In the street, a cow came and people said that this cow is very strong. The horse is coming, people say, this horse is really tall. When the sheep comes, people say that this sheep is very fat. Finally, the mouse swaggered over. When people saw a big mouse suddenly coming out of the street, they all chased it and shouted: What a big mouse! What a big mouse! In this way, cattle, horses and sheep have nothing to say, and mice rank first.
In addition, there are similar stories about the ranking of the twelve genera among the people.
There is an interesting story about the arrangement of the zodiac:
At the beginning of chaos, just after heavenly stems and earthly branches timed it, the Jade Emperor ordered all the animals in the world to be summoned, and the twelve zodiac signs were selected according to the twelve branches of Zi, Ugly, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu and Hai.
After the news came out, it alarmed the two good friends, Flower Cat and Mouse. The cat said to the mouse, I'm going to heaven at five o'clock tomorrow. I have a problem with sleepiness. You should call me! The mouse repeatedly said, OK, OK!
But the next morning, the faithless mouse got up secretly and left without saying goodbye.
On this day, the beasts in Lingxiao Hall in Yunnan began to be selected. According to the difference between heaven and earth, the Jade Emperor selected twelve kinds of land and water animals, including dragons, tigers, cows, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs, pigs, rabbits, snakes and mice, as the zodiac. The rooster had two beautiful horns at that time and was also included in the list of wild animals.
The Jade Emperor was about to arrange their seats when the black raccoon pig flashed out. Although it is clumsy and clumsy, it only likes to make trouble. It said: Since the Jade Emperor has chosen a leader, I am willing to share your worries, be a just person and arrange my brothers in turn. The Jade Emperor was overjoyed. He told the pig to be impartial and break off relations, so he retired from North Korea.
As soon as the Jade Emperor left, the zodiac became a pot of porridge.
At the beginning, everyone unanimously elected a gentle and generous ox as the first place. Even the powerful tiger and black dragon respected it and agreed. However, the mouse in the corner appeared and proposed * * *. It said: in terms of quantity, I am very big. If you don't believe me, let's have a game on earth and listen to people's comments. So, the cow and the mouse came to the street in the city center.
When the cow passed through the crowd, people didn't respond. At this time, the mouse suddenly climbed onto the cow's back and made a stake. People in the street shouted: What a big mouse! When people took out sticks to fight, the mouse had run away.
When the mouse came back to brag, all the animals fell in love with the cow. Only the black pig is secretly happy. It feels that only in this way, regardless of size, it is difficult to distinguish between good and bad, so it may be fake, and it also benefits from it. So, with a stroke of a pen, it picked the mouse first and put the old cow behind.
This annoyed the tiger and the black dragon. They shouted loudly and made all the animals tremble. All the animals are busy worshipping the dragon and tiger, unanimously recommending the tiger as the king of mountains and the black dragon as the king of fish, ruling the world. The monkey wrote a gold plaque for the tiger and hung it on the tiger's forehead. The rooster gave the black dragon two horns. Since then, the black dragon has been crowned. Tigers and black dragons have power in the world, so they are second only to rats and cows. At this moment, another disruptive hare jumped out and said with a sneer, Hey, Hey! My appearance is almost like a mouse, but my height is bigger than that of a mouse. I am the guardian of the mountain king, and I should be in front of the sea king.
When the black dragon heard these words, he was very angry. He said, don't force it. If you don't believe me, let's have a try. When the black pig heard his inner wish, he quickly said, It's a deal. Let's race and let the hounds be your judges ... ";
The Origin Story of the Zodiac There is a myth about the origin of the Zodiac:
It is said that the Jade Emperor wanted to select 65,438+02 kinds of animals as representatives, and then he sent immortals to tell the animals about it, and set a time to come to the Heavenly Palace to elect the year of Mao in Maori, and more and more people came earlier, but later people could not. At that time, cats and mice were still good friends. The cat likes sleeping, but he also wants to be chosen, so he asks the mouse to call him. But the mouse forgot as soon as it turned its head. The mouse went to the old cow and said that he got up early and ran fast, and asked the cow to take him. The old cow agreed
At that time, dragons had no horns, while chickens had horns. The dragon told the chicken that it was beautiful and didn't need horns, so he asked the chicken to lend it to him. When the chicken heard the flattery of the dragon, it was very happy, so it lent its horn to the dragon and told him to pay back the money on time after the election. Long readily agreed.
