How did the ancients interpret the meaning of dreams

How did the ancients interpret the meaning of dreams

According to the dream image foretelling good luck is a kind of superstition, and because the dream superstition always says that the dream is the inspiration of the god or the guide of the ghost, the process of the dream is to seek the content predicted by the god or the ghost from the dream image. But dream-occupiers and dream-occupiers always keep their dream-occupiers secret, so as not only to maintain and enhance the mystery of the activity, but also to facilitate their arbitrary attachment according to the needs of interpretation, which is also the key to dream occupiers.

According to the dream image, the relationship between the dream omen and the future personnel can be divided into three ways: if the consistency between the dream image, the dream omen and the future personnel is the same relationship, it is necessary to use the 'direct interpretation' of the dream; If the inconsistency is the different relationship, it is necessary to use the 'translation' of the dream; If the complete opposite is the opposite relationship, you need to use the 'reverse' way of occupying the dream.

(1) Direct interpretation is the direct interpretation of a certain dream image into the premonitoring-that is to say, what dream image there is, what kind of personnel there is, and the dream image and the personnel it premonitors-belong to one and the same relation, both in form and content. Because of the same relationship, the dreamer can own. Sometimes because of lack of knowledge and experience can not own, but once the occupier prompts, it will soon be clear. Direct interpretation is one of the simplest forms of dream reading.

For example, King Wu dreamed that three gods told him: I must let you go to fight against Yin Zhou. The dream was like this, the king of Wu thought that this was the command given to him by the three gods, and he sent troops to fight against the Yin Zhou, which was the direct solution and self-occupation.

For another example, Emperor Gaozong of Yin dreamed of Fu Shui-shui, that is, he found Fu Shui-shui. Although he did not know the name Fu said in his dream, he saw the appearance of Fu said. He thought that if God gave him such a person in his dream, he would surely find such a person, and this dream was also his own interpretation.

This method of direct interpretation is the simplest and easiest, and it appeared the earliest in the history of dream occupation. Straight answer is a habitual habit that everyone seems to be able to learn. However, the direct solution is a big taboo for the dream occupier, if the 'direct solution' is used at will, it is easy to 'occupy without checking' in front of the facts, thus losing room for maneuver, so the dream occupier will never use this way without full grasp. As a result, dream occupiers generally prefer to 'translate' this way of occupying dreams.

(2) Translation, as the name implies, does not directly interpret the dream image as the person it foretells, but first transforms the dream image into a certain form, and then interprets the person it foretells according to the transformed dream image. Since the dream image has undergone a certain form of transformation, the dreamer can attach it at will as needed, and still leave room for manoeuvre for himself. It is precisely because of the inconsistency on the surface that people need more explanation from the dreamers, and the ghost or divine meaning of the dream images revealed by the dreamers is really too miraculous for people who do not know the truth.

In the concrete application, the translation can be divided into the method of connection, symbol, analogy and harmonic method.

The method of class connection is to first transform the dream image into something connected with it, and then to explain the dream meaning and personnel in terms of something connected with it. This kind of occupation is based on people's life experience, so it is easier for dreamers to accept and understand.

For example, the Hezhen people believe that if they dream of drinking and getting money at night, they will be able to get prey. If you dream of walking on horseback, you will return from hunting empty-handed. This is a kind of 'linkage' according to their hunting life experience. If you hunt and get your prey, you can sell it for money. If you have money, you can buy wine. If the hunt is empty, there is nothing to carry on the horse, so the hunters will ride and walk. In this way, Hezhe people in the dream of eating wine, money with the acquisition of prey, horse walking with the hunt failed to connect.

Another example is that the Jingpo people believe that if a wife dreams of a gun or a long knife, she will give birth to a boy; If you dream of iron POTS and pot holders, you will have girls. This is because the men of the Jingpo ethnic group have always practiced sword and sword, while the women have always cooked at home.

The symbolic method is to transform the dream image into the symbolized thing first, and then explain the dream meaning and personnel according to the symbolized thing. For example, the dream of a bear snake comes from 'Little Ya Skan'. Zheng Xuan explained in the book: 'Bear bear in the mountain, Yang auspicious also', so he dreamed of bear bear as a sign of male; 'The snake's cave, Yin Xiang also', so I dream of the snake as a sign of a woman. Indeed, in temperament, the bear has the nature of the sun, and the snake has the virtue of femininity. The bear and the snake as a symbol of men and women, which may be related to the prehistoric totemic worship and exogamy.

