Compendium of Materia Medica, Vol. 49

Names such as "Take off your tattered trousers" original: 脫却破袴, Tuoque poku. An onomatopoeic folk name where the bird's call sounds like this phrase, signaling farmers to prepare for field work. and similar variations are all based on the fact that the bird's calling season serves as a sign for agricultural timing. Some claim that the "Calling Dove" original: 鳴鳩, Mingjiu is actually the Hoopoe original: 戴勝, Daisheng, but the scholar Guo Pu A famous Jin Dynasty commentator on ancient texts. says this is not so.

The "Calling Dove" is the same as the bird mentioned in the "Monthly Ordinances" original: 月令, Yueling. A chapter of the Book of Rites detailing seasonal activities.. The character for "Calling" original: 鳴, Ming is likely a corruption of the character for "Dove" original: 鳩, Jiu; this is confirmed by both the Classic of Birds and the Book of Dialects.

Collected Explanations

Zangqi says: Referring to Chen Zangqi, a Tang Dynasty pharmacologist. The Cuckoo original: 布穀, Bugu resembles a hawk but has a long tail. In the north, it is called the "Male Fly-Caller" because it beats its wings together when it flies and cries.

Shizhen says: According to the Exegesis of the Classic of Poetry, the Cuckoo original: 鳲鳩, Shijiu is as large as a dove but is tinged with yellow. When they cry, they call to one another but do not flock together. It is incapable of building its own nest, often dwelling in tree hollows or occupying empty magpie nests. When feeding its chicks, it starts from the top and moves down in the morning, and from the bottom up in the evening. It begins to call after the "Grain Rain" period A solar term occurring around April 20th. and stops after the "Summer Solstice." The commentary on the Classic of Birds by Zhang Hua states that in mid-spring, hawks transform into doves, and in mid-autumn, doves transform back into hawks; thus, the eyes of a cuckoo still resemble those of a hawk. The philosopher Liezi also noted that quails become small birds, which then become cuckoos; after a long time, the cuckoo turns back into a quail. The Classic of Birds further notes that when a dove produces three chicks, one of them will be a hawk.

Meat

Flavor and Nature
Sweet, warm, and non-toxic.

Primary Indications
Used to settle the spirit and stabilize the mind. It also helps a person require less sleep. Wang Ying A Ming Dynasty physician known for his work on dietetics.

Shank Bones

Primary Indications
Used to ensure that a husband and wife remain in love with one another. They should be collected on the fifth day of the fifth month The Dragon Boat Festival, a day associated with powerful ritual energies. and worn by each partner.