The Origin of Chinese Character "Wu": A New Hypothesis Based on Astronomical Archaeology and Spiritual History

This study proposes a groundbreaking hypothesis: the Chinese character "Wu" (午) originated as a symbolic representation of the Azure Dragon constellation (Canglong) in ancient Chinese astronomy. Its evolution from the "pliable" form in oracle bone script, depicting the winding dragon's body with key dots representing the dragon's head (角宿) and heart (心宿二, Antares), to the "rigid" form in bronze inscriptions, embodies a spiritual shift from a plea for celestial power to "descend" to the spirit of "emulating heaven." This hypothesis resolves the long-standing dispute between the "rope" and "mortar" theories, and provides the ultimate explanation for cultural institutions like the Dragon Boat Festival ("Duanwu" as "rectifying the dragon") and the Meridian Gate ("Wumen" as the "gate of emulating heaven"). This research offers a new model for understanding the generation of Chinese cultural symbols.