羊的温顺

在中国民间传说中，羊是一位同希腊神话中的普罗米修斯一样伟大的人物，普罗米修斯因盗天火给人间而被送上台，羊则因盗五谷种籽给人间而舍身取义。

In Chinese folklore, the sheep is a great figure, akin to Prometheus from Greek mythology. Prometheus was punished for stealing fire from the heavens and bringing it to humanity, while the sheep selflessly sacrificed itself for the sake of humanity by stealing seeds of the five grains.

在远古洪慌时代，人间是没有五谷的，人类靠蔬菜和野草为生，严重的营养不良，使人类面黄饥瘦。

In the ancient times of chaos, there were no grains in the world; humans survived on vegetables and wild grasses, suffering from severe malnutrition that made them look haggard and emaciated.

有一天秋天，一只神羊从天宫来到凡间，发现人类面有菜色，神情萎靡。

One autumn day, a divine sheep descended from the heavens to the mortal realm and found humans looking pallid and listless.

问及原因，才知道人类不种粮食，连什么叫粮食也不知道。神羊善心大发，当即告诉人们下次一定给他们带些粮种来。当时只有天宫御田里才种有营养丰富的粮食。

Upon inquiring about the reason, it learned that humans did not plant grains and did not even know what grains were. The divine sheep, filled with compassion, immediately promised to bring them some grain seeds next time. At that time, only the imperial fields in the heavenly palace grew the nutritious grains.

吝啬的玉帝不愿把粮食的美味拿给人类分享。

The stingy Jade Emperor was unwilling to share the delicious grains with humanity.

神羊回到天宫后，趁半夜守护天神熟睡之际，偷偷溜进御田里，摘下五谷（稻、稷、麦、豆、麻），含在口中，趁天未亮，溜至凡间，人类听说神羊给他们带来了五谷种子，都十分好奇。

After returning to the heavenly palace, the divine sheep, under the cover of night while the celestial gods were asleep, stealthily snuck into the imperial fields, picked the five grains (rice, millet, wheat, beans, and hemp), and held them in its mouth. Before dawn, it sneaked back to the mortal realm, where humans were very curious upon hearing that the divine sheep had brought them grain seeds.

神羊把种籽交给人类，又吩咐了种植五谷的方法，就悄悄地回到天宫去了。

The divine sheep handed the seeds to humans and instructed them on how to plant the grains before quietly returning to the heavenly palace.

人类播下五谷种籽，当年就长出了庄稼。在收获时，人类见到五谷的穗，即似羊头，又像羊尾，收获的粮食又香又甜，收获的麻织成的衣裳又轻又暖。

Humans sowed the five grain seeds, and that year they grew into crops. When it came time to harvest, humans saw that the ears of the grains resembled sheep's heads and tails. The harvested grains were fragrant and sweet, and the clothes made from the harvested hemp were light and warm.

人们在秋收冬藏之后，便举行了盛大的祭祀仪式，以感谢神羊的送种之恩，这类秋收冬藏的农家祭祖仪式至今仍有部分农村在举行。

After the autumn harvest and winter storage, humans held grand sacrificial ceremonies to express their gratitude to the divine sheep for bringing the seeds. This kind of ancestral worship ceremony among farming families after the autumn harvest is still practiced in some rural areas to this day.

盛火的祭羊仪式惊动了玉帝，玉帝又想到了人间出现五谷。立即想到神羊把谷各带给人间。

The grand sacrificial ceremony for the sheep attracted the attention of the Jade Emperor, who recalled the appearance of the five grains in the mortal realm and immediately suspected that the divine sheep had brought them.

查明情况后，玉帝迁怒神羊，命令天宫宰羊于人间，并要人们吃掉羊肉。

After investigating the matter, the Jade Emperor vented his anger on the divine sheep, ordering it to be killed in the mortal realm and for the people to consume its meat.

第二年奇怪的事儿发生了，在神羊行刑的地方，先是长出了青草，后来长出了羊羔，羊从此在人间传宗接代，以吃草为生，把自己的肉、奶无私地贡献给人类，人类则出于对羊舍身这种的感谢，每年都举行腊祭，以示纪念。

The following year, a strange event occurred. In the place where the divine sheep was executed, grass first grew, and later lambs were born. Sheep began to reproduce in the mortal realm, living off grass and selflessly offering their meat and milk to humanity. In gratitude for the sheep's sacrifice, people held sacrifices every year to commemorate it.

当人类听说玉帝要挑十二种动物为人类生肖，并赐为神之后，人们一致推举羊作为这类生肖。

When humans heard that the Jade Emperor would select twelve animals as the zodiac signs for humanity and grant them divine status, the people unanimously proposed the sheep to be one of those zodiac animals.

尽管玉帝对羊盗谷之事耿耿于怀，但难拗众人意见，只好同意羊当上了生肖。

Although the Jade Emperor harbored unresolved grievances against the sheep for stealing the grains, he had no choice but to comply with the people's wishes and allowed the sheep to become a zodiac sign.

下午1－3时（即“未时”），据说羊在这时候，洒尿最勤，洒的尿可治愈自身一种惊疯病，因此，未时属羊。

Between 1 and 3 p.m. (the "Wei" time), it is said that sheep urinate most frequently during this period, and their urine is believed to cure a kind of madness. Hence, the Wei time is associated with sheep.