Do you know what this thing is called?

gluttony (pinyin: Tāotiè), a legendary ferocious and gluttonous beast, is often decorated with its head shape on ancient bronzes, which is called gluttony pattern. Legend has it that the dragon gave birth to nine sons.

"gluttony" is a mythical beast in China's ancient legends. Its greatest feature is that it can eat. Gluttony is an imaginary mysterious monster. This monster has no body, only a big head and a big mouth. It is very greedy and eats whatever it sees. Because it eats too much, it is finally suffocated. It is a symbol of greed.

It is recorded in Ci Hai that gluttony is "the legendary evil beast of gluttony. In ancient Zhong Ding, the shape of its head was carved as a decoration. "

Ci Hai explains the word gluttony: gluttony means "greed", and The Book of Rites and Music in Han Dynasty: "Greedy risks" Yan Shigu's note: "Greedy means gluttony." Especially gluttony.

< Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals >:' Zhou Ding is gluttonous and has Kubinashi's body.'

characteristics and habits: gluttony is a kind of "evil beast", not a fish, snake, python and crocodile, and does not belong to fish or reptiles. There are also gluttonous patterns on Shang and Zhou Ding in Ci Hai. As long as you have a look, you can recognize who that ferocious beast looks like, very much like the front of a wolf, with round eyes and fierce eyes.

second, gluttony is very gluttonous. This characteristic clearly points out the characteristics of wolves. "Extremely gluttonous" is one of the most prominent characteristics of coyotes. We have raised wolves and know this nature of wolves too well. We can cite countless examples of wolf gluttony. There is no animal more gluttonous than a wolf. If you don't believe me, you can ask the old herder who is the most "gluttonous beast" in the world. The answer must be a wolf. As everyone knows, "greed" is synonymous with wolf nature. Dong Zhongshu said that the greed for wolves is a common custom in Qin Dynasty, and he also juxtaposed greed with wolves. People in China always describe gluttony as "gorging", and they also rank wolves ahead of tigers. Wolves are more gluttonous than tigers. When describing greed, they all say "wolf ambition", not "tiger ambition".

because gluttony has the characteristics of two wolves, namely "evil beast" and "gluttonous", and gluttonous patterns are like wolves. Therefore, the legendary gluttony is probably a wolf, or a beast evolved from a wolf.

Gluttonous grain Gluttonous grain first appeared on Liangzhu culture jade articles in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River 5, years ago. There is a cloud in the article "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals": "Zhou Ding is gluttonous and has Kubinashi's body. He eats people and does harm to his body." Gluttony patterns have existed on bronzes in Erlitou and Xia cultures. With the bridge of the nose as the center line, symmetrically arranged on both sides, usually the lower lip. Gluttony patterns appear on bronzes, especially on ding. There are many types of gluttonous patterns in Shang and Zhou Dynasties, some of which are like dragons, tigers, cows, sheep and deer. Others are like birds, phoenixes and people. The name "gluttonous pattern" did not exist in ancient times, but was named by Song people when epigraphy rose. The most perfect gluttonous pattern mask is 21. cm high and is now in the Seattle Library of the United States. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, its mystery gradually declined.

gluttony became the main decoration of Shang and Zhou Ding. Baoding is the important weapon of the Chinese nation in the bronze age. In the Zhou Dynasty, the "Ding" of "keeping one word and keeping nine" was an artifact and ritual vessel symbolizing the supreme kingship, and it was also a sacrificial vessel to worship the heavens and ancestors. Ding was in the position of a national "totem pole" in the eyes of Chinese ancestors. Therefore, only the totem belonging to the nation is qualified to ascend such a lofty position, and it is engraved and cast on the treasure tripod. This phenomenon also reflects two problems: First, by the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the Huaxia nationality might still worship the wolf totem, at least the beast totem, and the totem worship legacy of the ancestors of Yandi Huangdi nationality might still exist, while the Huaxia nationality in the Zhou Dynasty was more deeply influenced by the wolf totem, because the Zhou Dynasty originated from Xirong, and Xirong was mostly a nomadic people who worshipped the wolf totem. Secondly, the "dragon" at that time may not have been generally accepted, and it has not really become the national totem of the Huaxia nationality. Otherwise, the Baoding symbolizing the royal power will definitely take the dragon as the main decoration. Moreover, at that time, Zhou Tianzi had not yet sat in the dragon throne, and at that time, he continued the nomadic legacy of Yanhuang and sat on the floor.

