The cultural symbolic significance of the zodiac tiger

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Proverb, some people say it is "the flower of wisdom". There are a large number of proverbs with the content of the Chinese zodiac , and they are widely spread. They are a form of expression with rich flavor and interest that the masses create and love to see. For example, "Dragons give birth to dragons, phoenixes give birth to phoenixes, mice will make holes when they are born", "Cows cannot force their heads if they don't drink water", " Rabbits don't eat grass on the edge of their nest"...

Proverbs related to tigers are also very rich. Some of these proverbs reflect the tiger’s character traits of being brave, mighty, ferocious and even daunting, not daring to get close, just like in front of the "emperor" or authority. For example, those officials in feudal society, whether they are civil servants and generals living by the emperor’s side, or those subordinates of high-ranking officials, must be cautious in everything, obey the will of superiors and emperors, and must look at the eyes of the emperor’s kings and high-ranking officials and cater to their likes and dislikes. Acting, otherwise, carelessness, thoughts, and words will offend them, the lighter will be jailed, the heavy will lead to fetters, and even beheaded and punish the nine tribes. Proverbs reflecting the above-mentioned mentality are popular in officialdom and among the people: "A companion is like a tiger", "It's hard to be an official under a tiger" and so on.

In people's minds, the tiger is a symbol of majesty and power. The inviolable and inviolable manners of the king in speech and deportment are inviolable and unprovoking. Therefore, there is such a saying in the folk saying: "The tiger's ass cannot be touched." , "Who dares to touch the tiger's beard?", "The tiger looks like a killer without eating people. " Some proverbs express the tiger's habits and its special relationship with people, the environment, and other animals. The former is like "the tiger also has a nap", "the tiger hides in the cave and does not show its power"; the latter is like "the front door rejects the tiger, the back door enters the wolf", "the sheep ran into the tiger group", "the tiger enters the city, home "Home is closed", "A good tiger can't hold back the wolves"...

Some proverbs, in addition to the superficial metaphorical or symbolic shallow meanings, most of them also have their essential deep meanings, which are manifested as having a certain philosophy of life, or suggesting the essential characteristics of things, or people’s life experience The summary, or behind these proverbs, lurks the first meaning and the taste of life. This kind of proverb is actually a kind of metaphor. It may be a symbol. It is a beautiful flower of thinking. It is conceived or fabricated by people for a certain purpose. Such as: "The tiger flies on the head", "The tiger is scratching the head", "Two tigers fight, there must be an injury", "The sheep is put on the tiger's skin, but the tiger is still afraid", "The sheep and the tiger make friends, always One day it will suffer", "The pig pays a New Year greeting to the tiger, and there is no return", "The government is fierce than the tiger", "If you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you win the tiger?", "There is no tiger in the mountain, the monkey is the king"... these Proverbs have overtones and overtones, and they all have the characteristics of saying here and aiming at the other, and some can even be the generalization and condensing of fables, and they are extremely exquisite language art.

For example, in the above-mentioned proverb, "Sheep puts on tiger skin and is afraid to see a tiger." This is the same as the fable of "Sheep quality tiger skin" described by Yang Xiong of the Han Dynasty in "Fayan·My Son", no matter if it is conceived The novelty, the profundity of the main theme, or the way of expression can all be ancient mottos with profound meaning, or they can be mottos or famous sayings and warnings that inspire people to work hard to realize their ideals. Its surface semantics is not late autumn, which means that if you do not enter the cave where the tiger lives, you will not be able to get the little tiger you want. However, the main thrust of this proverb derived from metaphors is very profound. It tells people that you want to achieve your ideals or achieve a certain purpose. If you don’t take risks, you can’t achieve success and practice without hard work and practice. Victory, it will not be able to achieve the desired goal. This proverb is widely circulated among the people and the upper class. The code is derived from the original book "Don't explore the tiger's lair, you can't be a tiger". The allusion is that Ban Chao led the Han army to attack the Xiongnu who often invaded the border. Over time, the soldiers became a little war-weary. Once, Ban Chao and thirty-six soldiers drank together, all of them flushed, excited and full of interest. So Ban Chao took the advantage of Jiuxing to face the war-weariness of the soldiers, and angrily encouraged them to say: "If you don't explore the tiger's den, you won't be a tiger. Now our only way is to attack the Huns' barracks by fire in the dark night. In this way, not only can the Huns not know how strong our army is, but it will also make the Huns panic in the unprepared battle. If they are caught off guard, they will be wiped out by our mighty division. !" This allusion has evolved, penetrated into the people, and became the popular mantra of the people. It is known to women and children, and to children and old people. This proverb, which is almost a proverb or a warning, also has "Don't explore the tiger's den, and get the tiger's son" ("Three Kingdoms: Lv Meng's Biography"); but the most used one in later generations is "Don't enter the tiger's den, let's get the tiger's son"; In some positive terms, it is also written as "getting a tiger's child from a tiger's lair"; in the end, it is condensed into the idiom "a tiger's lair gets a child". It can be seen from this that any proverb related to tigers, judging from the process of its creation or evolution, I don’t know how much wisdom and effort has been gathered among the people. It is one gram of radium extracted from the mine of a language, and it is also in the language. The refinement or the essence of.

