The symbol of the tiger first appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. At that time, the bronze tiger was used as a transfer certificate issued by the central government to local officials or garrison leaders, and was called the tiger symbol. There is an inscription on the back of the drum, which is divided into two halves. The right half is kept in the imperial court, and the left half is given to generals or local governors. It is always dedicated to a place and a symbol. It is absolutely impossible to mobilize troops from two places at the same time with one roller. It takes two halves to verify the truth before it takes effect. In the Chinese History Museum, there is a 7.9 cm long, 2.5 cm long, tiger-shaped, flat-headed, with two lines of seal characters engraved between the left and right neck ribs. The words are the same, saying that "Hu Fu takes Tang Yanghou first". The Shaanxi History Museum in xi also has a tiger sign found in the western suburbs of Xi. After inspection, it is a cultural relic of the Warring States Period from 475 BC to 22 BC1year. It was called the symbol of "Du" in Qin Dynasty. 4 cm high, shaped like a tiger, symbolizing military strength and urgent March. The body of the tiger symbol is engraved with a 40-word gold inscription, which describes the object and scope of transfer, but it is extremely beautifully made.
Tiger symbols played an important role in ancient wars, and many related stories happened. According to Records of the Historian, in 257 BC, during the Warring States Period, the State of Qin sent troops to besiege Handan, the capital of Zhao. Zhao's wife was Wei Xinling's sister, and he asked Wang Wei and Xin Lingjun for help. Wang Wei asked the veteran to lead a 654.38+ 10,000-strong army to save Zhao, but later he was afraid of the strength of Qin State and ordered the troops to sit tight. In order to save Han, Xin, the son of Wei, conspired with Ruji, Wang Wei's wife, to let Ruji steal the tiger symbol in Wang Wei's bedroom, and used this tiger symbol to seize the army, defeat Chi and save Zhao. Mr. Guo Moruo once chose this theme to create the script of the famous drama Tiger Fu, which was performed by Beijing People's Art Theatre. In Chapter 51 of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao and Battle of Red Cliffs suffered a crushing defeat. Zhuge Liang took advantage of the emptiness of the southern county, ordered Zhao Yun to capture the city successfully, and captured the commander-in-chief of the garrison, Chen Jiao, to obtain a spell, and then used this spell to cheat the garrison of Jingzhou out of the southern county. Then Zhang Fei attacked Jingzhou, and then transferred the garrison of Xiangyang in the same way. Guan Yu took the opportunity to attack Xiangyang. Zhuge Liang drove Cao Bing away with a little tiger symbol and captured the three cities without bloodshed, while Zhou Yu of Soochow, who spent a lot of money, food and military forces, got nothing. How can he not be angry? This also shows the great role of the tiger symbol at that time.
Historically, the shape, quantity, inscription and grade of tiger symbols have also changed greatly. From the Han Dynasty to the Sui Dynasty, the tiger symbols were all made of copper, and on the right was the respect for the inscription on the riding seam. In the Sui Dynasty, it was changed to Fu Lin. In the Tang dynasty, because of avoiding tigers, they switched to fish symbols or rabbit symbols, and later switched to turtle symbols. In the Southern Song Dynasty, the symbol of the tiger was restored. Tiger-headed cards were used in the Yuan Dynasty, and later generations evolved into bronze medals.
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On Tiger Symbol from "Stealing Symbols to Save Zhao"
Stealing symbols to save Zhao
Tiger symbol, also known as military symbol, is named after its shape of crouching tiger. This is a certificate used by ancient emperors to grant military power to their subjects and mobilize troops. The roller can be divided into two halves. During the war, the left half was given to the generals with troops, and the right half was kept by the monarch. When mobilizing troops, the monarch gave the right half to the dispatched generals and locked the left half in the hands of the leading generals. Only in line with each other can we have the right to mobilize the army.
During the Warring States Period, Lv Buwei, the prime minister of Qin, was heavily armed, which posed a great threat to the rule of the king of Qin. After Ying Zheng came to power, in the ninth year of Qin Dynasty (238 BC), Lv Buwei's army merged with the roller, which made Lv Buwei a prime minister, but he had no real power.
In 257 BC, when Zhao was attacked, the enemy troops arrived at the gates of Handan. Zhao asked Wei and Chu for help, and Wei sent a general to lead 654.38 million troops to save Zhao. At this time, Qin put pressure on Wang Wei, and Wang Wei gave in and let him stay put. Seeing that Wei refused to enter the army, Zhao wrote an urgent letter to Xin Lingjun. With the help of Wang Wei's concubine, Ru Ji, Xin Lingjun stole half of the roller symbols that Wang Wei personally mastered, falsely circulated the imperial edict, killed them, seized the relieving power, and then led an army of 80,000, together with the Chu army, to save Zhao and relieve the siege of Handan. This is the famous story of stealing symbols to save Zhao in history. 1942, Mr. Guo Moruo wrote the famous historical drama "Tiger Symbol" based on this story. From this story, we can also see the strictness of the tiger symbol system at that time.
