China Phoenix, also known as Zhu Bird, Dan Bird, Firebird, etc. Also known as the immortal bird, flamingo, immortal bird, flamingo. It is a legendary bird, one of the four spirits, and the king of birds. Phoenix, like Kirin, is a general term for male and female. The male is a phoenix and the female is a phoenix, which is always called a phoenix. Phoenix Qi Fei is a symbol of good luck and harmony. The image of a dragon is becoming more and more complex, with a red head, a hip, a snake neck, a fish tail, a dragon pattern, a turtle body, a swallow chin and a chicken mouth. Phoenix has been an important part of China culture since ancient times.
The shape of the phoenix
According to Guo Pu's note in Er Ya Shi Bird, the Phoenix is characterized by "the fishtail with the head of a dog's head and the jaw of a tortoiseshell is five colors, and it is six feet high". "Out of the country of the oriental gentleman, flying over the four seas, crossing the Kunlun Mountains, drinking the mainstay, breaking feathers and weak water, seeing Mosufeng Cave, the world is at peace. There are five kinds of pictographs in Shan Hai Jing Tu Zan: "The first word is virtuous, the wing is smooth, the back is righteous, the abdomen is pleasing, and it is like Ren Yue. " 」
Ming Feng
According to the existing literature, Feng Ming is like a flute and his voice is like a bell and drum. Phoenix men call it Man, Fung Wong-Nui calls it Man, and men and women call it Tang Qiang.
Overview of the Origin of Phoenix
The origin of Phoenix is about the Neolithic Age. Many bird patterns on painted pottery in primitive society are the embryonic form of phoenix. Hemudu culture in Yuyao, Zhejiang Province was unearthed about 6700 years ago, and there are two carved images of bird patterns on ivory bones. These bird patterns should be the earliest records of ancient phoenixes.
According to myths and legends, the phoenix evolved from the bird totem of the Yin people in the East.
Shan Hai Jing and Xi Jing mentioned a colorful bird with three names, namely Imperial Bird, Phoenix Bird and Phoenix Bird.
Shan Hai Jing Nan Ci San Jing records a kind of bird, which is shaped like a chicken and has colorful patterns. It is called Phoenix, which means that the image of Phoenix is beautiful from the beginning.
"Book of Songs, Elegant Style, Volume I": "Indus does not live, and bamboo does not eat."
"Dai Li Yi Yisheng Core Monument": "The feather worm is 360, and the phoenix is long."
Shi Mao Lu Shu Eta Ursae Majoris: "The dragon rides the clouds, the phoenix rides the wind ... the birds swallow their clothes."
beauty contest
If we want to talk about the origin of the phoenix, we can't do without the dragon. Judging from the unearthed animal fossils, no fossil specimens of dragons and phoenixes have ever been found. So, how did the dragon and phoenix come from? According to legend, Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan unified three tribes and seventy-two small tribes, and established the world's first country with a * * * Lord. The Yellow Emperor intends to formulate a unified totem (similar to the current national flag or a national symbol). On the basis of totems used by various tribes, a new totem-dragon was created.
So how did the Phoenix come from? After the dragon totem is formed, there are still some tribal totems that are useless. What shall we do? Lei Zu, the first wife of the Yellow Emperor, is an extremely clever woman. She invented sericulture, made clothes for the Yellow Emperor and invented many things. Inspired by the new totem formulated by the Yellow Emperor, Lei Zu carefully studied the remaining totems of various tribes, and imitated the dragon totem method formulated by the Yellow Emperor: peacock head, swan body, golden chicken wings, Jinshan chicken feathers and golden finch color, forming a beautiful and gorgeous big bird. Lei Zu called the other three wives of the Yellow Emperor to ask for their advice. Fang is a calculating woman, and her words reminded Lei Zu. At that time, Tongyu and Mo Mu also cheered in chorus, saying that Lei Fang's words made sense. Together, the four sisters put the rest of the useless little totem on the' dragon' totem and soon formed another gorgeous big bird. It's just a pair of big birds made up of mothers. However, what are their names? This stumped the four wives of the Yellow Emperor. Finally, they invited Cang Xie, the wily wind queen and lyricist. Ask them to give these two big birds a name. After watching the wind, he laughed and said, "The Yellow Emperor built a dragon, which is unique to all kinds of birds and animals in the world. The four of you made two big birds, which you can't find among birds flying in the air. This has become the most precious mascot in the world. " Cang Xie was absorbed and observed the two birds carefully without saying a word. It was not until Lei Zu asked him that Cang Xie blurted out the names that had come to his mind long ago: I think they should be called' Phoenix' and' Phoenix'. Phoenix represents men, phoenixes and women, which are collectively called phoenixes. "
"good! I agree. Let's call it Phoenix.
It turned out that no one noticed that the Yellow Emperor had already stood behind them, listening to their various comments. Now the Yellow Emperor agreed to call it Phoenix, so he asked the Yellow Emperor to make the final decision. The Yellow Emperor pondered for a long time and said, "Without them, no one can find the dragons and phoenixes in the world. This is its nobility. In my opinion, Hou Feng is right: no one will forge these two totems, which will set a standard for future generations. I agree that' Dragon and Phoenix' was officially decided as a new totem after the new tribal unity alliance. " This is the origin of "Phoenix".
