Four Symbols of Chinese constellation (四象)
Alternative Names (異名):
四象, Sì Xiàng, Four Symbols of Chinese constellation
The Four Symbols (Chinese: 四象; pinyin: Sì Xiàng) are four mythological creatures in the Chinese constellations. They are:
Azure Dragon of the East (青龍)
White Tiger of the West (白虎)
Vermillion Bird of the South (朱雀)
Black Tortoise of the North (玄武)
Each one of them represents a direction and a season of the year, and each has its own individual characteristics and origins. They have been portrayed in many historical Chinese myths and fiction, as well as modern Japanese comic books and animation.
These Four Symbols were given human names after Daoism became popular. Azure Dragon has the name Mang Zhang 孟章; Vermilion Bird is Ling Guang 陵光; White Tiger is Jian Bing 監兵; Black Tortoise is Zhi Ming 執明.
Correspondence with the Five Elements
Each of these mythological creatures has also been synthesized into the 5 element system:
Azure Dragon of the East (青龍): Wood
Vermilion Bird of the South (朱雀): Fire
White Tiger of the West (白虎): Metal
Black Tortoise of the North (玄武): Water
Additionally, there is a fifth legendary beast, Huáng-lóng (黃龍), or the Yellow Dragon of the Center. The cardinal direction associated with this animal is "center," and its element is Earth.
Correspondence with the Four Seasons
The four legendary beasts (excluding Huáng-lóng; see above) represent a season each. The seasons they represent are as follows:
Azure Dragon of the East (青龍): Spring
Vermilion Bird of the South (朱雀): Summer
White Tiger of the West (白虎): Autumn/Fall
Black Tortoise of the North (玄武): Winter
Chinese constellations
Three enclosures (三垣):
Purple Forbidden enclosure (紫微垣) | Supreme Palace enclosure (太微垣) | Heavenly Market enclosure (天市垣)
Four Symbols (四象) and Twenty-eight mansions (二十八宿):
East: Azure Dragon (青龍): Horn (角) | Neck (亢) | Root (氐) | Room (房) | Heart (心) | Tail (尾) | Winnowing Basket (箕)
South: Vermilion Bird (朱雀): Well (井) | Ghost (鬼) | Willow (柳) | Star (星) | Extended Net (張) | Wings (翼) | Chariot (軫)
West: White Tiger (白虎): Legs (奎) | Bond (婁) | Stomach (胃) | Hairy Head (昴) | Net (畢) | Turtle Beak (觜) | Three Stars (參)
North: Black Tortoise (玄武): Dipper (斗) | Ox (牛) | Girl (女) | Emptiness (虛) | Rooftop (危) | Encampment (室) | Wall (壁)
See also
Chinese constellation
Chinese astrology
Five elements
Four Heavenly Kings
Onmyodo
Twenty-eight mansions (二十八宿)
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Chinese constellations | Chinese astronomy | Japanese legendary creatures | Chinese astrology | Astrological signs | Chinese mythology stubs | Japanese mythology stubs
Five Precepts in Taoism (五戒)
Five Precepts in Taoism (五戒)
Alternative Names (異名):
五戒, Wu Jie (Pinyin), Ng Gye (Cantonese), Five Precepts in Taoism
The Five Precepts in Taoism (Chinese: 五戒; Pinyin: Wu Jie; Cantonese: Ng Gye), constitute the basic code of ethics undertaken mainly by Taoist lay-cultivators. For Taoist monks and nuns, there are more advanced and stricter precepts. These precepts are the same as the Buddhist Five Precepts, but with minor differences.
According to The Ultra Supreme Elder Lord's Scripture of Precepts, the five basic precepts are:
The first precept: No Murdering;
The second precept: No Stealing;
The third precept: No Sexual Misconduct;
The fourth precept: No False Speech;
The fifth precept: No Taking of Intoxicants.