The earliest existing tiger symbol in China is Du Hufu (1973) unearthed in Beishen Village, An suburb. Du is 9.5 cm long and engraved with 9 lines and 40 words, which are made of gold. The inscription reads: "The symbol of a soldier's armor is right in Jun and left in Du (Du is a place name, Du County, ancient Qin State). Anyone who raises a soldier and is attacked by armor and uses more than 50 soldiers will be a monarch and dare to do it. Burning (going to the team to set fire) is not symbolic, but it will definitely be done. " Accordingly, at that time, more than 50 people had to show their own symbols when fighting. However, in case there is a bonfire, you can fight without matches. This symbol is now collected in Shaanxi History Museum. In the Museum of Chinese History, there is also a roller of Yangling, which was awarded to the generals stationed in Yangling after Qin Shihuang unified China. Unearthed in Zaozhuang, Shandong Province, the inscription reads "A symbol of an armored soldier, with the right in Emperor and the left in Yangling". Because the tiger symbol is the thing that sends troops and is cautious, it is mostly short and easy to hide, so it is not easy to be found.
The military symbols of the Han dynasty inherited the Qin system and changed slightly. The inscription of the tiger symbol in Qin dynasty is engraved on the left and right sides of the symbol, and the characters on both sides are the same, so it can be read through without the combination of symbols. In the Han Dynasty, the symbol of the tiger was different. The inscription is engraved on the tiger's ridge and rides in the middle seam. Only after the symbols are combined can they be read through. 1989, a complete bronze tiger symbol of Han Dynasty was unearthed in Li Jiacun, Fengxiang Town, Qindu District, Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province. The tiger symbol is 5.8 cm long and engraved with "Tai Shou is a tiger symbol". During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the symbol of tiger was still in use. In the Tang Dynasty, the symbol of tiger was changed to the symbol of fish, and cards were used after the Song Dynasty.
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Tiger Symbol and Tiger Culture
In ancient China, in order to ensure that the monarch didn't make mistakes when conveying orders or mobilizing troops, tokens were needed as vouchers, which were called "military symbols". It is said that it was initiated by Jiang Ziya, a strategist of the Zhou Dynasty. The ancients believed that the tiger was the king of all animals and was always invincible in the jungle struggle. Therefore, it is also respected in the military, so this military symbol is often cast in the shape of a tiger, so it is also called a tiger symbol. Tiger-shaped military symbols are not the only shapes. In the Qin dynasty, there were eagle symbols and dragon symbols.
The tiger symbol first appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Most of them are made of bronze, and some are made of gold, jade and bamboo. The tiger symbol is hollow inside and then divided into two parts. The right half (tiger's head facing forward) is kept by the central government, and the left half is given to generals or local governors. There are teeth embedded in the side of the tiger symbol, and the back is mostly text. The characters are divided into two books with the same content. Some even split the text in two. Most of these words are wrongly written, and even after thousands of years, they still shine.
Roller is of great use in mobilizing troops. When the central government transfers troops, it will send envoys with the remaining half symbols, and the order will not take effect until the left and right are checked.
In the Sui Dynasty, Khufu was changed to Fu Lin, but in the Tang Dynasty, in order to avoid the anonymity of his ancestor Li Hu, Tang Gaozu changed it to fish fu or rabbit fu, or even turtle fu. Then these tokens, which were originally used for military mobilization, even became a symbol of some status. In the Song Dynasty, although it was used as a token of the transfer of soldiers, it was still used together with written documents. In later generations, it gradually evolved into a token and other things, so this animal-shaped military symbol finally withdrew from the historical stage.
Note (1): Wrong gold refers to carving words or patterns, inlaying gold threads and polishing them smoothly.
Note (2): During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Xiong Tong, the monarch of Chu, was the earliest king. In 704 BC, Zhou Tianzi refused to change the name of Chu Army, and Xiong Tong was furious and established himself as "Chu Wuwang". The next king is the monarch of Wei. In 344 BC, Wei Huiwang was crowned king in Fengze (now south of Kaifeng, Henan). In 334 BC, Qi Huangong Tian, who defeated Wei Jun twice, became king.
