十二生肖怒髮衝冠什麼動物
Reading A
A General Introduction to Chinese Mythology
Yang Lihui, An Deming
By Chinese mythology， we mean the body of myths historically recorded and currently transmitted within the present geographic boundaries of China。 It should include not only myths transmitted by people of the Han ethnic group but also those by the other fifty-five ethnic groups living in this broad area。 Since almost every ethnic group has its own mythical gods and stories about their creative actions， there is not a systematic， integrated， and homogeneous “Chinese mythology” held and transmitted by all the Chinese people。 Even among Han people， there is not an integrated system of myths。
所謂中國神話，是指在中國目前的地理範圍內，歷史上記載和傳播的神話本體。它不僅應包括漢族人民傳播的神話，而且還應包括生活在這一廣大地區的其他55個民族的神話。由於幾乎每個民族都有自己的神話神和神話故事，所以沒有一個系統的、完整的、同質的“中國神話”被全體中國人所持有和傳播。即使在漢人當中，也沒有一個完整的神話體系。
The earliest written records of ancient myths can be traced back to about 3，000 years ago， though other forms of designs and paintings on shells， bones， and bronzes probably relating to myth appeared earlier than this。 Recently， researchers found a bronze vessel named
“
Suigongxu” （Suigong was a duke of the Sui State， now belonging to modern Shandong Province； “Xu” is an ancient bronze vessel that has a cover and two ears； it functions as a food container）， which can date back to the 9th or 8th century BC， the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty。 The inscription on the inside bottom of the vessel consists of 98 Chinese characters， praising the achievements of the mythic hero Yu。 It tells the story that heaven ordered Yu to scatter earth， so Yu went around all the mountains， cutting down the trees in the forests and deepening the seas and rivers to drain all the water on earth into the sea。 This inscription shows that the technique of recording myth in Chinese characters had become relatively mature nearly 3，000 years ago。 Additionally， it illustrates that at least as late as the middle of the Western Zhou Dynasty， the myth about Yu controlling the flood had already been spread， and it had been historicized into a legend about a great hero or a great king in the upper class of society。
關於古代神話的最早書面記錄可以追溯到大約3000年前，儘管貝殼、骨頭和青銅器上可能與神話有關的其他形式的設計和繪畫出現得比這還要早。最近，研究人員發現了一件名為“隨公序”的青銅器（隨公是隋國的一位公爵，現在屬於現代山東省；“許”是一種有蓋有耳的古銅器；
它的功能可以追溯到公元前9世紀或8世紀，西周中期。
船底內側的銘文由98個漢字組成，歌頌了神話英雄禹的成就。它講述了天命禹將土地分散，禹走遍了所有的山，砍伐森林中的樹木，加深海洋和河流，把地球上所有的水排入大海。這一銘文表明，中國文字記載神話的技術在近3000年前已經相對成熟。此外，它還說明，至少在西周中期，禹治水的神話已經傳播開來，並被歷史化為一個關於上層社會的偉大英雄或偉大國王的傳說。
But these inscriptions recorded myths very simply。 Sometimes the mythological stories they illustrate are hard to understand。 Therefore， Chinese scholars rely primarily on accounts of myths recorded in later ancient writings after the Western Zhou Dynasty to study these myths。
但這些銘文記錄的神話非常簡單。有時他們所描述的神話故事很難理解。因此，中國學者對神話的研究主要依賴於西周以後的古籍記載。
In China， there is no sacred canon recording myths， beliefs， or sacred history like
the Bible
or
the Koran
， nor were there any literati， troubadours， or shamans （sorcerer or sorceress） who collected myths from oral tradition and compiled them into a systematic and integrated mythology， like the Greek collections attributed to Homer and Hesiod。 Rather， myths in ancient China were usually spread in scattered and fragmented forms in various written material。
These sources contain information about archaeology， literature， philosophy， geography， history， witchcraft， ethnography， religion， folklore， and so on。 Many of them preserve only a few myths， but some of them hold a comparatively large number of myths and thus become treasures of ancient Chinese myths。 Among them，
Shanhaijing （The Classic of Mountains and Seas）， Chuci （The Songs of Chu）
and
Huainanzi
are thought to be the major repositories of Chinese ancient myths。
在中國，沒有神聖的佳能記錄神話，信仰，或神聖的歷史就像《聖經》或《可蘭經》，也有文人，行吟詩人，或薩滿（巫師或女巫）收集了口述傳統的神話，編譯成一個系統和整合的神話，就像希臘歸因於荷馬和赫西奧德集合。