The dream of Zhan fish comes from 'Xiao Ya · No Sheep'. Primitive people originally lived on fish hunting, so day after day, year after year, their psychological habits also dream of fish as a sign of harvest. Primitive people also have the concept of totem strangers, painting the flag of a long-lived and productive turtle snake appeared in a dream, which is naturally also seen as a sign of prosperity.

This conversion and interpretation of the dream occupier is taking advantage of the above traditional national habits and psychology. Unlike the associative law, which absolutes or generalizes certain connections in life, the effect is relatively effective.

The method of analogy is to explain the dream meaning by metaphor and explain the personnel by analogy according to some characteristics of the dream image. The key of this method is to extract the characteristics of the dream image and how to use analogy. Compared with the symbolic method and the connection method, the 'analogy' method is more convenient for the dreamer to explain the dream and prove that the dream has been verified. For the dreamer, it will also be satisfied. For example, 'The ruler is the right length. Dream to Zhangzhi, want to correct people also. Weigh people (flat) right also. Dream (right) balance, for the flat end also. The pavilion is the work of the people. Dream of building pavilions, work accumulated into also. Coarse clogs to make, despicable class also. If you dream of rough clogs, you will get them.' 'Zhang-ruler' has the function of 'positive length', so as to compare people, by analogy, dreaming of 'Zhang-ruler' is to think of the length of people. 'Weighing' has the characteristics of both ends, comparing things to people, by analogy, dreaming that weighing can treat people fairly. Comparing things to people, by analogy, dreaming that the rough clogger will get a servant for people to command. Such analogies and analogies cannot be said to be groundless or unfulfilled, but as a formula or dogma, irrespective of the dreamer's specific circumstances, they are very difficult to fulfil and very difficult to convince.

Harmonic method is to first take the harmonic tone of the dream image, and then interpret the dream image and explain the personnel according to the harmonic tone. 'The Book of Songs' in the 'fish, but the harvest', 'fish' is not only a symbol of harvest, and 'more fish' harmonic 'more than', can also be interpreted as more harvest. Now rural New Year pictures that say there is more than a harvest are also common with a fat doll holding a big carp, which means that 'there are fish' harmonic 'more than'.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was Xu Shen's Shuowen, followed by Liu Xi's Shaoming. In exegesis, 'Shuowen' mainly talks about form training, 'Shaiming' mainly talks about sound training or sound training. Phonetic instruction, or phonetic instruction, is the interpretation of words with the same or similar sounds. 'Shaming' summarized the achievements in this field since the pre-Qin Dynasty, which was very influential in society at that time. So when The Three Kingdoms Zhao straight dream, to 'mulberry' harmonic 'funeral', think that dreaming of mulberry is unlucky, Jin Dai Su? To 'fire' harmonic 'disaster', that dreaming of fire will have disaster.

Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the 'official' of the 'coffin' of the coffin is very common in scholars and in the people. 'Coming to visit the official and dreaming of the coffin' is found in the Book of the World and the Book of Jin. It is said that Zhao Liangqi dreamed of eleven coffins, and as a result, he successively held eleven official posts, and the official reached the book. Gaudafu dreamed of many coffins, in which he sat in a large one, and the result was promoted from a long history to a Zhan. Li Fengji maidservant dreamed that people carried the coffin to the hall, and Li Fengji did the book house, and so on.

3. To say 'reverse', as the name implies, is to turn the dream in reverse, explain the dream meaning and explain the personnel from the opposite side. Direct interpretation and translation are more flexible, but in some dream cases, the content of the dream image is exactly the opposite relationship to the later personnel, at this time, it is difficult for the dream holder to explain the dream, in order to insist that the dream image is a sign of personnel, the dream holder will say that this is a kind of 'reverse omen.'

For example, in the Song Dynasty, Su Shi said in his book 'The Sense of Objects and Categories' : 'If the dream is overturned and becomes an image, then the death of the cry will be due to the official and the Lord.' Another example is 'Taiping Guangji' quoted 'Ji Wen', Jinyang people dream of being bitten by a tiger, his mother said: 'people say that the dream of death is living, and the dream is reversed.'

The dreamers use the above ways to make dreams seem smooth, and because the dreamers are mysterious, the ignorant people are more superstitious to them, so that the dream has a deep impact on society.