Their definitions can be found in an excerpt of The Ultra Supreme Elder Lord's Scripture of Precepts:
The Elder Lord said: "The precept against killing is: All living beings, including all kinds of animals, and those as small as insects, worms, and so forth, are containers of the uncreated energy, thus one should not kill any of them."
The Elder Lord said: "The precept against stealing is: One should not take anything that he does not own and is not given to him, whether it belongs to someone or not."
The Elder Lord said: "The precept against sexual misconduct is: If a sexual conduct happens, but it is not between a man and a woman who are married to each other, it is a Sexual Misconduct. As for a monk or nun, he or she should never marry or practice sexual intercourse with anyone."[1]
The Elder Lord said: "The precept against false speech is: If one did not hear, see, or feel something, or if something is not realized by his Heart, but he tells it to others, this constitutes False Speech."
The Elder Lord said: "The precept against taking of intoxicants is: One should not take any alcoholic drinks, unless he has to take some to cure his illness."[2]
The Elder Lord said: "These five precepts are the fundamentals for keeping one's body in purity, and are the roots of the upholding of the holy teachings. For those virtuous men and virtuous women who enjoy the virtuous teachings, if they can accept and keep these precepts, and never violate any of them till the end of their lifetimes, they are recognized as those with pure faith, they will gain the Way to Tao, will gain the holy principles, and will forever achieve Tao -- the Reality."
Notes
[1] The precept against Sexual Misconduct also outlines that sexual acts such as masturbation, premarital sexual conduct, adultery, prostitution, having intercourse with prostitutes, homosexual intercourse, etc, are all sexual misconducts. (Original commentary: Even if a man and a woman are married to each other, if they have intercourse too frequently, that is also considered Sexual Misconduct.)
[2] Smoking, taking of drugs, and the like, are also forbidden by the precept against Intoxicant-Taking.
See also
Five Precepts in Buddhism
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Taoism | Chinese mythology | Chinese mythology stubs | Chinese philosophy | Chinese traditional religion | Chinese thought | Pantheism
Alternative Names (異名):
五戒, Wu Jie (Pinyin), Ng Gye (Cantonese), Five Precepts in Taoism
The Five Precepts in Taoism (Chinese: 五戒; Pinyin: Wu Jie; Cantonese: Ng Gye), constitute the basic code of ethics undertaken mainly by Taoist lay-cultivators. For Taoist monks and nuns, there are more advanced and stricter precepts. These precepts are the same as the Buddhist Five Precepts, but with minor differences.
According to The Ultra Supreme Elder Lord's Scripture of Precepts, the five basic precepts are:
The first precept: No Murdering;
The second precept: No Stealing;
The third precept: No Sexual Misconduct;
The fourth precept: No False Speech;
The fifth precept: No Taking of Intoxicants.
Their definitions can be found in an excerpt of The Ultra Supreme Elder Lord's Scripture of Precepts:
The Elder Lord said: "The precept against killing is: All living beings, including all kinds of animals, and those as small as insects, worms, and so forth, are containers of the uncreated energy, thus one should not kill any of them."
The Elder Lord said: "The precept against stealing is: One should not take anything that he does not own and is not given to him, whether it belongs to someone or not."
The Elder Lord said: "The precept against sexual misconduct is: If a sexual conduct happens, but it is not between a man and a woman who are married to each other, it is a Sexual Misconduct. As for a monk or nun, he or she should never marry or practice sexual intercourse with anyone."[1]
The Elder Lord said: "The precept against false speech is: If one did not hear, see, or feel something, or if something is not realized by his Heart, but he tells it to others, this constitutes False Speech."
The Elder Lord said: "The precept against taking of intoxicants is: One should not take any alcoholic drinks, unless he has to take some to cure his illness."[2]
The Elder Lord said: "These five precepts are the fundamentals for keeping one's body in purity, and are the roots of the upholding of the holy teachings. For those virtuous men and virtuous women who enjoy the virtuous teachings, if they can accept and keep these precepts, and never violate any of them till the end of their lifetimes, they are recognized as those with pure faith, they will gain the Way to Tao, will gain the holy principles, and will forever achieve Tao -- the Reality."