相反，中國古代神話通常在各種書面材料中以分散和破碎的形式傳播。這些資料包括考古學、文學、哲學、地理、歷史、巫術、民族誌、宗教、民俗等方面的資訊。它們中有許多隻儲存了少數神話，但也有一些擁有相對較多的神話，從而成為中國古代神話的瑰寶。其中，《山海經》、《楚辭》和《淮南子》被認為是中國古代神話的主要寶庫。
Myths are neither static nor separate from society。 Rather， their existence and transmission are deeply influenced by their social and cultural contexts。 On the other side， those myths that have been handed down for thousands of years and contain Chinese people’s philosophy， art， beliefs， customs， and value systems also have had a great influence on Chinese society and culture。
神話既不是靜止的，也不是脫離社會的。它們的存在和傳播受到社會文化語境的深刻影響。另一方面，這些流傳了幾千年的神話，包含著中國人的哲學、藝術、信仰、習俗和價值體系，也對中國社會和文化產生了巨大的影響。
Reading C
The Chinese Dragon vs. The Western Dragon
The Chinese dragon is a far different beast from its Western counterpart。 Smaug from J。 R。 R。 Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” is perhaps the most widely known dragon from recent Western fiction， a cruel， avaricious and bloodthirsty creature whose lair under the Lonely Mountain identifies him as a creature of the earth。 Tolkien drew much of his inspiration for Smaug from the dragon in the Old English epic of “Beowulf”， penned more than a thousand years earlier， which gives some indication of the depth of the European tradition of portraying dragons as bad news。
中國的龍與西方的龍截然不同。j·r·r·托爾金（J。 R。 R。 Tolkien）的《霍位元人》（The Hobbit）中的史矛革可能是最近西方小說中最廣為人知的龍了。托爾金對史矛革的靈感很大程度上來自於1000多年前寫的古英語史詩《貝奧武夫》（Beowulf）中的巨龍，這在一定程度上表明瞭歐洲把龍描繪成壞訊息的傳統有多麼根深蒂固。
By contrast， the Chinese dragon is an auspicious creature， symbolizing strength， wisdom， good luck and power over the elements of wind and water。 As such， Chinese people proudly claim they are the descendants of the dragon， a story that is firmly rooted in national folklore and history。 For example， an anecdote in the “
Records of the Grand Historian
” （
Shiji
） traces the birth of Liu Bang， the first emperor of the Western Han Dynasty （206 BC-25 AD）： One day， his mother falls asleep at a riverside and dreams of a dragon lying on her body， only to wake up and find herself pregnant。 Traces of the anecdote survived in the belief that a dragon appearing in a pregnant mother’s dream was an auspicious sign indicating she would give birth to a future emperor。
相比之下，中國龍是一種吉祥的動物，象徵著力量、智慧、好運和風與水的力量。因此，中國人自豪地宣稱他們是龍的傳人，這個故事深深植根於民族民間傳說和歷史。例如，一個軼事的“大歷史學家記錄”（《史記》）痕跡劉邦的誕生，西漢王朝的第一個皇帝（206年BC-25廣告）：有一天，他的母親在河邊睡著了，龍的夢想躺在她的身體，只一覺醒來發現自己懷孕了。傳說中的龍出現在懷孕的母親的夢裡，是一個吉祥的跡象，預示著她將生下一個未來的皇帝。
Indeed， China’s feudal rulers did everything they could to maintain this mythic association， surrounding themselves with dragon-related ornamentation， ruling from a Dragon Throne and waging war under a dragon flag。 Pretty much everything related to the emperor would be tagged with the character “
龍”， for example， “龍袍” （imperial robes embroidered with curling dragons）， “龍椅” （the emperor’s seat）， “龍床” （the emperor’s bed） and “龍顏” （the look of an emperor）。
事實上，中國的封建統治者盡其所能保持這種神話般的聯絡，用與龍有關的裝飾圍繞著自己，從龍的寶座上統治，在龍的旗幟下發動戰爭。幾乎所有有關皇帝將標記字元“龍”，例如，“龍袍”（與冰壺龍皇袍繡花），”龍椅”（皇帝的座位），“龍床”（皇帝的床）和“龍”顏（皇帝的外觀）。
While Smaug and other European dragons have a solid， serpentine connection to the earth， Chinese dragons are indisputably rulers of the sky。 The dragon was worshiped as the God of Rain， and in times of drought or flooding， locals would visit a dragon-king temple （
龍王廟）and burn incense to pray for more favorable conditions。 It is also said that natural disasters such as floods or tornados （龍捲風， literally， the dragon rolls up the wind） indicate the dragon king is in bad temper。
史矛革和其他歐洲巨龍與地球有著牢固的蛇形聯絡，而中國巨龍無疑是天空的統治者。龍是敬拜的神雨，和在乾旱或洪水的時候，當地人會訪問一個龍王殿（龍王廟）燒香祈禱更多的有利條件。還說，自然災害如洪水、龍捲風（龍捲風，實際上，龍捲風）表明龍王的壞脾氣。
