Are Chinese sheep really ghosts?
Tal
March 13, 2010, 01:39 AM posted in General Discussion
Recently I've been reading an interesting Chinese folk tale: 宋定伯卖鬼 - Sòng Dìng Bó mài guǐ - Sòng Dìng Bó sells a ghost.
It's a funny little story actually, good practice for Chinese study, and there are some quirky (to a western mind anyway) features which perhaps tell us some things about China and the Chinese world view.
At the beginning we hear：
鬼常常害人 - guǐ cháng cháng hài rén - (ghosts often cause trouble to people) and
老百姓都怕鬼 - lǎobǎixìng dōu pà guǐ - (common folk fear ghosts.)
And then interestingly we then learn that 鬼怕恶人 - guǐ pà èrén - ghosts fear a villain! If you're bold and 厉害, the ghosts won't dare make trouble for you!
The hero of the story, the redoubtable 宋定伯, a guy with a love of learning and the martial arts, goes to visit a friend who lives outside his city wall. He enjoys himself and stays late. The friend advises him to stay over, because the road home has a reputation for being haunted by ghosts, but of course 宋定伯 will have none of this, and starts for home in the dark night.
Of course it's not long before our hero does encounter a ghost, but not a clever one, because he thinks 宋定伯 might be a ghost. 宋定伯 has fun pretending to be a ghost, and even learns what ghosts are most afraid of: having people spit in their faces! Now you know why Chinese people love doing that so much!
Finally, with dawn breaking, the ghost is keen to be off, (seems like Chinese ghosts, just like their western cousins, prefer the dark night to the light of day.) But 宋定伯 holds on to it and won't let it go, and then... *roll of drums*... the ghost turns into... a sheep!!
宋定伯 is no fool, he knows it might turn back into a ghost, so he spits in its face and takes it to market and sells it.
Now children, what do we learn from this story?
Tal
March 13, 2010, 11:28 AM老实说我觉得《喜洋洋》长得一点可怕，他的角看上去魔鬼角。看来在中国文化里面有些地方比较奇怪。鬼变成一只羊或者恶魔是什么意思？我真不知道。
changye
March 13, 2010, 02:48 AM> Now children, what do we learn from this story?
You don't have to be ashamed of spitting in public at all.
bababardwan
March 13, 2010, 02:51 AMHey tal,btw it cracks me up that you've asked:
"Now children, what do we learn from this story?"
...and it's an excellent way to start a thread and see the different takes on it from the poddies.Once again inspired stuff from you.Champ !
Tal
March 13, 2010, 02:54 AM呵呵，谢谢 bodawei! You have a good point there about the sheep-goat confusion. I think Chinese people don't clearly distinguish between the 2 in the same way westerners do.
After all 'goat' in Chinese is just 山羊 (shānyáng) - mountain sheep!
Recently I see the character below everywhere
Looks like a sheep? No, it's the latest thing: Pleasant Goat and the Big Bad Wolf.
@changye - OK, my friend, promise I won't censure you for it again! Clearly my not doing it is why I am ghost-plagued!
@baba - Cheers mate, but really it was a serious question! 
I'm hoping our Chinese friends and teachers will fill us in on this sheep/ghost question!
bababardwan
I tell you what,this sheepish looking goat does look pleasant [but not sheepish].I love the character descriptions ,such as for Big Red Wolf:
"She is the wife of Big Big Wolf. She always blames her husband, and thinks he is a loser. Longs for mutton. Hits Big Big Wolf with a frying pan in basically every episode."
Tal
Sounds like the story of my life! 
bodawei
Sheep-goat confusion Episode #1
One day our friends ask us if we'd like to go to a restaurant where they eat 羊肉 (lamb.) Yum, yes please. We hop in the car and on the way the conversation kind of takes a twist. Our host starts referring to it as 山羊 (shānyáng.) Oh, I think, a goat restaurant - still sounds interesting. Visions of delicious goat and potato stew. On arrival we see that it one of those without a menu - the goods are displayed in boxes, cases, shelves etc. I can't see anything that looks distinctly like goat meat, but there is an awful lot of offal. Our hosts of course do the ordering and presently our main dish arrives - offal, big lumps of fat, and blood in an enormous stew. I had the stew part right. There were separate dishes of potato, greens etc. No meat, I promise you. No meat at all.
