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Dogs in ancient China

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693:"One day, Li was drunk outside the city and fell asleep in the grass on the side of the road. It happened that Zheng Xia, the Governor (上太守), came out to hunt, and seeing that the grass in the field was long, sent someone to set the grass on fire in order to scare out the animals. The place where Li lay was just downwind. When Heilong saw the fire coming, he dragged Li's clothes in its teeth, but Li didn't move. There was a small stream near where Li was lying, only thirty or fifty steps away from him. Heilong ran into the stream and soaked his body with water, then ran back to where Li was lying, wetting him with the water from the dog's body. In consequence, Li survived the fire, but Heilong was so tired that he died beside his owner. When Li woke up and found his hair wet and Heilong dead beside him, he very surprised by what had happened. He saw the traces of the fire, and then burst into tears. The Governor Zheng Xia heard of the news, felt very sorry for the dog and said: "A dog's repayment of kindness is greater than man's. Man does not know (true) kindness; how can he compare to a dog?" He asked people to prepare coffin clothes for Heilong's burial. Today, 683:. In the novel, a man named Hualong loved to shoot and hunt. His dog, nicknamed 'Tail' (的尾/Dewěi) follows him every time he goes hunting. One day, Hualong went to the riverside and a python wound itself around him, suffocating him. 'Tail' bit the snake to death, but his master lay stiffly on the ground unconsciously. 'Tail' barked restlessly around Hualong for a while, before running back home. Hualong's family was surprised by the dog's behavior, so they followed the dog to the river. Seeing Hualong unconscious on the ground, his family rushed him back home, where he woke up only two days later. 'Tail' did not eat for two days until his master had woken up. Since then, Hualong has cherished dogs as if they were his kin. 65: 167: 24: 608:"I have heard that it is best not to throw away old and frayed carriage curtains because one can use them to bury horses; that it is best not to throw away old and frayed carriage canopies because one can use them to bury dogs. I am poor and have no carriage canopy. So use my mat when you put the dog into his grave. Be sure not to let his head get stuck in the mud." 969:最近台灣有一則新聞:年輕男子失蹤,其父在網上寫信,拜託政府部門幫忙尋找「小犬」,沒想到警方竟誤會他在尋找小狗,問他「犬兒」的品種、毛髮特徵呢﹗(Recently, there's news in Taiwan that a young man went missing. His father then wrote a letter on the web, asking the government to help find his "Little Dog." Police then misunderstood it as a search for a puppy, and asked about the "Quǎner"'s breed, hair, and characteristics!) 646:) has been used as a term of self-cheapening deference in reference to one's own son, mostly in front of others as a form of respect. Such practice is now considered obsolete, as modern Chinese customs have largely eschewed the practice of self-cheapening deference altogether. The term is now also used to refer to 585:
There is pictorial evidence from early Han tomb tiles of large dogs with collars in the typical pointing position - the body in a slightly crouching position, neck extended horizontally, and one forepaw being under and raised several inches above ground - standing before a flock of geese in flight
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gives a clue as to how the ceremony took place. It is written with the radical for chariot (車) and a phonetic element which originally meant an animal whose legs had been bound (发). It was the duty of a specially appointed official to supply a dog of one colour and without blemishes for the
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At the banquets of feudal lords a dish of dog's broth and glutinous rice was considered a great delicacy. For summer, dried fish fried in pungent dog's fat was thought to be cooling. When dog's meat was prepared as sacrificial meat it had first to be marinated in vinegar and pepper.
341:. There was hardly a tomb or a building consecrated without the sacrifice of a dog. At one site, Xiaotong, the bones of a total of 825 human victims, 15 horses, 10 oxen, 18 sheep and 35 dogs were unearthed. Dogs were usually buried wrapped in reed mats and sometimes in 547:
The Shang kings recognised "Dog Officers" (犬) who were involved in hunting in a specific area beyond the royal domain. One oracle bone records: "If the king joins with Qin, the Dog Officer at Cheng, there will be no regrets and he will have no disasters."
