Peng (鵬)
Alternative Names (異名):
鵬, Peng
Peng (Chinese: 鵬; pinyin: péng) is the Romanization of the Chinese character for a mythological bird.
The character, 鵬, is comprised of 朋 (péng - a phonetic hint to pronunciation) and 鳥 (niǎo - a pictograph of a bird with long feathers).
Literature
In Chinese mythology, the Peng and Kun (Chinese: 鯤; pinyin: kūn) are different forms of the same creature. Translated from the ancient literature, Zhuang Zi's Xiao Yao You (逍遙遊):
There lived a kind of giant mysterious fish in the northern sea. These fish are called Kun. Nobody knows how big these fish actually are. They can turn into giant birds. When they are in bird form, they are known as Peng. Nobody knows how big these birds actually are. When they fly, their wings are like the colorful clouds in the sky. When there is a storm in the northern sea, the Peng will fly to the southern sea[2]. They travel three thousand li (里[1]) in one flap of their wings. They can fly for six months without rest.
Notes
[1] 1里 ≒ 0.393km
[2] southern sea (南冥) mentioned in the story is also known as Tian Chi (天池).
See also
Fenghuang
Roc
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Mythical fish | Legendary birds | Chinese mythology stubs
Monday, May 14, 2001
Sunday, January 14, 2001
Panlong (蟠龍)
Panlong (蟠龍)
Alternative Names (異名):
蟠龍, Panlong, Coiled Dragon
In Chinese mythology the Panlong (Chinese: 蟠龍; pinyin: pánlóng; Wade-Giles: p'an-lung; literally "coiled dragon") are water dragons believed to mostly inhabit the lakes of the Orient.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panlong
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese dragons | Chinese mythology | Legendary creature stubs | Chinese mythology stubs
Alternative Names (異名):
蟠龍, Panlong, Coiled Dragon
In Chinese mythology the Panlong (Chinese: 蟠龍; pinyin: pánlóng; Wade-Giles: p'an-lung; literally "coiled dragon") are water dragons believed to mostly inhabit the lakes of the Orient.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panlong
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese dragons | Chinese mythology | Legendary creature stubs | Chinese mythology stubs
Friday, December 8, 2000
Ox-Head and Horse-Face (牛头马面)
Ox-Head and Horse-Face (牛头马面)
Alternative Names (異名):
牛頭馬面(traditional Chinese), 牛头马面(simplified Chinese), niú tóu mǎ miàn(pinyin), Ox-Head and Horse-Face
Ox-Head (simplified Chinese: 牛头; traditional Chinese: 牛頭; pinyin: niú tóu) and Horse-Face (simplified Chinese: 马面; traditional Chinese: 馬面; pinyin: mǎ miàn) are two fearsome guardians of the Underworld in Chinese mythology, where the dead face judgement (and punishment) prior to reincarnation. As indicated by their names, one has the head of an ox, and the other has the face of a horse. They are the first people a dead soul meets upon arriving in the Underworld; in many stories they directly escort the newly dead to the Underworld. Usually, the two are mentioned together (牛头马面, 牛頭馬面).
In the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West, at one point Horse-Face and Ox-Head are sent to capture Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. Sun Wukong overpowers both of them and scares them away. He then breaks into the Underworld and crosses out the names of himself and his people from the record of living souls, hence granting immortality to himself and his monkey followers.
Notable representations in popular media
In Lone Wolf and Cub, the protagonist, Ogami Itto, has visions about Ox-Head and Horse-face. He refers to them as "Gozu Mezu" and uses drawings of them to advertise his services as an assassin.
