Tiger, Yunlong: Tiger roared to generate wind, while dragon generated clouds. Refers to the mutual induction of similar things. In the past, it was also a metaphor for the sage of the Lord, who met a wise monarch.

Fu: yield; Surrender: To cause to yield by force. Use strength to bring tigers and dragons to their knees. Describe the powerful, can overcome all enemies and difficulties.