Cattle is an animal that people in China are very familiar with, and it is also one of the 12 zodiac animals. However, from a biological point of view, China people's zodiac is incomprehensible in foreign countries, and many of us have not studied it carefully: Are you a scalper or a buffalo?
Cattle is an animal that people in China are very familiar with, and it is also one of the 12 zodiac animals. However, from a biological point of view, China people's zodiac is incomprehensible in foreign countries, and many of us have not studied it carefully: Are you a scalper or a buffalo? This is not asking questions after eating, but biologically, there are two genera under Bovine-Cattle and Buffalo. They are completely two kinds of animals, and they can't even "intermarry".
In Junfeng Paper-cut Workshop, Shuangqiao District, Chengde City, Hebei Province, paper-cut artist Shi Junfeng created a paper-cut work with the theme of Chinese New Year and Chinese New Year (photo taken on June 29th, 2022). Method (photo by Liu)
A similar situation is also reflected in the zodiac of sheep: Are you a sheep or a goat?
On the other hand, China people feel very cordial and close to bulls and buffaloes. Generally speaking, there are many yellow cattle in the north and many buffalo in the south; There are many cattle in pastoral areas and many yaks in pastoral areas. Cattle is one of the largest species domesticated by human beings, and only horses and camels can compare with it. But since ancient times, cattle have been domesticated and distributed more widely than horses and camels.
Although strong, the temperament of cattle is generally mild, which is also the universal law of large herbivores; Although his temperament is generally mild, once he is arrogant, it will be terrible and scary. This rich personality makes the cow look more real and lovely.
Cattle have a wide range of uses, such as agriculture, meat and milk. In an old saying, it is "full of treasures." In the minds of many farmers, it is like a hardworking and trustworthy family. Many myths are also based on this "cow hypothesis", such as the old cow in the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.
At Zhongjie Pedestrian Street in Shenyang, Liaoning, citizens are watching Niu Fu's art sculpture (photo taken on February 1 day, 2022). Reporter Yang Qing photo
Liu Zongyuan tells you why Niu Niu is so cute.
In ancient China, there were many poems related to cattle. The first thing the master elder brother wants to introduce is Liu Zongyuan, a great writer in the Tang Dynasty, who wrote "Niu Fu":
If you know cows? A cow is a thing, it is a giant. Hanging ears hold horns, and the fur is thin and thick. Mou Ranming, Huang Zhongman. Attack Longxi, plough A Mu days. Straighten out your relationship and plant your crops well. Self-cultivation, take the box with you. Entering the official warehouse is not to my liking. It's no use being poor, rich or hungry. Stuck in the mud, often in the grass. People are not ashamed and benefit the world. See use, shoulder Mo Bao. Or wearing vines or real beans, so look at it, nothing more. ...
After Liu Zongyuan was demoted to Liuzhou (now Liuzhou, Guangxi), he felt that the local people killed cattle. He advised the locals:
Do you know anything about cows? Cattle, an animal, is burly with a bull's head, drooping ears, holding horns, thin hair and thick skin; Cleisthenes's cows are low and heavy, just like Huang Zhong and Lu Da. It plows in the hot sun every day 100 mu; Pull a rake in the field. This is rice and wheat. It cultivates and harvests grain, lifts boxes, pulls carts, and sends grain to the granary, but it doesn't even eat a bite. Whether in a rich or poor family, whether full or hungry, it is working hard. You people who don't know compassion and gratitude have killed cows for your own benefit, and the leather horns from head to toe have come in handy. Some people put cows through their noses and use them as sacrifices ... well, in any case, no other animal can compare with cows' contribution to us!
It should be said that this is a very warm and textbook-level exposition. I feel that Liu Zongyuan just blurted out: "Niu Niu is so cute, how can you kill Niu Niu?"
Shanghai Museum's bronze "Phoenix Sacrifice" in the late Shang Dynasty. Reporter Ren Yushe
In fact, in ancient times, due to the important role of cattle in agricultural production, it has always been the mainstream thought to kill cattle carefully and prohibit them. "The great event of the country lies in respect and arrogance." As early as the Shang and Zhou Dynasties and the pre-Qin period, people only killed cows as sacrifices on such grand occasions. When the vassals join the alliance, they will kill animals such as cattle and horses, and the person who gets the "cow ear" is the leader of the alliance.
"The night passed and the cattle and sheep came down."
Pastoral pastoral of China people
Because cattle are one of the earliest domesticated livestock, and also because cattle are one of the livestock closest to human beings, they appear very frequently in China's earliest poetry collection "The Book of Songs".
