Talking about animals

During the Spring Festival couplets, there will be a small pair of "five grains are abundant" and "six animals are prosperous". So what kinds of livestock do six animals refer to? What is the relationship between livestock and livestock?

The so-called six animals refer to horses, cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens that provide people with basic living security in agricultural society. In the three-character classics and exegetics, it is said that "these six animals are all fed by people", "cows can plow fields, horses can carry them far, and sheep can offer sacrifices", "chickens can wake up at dawn, dogs can wake up to prevent accidents, and". Livestock can cover six animals, some of which can be called cows, while others can't.

Baidu's entry explains the word "livestock" like this: "It refers to the common name of livestock. Generally refers to animals and other animals. It also refers to domestic animals that serve people, such as cattle, horses, donkeys and mules. This definition emphasizes that the function of animals is to help people work. From the example, we can also see that animals are very big, but other domestic animals can't be called animals. For example, mice and cats, watchdog, chickens, ducks and geese, which can also contribute to human beings, are not animals. Generally speaking, all animals raised by human beings can be called domestic animals. Some people think that this is the only difference between domestic animals and wild animals.

In fact, in reality, it is emotional for people to name livestock that can help them work. Think about it. In general, people who ask family members will say, "How many people are there in the family?" Those who call them animals are also members of the family. Horses, cows and donkeys are animals that have the closest relationship with human labor. They are indispensable for pulling carts and grinding flour at ordinary times, and rely on them for plowing and threshing in busy farming seasons. Therefore, they are treated better than other livestock in food and shelter. In the past, it was most common for people and animals to live in the same house. Newborn calves, foals and donkey babies can even enjoy the preferential treatment of children, such as hanging seasoning belts like children during the Dragon Boat Festival and adding more water when feeding grass, which all reflect the deep human touch. The so-called "if you want horses to run, you must eat more grass." If you don't pay attention to mammals at ordinary times, they won't work hard at all during the busy farming season. Therefore, whoever keeps a well-developed animal is a good way to deal with crops. If you don't take good care of the animals, the crops in the field will definitely be more ugly. It is said that animals help human labor, and human beings should also serve animals with heart. If they don't pay to a certain extent, they won't have the ideal effect.

? There were several cows in my parents' generation, probably because their eyes were too big, their horns were great and their heads were big. On the whole, it makes people feel scared. Although cows are gentle and honest, I don't like them. I have kept donkeys at home as long as I can remember. The most common impression is that my grandfather is holding a big sieve to screen fodder for the donkey. At that time, I thought the donkey was really powerful and could survive only by eating wheat straw. Of course, we will mow the grass and feed them from time to time. The most annoying thing is to let me tie the donkey to the jujube tree outside, where there is a large grassland and a puddle next to it. If the donkey's rope is long, it can swing its tail leisurely in the shade to catch flies, eat grass and drink water. On the one hand, I am afraid of being trampled by the donkey, on the other hand, I always can't master the trick of untied the donkey rope, and my patience has long been gone. As soon as I untied the donkey rope, I began to run home. When I ran, the donkey got scared and ran away. I can't outrun it. Fortunately, it can recognize people and run past me without giving me a kick.

I remember two worst things about donkeys. First, two gray rabbits brought back by grandma from the northern countryside were trampled to death by donkeys in the donkeys' pen. It has never been clear whether the donkey did it on purpose or the rabbit found it first. Another thing is that the female donkey she fed died in childbirth. At that time, the donkey's eyes were wide open and there were big tears in the corner of his eyes. It looks very painful, as if she has never kept any animals since then. My mother is old, she can't farm, and she has no energy to raise animals. From then on, I never had a chance to get close to animals.

Even now, animals are rarely seen in rural areas. The mechanized era has replaced the role of animals. Who wants to waste time and energy to raise them? Now, some families only sell cows, so these common animals have become rare animals. Nowadays, children feel very fresh when they see cows, horses and donkeys in the zoo. It is also a kind of happiness to think that we can be so close to them when we were young. Times are progressing and animals are disappearing.