The Mascot Types of Auspicious Culture in China

As we all know, "Chinese knot" is a very fashionable thing in recent years, and many people give it as a gift. In fact, from the perspective of knots, similar things have existed for a long time, but they are not called "Chinese knots". For example, the bow tied on a girl's hair and the buckle used in Chinese clothing are all kinds of knots. What is the relationship between knot and auspiciousness? You must tie a knot with a rope. Before writing appeared, the ancients wanted to record some memorable things by "tying a rope to record", and it was "a big event tied its rope, and a small event summed up its rope". Later, the ancients liked to tie a ribbon into a serial palindrome knot to express their love, and took a wonderful name called "concentric knot". There is a cloud in Liang Wudi's poetry: "The waist is double and the dream is concentric." In the Tang Dynasty, Wen Tingyun's "Brocade Ci" said: "All the knots in the brocade are concentric, and the clouds and disks are deep." The music of Jiaofang in the Tang Dynasty actually had the epigraph of "Concentric Knot". It seems that people at that time were more romantic than modern people, and they used knots to express their concentric feelings and wishes.

what is a knot? Shuowen said, "Hook with two ropes". It seems that the essence of the problem is here, "linked", that is, tied together and never separated. Then anyone who hopes that a relationship will never be separated or interrupted will associate it with "knot" For example, two people are called "married couple" for life, "alliance" for friendship between the two countries, and "unity", "marriage" and "friendship and unity" and so on.

a string that can be bent at will is a straight line when straightened, with no interruption in the middle, clear route, winding around, interlocking, logical and continuous from beginning to end. Isn't this the image that life should have? Go round and round, unite as one and never stop. For human beings who pursue infinite life extension, such an image is naturally extremely beautiful. Therefore, the figures woven by a rope have auspicious meanings, such as the length of the disc. In fact, the length of the plate is the common name of Chinese knot. When I was a child, my aunt taught me to use a stroke of "dish length". My aunt said that the dish length was also called "dish intestine", like a dish of intestines, but this name was unlucky, so it was changed to "dish length". There are eight links in the length of the dish, so it is also called "eight knots", and "knot" is homophonic with "auspicious", so it is also called "eight auspicious". There are "Eight Auspiciouss" in Buddhist rituals, all of which are worn by gods and buddhas, and some of them are long plates, and it is said that "the plate is long, and the Buddha says that it is carried out in a circle, and everything is bright". In fact, the pattern of disc length is quite rich, which can be derived from the disc length of ten thousand generations, the disc length of hundred years, the disc length of four combinations, the disc length of plum blossoms and so on.

In northern Shaanxi, the doors and windows of cave dwellings are called "Window Gege", which are decorated with "The length of a sheep dish" and "The snake holds ten eggs". This "snake holding ten eggs" is a long pattern, because its line trend is quite like a snake winding, and the 1 blanks in the middle are ten eggs. Moreover, regardless of the shape of the window lattice, there is a strict center point. The people in northern Shaanxi think that this window lattice is a "heart nest" of people, and it cannot be nailed with nails. They say that "people can't nail the heart, and the nail will die." Northern Shaanxi Yangko is also called "Yangko", and the footprints of Yangko under your feet are actually all kinds of long pictures, so some experts call it Yangko and Yangtu. Similarly, there are nine turns in northern Shaanxi, also known as the lantern field. Its trajectory is similar to a maze, and some of them take a long chart.

There are many auspicious symbols in China, such as Fangsheng, Ruyi, Yuanbao, Shouzi, Tortoise Back, Happy Word, Bagua, Ancient Money, Silver Ingot, Wanzi, and so on, which are numerous and have different symbolic meanings. For example, the swastika on Sakyamuni's chest is called "auspicious phase", and the Buddhist scriptures are translated as "auspicious sea cloud phase", which is a spell, amulet or religious symbol, and a symbol of the sun or fire. In the Tang Dynasty, Hui Fan's Hua Yan Yin Yi called Wan Zi "the place where all virtues are auspicious". In fact, as far back as Neolithic painted pottery in China, there are many coherent characters. In the folk, the common people used to call it "Happy Meeting", "Pushing the Mill", "Flowing with Ten Thousand Words" and "Endless with Ten Thousand Words", and created countless auspicious patterns that are endless and endless.

