Collection of idioms and culture about sheep

　　The Chinese language is rich and colorful, and there are many idioms about sheep. There is also a story with a sense of humor behind some idioms.

　　▲Sheep stepping on the vegetable garden

　　This idiom comes from "Laughing Forest" by Handan Chun of the Three Kingdoms: "Some people often eat vegetables and rump, but suddenly eat mutton, dreaming of the five Tibetan gods and saying:'Sheep stepping through the vegetable garden!' This is just an interesting story, and has no profound meaning. Later generations will use this analogy. Those who are accustomed to eating vegetables occasionally eat meaty delicacies. It is more appropriate to use for self-ridicule; if you use a metaphor for others, it is not without ridicule.

　　▲Lamb's head dog meat

　　This is generally used to say "hanging sheep's head and selling dog meat". The metaphor is different from the outside and the other is obvious. This idiom originally has nothing to do with sheep and dogs, but has an affair with cows and horses. This idiom comes from "Yanzi Chunqiu? Neipian Zaxia". Qi Linggong liked to make the palace women disguise as men, but he tried his best to forbid the Chinese to do the same, but to no effect. Yanzi Qi Linggong said: "The emperor should serve the inside while forbidden to the outside. He still hangs the bull's head at the door, but sells horse meat inside. Why don't you let the inside and don't serve it, you can't dare to do it outside." Linggong obeyed this suggestion, and the disguise of women as men was completely forbidden. The direct source of the term "goat head and dog meat" is Volume 31 of the Buddhist Zen classic "Continued Denglu", which is a passage from Zen Master Tan Hua (1103—1163 AD):

　　On the death day of Huqiu (the teacher of Tanhua), Nian Xiang said: "I had no interest in my life. I ran into this unintentional and wise old monk. I tried my best and couldn't get together. From then on, I let go of fighting and have a good meal . Twenty years of sitting music recorded. The bed (Zen chair), hanging sheep's head to sell dog meat, know what evidence it has! Although, the annual incense burning day, the age is hateful."

　　How to switch from "beef head horse meat" to "sheep head dog meat" is still unknown today.

　　▲Remedy

　　This is also a frequently used idiom today. This idiom comes from the "Warring States Policy? Chu Policy IV": "It is not too late to see a rabbit but care about a dog; it is not too late to make up for the death of a sheep." To the effect, look. It’s not too late to signal to the hound when the rabbit arrives ; it’s not too late to repair the sheep pen after the sheep ran away. It is an analogy that if an error occurs, if it is remedied in time, there will be time to avoid greater losses. ▲The sheep-like tiger skin is a metaphor for being strong on the outside and weak on the inside. This idiom comes from Han Yangxiong's "Fayan? My Son": "Sheep is made of tiger skin, it is happy when it sees grass, and it fights when it sees jackals, but the tiger that forgets its skin."

　　▲ Sheep and wolf are greedy

　　An analogy of vicious and greedy marriage. This idiom comes from "Historical Records? The Benji of Xiang Yu". It turned out that General Song Yi warned Xiang Yu who wanted to attack the Qin army repeatedly: "It is as fierce as a tiger, as ruthless as a sheep, as greedy as a wolf, and those who are not strong will be cut." And Xiang Yu merged. Without surrendering, he took the opportunity to kill Song Yi and his son, led the three armies to sink the boat, defeated the Qin army in one fell swoop, and established his personal status in the army.

　　▲Abundance on the Forked Road

　　This idiom comes from "Lie Zi? Shuo Fu": "Yang Zi's neighbors have lost their sheep, and they both lead his party and invite Yang Zizhi to chase them. Yang Zi said:'Hey! Where are the people who chase a sheep?' The neighbor said:' Too many different roads.’ When it’s reversed, I asked: “Getting the sheep?” said: “It’s perishable.” Said: “It’s perishing?” It said: “There are differences in the forked road, I don’t know what it is, so

　　On the contrary. '....... G Duzi said:'The great roads have lost their sheep in many ways, and scholars have lost their lives in many ways. "" Later generations used the idiom "to lose the sheep on the wrong road" as a metaphor for getting lost because of the complicated and changeable situation, and it is difficult to find a way out.

　　There are some idioms about sheep that are not commonly used, such as "The sheep touches Shen", which is a metaphor for a dilemma, meaning that the horn of a ram is hooked on a fence. This idiom comes from the " Book of Changes ? Da Zhuang": "The sheep touches Shen and wins its horn." Win, means stuck. Another example is "Gao Shuo Fu Yang", which is a metaphorical meaning of the same name. This idiom comes from the "Analects of Confucius? Ba Yi": "Zigong wants to go to talk to the new goat, and the son said:'Given you, love his sheep, I will accept Its rituals.'" In the weekly system, the emperor issues the second year's calendar to the princes in every season and winter, which is called "Gao Shuo". The princes gave a ceremony to tell the temple to listen to the government on the new day of each month (the first day of the lunar calendar), and they sacrificed sheep. However, this system has been inadequate since the time of Lu Wen Gong, and Yousi still provides for the sheep, so Zi Gong (Duanmuci) wanted to get rid of it, but Confucius wanted to maintain this imaginary ritual system. "Sheep" is the idiom.

　　In addition, idioms such as "yangluohukou", "yangchang birddao", "such as wolf herding sheep" and other idioms have their respective origins, but their meanings can be seen at a glance. As for the common sayings such as "wool comes out of the sheep" and "camel in the flock", they are still active in people's lives today. This may be a kind of glory of the sheep zodiac.

Sheep