I. Horses in The Book of Songs

Horses were raised as early as 3,000 years ago in the Shang Dynasty. As one of the six animals, horses are responsible for hunting, farming and service. In the Book of Changes, it is believed that for horses, Kun is an ox. It can be seen that horses played an important role in the agricultural era of Zhou Dynasty. Horses appear frequently in The Book of Songs. There are 50 poems about horses. Throughout these 50 poems, horses are mainly used for military affairs, hunting, weddings, recruiting talents, offering sacrifices, and doing odd jobs. The significance of horse in Zhou culture is reflected in the Book of Songs, and it also has the function of expressing some emotions of ancestors.

The Book of Songs is a typical poem expressing heroism and patriotism. The author of this poem is the only patriotic poetess with a name in Chinese history-Mrs. Xu Mu. His wife was Wang Wei's daughter and later married Wang Mu. This poem was written by Mrs. Xu Mu, who was about to face the disaster of national subjugation at that time. She wanted to return to China to save the country, but was obstructed and criticized by Dr. Guo Xu, who was confined to etiquette at that time. This poem is described under such circumstances. The whole poem is divided into four chapters, describing the story of Mrs. Xu Mu galloping on the battlefield, breaking through the ethical code and finally returning to China. This poem describes a woman's difficult process of getting back to China and making plans for her country. Although it is a horse, it is more of a metaphor for people, especially in the last chapter of the poem: "I go my own way, I am Mai." Controlled by a big country, who is extreme! Guo Xu, gentlemen, don't blame me. Bai Er didn't think as well as I thought, but it reflected Mrs. Xu Mu's patriotic feelings and heroic feelings.

Second, the deer in The Book of Songs

Deer are a kind and auspicious animal, whether in ancient legends in China or in Indian Buddhist stories. There are many records about deer in China, including Li Bai's poem "Let me raise a white deer on my green slope, and ride to you, Dashan, when I need you". In Indian Buddhist stories, there are two typical works, Nine-colored Deer and Deer King. It can be seen that deer is very important in the minds of ancestors. In fact, as early as ancient times, deer was an important totem of tribes in the ancient Zhou Dynasty, and it was also reflected in later heterogeneous combined animals. For example, China's four-spirit animals, such as dragons, phoenixes, forests and turtles, all borrowed from the prototype of deer to some extent. Deer are naturally described in the Book of Songs: because of their gentle temperament, they are endowed with the meaning of being a modest gentleman; As an ancient totem, it embodies the ancestors' worship of women and is used properly in poetry.

Third, the "bird" in The Book of Songs

Birds, like deer, are typical images of totem worship in matriarchal society. There is an obvious' trace' in the Shang Dynasty's Xuanniao Fu: "Xuanniao was born by fate, and Shang was born". This is a poem describing the birth of ancestors in Shang Dynasty. Moreover, Hou Ji, the ancestor of the Zhou Dynasty, was sheltered by birds. It is recorded in the history books that "(ginger) abandons canal ice, and birds cover it with wings". All these prove the status of "bird" in people's minds. In The Book of Songs, there are many poems describing birds. According to statistics, there are 43 species of birds in The Book of Songs. People express their feelings implicitly through animals "birds". In terms of thoughts and feelings, the content of sustenance is nothing more than expressing one's thoughts and marriage.