Amazing imagination and creativity

The process from a straight line to auspicious symbols is so interesting and reasonable. What do we see through this process? It should be the rich imagination of this nation and the associative power that links everything with beauty. In fact, when creating various auspicious symbols, China people use metaphors, comparisons, metaphors, hints, homophony, symbols, borrowings, puns and so on like a duck to water, which is amazing. Of course, symbolism exists in all ethnic groups, but it seems that it is not as rich, popular and profound as China. In front of the new york Stock Exchange in the United States, there is a bull statue that stands up and is full of energy. It is said that it symbolizes the "bull market" of the stock market, that is, the market is rising. Cow is a mascot for the stock market, but there are two lions in front of the Bank of China. In China, the lion has nothing to do with money, but has something to do with majesty and power. This is very interesting. It seems more appropriate for an institution in charge of money and finance to put a god of wealth in front of the door, but putting a lion in front of it has a very different meaning.

Lion

In ancient China, there were positions such as Taishi and Shao Shi, who were senior officials who assisted the emperor and the prince, respectively. Their positions were prominent and their officials were Gao Luhou. Because "lion" is homophonic with "teacher", the lion is also connected with the official title. In Panjiayuan antique market in Beijing, there are often two red lions painted with hats, one big and one small, which were used to put official hats. The sounds of "big" and "small" are similar, and the two lions are also called "too lion and few lion", that is, "Tai Shi Shao Shi", so this kind of hat has become a mascot symbolizing wealth and power.

Lions are not only related to the promotion of officials and knighthood, but also to praying for blessings in towns and houses in northern Shaanxi. There are not only many lions in the railing fort of Shenmu, but also many masons who carve lions and "peaceful things" who put lions, that is, Mr. Yin and Yang. Lions have a variety of shapes: back-facing lions, face-to-face lions, village lions, mountain lions, wall lions, gate lions and kang lions. Which shape to use is also very particular, because the direction facing the cave is not easy to adjust, so use the lion to crack it. For example, the cave faces the nonyl and decyl characters due to the north, and there are no sub-characters in the sitting characters, so the lion will be made into a back shape to heal and remedy, so as to ensure peace; If the cave faces the stone cliff, the lion will be carved into a straight head to frighten the lion. When placing a lion, it is also necessary to wrap the evil things in yellow paper, write auspicious words in black, light cinnabar, and suppress them under Leo. The earthquake objects include twelve kinds of monosodium glutamate drugs and seven kinds of incense. The twelve kinds of drugs are to avoid sand, see ghosts and worry, devil's arrow grass, realgar, sand root, carefulness, polygala tenuifolia and so on. The seven kinds of incense are clove, agarwood, agastaches, costustoot, sandalwood, benzoin and golden incense. After putting away the earthquake objects, you should also recite the Anshi mantra and the Yuan Dynasty Anshen mantra. As for the lion tied to the horse stake next to the cave in northern Shaanxi and the baby lion tied to the kang, it is even more varied and arbitrary.

Although lions and tigers in nature are not common to ordinary people, their habits are well known, so their ferocity has become a factor for people to use them as mascots to avoid misfortune. When I was a child, I heard my grandfather say that people can ward off evil spirits if they carry a tiger bone with them. This is a borrowing technique. Borrowing techniques are not only used for real animals, but also for legendary and imaginary animals. For example, Kirin, a god beast in ancient fairy tales. It is an animal created by China people. It has deer body, oxtail, horseshoe and fish scales. These four animals are all worshippers or mascots of China people. Some people say that concentrating the advantages of one's cherished animal on Kirin, an imaginary animal, shows China people's thought and strong desire to "gather beauty". Kirin is a legendary benevolent beast with a gentle temperament. It is brave without harming the people, brave without trampling on creatures, fierce without damaging trees and grass, and is called the Four Spirits with dragons, phoenixes and turtles. In order to show the benevolence of Kirin, Kirin is also associated with the sage Confucius. According to folklore, when Confucius was born, a unicorn came to the family in the Queli of Confucius' mansion and spit a jade book, that is, the extraordinary Confucius was a descendant of nature. Although he did not occupy the position of emperor, he had the virtue of emperor, so he was called "the king of element". It is also said that the age of Confucius' life was ruined, and some people saw Kirin being mutilated in the wilderness. Confucius lamented that Kirin was "out of time" and wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals, which was called "Lin Jing" and "Lin Shi".