In the animated version of Rumiko Takahashi's InuYasha, the cast fights with Ox-Head and Horse-Face in order to enter the underworld - but only Sesshomaru, with the sword Tenseiga, is allowed to pass without fighting Ox-Head and Horse-Face.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ox-Head_and_Horse-Face
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology stubs | Chinese mythology | Legendary mammals
Alternative Names (異名):
牛頭馬面(traditional Chinese), 牛头马面(simplified Chinese), niú tóu mǎ miàn(pinyin), Ox-Head and Horse-Face
Ox-Head (simplified Chinese: 牛头; traditional Chinese: 牛頭; pinyin: niú tóu) and Horse-Face (simplified Chinese: 马面; traditional Chinese: 馬面; pinyin: mǎ miàn) are two fearsome guardians of the Underworld in Chinese mythology, where the dead face judgement (and punishment) prior to reincarnation. As indicated by their names, one has the head of an ox, and the other has the face of a horse. They are the first people a dead soul meets upon arriving in the Underworld; in many stories they directly escort the newly dead to the Underworld. Usually, the two are mentioned together (牛头马面, 牛頭馬面).
In the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West, at one point Horse-Face and Ox-Head are sent to capture Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. Sun Wukong overpowers both of them and scares them away. He then breaks into the Underworld and crosses out the names of himself and his people from the record of living souls, hence granting immortality to himself and his monkey followers.
Notable representations in popular media
In Lone Wolf and Cub, the protagonist, Ogami Itto, has visions about Ox-Head and Horse-face. He refers to them as "Gozu Mezu" and uses drawings of them to advertise his services as an assassin.
In the animated version of Rumiko Takahashi's InuYasha, the cast fights with Ox-Head and Horse-Face in order to enter the underworld - but only Sesshomaru, with the sword Tenseiga, is allowed to pass without fighting Ox-Head and Horse-Face.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ox-Head_and_Horse-Face
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology stubs | Chinese mythology | Legendary mammals
Monday, September 1, 1997
Nian (年獸)
Nian (年獸)
Alternative Names (異名):
年獸(traditional Chinese), 年兽(simplified Chinese), nián shòu(pinyin), Nian
In Chinese mythology, Nian (traditional Chinese: 年獸; simplified Chinese: 年兽; pinyin: nián shòu) is a beast that comes in spring. The Chinese word for year is based on the arrival of this beast. A phrase for celebrating Chinese New Year, guo nian (traditional Chinese: 過年; simplified Chinese: 过年; pinyin: guò nián) means the passing of the beast. It is believed that it lives under the sea. It came to attack people at the same time of the year. The Chinese tradition of decorating in red, burning firecrackers, and the lion dance with loud drums and gongs was to scare the beast away.
Nian (Beast)
The Nian would come to China and eat up people it saw, but in some stories, an immortal was said to have made use of Nian's powers (eating up venomous snakes and killing wild beasts like tigers and lions) before taming it (by flashing his red undergarment to scare Nian, who feared the colour red). Since then, people put up red spring couplets to prevent Nian from coming back.
During Chinese New Year, there are two kinds of lion dances. The northern lion Rui Shi (traditional Chinese: 瑞獅; simplified Chinese: 瑞狮; pinyin: ruì shī) has long hair, floppy ears and a round head without horns. Their name is translated as lions, but they definitely are not the same as African lions. The northern lions fit the description of a Fu Dog. The southern lions, mainly Cantonese, have a single horn at the top center of their heads. The Cantonese lions fit the description of a Nian, but they are not the same as the northern lions. Some legends said the Cantonese lion dance is a reenactment of how Bu Dai tamed the Nian.
See also
Imperial guardian lion (獅, also known as a Fu Dogs) for the use of the lion image stylized statuary at entrances to important places. Note that Nian (horned) and the guardian lion (hornless) are different creatures.
Pixiu similar beast but with wings.
Qilin combining elements of fish, lion, deer, and ox.
Luduan (甪端) another beast with a single horn.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nian
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Chinese words and phrases
Alternative Names (異名):
年獸(traditional Chinese), 年兽(simplified Chinese), nián shòu(pinyin), Nian
In Chinese mythology, Nian (traditional Chinese: 年獸; simplified Chinese: 年兽; pinyin: nián shòu) is a beast that comes in spring. The Chinese word for year is based on the arrival of this beast. A phrase for celebrating Chinese New Year, guo nian (traditional Chinese: 過年; simplified Chinese: 过年; pinyin: guò nián) means the passing of the beast. It is believed that it lives under the sea. It came to attack people at the same time of the year. The Chinese tradition of decorating in red, burning firecrackers, and the lion dance with loud drums and gongs was to scare the beast away.