In the year of Mao Mao, Uzuki, when the cat was still sleeping, many animals rushed to the Heavenly Palace.
The mouse sits on the back of the cow. After reaching heaven, the mouse jumped up. The jade emperor said that the mice arrived first, making them the first. Old steak is second; The tiger also arrived late, ranking third; The rabbit also arrived, ranking fourth; The dragon came late, but he was very big. The Jade Emperor saw him at a glance and saw that he was so beautiful, so he ranked fifth and said that his son ranked sixth, but Long was disappointed because his son didn't come today. At this time, the snake behind came running and said, "He * * * dad, I'm in sixth place! I am ranked sixth! " Snakes rank sixth; Horses and sheep have arrived, too. They asked me to ask you: Brother Ma comes first, Brother Yang comes first, and they push them around. Seeing that they were so polite, the Jade Emperor put them in seventh and eighth place. The monkey was originally in his thirties, but he jumped ahead with the clouds in the sky because he could jump, ranking ninth; Then chickens, dogs and pigs were also selected.
The cat didn't wake up until after the game, and the mouse was chased all over the world as soon as he got home. ...
After the game, the dragon came to the seaside and saw that he had horns, which was much more beautiful than before, so he didn't want to return the chicken. In order to avoid the chicken, he disappeared from the world. The chicken was very angry, so he got up early every morning and shouted at the sea: Give it back to me quickly! Give it back! The hen shouted, Give him back quickly! Give him back to me! The chicken also crows: Come back! And!
As for the origin of the zodiac, the historical record is that China has been using the "Chronology of Branches and Branches" which combines the ten heavenly stems with the twelve earthly branches since the reign of Emperor Shun. The method of animal chronology originated from nomadic minorities in the west and north of ancient China. The Book of the Tang Dynasty says: "The Year of the Tiger is marked by twelve events. If the year is in yin, it is called the year of the tiger. " Zhao Yi, a famous textual research scholar in the Qing Dynasty, made a textual research in Yu Yu Congkao: "In the early days, the custom of benefiting the people in northern China didn't have twelve words, but when rats, cows, tigers and rabbits were divided into years, in the Han Dynasty, they called Xie Han (Khan) money to live in Wuyuan, mixed with Qi people, and it spread in China, so it didn't waste their ears.
The zodiac was first seen in The Book of Songs, the first poetry collection in the world. The Book of Songs? Xiaoya? Car attack "said:" Today is auspicious day and noon, so I am short of horses. "See also the Book of Rites? Monthly orders? Ji Dong: "Digging cows to send cold. "When did the zodiac theory come into being? There is a historical cloud: it should be formed in the Han Dynasty at the latest. Is it based on Wang Chong's Lun Heng? The article "Things Potential" says: "Yin, wood, birds and tigers. Hey, the soil is also, and its birds and dogs are also. " Another cloud said, "Good afternoon, Ma Ye. Son, mouse also. Unitary, chicken also. ..... The applicant is Qitian Ye. "A total of 1 1 zodiac names were proposed. In addition, in the Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu Yue written by Zhao Ye in the Eastern Han Dynasty, "Wu Zaichen is a dragon. "Just added" Chen Long ",and completed the zodiac. It can be seen that the zodiac was formed in the Eastern Han Dynasty. As for the use of the Chinese zodiac, it appeared at least in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The Biography of Northern History Yuwen Hu records a letter written to him by Yuwen Hu's mother, which reads: "Your brother was born in Wuchuan Town, the eldest is a mouse, the second is a rabbit, and you are a snake. "It can be seen that at that time, the Chinese zodiac in China was widely used by the people to record people's birth years.
However, in the mid-1970s, that is, from 1975 to 12, thousands of bamboo slips were found in the unearthed cultural relics of Qin TombNo.1kloc-0/in Yunmeng Shuihudi, Hubei Province. Among them, sunrise? The thief clearly recorded the words used to predict the thief's appearance characteristics in the zodiac. The appearance of this miracle proves the use of the zodiac in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Because the Qin TombNo. 1 1 was in the 30th year of the first emperor, that is, 2 17 BC. Some people say that our ancestors used the zodiac to record the year long before Qin Shihuang proclaimed himself emperor, and especially pointed out that "it began in summer and spread in Shang and Zhou Dynasties." However, how to quote it remains to be learned by historians and cultural relics scholars.