The decorative patterns on Zhou Ding are mainly composed of gluttonous patterns and moire patterns, with gluttony as the center and moire patterns surrounding it. Obviously, the gluttonous beast is in the sky, sticking its head out of the clouds and looking down at the world. Its body is hidden in the clouds. I don't know if there is a snake body or a dragon body, but if the dragon body is attached behind the gluttonous head, it is not far from the later standard dragon. Therefore, I think there may be a transition stage between the wolf totem and the dragon totem. Gluttony not only has the character of a wolf, but also has the ferocious face of the context.

The real name and prototype of the beast referred to in the animal face pattern have long been buried in an era that cannot be reproduced. Later generations named it gluttony because of its ferocious, mysterious and horrible face, and some of them have human heads in their mouths. Gluttony was originally used in Zuo Zhuan to describe the heartless and unjust people who were greedy for money and food. Scholars in modern times have pointed out that it is far-fetched to name animal face prints as gluttonous and pure, which goes against the social and cultural conditions of Shang and Zhou Dynasties.

Because of its fierce and horrible face and notorious gluttony, it is almost impossible to find traces of this beast in the cultural and artistic evolution of China. In the mid-Western Zhou Dynasty, animal ornamentation, which had prevailed for hundreds of years, suddenly withdrew from the field of bronze decorative main patterns. However, several animal patterns, such as dragons, tigers, phoenixes and turtles, which appeared on bronzes at the same time with the gluttonous patterns, appeared in large numbers in the official and folk cultures in the later cultural evolution, becoming the most famous mascots in China culture and the endless theme of artistic expression. Dragons, in particular, in the Bronze Age, most of them also had the same ferocious faces as gluttonous patterns. In terms of mystery, power and status, dragons were far inferior to gluttony in the Bronze Age. However, the dragon later ascended the highest throne of China's cultural and political symbol, and "gluttony", the supreme of the Bronze Age, was hard to find.

what exactly does gluttonous grain mean? There have always been different arguments, and so far there is no conclusion. Some say it's cattle, sheep, tigers, deer and mandrills. Among these theories, gluttony is the loudest. Many scholars engaged in the study of primitive culture and art believe that the gluttonous pattern is the exaggeration and deformation of the tiger pattern. In ancient times, the tiger was also a very important god beast, and the shape of a wizard riding a tiger appeared in later cultural relics. In the long cultural history of China, before the worship of "Dragon and Phoenix", there was a long stage of dragon and tiger worship. Long Hudou's pattern modeling was very popular from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty to the Western Han Dynasty, among which the dragon and tiger fighting figure unearthed from Mawangdui Han Tomb was the most exquisite and extraordinary. The ancients thought that the tiger was a yang beast, "the cloud follows the dragon and the wind follows the tiger." Fighting between dragons and tigers indicates intercourse between yin and yang. In the Han Dynasty, black dragon, White Tiger, Suzaku and Xuanwu represented the four astronomical officials of the Middle East, West, South and North. At least, in the early history of China, the status of the tiger was not below that of the dragon. However, the description of the magical power of the tiger in ancient books is obviously difficult to compare with the prominent position of gluttony in bronze ware.