Nian (Beast)
The Nian would come to China and eat up people it saw, but in some stories, an immortal was said to have made use of Nian's powers (eating up venomous snakes and killing wild beasts like tigers and lions) before taming it (by flashing his red undergarment to scare Nian, who feared the colour red). Since then, people put up red spring couplets to prevent Nian from coming back.
During Chinese New Year, there are two kinds of lion dances. The northern lion Rui Shi (traditional Chinese: 瑞獅; simplified Chinese: 瑞狮; pinyin: ruì shī) has long hair, floppy ears and a round head without horns. Their name is translated as lions, but they definitely are not the same as African lions. The northern lions fit the description of a Fu Dog. The southern lions, mainly Cantonese, have a single horn at the top center of their heads. The Cantonese lions fit the description of a Nian, but they are not the same as the northern lions. Some legends said the Cantonese lion dance is a reenactment of how Bu Dai tamed the Nian.
See also
Imperial guardian lion (獅, also known as a Fu Dogs) for the use of the lion image stylized statuary at entrances to important places. Note that Nian (horned) and the guardian lion (hornless) are different creatures.
Pixiu similar beast but with wings.
Qilin combining elements of fish, lion, deer, and ox.
Luduan (甪端) another beast with a single horn.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nian
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Chinese words and phrases
Thursday, March 7, 1996
Mogwai (魔怪)
Mogwai (魔怪)
Alternative Names (異名):
魔怪(Cantonese), 魔鬼(Mandarin Chinese), móguǐ(pinyin), Mogwai, Mogui
The word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 (mo1 gwai2) (Mandarin Chinese: 魔鬼; pinyin：móguǐ) meaning "ghost", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".
In Chinese culture
According to Chinese tradition, mogui are certain demons, which often inflict harm on humans. They are said to reproduce sexually during mating seasons triggered by the coming of rain. Supposedly, they take care to breed at these times because rain signifies rich and full times ahead.
The term "mo" derives from the Sanskrit "Mara", meaning 'evil beings', which shares a cognate with the Persian "Magi" from which the English word "magic" derives. In Hinduism and Buddhism, Mara determines fates of death and desire that tether people to an unending cycle of reincarnation and suffering. He is the source of evil and purposely leads people to sin, misdeeds and self-destruction. Meanwhile, "gui" does not necessarily mean 'evil' or demonic spirits. Classically, it simply means deceased spirits or souls of the dead. Nevertheless, in modern Chinese, it has evolved to refer usually to the dead spirits or ghosts of non-family members that may take vengeance on living humans who caused them pain when they were still living. It is common for the living to redress their sins by sacrificing money to gui by burning (usually fake) paper banknotes so that gui can have funds to use in their afterlife.
Notably, the modern popular use of mogui as 'demonic' and gui as 'devils' is somewhat a consequence of Western influences as Chinese-language biblical texts translate the Satan in the Book of Job and the Greek term 'diabolos' as mogui.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mogwai
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Fictional species | Ghosts
Alternative Names (異名):
魔怪(Cantonese), 魔鬼(Mandarin Chinese), móguǐ(pinyin), Mogwai, Mogui
The word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 (mo1 gwai2) (Mandarin Chinese: 魔鬼; pinyin：móguǐ) meaning "ghost", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".
In Chinese culture
According to Chinese tradition, mogui are certain demons, which often inflict harm on humans. They are said to reproduce sexually during mating seasons triggered by the coming of rain. Supposedly, they take care to breed at these times because rain signifies rich and full times ahead.