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The earliest existing bronze tiger symbol
The earliest existing copper roller is Qin's, with four pieces in total:
Du Du: According to legend, it was discovered in Shanmenkou commune in the suburb of Xi in 1973, and now it is in Shaanxi Provincial History Museum. Du Gao is 4.4 cm, 9.5 cm long and 0.7 cm thick, with a groove in the back and a small hole in the neck. The tiger symbol is standing, and there are 9 lines and 40 characters on the tiger, most of which are Xiao Zhuan: "The symbol of the soldier's armor, the right talent (middle) jun, the left in Du. Anyone who puts on armor and uses more than 50 soldiers must know the symbol of the monarch and dare to do it. Although the mother (not) will sign, she will also be beaten (also). " It means: "The right half symbol is in the place of the king, and the left half symbol is in the hands of the military commander of the viceroy (so the address is in the south of Xi 'an today). If you want to mobilize more than 50 troops, the symbol on Du Di's left must meet the symbol on the king's right before you can give the marching orders. However, in an emergency, you can light a bonfire without knowing the correct character of the king. "
New Tiger Emblem: It is now collected by Chen in Paris, France, and has four lines of inscriptions on it: "The image of an armored soldier, right in the king, left in the new. Anyone who uses armor and has more than 50 soldiers is a king. Although I don't know how to burn it, I will be beaten. "
Before Qin Xiaogong, the monarch of Qin was called "Gong", and Hui Wenjun was called "Jun" only when he ascended the throne. In the year of 13 (325 BC) when he ascended the throne, he was encouraged by Zhang Yi, the prime minister of Qin State, who followed in the footsteps of the monarch of Wei and Qi State and further became king. Therefore, the symbol of Huhu Yangling Tiger Symbol Exhibition should be the token used by Qin Huiwen before he became king. The new Guo Hufu probably came into being between Qin Huiwen's claim to the throne and Qin Shihuang's unification of the six countries.
Yangling Tiger Emblem: Yangling Tiger Emblem is a crouching tiger, 3.14cm high and 8.9cm long. According to legend, it was unearthed in Lincheng, Shandong Province, and is now in the Museum of Chinese History. There is an inscription on the tiger symbol: "Jia Bing's symbol, right talent (in) the emperor, left talent (in) Yangling." Yangling is the county name of Qin Dynasty, which is now Gaoling County of Shaanxi Province. Qin Shihuang called himself "the emperor" after unifying the six countries. This roller should be an object during the reign of Qin Shihuang, and was awarded by the central government as a general stationed in Yangling. Unfortunately, due to the age, its junction has rusted, and now it is inseparable from the left and right.
Hu Dongjun's Fu to Hu Dongjun: 1953 Collected by zhouzhi county Cultural Center of Shaanxi Province, now in zhouzhi county Cultural Relics Management Office. The tiger symbol of Dong Jun is crouching tiger, 9.5 cm long and 4.3 cm high. There is a wrong gold inscription on the back of the tiger, and the font is Xiao Zhuan. The inscription on the left and right halves is the same: "The symbol of Jia Bing, right in the emperor, left in Dong Jun." Judging from the inscription, the East County Tiger Emblem should be the same as the Yangling Tiger Emblem used in Qin Shihuang's time. However, some people think that the East County Tiger Emblem was forged by later generations.
The golden tiger charm was also unearthed in Fengxiang County, Shaanxi Province. This tiger symbol has no inscription and is very small. It is only 2.3 cm high and 4.8 cm long. It weighs 35.6 grams and is made of gold. The tiger logo is also crouching tiger-shaped, but its shape is exaggerated: tiger eyes are big and ears are big, its mouth is open and teeth are bared, its four feet are bent, its long tail is rolled up, its whole body is embossed and carved, and its back has buckle grooves. Unfortunately, there are only half a role left. This charm should have been used during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and the capital of Qin was originally in Yong (now Fengxiang East, Shaanxi Province), which may have been made by Qin. The symbol of this tiger is now in the Xi Institute of Cultural Relics Protection and Archaeology.
There are also jade tiger charms and bronze tiger charms in the Warring States period. Unfortunately, there is not much information about these two roller symbols. See the figure below:
The jade pot symbol inherits the Qin system in the military symbols of the Han Dynasty, but the difference is that most of the inscriptions in the Han Dynasty are engraved on the back of the tiger, and the words "one, two, three, four and five" are engraved in seal script. At the same time, the word is cut in the middle, so only two and a half words can be completely matched before sending troops. However, in the Han Dynasty, in addition to checking the tiger symbols, there were also letters or letters. The tiger symbol is the token of sending troops, and the imperial edict is to clarify the power and tasks of the army commander. Of course, the military mobilization in the Han Dynasty was not only based on imperial edicts and tiger symbols, but also on "Xie" and "Yu Bang", so I won't go into details in this article.
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