352:(鈴) have sometimes been found attached to the necks of dogs or horses. The fact that alone among domestic animals dogs and horses were buried demonstrates the importance of these two animals to ancient Chinese society. It's reflected in an 325:
According to Bruno Schindler, the origin of using dogs as sacrificial animals dates back to a primitive cult in honour of a dog-shaped god of vegetation whose worship later became amalgamated with that of
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take place because dogs in heaven eat the sun. In order to save the sun from demise, ancient people formed the habit of beating drums and gongs at the critical moment to drive away the dogs.
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period, there was a man named Li Xinchun, and his family had a dog named "Heilong" (黑龙, Black Dragon). Li loved this dog very much, allowing it to go wherever he went and eating with it.
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It is clear from the role of dogs in ceremony and as food, as well from the presence of dog figurines in Ancient Chinese tombs, that they were held in some esteem.
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Dogs were associated with hunting from very early times. Many words for hunting in the Chinese language are written with the radical for dog - for example,
363:(寧) rite during which a dog was dismembered to placate the four winds or honour the four directions. This sacrifice was carried over into Zhou times. The 82: 37: 772:
Nobuo Shigehara, Qi Guoqin, Hajime Komiya, Yuan Jing, "Morphological study of the ancient dogs from three neolithic sites in China"
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records a custom to dismember a dog to "bring the four winds to a halt." (止風). Other ceremonies involving dogs are mentioned in the
228: 210: 148: 129: 51: 177: 101: 789:老子注譯及評介 (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1984) at 78. Incidentally the term "straw dogs" became the title of a book of philosophy by 986: 108: 86: 728: 496: 379:(難) sacrifice to drive away pestilence, a dog was dismembered and his remains buried in front of the main gates of the 313:
Tests on neolithic dog bones show similarities between dogs from this era and modern-day Japanese dogs, especially the
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Later, clay figurines of dogs were buried in tombs. Large quantities of these sculptures have been unearthed from the
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The "Tomb for the Righteous Dog" (义犬冢) is a tomb made for dogs who died in order to save their owners. During the
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Systematic excavation of Shang tombs around Anyang since 1928 have revealed a large number of animal and human
1006: 991: 800: 687: 417:     Heaven and earth are ruthless, and treat the myriad creatures as straw dogs; 680: 632:
onwards. The tribe claimed descendancy from two large white dogs and worshipped a totem in their honor.
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Towards the late fifth century BC, surrogates began to be used for sacrifice in lieu of real dogs. The
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Shang oracle bones mention questions concerning the whereabouts of lost dogs. They also refer to the
520:(食犬) or edible dog. With the exception of the liver every part of the animal was considered edible. 380: 122: 628:(犬戎), literally "Dog nomad-tribe", were enemies of the settled civilizations from the time of the 461: 460:(狗屠) was a specific (and lowly-regarded) profession. They are called "idle and untrustworthy" by 578:
Because of their importance and numbers, there was at Shanglin an "inspector of kennels" (狗監;
424: 249: 836: 388: 257: 391:, riding in a jade chariot, to crush a dog under the wheels of his carriage. The character 331: 921: 650:, which has led to confusion when people used the term in its original, ancient context. 427:
royal mausoleum, for example, included two hunting dogs with gold and silver neck rings.
419:     the sage is ruthless, and treats the people as straw dogs. 275: 926: 924:[A term’s superiority and inferiority, as well as its prestige and cheapness]. 572: 456: 980: 665: 597: 879: 790: 636: 629: 575:
period, the kingdoms of Han and Yan were thought to produce the best hunting dogs.
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ordering his disciple to perform the respectful burial for his dog and saying:
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character meaning "to burn" or "to roast" showed dog meat on top of a fire (然).
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However, the practice of burying actual dogs by no means died out. One
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passed down to modern times: "to serve like a dog or a horse." (犬馬之勞).
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In Chinese: 躍躍毚兔 遇犬獲之. From Song 198, 'Qiaoyan', Legge translation.
875:仲尼之畜狗死,使子貢埋之,曰:「吾聞之也:敝帷不棄,為埋馬也;敝蓋不棄,為埋狗也。丘也貧,無蓋;於其封也,亦予之席,毋使其首陷焉。」 694: 647: 397: 353: 310:
have been found in some early graves excavated in northern China.
307: 843:(Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006) at 57. 639:, for example, had the nickname Quǎnzǐ (犬子), meaning "Dog-son". 365: 400:
of dogs was used for the swearing of covenants between nobles.