For 5,000 years, the Chinese nation has accepted the myth that dragons and phoenixes become auspicious, which has become the great symbol of the Chinese nation and the spiritual pillar of everyone in China. The broad masses of people also regard the dragon and phoenix as mascots. So people in China take dragons and phoenixes everywhere they go. As long as there are dragons and phoenixes all over the world, there are people in China.
Chu culture totem
Chu people's respect for the phoenix stems from their primitive belief that their distant ancestors worshipped the sun and respected the phoenix. It has a history of more than 7000 years. Zhu Rong, the ancestor of Chu people, was Vulcan and Thor. White Tiger Tong in the Han Dynasty said that Zhu Rong was "a bird and he was a phoenix." "Birds in the Yajiang River" Note: "Phoenix is also". It can be seen that Zhu Rong is also the embodiment of Phoenix. There are a large number of patterns of heads, snakes and birds in Chu cultural relics, which shows that the ancestors of Chu experienced bird worship in the image of human heart, thus opening the cultural origin of "dragon and phoenix become auspicious" in China legendary culture. Judging from the prominent characteristics of totem worship in the clan system, Feng is the ancestor of Chu people, and it is inevitable that he will be worshipped and respected by Chu people as a totem of his clan.
Phoenix is not only a divine bird, but also a symbol of Chu nationality and dignity. The influence of Chu people's worship of phoenix has penetrated into all fields. For example, among the cultural relics of Chu State, there are countless images of phoenix, Xiu Xiang and statues, and the embroidery patterns on Chu people's clothes also take phoenix as the main content. In addition, there are "phoenix-bird series", "tiger stands phoenix drum" and "phoenix, dragon and tiger embroidered Luo Zen clothes". The phoenix-patterned paintings in Chu are varied and strange.
The symbol of phoenix
Phoenix is an auspicious bird in people's minds and a symbol of world peace. The ancients believed that when there was peace and prosperity, there was a phoenix flying. Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Fengqi and Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Fengfeng are the same, which means that the wind and spiritual power are everywhere; Burning is the word of the emperor, which means supreme and great.
Phoenix is also a symbol of China's imperial power and is often used with dragons. The wind belongs to the dragon and is used for the queen's concubines. Dragon and phoenix are the totems with the most China characteristics. There are a lot of similar shapes in folk art, and phoenix also represents yin. Although phoenix is divided into male and female, it is more generally considered as feminine. "Phoenix" and "Phoenix" are common in women's names.
Phoenix is considered to be the noblest bird and the king of birds (although she is fictional), and there is a saying that "a hundred birds fly at the phoenix".
According to the theory of yin-yang and five elements, the phoenix is red and the five elements belong to fire, which is the image of the southern seven-night Zhu bird. It is also one of the four gods (Li Yun, Dragon, Phoenix, Kirin and Turtle) that China people call.
Phoenix huayun
In ancient times, the phoenix was a symbol of dignity, loftiness and virtue, which contained beautiful but different secular significance. Out of yearning for and pursuit of beautiful things, people named some mountains and cities "Phoenix".
According to relevant information, there are 42 mountains called Phoenix Mountain in Chinese mainland today. The origin of their names, or because they look like big birds taking off and crouching; Or named after ancient myths and folklore. This kind of name repetition is rare, which can be described as "Kyushu has many phoenixes". These Phoenix Mountains are distributed in nearly 20 provinces and all over the country:
Chaoyang City and Fengcheng Manchu Autonomous County, Liaoning Province
Hangzhou City, Ruian County, Zhejiang Province
Hengdong County, Fenghuang County, Qiyang County and Pingjiang County, Hunan Province
Yan 'an County, Tongguan County and Ankang County, Shaanxi Province
Chaozhou City and Zengcheng City in Guangdong Province
Four counties and cities of Nandan Tiane, Hechi and Yishan in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
Sichuan Pengshui Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, Chengdu, Xiushan Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, Xichong County and Daxian County.
Qinglong Manchu Autonomous County and Tangshan County, Hebei Province
Jingshan county, Jiayu County, Daye County and Xuanhua City, Hubei Province
Songjiang county, Shanghai
Wujin County and Jiangning County, Jiangsu Province
Shaxian County, Fujian Province
Xinye County, Henan Province
Lanping Bai Pumi Autonomous County, Yunnan Province
Fengyang County, Anhui Province
Luobei County, Heilongjiang Province
Fengcheng City, xiushui county City and Yushan County, Jiangxi Province
Fenggang County, Guizhou Province
Longde County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, etc.
The prototype of phoenix
The zoological prototype of Phoenix has different opinions and is generally regarded as a mixture. According to the evidence and arguments listed in China and China scholar He Xin 1987 and the book Talking about Dragons and Wind published in 2004, it is shown that the prototype animals of dragons are large reptiles, mainly crocodiles and monitor lizards, and the prototype animals of phoenixes are large birds, mainly ostriches. Three generations ago, the climate in China was warm and humid, and both of these animals existed in Chinese mainland. Fossils of crocodile and ostrich eggshells were found in Paleolithic and Neolithic sites.