The husband is far away.
A gentleman is in service. He doesn't know its date. What is this?
Chickens live in the noise. In the evening, the cattle and sheep came down.
My husband is serving in the distance. How can I think of him?
A gentleman is in service, in a few days or months. What are the advantages?
Chickens live in the street. At the end of the night, all the cattle and sheep gathered around.
A gentleman is in service, isn't there anything?
If there is a pastoral, it is a real pastoral, and a picture of the pastoral life of China people in ancient times is displayed in front of us. However, pastoral is not a vacuum, it also reflects sadness and yearning. This poem depicts the scene where the husband is fighting for his country and the wife is alone at home.
"When a gentleman is in service, he doesn't know his period", "When a gentleman is in service, there must be a day and a month", and my husband is working hard outside, I don't know when he can go home. Please recall the scene in Home, "The chicken lives in the nest." At dusk, both the rooster and the hen go back to the cooing cage. Cattle and sheep, who have been out for a day, slowly walk down the grassy slope, and their figures are shrouded in the sunset, forming a silhouette of activities. "The gentleman is in service, nothing?" Honey, are you hungry and thirsty outside alone?
"As time goes by, both sheep and cows come down." Cattle and sheep are like family members who can't talk. Their gentle eyes are an indispensable element in the family.
Li Yicheng, a member of the poverty alleviation team in Gao Yao Village, Gandong Township, Rongshui Miao Autonomous County, Liuzhou City, Guangxi Province, learned about the growth of cattle in the alpine natural pasture of Gao Yao Village (photo taken on April 26, 2022). Reporter Huang She
Such a beautiful sentence has been circulated for a long time and has been used for reference by many poets in later generations. During the Tang Dynasty, Du Fu lived in the Three Gorges Kuizhou and wrote a song "Sunset".
Cattle and sheep have already returned from the fields, and every family is closed.
This is a romantic night, not my hometown.
The spring water flows down from the stone wall, and the dew on autumn night condenses on the grass roots.
Under the background of gray hair and bright lights, why did Butler rice splash the spark of good news?
Being in a foreign land, at dusk, when I see cattle and sheep coming down, I can't help but think of the poems in the Book of Songs and miss my hometown.
In ancient times, cattle and sheep were not only the spiritual sustenance of their homes, but also the important material wealth of their families.
No sheep
Who says you don't have sheep? Sanbaiwei Group. Who says you don't have a cow? Ninety-nine
When the sheep starts to think, its horn is ringing. Niu Er began to think, and his ears were wet.
Or fall in Afghanistan, or drink in the pool, or sleep or make mistakes.
When you think about it, you will be ashamed of it, or you will lose it.
Three-dimensional things, but you have sacrifices.
Follow the crowd to think, pay to steam, and women to men.
Think about it, sheep, shame, conscience, will not collapse.
I'm willing to use my arms. I'll get up when I come.
Shepherds are dreams, and many people are fish. Adults account for:
Multiple yuan fish, real yuan harvest; It's embarrassing, and this family is embarrassed.
The tone of this poem is humorous. It seems that a rich man complained in Versailles style: "Alas, there is really nothing in my family, and there are not many sheep and cows ..." The result was immediately asked and ridiculed: "Who said you don't have sheep?" A group of 300 heads. Who says you don't have a cow? There are 90 scalpers. Look at the sheep in the sheepfold, the horns are all saved together! Look at the cows in the cowshed, shaking their ears and ruminating ... "
Not only humor, but also nuanced observation: "When Niu Er comes to think, his ears are wet". "Wet" is not the meaning, but the way his ears shake. Cows are ruminants. They eat quickly, eat a lot, and then ruminate carefully. When I was ruminating, I looked quite relaxed and shook my ears.
In Jiangbulake Scenic Area, two cows lie in the wheat field to rest (photo taken on September 10, 2022). Reporter Jing Li photo
"Or go to Afghanistan, or drink in the swimming pool, or sleep, or correct mistakes. When you think about it, you will be ashamed of it, or you will lose it. Three-dimensional things, but you have sacrifices. " Some of your cattle and sheep eat grass in the mountains, some drink water by the river, some lie down and some walk. Some of your shepherds wear hemp fiber and hats, and some carry dry food. So many cattle and sheep must be enough!
The whole poem consists of four paragraphs. Although it is long and there are many uncommon words, we can still strongly feel the scene described in the poem, after a thousand years.