What is the origin and significance of the zodiac? The Origin and Legend of the Zodiac
In China, everyone has his own animal sign, you are a tiger, he is a rabbit, I am a dragon and so on. To know a person's age geometry, just ask his animal sign. It is said that when former Japanese Prime Minister tanaka kakuei visited China for the first time, he gave Zhou Enlai, then Prime Minister of the State Council, a riddle: China has only 12, but everyone has one, which is rare in foreign countries. What is the answer? Premier Zhou couldn't help laughing after listening, and blurted out: Zodiac. This anecdote became a beautiful talk to show Premier Zhou's agile thinking and was widely circulated.
Whenever the Spring Festival comes, people like to say that this year is the Year of the Loong because of the traditional habits of the Chinese nation. Next year is year of the snake, and the year after next is the Year of the Horse. Tracing back to its historical origin and cultural background, naturally leads to the following topics.
Ancient Records of the Zodiac
Since the reign of Emperor Shun, China has started to use the "Chronology of Branches and Branches", which combines ten symbols of heavenly stems and twelve symbols of earthly branches. The method of animal chronology originated from nomadic minorities in the west and north of ancient China. The Book of the Tang Dynasty says: "The Year of the Tiger is marked by twelve events. If the year is in yin, it is called the year of the tiger. " Zhao Yi, a famous textual research scholar in the Qing Dynasty, made a textual research in Yu Yu Congkao: "In the early days, the custom of benefiting the people in northern China didn't have twelve words, but when rats, cows, tigers and rabbits were divided into years, in the Han Dynasty, they called Xie Han (Khan) money to live in Wuyuan, mixed with Qi people, and it spread in China, so it didn't waste their ears.
The zodiac was first seen in The Book of Songs, the first poetry collection in the world. The Book of Songs? Xiaoya? Car attack "said:" Today is auspicious day and noon, so I am short of horses. "See also the Book of Rites? Monthly orders? Ji Dong: "Digging cows to send cold. "When did the zodiac theory come into being? There is a historical cloud: it should be formed in the Han Dynasty at the latest. Is it based on Wang Chong's Lun Heng? The article "Things Potential" says: "Yin, wood, birds and tigers. Hey, the soil is also, and its birds and dogs are also. " Another cloud said, "Good afternoon, Ma Ye. Son, mouse also. Unitary, chicken also. ..... The applicant is Qitian Ye. "A total of 1 1 zodiac names were proposed. In addition, in the Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu Yue written by Zhao Ye in the Eastern Han Dynasty, "Wu Zaichen is a dragon. "Just added" Chen Long ",and completed the zodiac. It can be seen that the zodiac was formed in the Eastern Han Dynasty. As for the use of the Chinese zodiac, it appeared at least in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The Biography of Northern History Yuwen Hu records a letter written to him by Yuwen Hu's mother, which reads: "Your brother was born in Wuchuan Town, the eldest is a mouse, the second is a rabbit, and you are a snake. "It can be seen that at that time, the Chinese zodiac in China was widely used by the people to record people's birth years.
However, in the mid-1970s, that is, from 1975 to 12, thousands of bamboo slips were found in the unearthed cultural relics of Qin TombNo.1kloc-0/in Yunmeng Shuihudi, Hubei Province. Among them, sunrise? The thief clearly recorded the words used to predict the thief's appearance characteristics in the zodiac. The appearance of this miracle proves the use of the zodiac in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Because the Qin TombNo. 1 1 was in the 30th year of the first emperor, that is, 2 17 BC. Some people say that our ancestors used the zodiac to record the year long before Qin Shihuang proclaimed himself emperor, and especially pointed out that "it began in summer and spread in Shang and Zhou Dynasties." However, how to quote it remains to be further explored by historians and cultural relics scholars.
In ancient China, in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, not only the chronology of the zodiac was used, but also the twelve zodiac poems written by Shen Jiong appeared:
In the case of mice and dust, cattle and sheep come at dusk.
