牛niú

（楊柳川）

2021 is the Year of the Ox according to the Chinese lunar calendar.Individuals born in the Year of Ox are said to share certain traits with this animal,which are,loyalty,diligence,tolerance,and persistence.They are also believed to be somewhat headstrong,but quite dedicated.

A wave of fanatical supporters has been ringing in the Year of the Ox with great zeal and fervor since the first day of the lunar New Year.Curiously enough,they were not necessarily born in the Year of the Ox,nor are they Chinese nationals,they are actually stockholders from various cultures from all over the world.

But why would stockholders be so hyped up about the year of the Ox? First of all,the ox (牛) is synonymous with the bull.And certainly anyone who has ever thought of playing the market has heard the expression “bull market” (牛市 pronounced niú shì in Chinese),which is a term used to characterize market sentiment as fervent and optimistic,due to rising stock prices.Chinese and Westerners alike believe that the image of a hulking,powerful bull thrusting its horns upwards is a vivid image that represents a rising market.The character 牛 (niú) literally means cattle.The pictographic character 牛 is a distinct,iconic illustration of a bull’s head,longhorned and dauntless.

公歷2021年是中國歷法的牛年。牛在中國傳統文化中有著重要的地位，是勤勞忠誠和百折不撓美好品質的象征。老人們認為生肖屬牛的人會像牛一樣勤勞堅毅、寬容大度，他們也像牛一樣強壯而執著。

對于牛年，有一批最熱切的擁躉，他們不只是屬牛的人，也不一定是中國人，他們是遍布全球的股民，分屬于各種不同的文化。

股市以“牛市”來命名，意指股市行情昂揚向上，主要是因為中西方人民都認同，俯身頷首繼而高高揚起犄角的公牛，最能形象地展現出股票指數一路攀升、不可遏抑的上漲態勢。漢字中“牛”的象形文字，就是一個個棱角分明、鐵骨錚錚的牛頭。

祭祀是古人生活中最重要的政治活動，而牛則是祭祀活動中最高貴的祭祀品。《說文解字》注：“牛，大牲也。”“牲”就是祭祀用的全牛。在古代，只有皇帝和諸侯王祭祀時才能使用牛，并且有嚴格的程序規定。大家所熟知的成語“庖丁解牛”，就是描述一位廚師替國君梁惠王宰牛的故事。另外，古代中國以牛為“耕稼之本”，牛是主要耕作畜力，是重要的生產工具，屠宰耕牛拿來食用，對于一個以農業為本的國家來說，是得不償失的。因此，中國歷朝歷代都有保護耕牛的律法，如秦漢時期，殺牛等于殺人；唐朝規定，無故擅殺牛者，判刑一年半；北宋時期，屠宰牛必須向官府報告，否則要處以刑罰。

中國人愛牛、惜牛、敬牛,漢語中富含美好寓意并與牛相關的詞語較多，如牛人、牛勁、執牛耳、牛刀小試、舐犢情深等等。

自古以來，無論是達官貴人、文人墨客，還是戎馬將士，都對牛肉的美味充滿著向往和贊譽。從三閭大夫屈原《招魂》中“肥牛之腱，臑若芳些”對膏腴美食的贊美，到詩仙李白《將進酒》中“烹羊宰牛且為樂，會須一飲三百杯”的豪邁；從司馬光《將軍吟》中“肥牛百頭酒萬石，爛漫一日供歡娛”的老夫聊發少年狂，到辛棄疾《破陣子》中“八百里分麾下炙，五十弦翻塞外聲，沙場秋點兵”的一腔金戈鐵馬愛國情懷，都免不了牛肉氤氳的香氣。

當中國進入工業時代，牛在祭祀與耕作上的用途已慢慢淡化，牛的價值漸漸轉向食品加工和制造行業。牛奶、牛肉以營養價值高而深受人們喜愛，牛皮、牛角可以制成藥品、食用明膠、皮革、工藝品等，牛的價值愈加凸顯出來。

The importance of 牛 can be traced back to ancient sacrifice,the most important ceremony in the China of old.A bull was seen as the holiest possible offering to the gods.This was recorded as “牛,大牲也” (niú,dà shēng yě),in which 牲(shēng) refers to a strong bull without defect for sacrificial offerings,inShuowen Jiezi,the first dictionary analyzin g the forms and origins of Chinese characters.Only an emperor and his vassal kings were privileged enough to use 牛 in sacrificial practices.The well-known fourcharacter idiom 庖丁解牛 is pronounced páo ding jiě niú,and means “skilled and magical crafts manship.” It tells us a story about a master chef deftly butchering an ox for King Hui of Liang.

In addition,cattle were regarded as fundamental to agriculture in ancient China,and thus related to national peace and stability.As cattle were the major source of labor in farming,and an important factor affecting agricultural productivity,it was far from beneficial to slaughter them for food in a country wholly dependent on agriculture.Therefore,there were myriad laws and regulations passed to protect 牛 in ancient China.To kill any cow was a crime equivalent to murder in the Qin Dynasty.In the Tang Dynasty,killing a cow groundlessly was punishable by at least one and a half years in prison.Any unauthorized slaughter of cattle also resulted in severe consequences in the Song Dynasty.

牛 has long been cherished and respected by the Chinese.Nowadays,the Chinese language is rife with exquisite expressions and intriguing idioms containing the character 牛,such as 牛人(niú rén),牛勁 (niú jìn),執牛耳 (zhí niú ěr),牛刀小試 (niú dāo xiǎo shì) and 舐犢情深 (shì dú qíng shēn),which mean “a big shot,” “great strength,” “an acknowledged leader,” “a modest first display of a master’s ability,”and “parental love,” respectively.For the Chinese who have long believed that “food is of the first necessity to the people,” beef was naturally served up as a favorite of multitudes of gourmands,many of whom just happened to be,officials,aristocrats,and literati.

Qu Yuan,the illustrious poet and the minister of the Chu State,praised the “Stewed tendons of beef,like rosemary’s sweet perfume” in his great work Elegies of Chu.Li Bai,crowned the greatest poet in China,recited in his poem “Invitation to Wine”:

Kill a cow,cook a sheep,make merry to eve shall we,

Fine wine three hundred cups,all undulate with glee!

Sima Guang,a great Chinese scholar and poet in the Northern Song Dynasty,compiled a monumental work,Zizhi Tongjia n (Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance).As a statesman of morality,he wrote verses to describe soldiers’ great joy and satisfaction when eating beef:

Fat game,sweet meat a hundred head of bull,

Dry wine,sweet mead a thousand flagon full.

Jubilations,jubilations,gladsome this morn be,

Exultations,exultations,joyous day of felicity.

Xin Qiji,a heroic general and p atriotic poet in the Southern Song Dynasty,also chanted lyrics on the battleground:

Eight-hundred miles of hard treks,brave soldiers share a roast,

Fifty scores of sweet harp strains,bold warriors make a toast.

Battlefields cloaked in autumn’s tan,a song of triumph rings

Gathering beyond the city walls,of victory the troops sing.

From timeless verses such as this,we sense the spirit of 牛 as well as the fragrance and delicacy of beef pervading every facet of Chinese culture.

As China entered the industrial age,the purpose of 牛 has shifted from serving sacrifice and farming,to an ingredient in food preparation,as well as a host of other applications.For example: milk and beef are especially favored thanks to their great nutritional content; cattle skin and horns have been made into products we use every day,such as medicine,edible gelatin,leatherwear,and handicrafts.The cow,the bull,and the ox alike have been found all the more valuable.