Ancient gluttonous grain culture and religious culture

For example, in Shang Dynasty, the Tongtong is 17.7 cm high and consists of a body, feet and a cover. The cover is decorated with gluttonous patterns to thin the Yun Leiwen substrate. The belly of the utensils is gluttonous. Animal patterns have religious significance. There are gluttonous patterns on all kinds of Ding in Shang Dynasty. Ding is the most common and mysterious vessel used by ancestors to sacrifice, and its religious significance is strong.

For example, the gluttonous bronze figurine (Shang Dynasty) unearthed in Lijiahe, Pinggu, Beijing, is 27 cm high and 7.5 cm in diameter, with gluttonous grain on the abdomen and beaded grain on the upper and lower sides for sacrificial purposes.

wine culture

Shuo Wen: revered as a wine container for offering sacrifices or entertaining guests. Don Li Bai: "Visit Zige Peak in the morning, and stay in the village at dusk. The village old man saw Yu Xi and opened a statue for Yu. " "Zun" refers to a wine container, which is equivalent to a modern hip flask. In 1912, a gluttonous bronze statue of Shang Dynasty was unearthed in Qianshan County, Anhui Province. It has been buried underground for more than 3, years, and it is still green and beautiful. This statue is 21.5cm in height, 19.4cm in diameter and 2kg in weight. Trumpet-shaped, with a high neck, a bulging belly and round feet, it is named after the gluttonous pattern of vessel jewelry. The pattern of gluttony symbolizes the face shape of a gluttonous fierce beast in ancient legends. It was often used as the theme decoration on utensils from Shang Dynasty to Western Zhou Dynasty, and it was mostly lined with Yun Leiwen, with many changes in patterns.

Another example is the Taotie bronze statue of the ox head: Shang (16-146 BC), with a height of 3.5 cm and a diameter of 28 cm. It was unearthed in Xiangyang Hui food factory in Zhengzhou in 1982 and was a sacrificial utensil for ancestors. Its gluttonous and tattooed Jue was a wine vessel that could only be used by five-rank aristocrats in Shang Dynasty. Jue was a drinking vessel, with a "stream" of drinking in front, a cup in the middle, a tail in the back, ears on one side and three feet on the bottom. There was a column between the "stream" and the cup, which not only could be decorated, but also resisted the bridge of the nose when drinking, thus preventing excessive drinking. Jue, gradually disappeared after the early Western Zhou Dynasty.

Architectural art

In ancient building materials, gluttonous decorative patterns are also commonly used.

such as gluttonous half tile: it is an ancient waterproof building component of roof, which is made of clay. In 1957, on the west bank of the moat, about 7 meters south of Guang 'anmen Bridge, a half-corrugated tile was excavated, which was identified by archaeologists as a unique roof waterproof component of the palace in the Warring States period. Gluttonous patterns and half tiles provide a strong proof for uncovering the long history and superb architectural art of Beijing urban construction city. In 1972, in Hanjia Hutong, Xuanwu District, two pieces of gluttonous semi-tile and two pieces of animal-faced tile were unearthed in the Warring States period.

In addition, there are gluttonous tiles in the Warring States Period: they are mostly semicircular, with generous relief patterns, good farsightedness and obvious overall sense of the block.

Furniture decoration

The currently unearthed gluttonous cicada pattern, made of bronze, has a long and narrow face, with its two ends tilted, the middle slightly concave, and the whole body is wrapped with cicada pattern, gluttonous pattern and so on. We can see the shape and decoration of table furniture in later generations from its shape.

Music

Shang: Gourmet-patterned giant cymbals, 48.5cm high, collected by Tianjin Museum. This kind of single large bronze Rao can only be played on a special pedestal, that is, planting songs.

In ancient times, Zu Yi Jue, incense burner, Zen tattoo, flat head tattoo, straight nego tattoo, flower gourd ladle and so on also appeared. It can be seen that the gluttonous pattern is closely related to the life of our ancestors and the cultural life of our ancestors, which fully embodies the wisdom and creativity of the working people in ancient China.