The tiger is the king of the mountain and the king of beasts. People love tigers but fear tigers. Therefore, people also regard tigers as ferocious and cruel animals. There are many legends about tiger fighting. There have been many heroes and heroes who hunted tigers, beat tigers, and shoot tigers. From the general Li Guanghu who shot the tiger into the stone in the Han Dynasty, The black whirlwind Li Kui killed the tiger to save his mother, and the traveler Wu Song attacked the tiger in Jingyanggang... etc. From today's point of view, these stories are against the reality of protecting the human ecological environment, rescuing and protecting tigers that are now on the verge of extinction, and even illegal. However, judging from the historical background of these stories and the resulting social psychology, they reflect the psychology of human beings to protect themselves from tigers. This psychology is also reflected in folklore or folk proverbs. Therefore, although the tiger is mighty and fierce, there are also heroes who do not fear the tiger's fierceness, and have the courage and courage to fight the "tiger", linking the "tiger" with a certain power and evil, and "fighting the tiger" with bravery and fearless courage. "Fighting the tiger" and "destroying the tiger", the "tiger" here is no longer a tiger in nature, but a symbol of powerful and evil forces. There are also many proverbs that convey the above-mentioned psychology, thoughts, and desires of people. For example: "If you dare to pull the emperor off the horse, the tiger will have to break its teeth ", "Longyou was caught in a shrimp scene in the shallow water, and the tiger fell in Pingyang by a dog", "The tiger's tail hangs on a broom, sweeping the ground with majesty", "The wolf is afraid of whip, the tiger is afraid In the circle, dogs are afraid to bow their heads to pick up big bricks", "the tiger is trapped and have nowhere to go"... This shows that the "tiger" can be conquered, and it is not to be feared. It also shows that the vicious and cruel "tiger", as a certain A symbol of power or authority, it will also have the destiny of a "tiger" when it is dead and prestigious. The implication or theme of these proverbs is sufficient for Xiao Hu's people.

Let me talk about the allegorical words related to the tiger. Xiehouyu is also a kind of colloquialism, which is mostly created and used by the masses. It has the characteristics of humor, humor, popular image and special structure. Xiehouyu generally consists of two parts: the former part is metaphorical metaphor; the latter part is the original meaning, which is the explanation or extension of the former part. When it is used, it is usually only said the first part and concealed the latter part, and intentionally paused, allowing the listener to play with it, so it is also called "after-rest" or cryptic. Xiehouyu can be divided into two kinds, one is homophonic, the other is metaphor. The tiger-related allegorical words are also very rich and wonderful in the languages ​​of various nationalities. If the tiger-related allegorical words are classified from the nature of the content, they can be divided into the following categories:

Representing the tiger’s character traits: brave, mighty, strong, courageous, vitality, etc.: (Chinese Zodiac http:///shengxiao/)

The tiger enters the village: no one dares to care about the tiger's stumbling head: the back is strong, the tiger wears a bridle: no one dares to ride the beard of the tiger's mouth: who dares to touch the tiger down the mountain: the momentum is fierce Tiger goes up the mountain: who dares to stop the tiger twisting the tail: the tiger is angry Farting: I dare not smell the tiger. Rash: Don’t be prestigious. Tiger dancing: Claws and teeth. Tiger goes to the streets: Everyone is afraid that tigers have wings: God’s.

The tiger’s ecological habits are shown as follows: Tiger yawns: the tone is really big Tiger hiding in the cave: the prestige is not obvious Tiger walking: Do not accompany, go alone Tiger into the cave: Regardless of the future, the tiger does not become a vegetarian: Specializes in gnawing hard-boned tigers Don’t eat pigs: no tigers catch crickets: clumsy tigers eat bones: good teeth mouth tigers eat cherries: greedy tigers eat the sun: white open mouth tigers eat sticks: Diao (diao) stick tigers eat butterflies: want to go wrong (fly Fly) Tiger Climbing Tree: Not that way, absurd

The tigers are ferocious and violent: Tiger eats sheep: the weak eats the tiger eats the rabbit: swallows the tiger and eats the lamb: does not spit out the bones Tiger fights : dare not persuade, I have to persuade the tiger to insert green onions on its nose: fierce (elephant) tiger’s nest The child cries: The son of a tiger raised by a strange mother: Don’t look at him (it)

The tigers are human-faced beasts, pretending to be humans: Tiger Daimani beads: fake living Buddha (Tibetan) Tiger wearing lama hat: thinking of a way to eat people Tiger as a monk: human face beast heart tiger carrying a cross: pretending to be a tiger wearing a tiger Leather: Pretend to be like (sheep) Tiger eats grass: Pretend to be a donkey

There are special symbolic, metaphorical, and extensional meanings: plucking hair on the tiger’s buttocks: After the tiger’s tail is broken, firecrackers are hung on the tail: the tiger is blasted out, and the tiger is lying on the mountain: lying down and pretending to be dead the tiger chasing the cat on the tree: thanks to the tiger. Friends: No good beasts (Xibo people) Tiger jumps into the mountain stream: Xuan (hang) rises up Lao Shangdong Bodhisattva Hall: inexplicable (wonderful temple); who dares to enter (respect) Tiger cats out of the tiger den: a generation is not as good as a generation of tigers Into the mountain temple: old corruption (tiger worship) Tiger pocket: find dead by yourself, pulling teeth from the tiger’s mouth : adventure;