法苑珠林 70.71

70.71

In the twelfth year of Emperor Wen of the Han dynasty, in the land of Wu, a horse grew horns. They were above the ears, pointing upward; the right horn was three inches long, the left horn was two inches long, and both were two inches in girth. Five years later, in the sixth month, a dog grew horns outside the city gate of Miying. Liu Xiang considered that a horse ought not to grow horns, just as inferiors ought not to raise arms against superiors. It was a sign of the forthcoming rebellion of Wu. The Yi Zhuan by Jing Fang states: 'When ministers displace superiors and governance is perverse, the anomaly is a horse growing horns. This indicates a deficiency of worthy scholars.'