The term "mo" derives from the Sanskrit "Mara", meaning 'evil beings', which shares a cognate with the Persian "Magi" from which the English word "magic" derives. In Hinduism and Buddhism, Mara determines fates of death and desire that tether people to an unending cycle of reincarnation and suffering. He is the source of evil and purposely leads people to sin, misdeeds and self-destruction. Meanwhile, "gui" does not necessarily mean 'evil' or demonic spirits. Classically, it simply means deceased spirits or souls of the dead. Nevertheless, in modern Chinese, it has evolved to refer usually to the dead spirits or ghosts of non-family members that may take vengeance on living humans who caused them pain when they were still living. It is common for the living to redress their sins by sacrificing money to gui by burning (usually fake) paper banknotes so that gui can have funds to use in their afterlife.
Notably, the modern popular use of mogui as 'demonic' and gui as 'devils' is somewhat a consequence of Western influences as Chinese-language biblical texts translate the Satan in the Book of Job and the Greek term 'diabolos' as mogui.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mogwai
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Fictional species | Ghosts
Sunday, September 4, 1994
Luduan (甪端)
Luduan (甪端)
Alternative Names (異名):
甪端, lù duān, Luduan
A luduan (甪端 pinyin lù duān) was a beast which could detect truth, in the Chinese mythology. Thus in the Qing dynasty, rulers such as the Emperor Qianlong would surround his throne with luduan in order to properly subdue his subjects. In the adjacent image, the luduan were incense burners. The enamelled charcoal braziers next to the Dragon Throne may not actually have been so close, but since Forbidden City in Beijing is at the latitude of Chicago, the Emperor may have required the braziers for comfort. (These artifacts from the Forbidden City are currently visiting the U.S. on loan from Beijing.)
Above the throne, not shown in the image, was secreted a box in which the name of the next emperor was written. This was the way that Qianlong himself learned that he was the successor to the Dragon Throne
See also
Nian (年獸) : another beast with single horn.
Pixiu : similar beast but with wings.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luduan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Divination | Chinese words and phrases | Chinese mythology stubs
Alternative Names (異名):
甪端, lù duān, Luduan
A luduan (甪端 pinyin lù duān) was a beast which could detect truth, in the Chinese mythology. Thus in the Qing dynasty, rulers such as the Emperor Qianlong would surround his throne with luduan in order to properly subdue his subjects. In the adjacent image, the luduan were incense burners. The enamelled charcoal braziers next to the Dragon Throne may not actually have been so close, but since Forbidden City in Beijing is at the latitude of Chicago, the Emperor may have required the braziers for comfort. (These artifacts from the Forbidden City are currently visiting the U.S. on loan from Beijing.)
Above the throne, not shown in the image, was secreted a box in which the name of the next emperor was written. This was the way that Qianlong himself learned that he was the successor to the Dragon Throne
See also
Nian (年獸) : another beast with single horn.
Pixiu : similar beast but with wings.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luduan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Divination | Chinese words and phrases | Chinese mythology stubs
Wednesday, September 15, 1993
Lion and the Mouse
Lion and the Mouse
A LION was awakened from sleep by a Mouse running over his face. Rising up angrily, he caught him and was about to kill him, when the Mouse piteously entreated, saying: "If you would only spare my life, I would be sure to repay your kindness." The Lion laughed and let him go. It happened shortly after this that the Lion was caught by some hunters, who bound him by st ropes to the ground. The Mouse, recognizing his roar, came gnawed the rope with his teeth, and set him free, exclaim
"You ridiculed the idea of my ever being able to help you, expecting to receive from me any repayment of your favor; I now you know that it is possible for even a Mouse to con benefits on a Lion."
Aesop's Fables | Lion | Mouse
A LION was awakened from sleep by a Mouse running over his face. Rising up angrily, he caught him and was about to kill him, when the Mouse piteously entreated, saying: "If you would only spare my life, I would be sure to repay your kindness." The Lion laughed and let him go. It happened shortly after this that the Lion was caught by some hunters, who bound him by st ropes to the ground. The Mouse, recognizing his roar, came gnawed the rope with his teeth, and set him free, exclaim
"You ridiculed the idea of my ever being able to help you, expecting to receive from me any repayment of your favor; I now you know that it is possible for even a Mouse to con benefits on a Lion."
Aesop's Fables | Lion | Mouse
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