Fish is one of the earliest known and longest-lived creatures. In primitive society, people lived on weeds and already fished for food. The image of fish is gradually embedded in the field of human spirit and has been endowed with many meanings. Compared with "Kun Peng spreads his wings", people place great ambitions on the big fish-Kun; In the "Fish Leaping to the Dragon Gate", people place their good wishes for good luck on carp.
Compared with other animals, fish tend to travel in groups and are easier to be caught, and "many descendants" emerge one after another. People regard fish as auspicious things, hoping that fish can bless them with inexhaustible food and endless offspring. In ancient times, people would paint polished fish bones with beautiful colors, and then wear them as ornaments with strings. The supraorbital bone of grass carp with holes and paintings was found in the Neanderthal site in Zhoukoudian, Beijing.
Not only that, people also painted fish patterns on the surface of pottery, and fish patterns appeared in Yangshao culture about 7000 to 5000 years ago. Among them, the famous one is the noodle fish pattern basin.
From The Book of Songs to The Classic of Mountains and Seas, written records about fish can be seen everywhere, and Zhuangzi also mentioned fish many times. "Zhuangzi Xiaoyao Tour" wrote: "There are fish in the northern Ming Dynasty, called Kun, and the size of Kun is unknown for thousands of miles." This big fish is traveling happily in the North Sea. Its body is thousands of miles away and its back is like Mount Tai. Its fish slaps water, which can stir up waves of three thousand miles.
Besides big fish, Zhuangzi also wrote about small fish. According to Zhuangzi Qiushui, Zhuangzi looked at Dior fish in the water and lamented the happiness of the fish. His friend Hui Shi said, "You are not a fish. How do you know the happiness of a fish?"
Zhuangzi retorted, "You are not me. How do you know that I don't know the happiness of fish? " Hui Shi added: "I am not you, although I don't know if you know the happiness of fish;" You are not a fish, so you don't know the happiness of fish, which is obvious. "
Zhuangzi added, "Let's start from the beginning. You just asked me how I know the happiness of fish. This shows that you already know that I know the happiness of fish, so you ask me how I know it. You will know it on the bridge in Pushui. " In Zhuangzi's works, both big fish and small fish are entrusted with mysterious philosophical thoughts.