Notes
[1] The precept against Sexual Misconduct also outlines that sexual acts such as masturbation, premarital sexual conduct, adultery, prostitution, having intercourse with prostitutes, homosexual intercourse, etc, are all sexual misconducts. (Original commentary: Even if a man and a woman are married to each other, if they have intercourse too frequently, that is also considered Sexual Misconduct.)
[2] Smoking, taking of drugs, and the like, are also forbidden by the precept against Intoxicant-Taking.
See also
Five Precepts in Buddhism
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Taoism | Chinese mythology | Chinese mythology stubs | Chinese philosophy | Chinese traditional religion | Chinese thought | Pantheism
Fengshen Yanyi (封神演義)
Fengshen Yanyi (封神演義)
Alternative Names (異名):
封神演義, 封神演义, fēngshén yǎnyì, Fengshen Yanyi, The Investiture of the Gods, The Creation of the Gods
Fengshen Yanyi (traditional Chinese: 封神演義; simplified Chinese: 封神演义; pinyin: fēngshén yǎnyì) (translated as The Investiture of the Gods or The Creation of the Gods), also known as Fengshen Bang (Chinese: 封神榜), is one of the major Vernacular Chinese novels written in the Ming Dynasty. The story deals with the decline of the Shang Dynasty and rise of the Zhou Dynasty, intertwining numerous elements of Chinese mythology, including gods and goddesses, Chinese immortals, and spirits. It is, to an extent, representative and descriptive of life in China at the time, where religion played a major role in everyday life. The authorship of Fengshen Yanyi is attributed to Xu Zhonglin (許仲琳; 许仲琳) (d. 1566) or Lu Xixing (陸西星; 陆西星) (d. 1601).
Plot summary
This epic novel (Yanyi refers to the Chinese equivalent of the Western epic) is a fantastic retelling of the overthrow of unscrupulous and merciless ruler Di Xin (also known as Zhòu) of the Shang dynasty by King Wu of Zhou. The story integrates oral and written tales of the many Daoist heroes and immortals, and various spirits (usually represented in avatar form as foxes, chickens, and sometimes even inanimate objects like Jade Pipa) that take part in the struggle. Enchanted by his concubine Daji, who is actually a fox spirit in disguise, Di Xin murders loyal ministers with draconian punishments like incineration on a red-hot pillar of brass or being fed to a pit of snakes. He even attempts to kill his own sons. After the fall of the Shang Dynasty and exorcism of Daji by Jiang Ziya, King Wu of Zhou builds his own dynasty, creating the Zhou feudal system. The slain heroes, even those on the "enemy" side, are endowed with heavenly ranking, being essentially elevated to the position of gods, hence the title.
Some famous anecdotes
In Fengshen Yanyi, there are many stories (altogether 100 stories) in which many gods, goddesses and immortals came to the Earth and changed the fate of everything with their magical power. Here are some famous ones:
Some famous anecdotes
When Di Xin came to a temple of Nüwa, an ancient Chinese goddess, and perform his worship, he noticed that the Nüwa statue was very tempting. Then the lewd emperor cried indecent words like “it would be good if I could marry Her” before the statue, and wrote lustful poems on the walls to show his immense adoration likewise. Nüwa got furious with the insult. Foretelling that Di Xin would be the last emperor of the Shang Dynasty, she sent a one-thousand-year-old fox spirit, a nine-headed pheasant, and a jade-made Pipa spirit to lure Di Xin and render him unaware of his people, which indirectly resulted in the uprising of Zhou and made the decline of Shang more reasonable.
Daji was a kind-hearted beauty originally, and was ordered to enter the palace to be Di Xin’s concubine. The wicked fox spirit murdered Daji on the way to the palace, embodying the exact same appearance of the killed girl and attending the palace’s invitation.
