In the traditional culture of Chinese, the tiger is a symbol of bravery and vitality, the so-called dragon and tiger, the dragon leaping tiger. For a long time, the tiger has always symbolized a kind of strength and courage, and has always been admired by the vast sea of folk culture stories and legends, and has been revered by all sentient beings. On the occasion of the Spring Festival of the Year of the Tiger, I would like to share with you some of my understanding of the flow of tiger culture and ask you for advice.
The source of the ancient "tiger worship"
Why does the Chinese nation regard the tiger as an object of worship? Or, why has the tiger always been worshipped by the Han Chinese people and some ethnic minority brothers, and is known as the "king of the hundred beasts"? Its cultural connotation and meaning have gone through the vicissitudes of the times and become increasingly rich. Today, the tiger has become a symbol of folk culture that Chinese universally recognized.
To explore the origin of Chonghu consciousness, it can be traced back to ancient society. According to archaeologists, the rock paintings distributed in China are rich in content, and they first appeared in the Stone Age, dating back to 40,000 years. Petroglyphs are art somewhere between painting and carving. In the rock paintings of Yinshan in Inner Mongolia, about 10,000 years ago, a group of "five tiger figures" carved on the rocks of Hugou have appeared, which are suitable for movement and vivid aura, expressing the ancient ancestors' understanding of the tiger as an animal, showing the earliest animal worship and totem of the ancestors.
Western Han Dynasty · The White Tiger of the Four Gods
Don White tiger pattern bricks
The American anthropologist Louis Henry Morgan revealed in Ancient Societies the social basis for the creation of nature worship and totems by ancient ancestors. In the era of ru mao drinking blood and sleeping in the wind, the ability of human beings to interact with nature was extremely weak, "everything is like a dog", in order to survive and survive, the ancient ancestors could only evolve themselves in tribulations. For example, if an animal leaves uneaten prey by chance, perhaps humans will think that it is deliberately reserved for themselves and worship out of gratitude; more often, they are deeply powerless in the face of vicious beasts, and worship out of fear. The Classic of Mountains and Seas and the Northern Classic of Hai Nei records: "Poor and strange like a tiger, with wings, cannibals start from the beginning, and the food is sent, in the north of the dog." One from the foot. "Poor Qi, who looks like a tiger, has a pair of wings, likes to eat people, and will start eating from the head of a person, is a fierce beast, one of the ancient four evils in Chinese myths and legends." Ancient ancestors knew animals and the natural world, it is impossible to follow the standards of today's biology or zoology, in the face of the tiger that is large and strong, strong and brave, and roaring, the ancestors gradually feel its strong demeanor and the king's spirit, and the survival law of "the weak and the strong" has become the premise for the ancient ancestors to worship the tiger - since they recognize that the tiger is a terrible image of strength and power, and cannot tame it, then worship it.
In August 1987, archaeologists found an ancient site about 6,000 years old in the west slope of Puyang, Henan Province, the Clam Sculpture Dragon and Tiger Tomb, which does not have the exquisite pottery excavated from other tombs of the Yangshao culture, but the mussel sculpture dragon and tiger diagram is precious, and this information represents the ancient combination of "dragon and tiger".
In traditional Chinese culture, whether in Taoism, Buddhism, or shamanism, tigers are the object of worship. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, when Buddhism first entered the mainland, the Buddhist prince Satanah fed the tiger with his body in the spirit of great compassion and compassion. This spirit of self-sacrifice combined with Chinese Zen thought developed into the Zen Tiger, which enabled the tiger to listen to the scriptures and cultivate the good, the most influential of which was the Eighteen Arhats Fuhu, maitreya Venerable Fuhu Arhat. The spirit of "sacrificing oneself to feed the tiger" has greatly enriched the connotation of Chinese tiger culture, and the Taoist culture interprets the combination of dragon and tiger as "cloud from dragon, wind from tiger", dragon flying in the sky, tiger walking on the ground, but also strengthening the majesty of the tiger, regarding it as a mythical object with great fantasy power.