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Dogs, along with pigs, constituted the major source of animal
160: 58: 17: 679:(Chinese: 的尾救主/Dewěijiùzhǔ), is a novel originating from the 612:
Nevertheless, classical literature usually qualified dogs as
567:     But it is caught by the hound. 434:
onwards. Most show sickle-shaped tails not unlike the modern
464:. Dog butchers who rose to prominence include the strongman 565:     Swiftly runs the crafty hare, 697:
has the Tomb of the Righteous Dog, which is more than ten
816: 306:(circa 5000 BC) cultures. Canine remains similar to the 286:), played an important role in ancient Chinese society. 812:本草綱目, 獸之一(畜類二十八種):「時珍曰︰狗類甚多,其用有三︰田犬長喙善獵,吠犬短喙善守,食犬體肥供饌。」 294:
Remains of dogs and pigs have been found in the oldest
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In Chinese: 天地不仁 以萬物為芻狗 聖人不仁 以百姓為芻狗. Chen Guying ed.
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The word for dog was sometimes used in human names.
89:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 796:Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Humans and Other Animals 606: 952:[Weekly Laugh: Quǎner is not a dog]. 8: 497:Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica) 387:(軷) sacrifice to ward off evil required the 52:Learn how and when to remove these messages 818:(Chinese source text at zh.wikisource.org) 884:Confucius: a Life of Thought and Politics 774:International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 229:Learn how and when to remove this message 211:Learn how and when to remove this message 149:Learn how and when to remove this message 500:divides dogs into three categories: the 739: 280: 703:high." This story was recorded in the 551:There is one reference to dogs in the 7: 886:. Yale University Press, 2008:183-4. 348:. Small bells with clappers, called 87:adding citations to reliable sources 664:According to ancient folk legends, 920:Lee, Ka Leung (14 November 2014). 841:The Royal Hunt in Eurasian History 330:, the reigning deity of the Shang 14: 855:"Looking at Ancient Chinese Dogs" 33:This article has multiple issues. 776:Vol. 8 Issue 1 (2008) pp. 11-22. 557:, China's earliest anthology of 165: 63: 22: 74:needs additional citations for 41:or discuss these issues on the 959:(in Chinese). 13 November 2015 476:(all circa third century BC). 270: 1: 729:Rhinoceroses in ancient China 642:The term Quǎner (犬兒, meaning 512:(吠犬) or barking dog, and the 321:Dogs as ceremonial sacrifice 748:"Dogs in the Ancient World" 514: 508: 502: 191:the claims made and adding 1028: 753:World History Encyclopedia 724:Elephants in ancient China 657: 586:and several running deer. 719:Dogs in Chinese mythology 261: 930:(in Traditional Chinese) 878:, 203. Translation from 787:Laozi zhu yi ji ping jie 672:Stories about loyal dogs 660:Dog in Chinese mythology 853:Eiland, Murray (2003). 815:(Chinese Text Project) 98:"Dogs in ancient China" 677:The Savior with a Tail 610: 506:(田犬) or watchdog, the 246:Canis lupus familiaris 987:Dogs in human culture 681:Northern Song dynasty 479:The ancient word for 901:translate.google.com 590:Cultural perceptions 409:mentions the use of 302:(circa 4000 BC) and 83:improve this article 298:settlements of the 897:"Google Translate" 540:(狩: winter hunt), 454:in ancient China. 