what kind of auspicious meaning has Kirin, as a symbol of benevolence and beast, been given? "Mao Shi Yi Shu" said: "The king is benevolent." "Taiping Yu Lan" quoted "Chunqiu Ganjing Symbol" and said: "The king is out of the suburbs if he doesn't cut the fetus or break the egg." "The king Dehua flows around four tables, and the unicorn is awkward." If these meanings are expressed in one sentence, Kirin will only appear when the virtuous king has created a peaceful and prosperous time, otherwise, Kirin will not be seen by the world. So it can be inferred that the reason why the ancients created Kirin was related to the expectation of peace and prosperity. At this point, Kirin and Phoenix have the same effect. For example, in theologians' eyes, the phoenix is a barometer of the rise and fall of chaos. As the saying goes: "The king feels that the emperor is the phoenix" and "the filial piety is the phoenix nest".

With the long history of China, it seems that we can find the connection between auspicious signs such as Kirin and Phoenix and the grand scene of peace. Because of too many wars, famines and famines, China people especially yearn for a peaceful and peaceful living environment, so they created an unprecedented god beast and bird to express the inner wishes of the people and remind the rulers that only if you are a virtuous ruler, the world will be peaceful, and the benevolent beast will appear. When I wrote this, I suddenly felt some regrets. For ordinary people who don't have the right to speak, they can only use hints and metaphors to convey their feelings.

Of course, Kirin and Phoenix also have other meanings. For example, our common picture of Kirin sending a child and "Lin Tu Yu Shu" both imply auspicious arrival and the birth of a sage. This means that the appearance of Kirin will give children to those families who have accumulated virtue and have no children, and the boy sent by Kirin will grow up to be a virtuous and loyal minister and can assist the emperor in governing the country. So sometimes, there is a couplet attached to the picture of Kirin's delivery: "Kirin in the sky, the champion on the ground."

borrowing from the east and using from the west is understandable pragmatism

There is no doubt that auspicious consciousness and culture have been deeply embedded in the lives of China people, so that everything can be auspicious. Of course, this is a bit absolute, but China has as many mascots and auspicious symbols as any other country. Examples can be easily obtained. For example, people's obsession with the number "8" has reached an unparalleled level. The number "4" is often ignored because it is homophonic with "death" and unlucky. I really can't hide in the past, so I will make a change and borrow notes to pronounce "hair". Using the homophonic features in language, "Hulu" can be turned into "Fulu" and "Bat", which is not so beautiful in appearance, has also become "Quanfu". It is a noble thing in Japan, and it is always connected with the Buddhist world. But in China, lotus has many meanings. Because "Lian" and "Lian" are homophonic, many auspicious symbols and patterns related to "Lian" have been born. The characteristics of lotus, such as "all flowers are born together", "many flowers in the lotus" and "two flowers in one stalk", have been interpreted as images such as "connecting precious children", "connecting the three elements in the middle", "being happy with the science", "connecting the science all the way" and "being clean with one product".