The tiger roared in the empty valley and the rabbit opened the window.
The dragon shadow is far green, and the snake willow is near.
Bones are picked far away, and sheep are planted in spring.
The monkey chestnut shames the fragrant fruit, and the chicken anvil sucks the bosom.
The dog is outside, and the window of the pig is leisurely.
This poem embeds the names of the 12 zodiac animals in the first word in sequence, and highlights the natural characteristics of each animal, which plays the role of finishing touch.
The poems of the zodiac written by Hu Yan, a great scholar in Ming Dynasty, are not only embedded in the names of the zodiac in turn, but also each name has a code name, which is quite interesting. Poetry cloud:
For many years, it was difficult for cows and girls to meet.
It's a long day to get a rabbit in the middle of the month.
Dragons with beads often don't sleep, so drawing snakes is very tiring.
Has the old horse ever had horns? The sheep touched the princes angrily.
Don't laugh at the Chu people's crown bathing monkeys, and wish the chickens an empty nest.
Wuyang slaughtered dogs in Langzhong, and Ping Jin released Gou Haidong's head.
The first sentence "zokor" is water rat. The "cowgirl" in the second sentence is the legend of the folk cowherd and weaver girl. The five sentences "jackals" are a kind of dragons, and there is a treasure under the chin, so they are called jackals. In the eight sentences, "licking the sheep" is a ram, and "touching the fan" means that the horn touches the fence. Eleven sentences ";
The Origin of the Zodiac How did the legend of the China Zodiac come from? The origin of the zodiac: The zodiac is also called the zodiac. In China's calendar, animals are on duty in turn for twelve years, so our China Year has been applied to the calendars of rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs. So how did the zodiac come from?
The Chinese zodiac began in the 6th century BC, and it was originally used with earthly numerals, and later became the number of years in a year.
In fact, there has always been a folk story about this N: In those days, the Buddha called all animals to a gathering of animals, and the first twelve animals would be regarded as twelve-year numbers. On the day of the herding party, the mouse arrived first, so it has the largest aging order in the animal year, followed by cattle, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens and dogs. The pig was the last to arrive, so it was the last of the twelve animals.
Another chapter of this story tells why cats and mice become enemies. At that time, cats and mice were good friends. Before going to the National People's Congress, they slept together and agreed who would wake up first.
I'm afraid that mice will get up early the next day, and even go to the meeting silently, ignoring the cat. When the cat woke up and rushed to the convention, the Buddha had allocated the number for twelve years. From this time on, the cat and the mouse formed a deep hatred. Since the time of Emperor Shun, the "chronology of the trunk and branch" has been applied. The method of animal chronology originated from nomadic minorities in the west and north of ancient China. The Book of the Tang Dynasty says: "The Year of the Tiger is marked by twelve events. If the year is in yin, it is called the year of the tiger. " Zhao Yi, a famous textual research scholar in Qing Dynasty, took part in the Yu Yu Congkao. According to a cloud: "At the beginning of the emperor's custom, there was no saying that the ugly son was twelve years old, but in the Han Dynasty, rats, cows, tigers and rabbits were called (Khan), which lived together with Qi people and spread in China, so it was not abolished.
Legends and stories about the origin of the zodiac for a long time, the sky was pure blue, the green hills were green, the rivers flowed day and night, and human beings continued to thrive. ...
One morning, the Jade Emperor sat in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, and called the civil and military immortals early in the morning. Before the ceremony was over, he saw Taibai Venus hurrying to the prelude stage: Long live, I came down to inspect, and the world is peaceful and prosperous. However, if there is no time control, human beings can't distinguish between seasonal cycles and young people. One day in the sky and one year underground, in the long run, there are many complaints on the earth and the world is unstable. To this end, the old minister thought it was time to educate the paradise on earth; Set a time for the mortal world and give mankind a place to belong.
Hearing this, the Jade Emperor was shocked: Well, that makes sense, but does Ai Qing have any ideas on how to remember the time and year of the earth and how to belong to human beings? Taibai Venus came forward and said: I think we should recruit twelve kinds of animals from the mortal world to heaven, and regard them as genera and earthly branches, and record the time and year with the existing ten-day trunk; Then give the Chinese zodiac as the zodiac sign to human beings. Isn't this killing two birds with one stone?
