On the Character: 物萬(wàn)事萬(wàn)物，起源于“牛”？

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How the character for “ox” evolved to encompass everything within the cosmos

In a Tibetan creation myth， it is the sacrifice of an ox that brings our world into being. The yak， now a revered animal in Tibetan culture， brought order to the chaos of the universe. Its head formed towering mountain ranges， its tail became expansive roads， and its hide painted the vast wilderness with life. This myth echoes the ancient belief， shared by many ethnic Han people， that all natural phenomena and living things are ultimately born from cattle.

This notion is captured in the character 物 （wù）. It first appeared in oracle bone script over 3，000 years ago， as a compound of 牛 （niú， ox， yak） and 勿 （wù）， which contributes to its pronunciation. Initially， this denoted an ox with multicolored fur， but The Analytical Dictionary of Chinese Characters （《說(shuō)文解字》） from the 2nd century states that “物 represents all entities. The ox is a being of significance， since all things under heaven arise from the ox’s plowing. （物，萬(wàn)物也。（剩余3521字）