Southern and Northern Dynasties of the Wei and Jin Dynasties · White Jade Crouching Tiger
Western Han Dynasty · Bronze God Tiger Ghost Pattern Print
From "Protector of the Divine Beast" to "Protecting the Heavenly Beings"
Lu Xun once said that the roots of Chinese culture are all in Taoism. Many people talk about "tiger culture" and ignore the transformation and reshaping of the tiger image by Taoist culture. Taoists first established the "dragon and tiger combination", the so-called "left green dragon, right white tiger, former suzaku, post-Xuanwu", of which the green dragon, white tiger, suzaku, xuanwu are the "four elephants" in Chinese culture, also known as "four spirits". The term "four elephants" first came from the "Yi Zhi Ci" in the "Tai Chi Sheng Two Instruments, Two Yi Sheng Four Elephants". The Book of Rites clearly states that these "four elephants" are synonymous with astronomical stars: "Xing, the former suzaku (finches) and then Xuanwu, the left green dragon and the right white tiger, flaunting on the top." "Front south and back north, left east right west, vermilion bird, Xuanwu, green dragon, white tiger, four square su name also." According to the ancient geography book "Three Auxiliary Yellow Maps": "The dragon, the white tiger, the suzaku, the Xuanwu, the four spirits of the heavens, are square in all directions." "The four elephants are given the meaning of agricultural livelihood and determining the positioning of time and space, and many myths are derived from this.
Western Zhou· Tiger hammer
The "four elephants" that originally existed to establish celestial signs and stars were used by The Taoists to carry out anthropomorphic and anthropomorphic transformations, in which the green dragon and the white tiger evolved into a mighty guardian deity, just like the "Hum Ha Second General" who guarded the mountain gate of the Buddhist temple. Nowadays, walking into various Taoist temples, on the right side of the mountain gate, it is generally the White Tiger Warden Divine King. Its function is not simple, and it is said in the Baopuzi: "Tigers and deer rabbits are all thousand years old, and those who have reached the age of five hundred years are white in color." "It is said that the tiger will cultivate for five hundred years before the skin color will turn white, so the white tiger is a symbol of longevity and auspiciousness, and has the divine power of praying for blessings from disasters, and later some people said that it has the functions of punishing evil and promoting good, getting rich, and marrying good fortunes. After the Taoist teachings were brought into play, astronomical astrology, yin and yang, five elements, gossip, the science of life, alchemy, etc. were all strung together and placed on the tiger, which greatly enriched the spread of tiger culture in folk beliefs.
Qing · Tiger embroidery court dress complement
In folk culture, the oriental green dragon symbolizes the revival of all things, spring returns to the earth, people regard the green dragon as the main celebration, and later generations also derive the custom of "February 2, the dragon looks up"; the image of the tiger gradually from the totem of the ancient times began to avoid evil, disasters, set the direction of orientation, and pray for a good harvest.
Unlike the imaginary "dragon", the tiger is a kind of actual beast, and the Taoists bind the image of the tiger to the dragon, which meets the needs of feudal absolutist imperial rule. Kings are called "Heavenly Sons", kings are dragons, civilian generals are tigers, and tigers have the status of "dragons". The feudal king worshipped the tiger as a god and prayed for divine might to ensure the peace of the society. In addition, the bravery and strength of the tiger can represent the combat effectiveness and the might of the army, so in the historical inheritance, most of them appear in the form of protection gods or fighting gods, and even the Guozijian who trains and selects high-level talents for feudal rulers also has an alias of "Tiger". In the era of cold weapon warfare, the barracks of military generals were called "Tiger Tent" and "Tiger Curtain", and the forbidden place in the army was called "White Tiger Hall". The "Chronicle of History" records the story of "stealing the symbol to save Zhao", the sending of soldiers is called "Tiger Symbol" and "Tiger Festival"; the obstacle that covers the camp is called "Tiger Fall" or "Tiger Road"; a kind of strong crossbow is called "Tiger Crouch Crossbow", and during the Ming Dynasty, a short and thick artillery was called "Tiger Crouch Cannon", and so on. As for the decoration of various weapons and equipment in the image of a fierce tiger, there are many more.
Spring and Autumn · Tiger-shaped bronze ornaments
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the great integration of nationalities, the change of political power, and the transformation of society were all-round, including customs and concepts. The symbolism of the tiger image has evolved and changed, and its shape, shape, and use have also evolved accordingly— from being mighty and brave on the outside, and hiding a devious immortal qi on the inside, gradually becoming a role subjugated by the immortals, and even acting as a docile mount. Perhaps because of the fashion of the time, the famous painter Gu Kaizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty also gave himself a nickname "Tiger Head", because he was good at painting, he was absolute, painting, and obsessed, and was called "Tiger Head Three Absolutes".
