What Animal Is the Cha? Understanding the True Identity of the Cha in One Article

The character cha first appeared in Mr. Lu Xun's writing, and many people have no idea what kind of animal it is, so today we will find out.

1. What animal is the cha

The scientific name of the cha is the Asian badger, of the family Mustelidae and the genus Meles. Its head is rather flat, with a pointed nose and short ears; its body is round and plump, and its neck and limbs are short, thick and strong, making it good at digging burrows. Its head has three longitudinal white stripes, its back is a mix of white, brown and yellow, and its limbs are brownish-black. It is an omnivorous, social animal.

2. The origin of the name cha

The cha was first written about by Mr. Lu Xun, who in his essay “Young Runtu” described how Runtu caught a cha. “In the deep blue sky hung a round golden moon, and below it was the sandy shore by the sea, all planted with an endless stretch of green watermelons, and among them was a boy of eleven or twelve, with a silver ring around his neck and a steel fork in his hand, thrusting with all his might at a cha, but the cha twisted its body and escaped from under his crotch.”

This name cha was coined by Mr. Lu Xun based on the pronunciation of “zha” as rural people read it at the time, and in later explanations it was speculated that it might be the Asian badger.

Through the brief introduction above, I believe everyone now understands what animal the cha mentioned in the texts we study actually is, and if you are interested in the Asian badger, you can explore it further.