Through shepherd boy poetry
See the symbiosis between man and animals.
When it comes to cattle, we can't help but think of a kind of people who can't live without it-shepherd boy. Have you ever thought that, as a monster, China people would trust children to graze it? What does this mean? It shows that the cow is a kind and reassuring animal.
On June 9, 2022/KLOC-0, media reporters were filming Xu Beihong's work Cowboy and Cow. Reporter Wang Quanchao photo
Among China's ancient poems, there are countless pastoral poems, many of which are very interesting:
Pastoral ci
Tang zhangji
Cattle are driven far away, and the grass around the village is dense.
Hunger in a vicious circle pecks at the back of a cow, so I can't play with my head.
Into the vicious grass, many cows spread out and sang to the reeds when they were white.
Blowing leaves across the embankment should be accompanied by three or four whips.
Niu Niu's herbivores didn't touch each other, so the housekeeper cut off his head.
Around the village, trees are lush and crops are bumper. Crows and herons on the hillside flew to the back of cattle to peck. In the eyes of the old cow, this may be tickling and catching lice, which is not enough; In the shepherd boy's view, these birds are really annoying and need to be driven away constantly, so they can't enjoy running wild in the fields.
There is so much grass on the hillside that all the cows are in twos and threes. Snow-white calf came to the reed grass by the river, and Cleisthenes chirped.
The shepherd boy picked up the reed pole, made a reed whistle and blew it leisurely. On the other side of the river bank, there came the same melodious flute, which turned out to be A Niu in the neighboring village. The flute sounded intermittent and the bullwhip sounded crisp. After playing, the shepherd is quite dedicated.
In Jiaji Town, qionghai city, Hainan Province, two birds rest on the buffalo head for food (photo taken on August 2, 2022). Hair (photo by Meng Zhongde)
Cattle "have a meeting", it is inevitable to bump into it and make a top corner. The shepherd boy waved his whip again: "cowboy, stop fighting!" Be careful when the housekeeper comes, and cut off all your horns to use as horn and bow glue. " Maybe adults teach children to scare people with bureaucrats.
Pastoral ci
Photo by Tang Li
In the morning, go to herd cattle, and the cattle will go to Jiangwan.
Go to herd cattle at night and drive cattle in the village.
Walking in the rain-covered Woods, folding and lying on the green grass, singing a little song.
The waist is full of short arrows of basil, and I am no longer afraid of tigers biting my calves.
When spring comes to the earth, the cattle are driven away, and the cattle are driven away day and night. The spring rain rustles through the hat. Lying on the reed pipe, the grass is green. Suddenly, the shepherd boy climbed onto the back of the cow and stood upright on it. His waist is covered with newly picked reed stalks, thin and green, and his head is sharp like a sharp arrow. "Great tiger, I'm not afraid. I will shoot if I dare to come! " Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers, just right!
cattle rearing
Song luyou
Nancun Cowherd stands upright barefoot.
The clothes were cold, and Dai Li plunged Shan Yu.
Don't worry about the depth of the stream, black cattle can float.
It is as safe as a boat for a child to step on the back of a cow.
In the rural area of his hometown of Yin Shan (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang), Lu You wrote a large number of poems full of pastoral interest, including Cowherd. Poetry is easy to understand, just like nursery rhymes. "Cowherd in Nancun stands upright barefoot" and "A boy feels as safe as a boat when stepping on the back of a cow" are all "traditional artistic skills" of a China shepherd boy. He stepped on the cow's back, and the cow walked and I walked. Cows are not afraid to enter the water. Cows and shepherds have a tacit understanding. There is always a cow on the water, like a boat.
Farmers in Baihezui Village, Yueming Town, Huaying City, Sichuan Province "plow spring cattle" in the field (photo taken on February 2, 2022). Method (photo by Qiu)
Careful people will find that the scenes of the above-mentioned pastoral poems all take place in waterfront wetlands, and the cows they graze are undoubtedly the buffalo in the south, that is, "black cattle." So, are there any poems about herding cattle? Of course there is!
find
Qingyuanmei
Cowboys ride on the backs of oxen, and songs echo in the forest.
Suddenly want to catch the song of the tree, immediately stop singing and stand by the tree silently.
The same tall and straight cow back, the same naughty innocence, the same incomparable tacit understanding, the same symbiosis between people and animals.
Editor of this issue Xing Tan
The above is related to the birth of the tiger, and it is about the sharing of shepherd boys. After watching the worst twelfth lunar month, I hope this will help everyone!