After the Ming and Qing dynasties, people's understanding and understanding of the tiger became more rational; at the same time, the tiger also developed into a romantic literary and artistic creation and spiritual entertainment object. For example, the folk tale of "Zhao Gongming Fuhu Saving Cangsheng" circulating in Zhongnan Mountain is that Zhao Gongming fu black tiger, the black tiger is grateful to Zhao Gongming for not killing, attaches his head to the ear, saddles the horse, and becomes his loyal mount and right-hand man; because Zhao Gongming is well-trained, this black tiger has also been cultivated into a positive fruit, it protects Cangsheng, helps people drive away the plague, the town house nursing home, known as "tiger master" by the people, has also become a god all the way, can enjoy the incense of the world.
"Tiger culture" and folk beliefs
The national spirit is best reflected in folk beliefs. The Han Dynasty Ying Shao's "Customs and Customs" recorded a large number of myths and anecdotes, and the author's unique comments made this book an important document for studying the customs and worship of ghosts and gods before the Han Dynasty. "The tiger, the yang, the chief of a hundred beasts, can fight and defeat sharpness, and eat ghosts." In the Han Dynasty, which advocated the theory of the Five Elements of Yin and Yang, through the promotion of the rulers and the echo of the literati and scholars, the tiger became one of the "four divine beasts".
The Tang Dynasty not only had a vast territory, but also an open and powerful dynasty, and in the life of civil society, it also embodied an open and enterprising atmosphere. In the Tang Dynasty, various festivals flourished, and the ancient "entertainment gods" gradually changed to the direction of "entertaining people" in the Middle Ages. The essence of the change in ethos is the awakening of man's self-consciousness. In folk life, the composition of the tiger as a "divine beast" is decreasing, while the composition of the "beast" is rising. Tang people are romantic and curious, have the wind of roaming, have the habit of telling strange stories and strange things when feasting and playing, legendary literature flourishes, and the works of literati and scholars on tiger themes are also numerous, the stories are rich, the plot is vivid, and the personality is distinct, such as tiger women marrying people, tiger men marrying wives, tigers turning into people, and so on. The existence of the tiger often gives people a kind of courageous and fearless spiritual strength. "Fierce tigers are not afraid of the enemy, and martyrs are not vain." (Tang Li Xian uses "The Tiger Walks") The poet uses the tiger as a metaphor for the cry, advocating bravery in the face of all difficulties and obstacles, and living with dignity and integrity.
Bu Tiger · Qing Palace Old Collection
Idioms with the word "tiger" include "tiger howling dragon yin", "tiger dragon disk", "tiger leaping dragon dragon", "dragon walking tiger step", "dragon leaping tiger leap", etc., and so on. Folk artworks with tigers as the theme are dazzling, and various works on the theme of "tigers" are also wonderful. It is in this kind of folk belief that is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, generations of people believe that the tiger is a beast and a beast that suppresses evil spirits and wards off impurities, and the folk have the custom of drawing tigers on the door, wearing tiger head shoes, wearing tiger head hats, tiger belly pockets, etc. The Fifth Dragon Boat Festival at the beginning of the fifth month of the lunar calendar also prevails to make toys for children to ward off evil spirits and ensure peace - cloth tigers, or use male yellow to light tiger king xiong yellow wine on children's foreheads, hoping that they are healthy, strong and brave.
Early twentieth century · Wooden board New Year painting God of Wealth rides on the tiger
The mighty primitive divine tiger, the protector god beast in the Taoist temple, the indomitable tiger soldier in the military, the vigorous tiger culture elements of the people... For thousands of years, the image of the tiger has been deeply integrated into the folk beliefs of Chinese. Its righteousness can drive away all evil thoughts and evils, and drive away all kinds of disasters in the family. The image of the tiger's bravery, freedom, vigorous atmosphere and majestic style nourishes the national spiritual character of the Chinese from many aspects, and gradually forms a tiger culture, radiates a heroic spirit, and transforms it into a huge energy of Chinese self-improvement.
Author: Zhong Fulan, President of Shanghai Folk Culture Society, Professor of Folklore of East China Normal University
Editor: Chen Shaoxu
Editor-in-Charge: Junyi Li
*Wenhui exclusive manuscript, please indicate the source when reprinting.