Daji and Bo Yi Kao
Di Xin obliged King Wen of Zhou to stay in You (that is, today’s Henan) for almost seven years, during which King Wen of Zhou’s eldest son, Bo Yi Kao, came to the capital of Shang, Zhaoge (today’s Hebi, Henan) and ask for Di Xin’s mercy. The fox spirit fell in love with the handsome young man, and requested Di Xin to permit Bo to teach her play guqin. Taking advantage of the guqin lessons, Daji ensnared Bo with her splendour. Bo, however, refused Daji for any liaisons, and called her a shameless woman. The irate Daji made a complaint to her husband that Bo had bullied her. Gnashing his teeth, Di Xin killed Bo and minced him into paste, cooked into congee and served to King Wen of Zhou. King Wen of Zhou knew divination, and, by means of the Eight Diagrams, he realised the congee was made from his beloved son. Suppressing the great pain and sadness in his heart, King Wen of Zhou ate up the congee and determined to avenge his dead son.
King Wen of Zhou and Jiang Ziya
Jiang Ziya (or Jiang Taigong, also known as Lu Shang) was an apprentice of an immortal living deep inside an unvisited mountain, and he left his master at the age of 72. He loved fishing, but, strangely enough, he only used a straight fishhook, without bait, three feet above the water, for angling. His neighbours felt odd at his strange fishing skills, and, out of curiosity, asked the old man for the reason of it. “What I’m angling is not a single fish,” smiled Jiang, “but the emperor and the great many vassals. Only those who really wish to be fished would be finally fished by me.” Jiang meant he was waiting for a man who could recognise and need his talent.
Some people told King Wen of Zhou about the weird old man, and the aggressive vassal had a looming interest in Jiang Ziya. One day, King Wen of Zhou paid a visit to Jiang. Jiang did nothing but demanded King Wen of Zhou to help him pull his cart. King Wen of Zhou did so and stopped pulling after he moved eight hundred steps forwards. Jiang told the vassal that his future kingdom (that is, the Zhou Dynasty) should exist for eight hundred years. King Wen of Zhou wished to pull the cart for more few steps, but he was too exhausted to move forwards. Jiang became the prime minister of Zhou afterward. King Wen was succeeded by King Wu.
Bi Gan lost his heart
From the prophecy revealed by the oracle bones, Jiang Ziya predicted that Di Xin’s loyal and benevolent courtier, Bi Gan would die soon, thereby giving a charm to Bi. Before long, Daji, the evil vixen told her husband that she had a heart attack and only a “delicate seven-aperture heart” (Qiqiao Linglong Xin) could relieve her agony. No-one in the palace had that kind of heart — except Bi, who was given a heart by the goddess Nüwa, when he drowned once during his childhood. Bi, loyal as he is, swallowed the charm given by Jiang, grabbed his heart and pulled it out of his body to be given to Di Xin. Bi did not lose his life, nor shed a single drop of blood. Instead, he walked out of the palace and did what Jiang instructed: go straight home immediately without looking back. If he succeeded in doing this, he would recover after one day.
Yet upon the last few steps on reaching home, a female huckster yelled from behind Bi, “Hey! Cheap cabbages without stems (xin)!” (i.e., Baoxin Cai, literally a vegetable with a stem covered inside; xin, heart, rhetorically refers to the stem in this case).
Bi, curious and unsuspicious, turned back and asked the huckster, “How can there be cabbages without stems? ” The old lady donned an evil grin and replied, “You’re right, sir. Cabbages cannot live without stems as men cannot live without hearts (xin).” Bi shouted in his loud voice, fell to the ground and died without knowing that the lady hawker was a disguise made by the jade-made Pipa spirit. Thus, Jiang who was able to foretell Bi’s death, could not prevent the tragedy from happening.
