从已经发掘的考古资料来看，动物形象一直伴随着人类历史的发展。汉代是我国古代动物图像在数量、内容、寓意方面发生重大变革的时代。本文以“汉代四神图像的形式语言”为对象，通过收集相关的图像资料，展开以图像学、风格学、美术史方法为主，人类学、美学、文献学、考古学、神话学为辅的研究。本文从多角度、跨学科的四神图像进行了研究。首先论述了四神图像的整体发生原因。通过梳理从远古社会到汉代人与动物之间的互动关系，发现汉代之所以选择四神作为象征抽象概念的符号，实际上是一种古老的思维方式的一部分，除了四神，我们的祖先还用动物象征等级、象征吉凶、象征时间，是用物质世界中的具象符号表达人类文化中难以言明的抽象观念，而四神也是古人这种符号化象征思维的体现。而符号化思维是汉代人把握世界的一种重要的认知方式。我从汉代主要的信仰和文化因子的角度，分别梳理了巫文化、楚文化、道家思想与道教思想、董仲舒的儒家思想，得出四神图像之所以在汉代格外兴盛的根本原因是对天的绝对臣服与信任，同时文章结合汉代特有的生死观念，最后得出人们对天的崇拜在汉代已经上升到一种类似宗教的地位，于是需要在图像中再造一个宇宙，以寄托这样的崇拜。论文的第二部分是四神图像的形式语言是研究的重点，文章按照青龙、朱雀、白虎、玄武的顺序分别探讨了每一组组动物被选择的原因，与动物配伍的颜色的色彩内涵，探讨了青、朱、白、黑为代表的五色色彩体系与四神图像的关系。在造型的部分，我分别通过四组动物的在汉代艺术中的造型实例，用图像学与风格学相结合的研究方法，归纳出每一组动物图像的造型，体现出的最突出的形式语言特征的表现，同时从人类学与思想史的角度这些形式语言背后的深层成因进行了探讨。

From the image data left over from ancient times, animal images have been accompanied by the evolution of human history. The Han Dynasty is a period of great changes in the number, content and meaning of ancient animal images in China. This paper takes the "four gods image of the Han Dynasty" as the research object, widely collects the relevant archaeological data seen at present, and on this basis, carries out the research based on the methods of art history, supplemented by anthropology, aesthetics, philology and archaeology.This paper studies the image of four gods from two aspects: ideological roots and formal language.The first part of this paper focuses on the causes of the four gods image. By combing the interactive relationship between human and animals from ancient society to the Han Dynasty, it is found that the reason why the Han Dynasty chose the four gods as a symbol of abstract concepts is actually part of an ancient way of thinking. In addition to the four gods, our ancestors also used animals to symbolize rank, good or bad luck and time, The concrete symbols in the material world are used to express the unspeakable abstract concepts in human culture, and the four gods are also the embodiment of the symbolic thinking of the ancients. Symbolic thinking is an important cognitive way for the people of the Han Dynasty to grasp the world. In view of the problem of selecting four groups of animals: birds, tigers, dragons, turtles and snakes, through the separate analysis of the four groups of animals, this paper finds that these animals have been widely believed by human beings since ancient times. In the Han Dynasty, they were selected from many auspicious birds and auspicious animals, in addition to the living habits of these four groups of animals and the basis of belief since ancient times, Deeper is the observation of the operation law of the universe and the abstract thinking and understanding of life consciousness. It is the embodiment of a unique outlook on life and universe. Next, from the perspective of the main beliefs and cultural factors of the Han Dynasty, I combed the witch culture, Chu culture, Taoism and Taoism, and Dong Zhongshu‘s Confucianism respectively, and came to the conclusion that the fundamental reason why the image of the four gods was particularly prosperous in the Han Dynasty was that these mainstream ideas contained one thing in common, that is, absolute obedience and trust in heaven, At the same time, combined with the unique concept of life and death in the Han Dynasty, the article finally comes to the conclusion that people‘s worship of heaven has risen to a religious status in the Han Dynasty, so it is necessary to recreate a universe in the image to place such worship.The second part of the article focuses on the formal language of the images of the four gods. According to the order of Qinglong, Suzaku, Baihu, and Xuanwu, the reasons for the selection of this group of animals and the reasons for the selection of colors that are compatible with animals are discussed respectively. The relationship between the five-color color system represented by , Zhu, white and black and the symbolic meaning of the four gods. In the part of modeling, I use the research method combining iconology and stylistics to summarize the performance of these formal language characteristics through four groups of animal modeling examples in Han Dynasty art, and from the perspective of anthropology and intellectual history. The deep causes behind the formal language are discussed.