People who have been to Lingyan Temple in Changqing, Shandong Province must know that in front of the Ursa Major Hall, there are two big trees that grow together, one is a cypress tree and the other is a persimmon tree. I haven't verified the age of the tree. Judging from the thickness of the cypress, it's not a problem for thousands of years. In autumn, when persimmons are ripe, the scenery is pleasant. At ordinary times, the two trees are not attractive except for their coarseness, but there are always people taking pictures under the trees. The secret is that they all want to be infected with the auspicious atmosphere of some big trees. Because persimmon trees and cypress trees are planted together in homonym "Pepsi (cypress, persimmon) ruyi"! I once saw a thick orange tree next to the ancestral temple in Foshan, Guangdong Province. The tree was covered with red strips of cloth, and each strip of cloth was tied with a paper symbol. The scene was spectacular. I didn't know it until I asked the local people. Because of the homonym of "orange" in the orange tree, citrus reticulata became an auspicious tree. In the Wangjia Courtyard of Lingshi, Shanxi, there is a big courtyard, which steps into the threshold. At the foot is a boulder about 2 meters long and more than 1 meter wide. The stone is carved with figures such as egrets and lotus flowers, which makes people unable to bear to stay, and its meaning is also homophonic, which means "connecting all the way".

homophonic expression of auspicious wishes is a major feature of auspicious culture, and there are countless examples of this. For example, putting the best wishes in a vase means "peace and happiness", lily with persimmon or lion and Ganoderma together means "all the best", evergreen with Ganoderma together means "all the best", boy riding an elephant with the best wishes means "good luck and happiness", box combined with lotus, Ruyi or Ganoderma together means "harmony and happiness", Chinese rose in a bottle means "peace in all seasons" and chicken standing stone means "room". In fact, most of these graphic combinations have no inherent logical relationship, and some are even funny. For example, a monkey is sitting immediately, called "Seal the Hou immediately", a bat is painting backwards, called "Blessed", and a magpie is sitting on a plum branch and called "beaming". To tell a joke, according to this method, it is very likely that the donkey's lips will face the horse's mouth: for example, does a chicken riding on the elephant's back mean "good luck"?

but who will accuse such association? If we look at the problem from a positive perspective, we can see the simple, optimistic, humorous and flexible outlook on life of China people through the composition of these auspicious symbols. We can understand this from the evolution of Guan Gong's image. Magpie is a traditional auspicious bird. The idea of magpie singing for auspiciousness has accumulated into a traditional complex of China people since ancient times. To this day, people still regard flying magpies singing happily at the door as a good omen that something good will come. All kinds of auspicious pictures with magpie as the theme, such as "Magpie climbing the branch", "beaming with joy" (Magpie climbing the plum tree), "Joyful" (Badger and Magpie looking at each other under the tree) and "Happy in front of us" (adding an ancient coin to both magpies), are all images that people like to see and hear.

The origin of magpies singing auspicious signs comes from the ancient people's understanding that magpies have the ability to predict the wind direction, clear and wet. In China's ancient books, Yi Gua and Huai Nan Zi, magpie is called "Yang Bird", and it is also called "Dry Magpie" because of its wet nature. Dry magpie is endowed with the instinct of sensing meteorological changes, which makes it a tool for people to predict meteorology by phenology. From the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the concept of magpie singing for good luck has basically taken shape. In Xiao Ji's Poem on Magpie in the Southern Dynasty, he said, "If you want to avoid new branches slipping, you still fly to the old nest. If you listen to the news today, you will return to your home. In the Tang dynasty, the anonymous "Magpie Treading Branch" was famous for saying: "Why is there any evidence to send happiness?" The alias of magpie has changed from "Yang Bird" and "Dry Magpie" to "Ling Magpie". Later, there was a story of a group of magpies filling a bridge for the weaver girl to meet the cowherd. As for the time when "Xi" and "Magpie" were called together, it was not later than the Ming Dynasty, and it was also a sign that this bird deserved its name and became a recognized Swiss bird. According to legend, Ruyi is one of the Buddhist tools introduced from India with Buddhism, and it is held by Ruyi Lunguanyin, one of the six Guanyin in Buddhism. Monks hold it when preaching Buddhist scriptures and write down the scriptures in case they forget it.

In history, Ruyi was also used by military officials and feudal literati. Its handle was made of heart-shaped, made of bone, bamboo, jade, stone, copper and iron. As for the folk, Ruyi is also a claw rod commonly used by the folk. In modern times, the length of wishful thinking has become shorter. It is made of iron, gold, white jade, coral and bamboo roots. Because of its auspicious name, it has gradually evolved into an ornamental thing since the Qing Dynasty, and it has been cherished by noble princes and rich gentry families.