My question for poddies is: what do they do with the meat?
bababardwan
Now come on mate,that would make you the Big Mal Wolf and I'll have none o' tha'
Tal
But this wolf is like this:
"...always plotting to catch goats. But failed all times."
Like I said mate, story of my life! 呵呵！
我一定会回来的，可恶的小羊！
Sounds delish bodawei, so what did they do with the meat? or maybe it was ghost meat, 呵呵，鬼肉！
bodawei
呵呵，鬼肉！！
I have a few theories:
1. The 老板 keeps the meat for friends and family; don't waste it on customers who are happy to pay 30 RMB for a dish of liver and lumps of fat.
2. There are other dishes available at the restaurant but our host does not like 羊肉.
3. 老板 sells the meat to local Muslim restaurants. Most little Muslim restaurants seem to just use the meat and not the offal - maybe it is a SYMBIOTIC relationship.
bodawei
March 13, 2010, 02:35 AMTal, this is great, enjoyed it very much. When I glanced at your title quickly I thought it said 'Are Chinese sheep really goats', because I think they have a problem in that area. But this was so much better ..
What do we learn? The Chinese will eat anything?
bodawei
March 13, 2010, 03:41 AMSheep-goat confusion Episode #1
One day our friends ask us if we'd like to go to a restaurant where they eat 羊肉 (lamb.) Yum, yes please. We hop in the car and on the way the conversation kind of takes a twist. Our host starts referring to it as 山羊 (shānyáng.) Oh, I think, a goat restaurant - still sounds interesting. Visions of delicious goat and potato stew. On arrival we see that it one of those without a menu - the goods are displayed in boxes, cases, shelves etc. I can't see anything that looks distinctly like goat meat, but there is an awful lot of offal. Our hosts of course do the ordering and presently our main dish arrives - offal, big lumps of fat, and blood in an enormous stew. I had the stew part right. There were separate dishes of potato, greens etc. No meat, I promise you. No meat at all.
My question for poddies is: what do they do with the meat?
changye
March 13, 2010, 04:08 AM“喜洋洋”是绵羊还是山羊？我纳闷儿了！
bodawei
这个问题不重要的，就是喜洋洋， 很可爱啊！
changye
是吗？这个问题憋在我心里已经很久了，越想越搞不懂，晚上都睡不好觉！
changye
从“毛”来看，喜洋洋好像是一只绵羊，不过问题是他有一对角！头上长角的绵羊你看过没有？真是纳闷儿！喜洋洋很可能是一只“二不像”，哈哈。
changye
Hi bodawei
我听说，野生品种一般都有角，但是有些改良品种没有角。这个说法对吗？我对生物学不太熟悉。对了，顺便说下，你可以说“母/雌羊”和“公/雄羊”，但是不能说“女羊/男羊”。我家的小胖狗是母狗。
Hi bababardwan
我打错字了！其实，“羊年喜洋洋”就是2003年（羊年）的时候我常听的一个祝福语。
bodawei
March 13, 2010, 04:52 AM这个问题不重要的，就是喜洋洋， 很可爱啊！
bababardwan
March 13, 2010, 03:00 AMI tell you what,this sheepish looking goat does look pleasant [but not sheepish].I love the character descriptions ,such as for Big Red Wolf:
"She is the wife of Big Big Wolf. She always blames her husband, and thinks he is a loser. Longs for mutton. Hits Big Big Wolf with a frying pan in basically every episode."
bababardwan
March 13, 2010, 02:06 AM<i>"Now children, what do we learn from this story?"</i>
...how to upset the Kiwis during the 2011 Rugby World Cup and throw them off their game.
..thanks Tal