语言是文化的载体,也是历史的一面镜子。社会的变革,民族的兴衰,物质文明和精神文明的发展乃至于不同时期、不同地域的人们在生活习俗、道德观念等方面的差异,都会在语言中找到它们的印证。因此,语言学家和人类学家往往能够根据古代典籍和活的口语中所见到的某些语言现象去推断以往的社会生活面貌,从而揭示出人类文明发展史上的某些规律来。古代中国是一个畜牧业十分发达的国家。马、牛、羊、豕(猪)、鸡、狗六种牲畜(即所谓“六畜”)便是汉族先民豢养的主要家畜,据《尔雅》记载,单是六畜的各种专名就有109个。以羊为例,就有“羒”(白色的公羊)“群”(白色的母羊)“羭”(黑色的公夏羊)“羖”(黑色的母夏羊)“觤(羊角一长一短的羊)“(羊佥)”(羊 Language is the carrier of culture, but also a mirror of history. Changes in society, the rise and fall of the nation, the development of material and spiritual civilization and even the differences in people’s life customs and ethics in different periods and regions will find their proof in the language. Therefore, linguists and anthropologists tend to deduce past social life outlooks from certain linguistic phenomena found in ancient books and living spoken language, thereby revealing certain laws in the history of the development of human civilization. Ancient China is a very developed country in animal husbandry. The six livestock (horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, and chickens) (the so-called “six domestic animals”) are the main livestock raised by the ancestors of the Han nationality. According to the records of Erka, There are 109. In the case of sheep, there are “羒” (white ram) “group” (white ewes) “羭” (black male summer sheep) “羖” (black female summer sheep) A short sheep) “(Sheep)” (Sheep