In modern culture
The novel has maintained a strong presence in modern Chinese culture. It has also been the adapted into Japanese popular culture, though almost always in heavily modified form, sometimes leaving almost no trace of the original. It has been the subject of numerous television series and video games, including several recently translated for the Western Market, such as Battle Houshin (houshin is the Japanese reading of Fengshen) and Fengshen Yanyi: Legends of Gods and Heroes. It has also been substantially adapted for the manga Hoshin Engi. The most marked and lasting effect, though, is the use of the name - as Fengshen Bang - as a term in modern Chinese meaning "hit list" (as in a top 10 list or similar, such as music charts). Fengshen Bang (封神榜) is also the name of a modern Chinese TV series based on the Fengshen Yanyi, starring Fan Bingbing as Daji, Ma Jingtao as King Zhou of Shang
See also
Chinese mythology
Religion in China
Zhou Dynasty
Shang Dynasty
Welkin Lords
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fengshen_Yanyi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Fengshen Yanyi | Chinese novels | Taoism | Chinese classic novels
Alternative Names (異名):
封神演義, 封神演义, fēngshén yǎnyì, Fengshen Yanyi, The Investiture of the Gods, The Creation of the Gods
Fengshen Yanyi (traditional Chinese: 封神演義; simplified Chinese: 封神演义; pinyin: fēngshén yǎnyì) (translated as The Investiture of the Gods or The Creation of the Gods), also known as Fengshen Bang (Chinese: 封神榜), is one of the major Vernacular Chinese novels written in the Ming Dynasty. The story deals with the decline of the Shang Dynasty and rise of the Zhou Dynasty, intertwining numerous elements of Chinese mythology, including gods and goddesses, Chinese immortals, and spirits. It is, to an extent, representative and descriptive of life in China at the time, where religion played a major role in everyday life. The authorship of Fengshen Yanyi is attributed to Xu Zhonglin (許仲琳; 许仲琳) (d. 1566) or Lu Xixing (陸西星; 陆西星) (d. 1601).
Plot summary
This epic novel (Yanyi refers to the Chinese equivalent of the Western epic) is a fantastic retelling of the overthrow of unscrupulous and merciless ruler Di Xin (also known as Zhòu) of the Shang dynasty by King Wu of Zhou. The story integrates oral and written tales of the many Daoist heroes and immortals, and various spirits (usually represented in avatar form as foxes, chickens, and sometimes even inanimate objects like Jade Pipa) that take part in the struggle. Enchanted by his concubine Daji, who is actually a fox spirit in disguise, Di Xin murders loyal ministers with draconian punishments like incineration on a red-hot pillar of brass or being fed to a pit of snakes. He even attempts to kill his own sons. After the fall of the Shang Dynasty and exorcism of Daji by Jiang Ziya, King Wu of Zhou builds his own dynasty, creating the Zhou feudal system. The slain heroes, even those on the "enemy" side, are endowed with heavenly ranking, being essentially elevated to the position of gods, hence the title.
Some famous anecdotes
In Fengshen Yanyi, there are many stories (altogether 100 stories) in which many gods, goddesses and immortals came to the Earth and changed the fate of everything with their magical power. Here are some famous ones:
Some famous anecdotes
When Di Xin came to a temple of Nüwa, an ancient Chinese goddess, and perform his worship, he noticed that the Nüwa statue was very tempting. Then the lewd emperor cried indecent words like “it would be good if I could marry Her” before the statue, and wrote lustful poems on the walls to show his immense adoration likewise. Nüwa got furious with the insult. Foretelling that Di Xin would be the last emperor of the Shang Dynasty, she sent a one-thousand-year-old fox spirit, a nine-headed pheasant, and a jade-made Pipa spirit to lure Di Xin and render him unaware of his people, which indirectly resulted in the uprising of Zhou and made the decline of Shang more reasonable.
