Five grains include millet, beans, hemp, wheat, and rice.
The five types of grains referred to in ancient times. "Five grains" have many different meanings in ancient times, the most important of which are two: one refers to rice, millet, millet, wheat, and bean sprouts; the other refers to hemp, millet, millet, millet, wheat, and bean sprouts. The difference between the two is: the former has rice but no hemp, and the latter has hemp but no rice. The ancient economic and cultural center was in the Yellow River Basin, and the main producing area of ??rice was in the south. However, rice cultivation was limited in the north, so initially there was no rice among the "five grains".
"Grain" originally refers to grains with shells; things like rice, Ji (jìji, i.e. millet), broomcorn millet (also known as yellow rice), etc. have a shell on the outside, so they are called grains. The sound of the word Gu comes from the sound of shell. Five grains were originally the five types of cereals known in ancient China, and later generally referred to food crops.
The six kinds of livestock refer to six kinds of domestic animals: horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs, and chickens.
"Three Character Classic": "Horses, cattle and sheep, chickens, dogs and hogs. These six animals are fed by people."
Six Animals Miscellaneous Talk
Our ancestors lived in ancient times During the period, according to their own needs in life and their understanding of the animal world, they successively selected horses, cattle, sheep, chickens, dogs and pigs for breeding and domestication. After a long period of time, they gradually became domestic animals. In the "Three Character Classic·Exegesis", There are insightful comments on "these six animals are fed by people", "oxen can plow fields, horses can carry heavy loads, sheep can prepare sacrificial utensils", "roosters can announce the dawn, dogs can guard the night and prevent dangers, and pigs can feast "Bin", and "chickens, sheep and pigs, the evil creatures of animals are born to prepare food". Each of the six animals has its own strengths, and in the distant agricultural society, they provided basic guarantees for people's lives.
The ancients ranked horses, cattle and sheep as the top three animals among the six animals. Horses and cattle only eat grass, but they are responsible for heavy physical labor. They are indispensable helpers in people's production work, and they should be respected. ; The docile sheep symbolized good fortune in ancient times. When people sacrificed their ancestors, sheep were the first sacrifice. Of course, they would be worshiped by men, women, old and young. Sheep were even more "favored by kneeling at their breasts" and were respected as top products. , is a matter of course. As for why chickens, dogs, and pigs were reduced to lower-class status, it can only be a matter of opinion. Pigs are often associated with laziness and stupidity. Apart from eating and sleeping, they have nothing to do all day. Their lives are ultimately sacrificed to be slaughtered at will. It is not surprising that pigs have a low status since they are used as "cooks"; in the family economy of the agricultural era, chickens only played a role of filling in the gaps. Although roosters can tell the morning dawn, their importance is the same as that of cattle and horses. It is difficult to compete with others; dogs have given people a bad impression for a long time. Among the idioms we are familiar with, such as wolf-hearted and dog-lunged, dog jumps over the wall, dog relies on human power... almost all are derogatory words. Dogs are loyal to their duties, which is their advantage. But among the six animals, it is the one that often causes trouble for people. There is an old saying, "Don't scold the dog before you respect the guests." This shows how low the status of dogs was at that time.
However, we should also note that among the six animals, only dogs have eating habits similar to those of humans, and their IQ is also the highest. In addition, it has a sensitive sense of smell and hearing. With the long-term training and education of its owner, Next, he is now proficient in all kinds of martial arts. The dog is considerate and can even act in every situation, which can relieve the owner's sorrow and add joy. Things are different now. Dogs have long been promoted from animals to pets, and they have legitimately entered the house and can sit on an equal footing with their owners. It can be said that dogs have finally achieved positive results after undergoing the six paths of reincarnation, and the other five animals have long been beyond their reach.
Nevertheless, the six animals have made great contributions to all of us by drawing on their strong points and making up for their weak points. They are all selected into the human zodiac. The other six are rat, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake and monkey. , some of the latter are illusory, some are elites in the animal world, even formidable, some are at peace with others, and some are harmful to everyone. To evaluate it realistically, the six animals are still the best. They have lived in peace with people for generations and have become good companions for people's production and life.
There are thousands of types of animals, but the six domestic animals have the closest relationship with humans. Their varieties are optimized, and some are specialized in multiple functions. These are all masterpieces of human beings; human social progress is far from the The selfless dedication of Fukai Liuwu complements each other, and they are all striving to reach a newer and higher realm.