176:possibly contains 1012:Prehistoric China 250:Classical Chinese 239: 238: 231: 221: 220: 213: 178:original research 159: 158: 151: 133: 56: 1019: 972: 971: 966: 964: 946: 940: 939: 937: 935: 917: 911: 910: 908: 907: 893: 887: 873: 867: 866: 850: 844: 837:Thomas T. Allsen 834: 828: 825: 819: 810: 804: 783: 777: 770: 764: 763: 761: 760: 744: 544:(獲: bird hunt). 528:Dogs for hunting 519: 511: 505: 284: 272: 263: 234: 227: 216: 209: 205: 202: 196: 193:inline citations 169: 168: 161: 154: 147: 143: 140: 134: 132: 91: 67: 59: 48: 26: 25: 18: 1027: 1026: 1022: 1021: 1020: 1018: 1017: 1016: 977: 976: 975: 962: 960: 948: 947: 943: 933: 931: 919: 918: 914: 905: 903: 895: 894: 890: 874: 870: 852: 851: 847: 835: 831: 826: 822: 811: 807: 784: 780: 771: 767: 758: 756: 746: 745: 741: 737: 715: 674: 662: 656: 600:, ch.4, quotes 592: 569: 566: 530: 468:, the musician 448: 421: 418: 413:as a metaphor: 396:sacrifice. The 323: 292: 235: 224: 223: 222: 217: 206: 200: 197: 182: 170: 166: 155: 144: 138: 135: 92: 90: 80: 68: 27: 23: 12: 11: 5: 1025: 1023: 1015: 1014: 1009: 1004: 999: 994: 989: 979: 978: 974: 973: 941: 927:Sing Tao Daily 912: 888: 868: 845: 829: 820: 805: 778: 765: 738: 736: 733: 732: 731: 726: 721: 714: 711: 688:Three Kingdoms 673: 670: 666:solar eclipses 658:Main article: 655: 654:Dogs in legend 652: 624:restless. 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Retrieved 953: 950:"每周一笑﹕犬兒不是犬" 944: 932:. Retrieved 925: 915: 904:. Retrieved 900: 891: 883: 871: 862: 858: 848: 840: 832: 823: 808: 794: 786: 781: 773: 768: 757:. Retrieved 751: 742: 704: 698: 692: 685: 676: 675: 663: 644:dog of a son 643: 641: 637:Sima Xiangru 634: 630:Zhou dynasty 621: 617: 613: 611: 607: 596: 593: 584: 579: 577: 570: 564: 552: 550: 546: 541: 537: 533: 531: 522: 515: 495: 493: 484: 478: 455: 449: 446:Dogs as food 429: 422: 416: 404: 402: 392: 384: 376: 370: 364: 360: 358: 349: 336: 324: 312: 293: 281: 279: 269: 253: 248:), known in 245: 241: 240: 225: 207: 198: 175: 145: 136: 126: 119: 112: 105: 93: 81:Please help 76:verification 73: 49: 42: 36: 35:Please help 32: 15: 1002:Dog as food 997:Dogs in art 922:"詞的尊與卑和貴與賤" 865:(3): 75–79. 620:crafty and 536:(獵: hunt), 489:Old Chinese 457:dog butcher 432:Han dynasty 406:Dao De Jing 981:Categories 906:2019-07-19 759:2018-01-10 735:References 470:Gao Jianli 411:straw dogs 339:sacrifices 276:Wade–Giles 185:improve it 109:newspapers 38:improve it 801:1971 film 791:John Gray 706:Soushenji 602:Confucius 487:(肰). The 440:akita inu 436:shiba inu 425:Zhongshan 375:. In the 315:shiba inu 296:Neolithic 189:verifying 44:talk page 955:Ming Pao 934:1 August 799:) and a 713:See also 626:Quanrong 554:Shi Jing 516:shi-quan 503:tianquan 481:dog meat 474:Fan Kuai 332:pantheon 328:Shang Di 300:Yangshao 648:puppies 580:goujian 571:In the 509:feiquan 466:Zhu Hai 452:protein 381:capital 372:Zhou li 346:coffins 343:lacquer 258:Chinese 183:Please 123:scholar 963:3 June 957:Canada 559:poetry 462:Fan Ye 383:. The 304:Hemudu 282:ch'üan 278:: 268:: 266:pinyin 260:: 125:  118:  111:  104:  96:  700:Zhàng 695:Jinan 398:blood 354:idiom 308:Dingo 130:JSTOR 116:books 965:2021 936:2020 618:jiao 538:shou 494:The 483:was 366:Erya 361:ning 350:ling 271:quǎn 254:quan 242:Dogs 102:news 614:hui 542:huo 534:lie 485:ran 438:or 377:nan 252:as 187:by 85:by 983:: 967:. 899:. 882:. 861:. 857:. 839:, 750:. 709:. 622:si 561:: 442:. 393:ba 385:ba 334:. 317:. 274:; 264:; 47:. 938:. 909:. 863:3 803:. 793:( 762:. 262:犬 256:( 244:( 232:) 226:( 214:) 208:( 203:) 199:( 181:. 152:) 146:( 141:) 137:( 127:· 120:· 113:· 106:· 79:. 54:) 50:(

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