The Origin of the Culture of the Twelve Chinese Zodiacs

Core Academic Debates on the Origin of the Twelve Chinese Zodiacs

Regarding the origin of the Twelve Chinese Zodiacs culture, the focal point of academic debates mainly centers on the time of its origin.

The Theory of Introduction from Northern Nomadic Ethnic Groups

Zhao Yi of the Qing Dynasty mentioned in his reading notes "Notes from the Thatched Cottage (Gai Yu Cong Kao)": "I privately think this custom originally came from the northern ethnic groups. By the Han Dynasty, Huhanye Chanyu pledged allegiance to the Han court and settled in Wuyuan, living alongside the Han people, thus this custom spread into the Central Plains." This means that the Twelve Zodiacs were a tradition of the ancient northern nomadic ethnic groups, which spread to the Central Plains region through ethnic cultural exchanges.

The Theory of Origin from Folk Customs in the Late Zhou and Early Qin Dynasties

Deng Erya, a renowned seal carver of the Republic of China, stated in his article "Earthly Branches and the Twelve Animals": "From the perspective of Chinese character forms, I suspect that the reason why the Earthly Branches were paired with the names of birds and animals is probably due to the similarity in character shapes. After all, terms like 'Zi' and 'Chou' have no inherent meaning, and their order is easy to mix up. So they were replaced with common creatures for easier memorization. Its origin is suspected to be in the late Zhou and early Qin dynasties, used as a folk custom." Mr. Deng believed that the emergence of the Twelve Zodiacs was because the ancients found it easy to confuse the Twelve Earthly Branches (Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, etc.), so in the late Zhou and early Qin dynasties, they used common animals to refer to them—for example, the rat for Zi, the ox for Chou. In terms of character shape, the character "Hai" is quite similar to "Shi" (pig), which is why the ancients used the pig to represent Hai.

Inference That the Twelve Zodiacs Originated Earlier Than the Han Dynasty

Liang Zhangju, a great master of couplets in the late Qing Dynasty, believed that the origin of the Twelve Zodiacs was even earlier. He mentioned in "Lang Ji Xu Tan (Continued Talks of Wandering)": "Zhu Xi once discussed the 'I Ching' (Book of Changes), stating that 'Qian' is the horse, 'Kun' is the ox, 'Zhen' is the dragon, 'Xun' is the rooster, 'Kan' is the boar, 'Li' is the pheasant, 'Gen' is the dog, and 'Dui' is the sheep. These symbolic associations have their own origins and are not mere metaphors. The Twelve Zodiacs are quite similar to the symbolic images of the Eight Trigrams—how can we say they have no origin?" Mr. Liang argued that the Twelve Zodiacs are very similar to the symbolic imagery of the Eight Trigrams. And Sima Qian mentioned in "Shi Ji (Records of the Grand Historian)" that "Fu Xi, with his utmost purity and sincerity, created the Eight Trigrams of the 'I Ching'". Based on this, it can be inferred that the Twelve Zodiacs appeared long before the Han Dynasty, even earlier than the three dynasties of the pre-Qin period (Xia, Shang, and Zhou).

The Earliest Complete Record of the Zodiacs in "Lun Heng (Balanced Discourses)"

Among ancient classics, Wang Chong's "Lun Heng (Balanced Discourses)" is regarded as the earliest document recording the Twelve Zodiacs in full. In "Lun Heng · Wu Shi Pian (On the Forces of Things)", it is recorded: "Yin is wood, and its corresponding beast is the tiger. Xu is earth, and its corresponding beast is the dog... Si is the snake, Shen is the monkey. Fire conquers metal—why doesn't the snake eat the macaque?" In "Lun Heng · Yan Du Pian (On Poisons)", it is written: "Chen is the dragon, Si is the snake. The positions of Chen and Si are in the southeast. Dragons are venomous, snakes are stinging; thus, vipers have sharp fangs, and dragons have reversed scales. Wood generates fire, and fire is poison—hence, the azure dragon beast contains the Mars." With this, the Twelve Zodiacs are fully accounted for, and the matching of the Twelve Earthly Branches with the Twelve Zodiacs here is the same as the zodiac culture we know today.

Sleeping Tiger Land Qin Bamboo Slips Break the "Earliest" Record of "Lun Heng"

The reason why many scholars believe that the Twelve Zodiacs culture originated in the Han Dynasty is precisely because of Wang Chong's complete account of the Twelve Zodiacs in "Lun Heng". However, in December 1975, Qin bamboo slips unearthed from Tomb No. 11 at Shuihudi in Yunmeng County, Hubei Province, broke the "earliest" record held by "Lun Heng".

In the section "Ri Shu · Dao Zhe (Book of Days · On Thieves)" of the Shuihudi Qin bamboo slips, it is recorded: "Zi is the rat; Chou is the ox; Yin is the tiger; Mao is the rabbit; Chen is the dragon; Si is the insect; Wu is the deer; Wei is the horse; Shen is the huan (monkey); You is the shui (rooster); Xu is the old sheep; Hai is the shi (pig)." Among these twelve zodiac animals, "insect" refers to the snake, "huan" is the monkey, "shui" is the rooster, and "shi" is the pig. There is an extra "deer", while "dragon" and "dog" are missing.

Fangmatan Qin Bamboo Slips Break the "Most Complete" Record of "Lun Heng"

If the "Twelve Zodiacs" recorded on the Shuihudi Qin bamboo slips broke the "earliest" record of "Lun Heng", then the Qin bamboo slips unearthed later at Fangmatan in Gansu Province broke the "most complete" record held by "Lun Heng". In 1986, Qin bamboo slips unearthed from a late Warring States period Qin tomb at Fangmatan in Gansu also contained records of the Twelve Zodiacs, and the "dog" appeared in this record.

In the section "Ri Shu · Dao Pian (Book of Days · On Thieves)" of the Fangmatan Qin bamboo slips, it is recorded: "Zi is the rat; Chou is the ox; Yin is the tiger; Mao is the rabbit; Chen is the insect; Si is the rooster; Wu is the horse; Wei is the sheep; Shen is the monkey; You is the rooster; Xu is the dog; Hai is the shi (pig)." The difference between these twelve zodiac animals and those mentioned in "Lun Heng" is that there are two "roosters" here (Si for rooster and You for rooster), and Chen corresponds to "insect" (snake); the rest is basically close to the modern Twelve Zodiacs culture.

Future Prospects for Textual Research on the Origin of Zodiac Culture

With the development of China's archaeological undertakings, more and more ancient documents and classics will be unearthed. At that time, we may be able to find earlier records of China's Twelve Zodiacs, pushing back the history of China's Twelve Zodiacs culture further.

Statement

This article is translated from the "Chinese Twelve Zodiacs" series published by Dolphin Books of China International Communications Group.