The voice of Taibai Venus just fell, and the gods in front of the temple nodded in praise. The Jade Emperor was overjoyed. He called a personal attendant and sent a message: I will make you an "official of the zodiac" and immediately come down to earth with a message, strictly select and review all animals in the world, and choose 12 animals as the zodiac. Anyone who reports to heaven first will be named "King of Zodiac".
Being an official, I dare not neglect, and hurriedly drove the colorful clouds to the world.
Our story begins here-
On this day, the greedy cat came to the river to fish. After a while, he began to yawn and kept stretching his arms and twisting his waist. The greedy cat put the fishing rod underground and dozed off by the river. The greedy cat's tail accidentally fell into the water, but I didn't expect a big fish to think it was some delicious food and kept biting its tail.
The greedy cat jumped up in pain, sighed and picked up the fish. When it found that a big fish was biting its tail, it was really ecstatic.
The greedy cat was carrying a fish basket and fishing rod, humming a tune, and was complacent about today's unexpected harvest.
At this time, a little magpie flew over the greedy cat's head and shouted: Be an animal sign and become a fairy! Become an animal sign, become a fairy. ...
The greedy cat waved to the little magpie and asked, what is that animal sign? Can you become a fairy by being an animal sign?
The little magpie replied: The Jade Emperor wants to gather all the animals in the world and choose twelve kinds of animals as the genus of human beings. All the animals chosen as animals are named immortals. ...
Hearing this, the greedy cat's eyes suddenly glowed green, and he quickly asked, Where should I go? Little Magpie A: Go to Temple Street to register!
The greedy cat heard this and ran home without saying thank you.
In the yard, the greedy cat's servant mouse is chopping wood with an axe.
The greedy cat shouted, "Mouse! "Mouse! Go to Miaojie to help me sign up. I want to be an animal sign and a fairy!
The mouse picked up another piece of wood and said timidly, "let's go after I cut the wood." “
The greedy cat aimed at the mouse and kicked it, no! We have to go now. Let's go He kicked the mouse out of the yard.
The mouse absently ran to Temple Street and looked around, not knowing where to register. Temple street, which is usually deserted, has become very lively because of the selection of the genus. Orders for summoning animals are posted everywhere in the streets and lanes, and all kinds of birds and girls are flying in the blue sky. ...
At this time, the mouse saw the monkey coming from a distance. This monkey is in the spring breeze because he has registered and whistled. The mouse quickly stepped forward and bowed: Brother Monkey, where should I apply for a zodiac sign?
How come? Do you want to sign up for the zodiac, too? Don't go! Don't go! The team that signed up can't see the end, and it's already not your turn! The monkeys cajoled each other.
The mouse stamped its foot anxiously: But … But I … I must go!
Are you really going? ! The monkey scratched his forehead and went to Xiande Temple. With that, he skipped away.
The mouse keeps talking ... "";
The Origin of the Zodiac How did the legend of the China Zodiac come from?
Zodiac Wu Tai
The ancients divided the stars near the ecliptic and equator into "28 stars". Twenty-eight nights also represent an animal In ancient times, Sunday was divided into twelve parts, represented by twelve branches, which belonged to the zodiac, and there was a corresponding relationship between the zodiac and twenty-eight stars. [5] Wang Hao, a great scholar in the Ming Dynasty, believed that 28 species of animals belonged to 28 stars, and they were "unified by seven nights" and became the pattern of "mother bats, imaginary rats, dangerous moon swallows and sons". [5] In Li Changqing's "View of Yu Yan in Song and Xia Dynasties" in Qing Dynasty, he thought that twenty-eight lodging animals "doubled the first twelve genera" and "attached Kang Jinlong, Chen Guan and Jiao Mujiao. In the suburbs, dragons are also ",which reflects the 28 kinds of starry animals gathered on the basis of the zodiac." [5] However, there will inevitably be side meetings, and the animals in the 28th and 28th stars will be recorded later than the zodiac.