Daji was a kind-hearted beauty originally, and was ordered to enter the palace to be Di Xin’s concubine. The wicked fox spirit murdered Daji on the way to the palace, embodying the exact same appearance of the killed girl and attending the palace’s invitation.
Daji and Bo Yi Kao
Di Xin obliged King Wen of Zhou to stay in You (that is, today’s Henan) for almost seven years, during which King Wen of Zhou’s eldest son, Bo Yi Kao, came to the capital of Shang, Zhaoge (today’s Hebi, Henan) and ask for Di Xin’s mercy. The fox spirit fell in love with the handsome young man, and requested Di Xin to permit Bo to teach her play guqin. Taking advantage of the guqin lessons, Daji ensnared Bo with her splendour. Bo, however, refused Daji for any liaisons, and called her a shameless woman. The irate Daji made a complaint to her husband that Bo had bullied her. Gnashing his teeth, Di Xin killed Bo and minced him into paste, cooked into congee and served to King Wen of Zhou. King Wen of Zhou knew divination, and, by means of the Eight Diagrams, he realised the congee was made from his beloved son. Suppressing the great pain and sadness in his heart, King Wen of Zhou ate up the congee and determined to avenge his dead son.
King Wen of Zhou and Jiang Ziya
Jiang Ziya (or Jiang Taigong, also known as Lu Shang) was an apprentice of an immortal living deep inside an unvisited mountain, and he left his master at the age of 72. He loved fishing, but, strangely enough, he only used a straight fishhook, without bait, three feet above the water, for angling. His neighbours felt odd at his strange fishing skills, and, out of curiosity, asked the old man for the reason of it. “What I’m angling is not a single fish,” smiled Jiang, “but the emperor and the great many vassals. Only those who really wish to be fished would be finally fished by me.” Jiang meant he was waiting for a man who could recognise and need his talent.
Some people told King Wen of Zhou about the weird old man, and the aggressive vassal had a looming interest in Jiang Ziya. One day, King Wen of Zhou paid a visit to Jiang. Jiang did nothing but demanded King Wen of Zhou to help him pull his cart. King Wen of Zhou did so and stopped pulling after he moved eight hundred steps forwards. Jiang told the vassal that his future kingdom (that is, the Zhou Dynasty) should exist for eight hundred years. King Wen of Zhou wished to pull the cart for more few steps, but he was too exhausted to move forwards. Jiang became the prime minister of Zhou afterward. King Wen was succeeded by King Wu.
Bi Gan lost his heart
From the prophecy revealed by the oracle bones, Jiang Ziya predicted that Di Xin’s loyal and benevolent courtier, Bi Gan would die soon, thereby giving a charm to Bi. Before long, Daji, the evil vixen told her husband that she had a heart attack and only a “delicate seven-aperture heart” (Qiqiao Linglong Xin) could relieve her agony. No-one in the palace had that kind of heart — except Bi, who was given a heart by the goddess Nüwa, when he drowned once during his childhood. Bi, loyal as he is, swallowed the charm given by Jiang, grabbed his heart and pulled it out of his body to be given to Di Xin. Bi did not lose his life, nor shed a single drop of blood. Instead, he walked out of the palace and did what Jiang instructed: go straight home immediately without looking back. If he succeeded in doing this, he would recover after one day.
Yet upon the last few steps on reaching home, a female huckster yelled from behind Bi, “Hey! Cheap cabbages without stems (xin)!” (i.e., Baoxin Cai, literally a vegetable with a stem covered inside; xin, heart, rhetorically refers to the stem in this case).
Bi, curious and unsuspicious, turned back and asked the huckster, “How can there be cabbages without stems? ” The old lady donned an evil grin and replied, “You’re right, sir. Cabbages cannot live without stems as men cannot live without hearts (xin).” Bi shouted in his loud voice, fell to the ground and died without knowing that the lady hawker was a disguise made by the jade-made Pipa spirit. Thus, Jiang who was able to foretell Bi’s death, could not prevent the tragedy from happening.