Dragons’ association with thunder， lightning and rain may have prompted the widespread belief that there are more likely to be a flurry of natural disasters in a Dragon year， and Chinese New Year celebrations the world over will include ceremonies and prayers dedicated to warding off the possibility of such a calamity striking people’s homes。
龍協會與雷聲，閃電和雨可能會促使人們普遍認為有更多的可能是一系列自然災害在龍一年，全世界和中國新年的慶祝活動將包括儀式和祈禱致力於防止這種災難的可能性，人們的房子。
The dragon’s power to control rain and waves is also closely related to its rank in the pantheon of 12 zodiac animals （rat， ox， tiger， rabbit， dragon， snake， horse， sheep， monkey， cock， dog and pig）。 Various tales describe the race of these 12 animals to secure their place on the list， but the sequence is determined by the time of day the animal is most active， at least in the eyes of the ancient Chinese。 The dragon corresponds to 7 am to 9 am， when it is most likely to be foggy， allowing the dragon to ride atop clouds and mist。 However， parts of the dragon are usually hidden in the heavy fog， giving rise to the phrase “
神龍見首不見尾” （you see the head of the mystical dragon but not its tail）， which now refers to someone who has no fixed whereabouts and is difficult for others to trace。
龍控制雨和浪的能力也與它在十二生肖（鼠、牛、虎、兔、龍、蛇、馬、羊、猴、雞、狗和豬）中的地位密切相關。各種各樣的故事描述了這12種動物的種族，以確保他們在名單上的位置，但順序是由一天的時間決定的動物是最活躍的，至少在中國古代的眼睛。龍對應的時間是早上7點到9點，這是最有可能有霧的時間，龍可以騎在雲和霧上。然而，部分的龍通常是隱藏在濃霧，引起這個短語“神龍見首不見尾”（你看到神秘的龍但不是尾巴），目前是指那些沒有固定的位置和別人很難跟蹤。
In Chinese folk art paper-cuts， a typical pattern shows the dragon riding on clouds。 Another depicts two dragons playing with a pearl （
雙龍戲珠）， which is often inlaid with a dark， comma-like symbol running through the middle， thought to represent the unification of yin and yang。 In Chinese calligraphy， the flying dragon is an aesthetically appealing analogy for cursive and elegant handwriting known as “龍飛鳳舞”， literally， “dragons flying and phoenixes dancing。” Given all the positive associations of “龍”， it’s no wonder the character is a top choice for people’s names， including martial arts superstars Jackie Chan （成龍）and Bruce Lee （李小龍）。 There is also the Chinese idiom， “望子成龍” （literally， hoping one’s son will become a dragon）， which roughly means parents have high expectations of their children。
在中國民間剪紙藝術中，有一個典型的圖案是龍騎在雲上。另一個描繪了兩個龍玩珍珠（雙龍戲珠），這通常是鑲嵌著一個黑暗的，comma-like象徵貫穿中間，被認為代表陰陽的統一。在中國書法，飛龍是草書的美學類比和優雅的筆跡被稱為“龍飛鳳舞”，字面意思是“龍和鳳凰舞蹈飛行。“鑑於所有的積極聯想“龍”，難怪這個角色是首選的人的名字，包括武術巨星成龍（成龍）和李小龍（李小龍）。還有中國成語“望子成龍”（字面上，希望自己的兒子能成為龍），這大概意味著父母對於他們的孩子有很高的期望。
However， few parents would want their children to be aggressive leaders involved in violence。 Unfortunately， this is the image that struck many Chinese upon seeing the new dragon stamp issued by China Post in early January， 2012。 “Evil and frightening”
（凶神惡煞）， “baring fangs and brandishing paws” （張牙舞爪）and “bristling with anger”（怒髮衝冠）were just a few of the phrases people responded with when being asked for their first impression of the new stamp。 The design has also triggered heated debates among micro bloggers on Sina Weibo， one of whom even compares the image to “China’s notorious city inspectors， who are sometimes caught on camera beating up street vendors，” according to
The Wall Street Journal
’s China Real Time Report。
然而，很少有父母希望他們的孩子成為暴力衝突中的積極領導者。不幸的是，2012年1月初，當看到中國郵政發行的新版“龍”郵票時，許多中國人對這張圖片印象深刻。“邪惡和恐懼”（凶神惡煞），“露出尖牙和揮舞著爪子”（張牙舞爪）和“充滿著憤怒，”（怒髮衝冠）幾個短語的人作出迴應，當被要求為他們的第一印象的新郵票。設計也引發了激烈的爭論在微部落格在新浪微博上，其中一個甚至比較了影象“中國臭名昭著的城市檢查員，有時被相機捕捉毆打街頭小販，“據《華爾街日報》“中國實時報”報告。
People born in the year of the dragon are said to be natural leaders — charismatic， innovative， free-spirited， and flamboyant， and as such Dragon years are notorious for coinciding with spikes in the birth rate。 It remains to be seen whether modern Chinese remain as much in the thrall of dragon worship as their ancestors， and if the phenomenon holds true in the 21st century。
龍年出生的人被認為是天生的領導者——有魅力、有創新精神、自由奔放、光芒四射，因此龍年與出生率的高峰相吻合而臭名昭著。現代中國人是否仍像他們的祖先一樣對龍的崇拜如痴如痴，這種現象在21世紀是否依然存在，還有待觀察。
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