Casual theory
Fang xiongchu of the zodiac
Jupiter runs once a week for twelve years, and the annual branching order can be determined from Jupiter's position. Fang Shan Ji Shu thinks that every 12 years, "three years old, three years old, three years old, three years old, three years old, three years old, three years old, three years old", and also says that "the world is six years old and one year old, six years old and one hungry". [4] There is a cycle between the rise and fall of plants and the living environment of animals. The living conditions of herbivores (rats, cows, horses and sheep) and carnivorous omnivores are quite different in different years. If people born in different years can imitate the animals that grew vigorously that year, they will form the zodiac, and it is speculated that the rise and fall of animals are related to the year of Jupiter, and the zodiac and the twelve days are unified. [6]
Totem theory
Zodiac ceramics
The ancestors of primitive society often used some animals, inanimate objects or natural phenomena as the protector and symbol of their clan, that is, totems. The mixed image of man and beast in Shan Hai Jing is a totem god in ancient times. [7] The totem of Xia nationality is bear or fish, the totem of Shang nationality is dark bird, and the totem of Zhou nationality is dragon, bird, turtle, dog and tiger. [8] Except for the dragon, all the zodiac animals are illusory, and the rest are daily visible. They can be divided into two categories, namely "six animals" (horses, cows, sheep, chickens, dogs and pigs) and "six animals" (rats, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes and monkeys). The former was domesticated by people for economic purposes, while the latter disturbed human life to a certain extent, and ancestors were afraid of it. [9] Therefore, these animals are worshipped as the name symbols of this clan.
Ethnologist Liu Yaohan inferred the origin of the twelve animal calendars from the totem relics of the Yi people. The zodiac calendar of Yi people in western Guangxi and the fact that Mao people use the zodiac to mark the year are "actually the legacy of primitive people's thinking". Up to now, the Yi people still use the zodiac to mark the date and use it as the name of the market (such as Tiger Street and Rabbit Street). [10] Historical records? The Chronicle of the Five Emperors describes that the Yellow Emperor "taught Xiong to brave the tiger to fight the wild Emperor Yan of Hanquan", which is the totem of various tribes and is by no means really capable of lowering the dragon to lure the tiger. The zodiac originated from totem worship in primitive society and became a convincing theory.
Singularity theory
White marble sculpture of the zodiac
In "Examination of Jade Cong" written by Zhao Yi in Qing Dynasty, "Ugly children are ugly, and it doesn't matter at the beginning of northern customs. They were spread in China by immersion and search according to their age, and they didn't waste their ears", which confirmed the exoticism of the zodiac.
In Shi Ganzhi, Guo Moruo thinks that the Chinese zodiac originated from the Chinese zodiac in Babylon, and western countries imitated the Chinese zodiac in the Han Dynasty. [1 1] Ancient Greece, ancient Egypt, Babylon and other countries also had similar zodiac signs, but the animals were different, so China's zodiac signs may not be the first. However, the excavation of Qin bamboo slips overturns this theory, and all countries in the world have similar animal worship, which further strengthens the rationality of totem theory. [ 12]
The myth and legend of the origin of the zodiac, short story content, the zodiac is also called the zodiac. In China's calendar, there are twelve kinds of animals on duty in turn, so in our China year, are rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs used in the calendar?
The zodiac began in the sixth century BC, and the number of earthly branches was first used, and later it became the year number of the year.
In fact, there has always been a story among the people: in those days, the Buddha called all animals to attend the meeting of all animals, and the twelve animals that arrived first would be regarded as the twelfth year number.
On the day of the herding party, the mouse arrived first, so it ranked the largest in the Year of Animals, followed by cattle, tigers, rabbits, dragons and snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens and dogs. The pig arrived last, so it ranked last among the twelve animals.
Another chapter of this story tells why cats and mice become enemies. At that time, cats and mice were good friends. Before going to the mass meeting, they slept together and made an appointment to wake up first.
I was afraid that the mouse would get up early the next day, so I went to the meeting quietly and ignored the cat. When the cat woke up and rushed to the convention, the Buddha had designated the number of twelve years. Since then, the cat and the mouse have formed a deep hatred.
Of course, legend belongs to legend, and the view of folklore scholar Guo Licheng can be proved by historical records. In order to remember his famous age easily, people called heavenly stems and earthly branches an animal on his twelfth birthday.