In modern culture
The novel has maintained a strong presence in modern Chinese culture. It has also been the adapted into Japanese popular culture, though almost always in heavily modified form, sometimes leaving almost no trace of the original. It has been the subject of numerous television series and video games, including several recently translated for the Western Market, such as Battle Houshin (houshin is the Japanese reading of Fengshen) and Fengshen Yanyi: Legends of Gods and Heroes. It has also been substantially adapted for the manga Hoshin Engi. The most marked and lasting effect, though, is the use of the name - as Fengshen Bang - as a term in modern Chinese meaning "hit list" (as in a top 10 list or similar, such as music charts). Fengshen Bang (封神榜) is also the name of a modern Chinese TV series based on the Fengshen Yanyi, starring Fan Bingbing as Daji, Ma Jingtao as King Zhou of Shang
See also
Chinese mythology
Religion in China
Zhou Dynasty
Shang Dynasty
Welkin Lords
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fengshen_Yanyi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Fengshen Yanyi | Chinese novels | Taoism | Chinese classic novels
Emperor Ku (帝嚳)
Emperor Ku (帝嚳)
Alternative Names (異名):
帝嚳, Kù, Emperor Ku
Kù (traditional Chinese: 帝嚳) was a legendary Emperor of China. He is the great grandson of the Yellow Emperor. According to speculative dates (from after 100 BC) he ruled from c. 2436 BC – c. 2366 BC.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Alternative Names (異名):
帝嚳, Kù, Emperor Ku
Kù (traditional Chinese: 帝嚳) was a legendary Emperor of China. He is the great grandson of the Yellow Emperor. According to speculative dates (from after 100 BC) he ruled from c. 2436 BC – c. 2366 BC.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Animals: The Nine Dragons (九龍圖卷; 陳容)
One of the dragons from "The Nine Dragons" handscroll (九龍圖卷; 陳容)
Description
One of the dragons from "The Nine Dragons" handscroll (九龍圖卷; 陳容), painted by the Song Dynasty Chinese artist Chen Rong in the year 1244 AD. This painting is found now at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA.
Artist: Chen Rong, Chinese, first half of the 13th century Southern Song dynasty dated 1244
Licensing
This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.
This applies to the United States, Canada, the European Union and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years.
道德經 (Dao De Jing)
道德經(Tao Te Ching)
The Tao Te Ching, Dao De Jing, or Daodejing (道德經: 道 dào "way"; 德 dé "virtue"; 經 jīng "classic" or "book") also simply referred to as the Laozi, is a Chinese classic text. According to tradition, it was written around the 6th century BC by the sage Laozi (or Lao Tzu, "Old Master"), a record-keeper at the Zhou Dynasty court, by whose name the text is known in China. The text's true authorship and date of composition or compilation are still debated, although the oldest excavated text dates back to the late 4th century BC.
The text is fundamental to both philosophical and religious Taoism (Daojia, Chinese: 道家, Pinyin: Dàojiā; Daojiao, Chinese: 道教, Pinyin: Dàojiào) and strongly influenced other schools, such as Legalism, Confucianism and Chinese Buddhism, which when first introduced into China was largely interpreted through the use of Daoist words and concepts. Many Chinese artists, including poets, painters, calligraphers, and even gardeners have used the Daodejing as a source of inspiration. Its influence has also spread widely outside East Asia, and is amongst the most translated works in world literature.
The Wade–Giles romanization "Tao Te Ching" dates back to early English transliterations in the late 19th century; its influence can be seen in words and phrases that have become well-established in English. "Daodejing" is the pinyin romanization.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dao_De_Jing
The Tao Te Ching, Dao De Jing, or Daodejing (道德經: 道 dào "way"; 德 dé "virtue"; 經 jīng "classic" or "book") also simply referred to as the Laozi, is a Chinese classic text. According to tradition, it was written around the 6th century BC by the sage Laozi (or Lao Tzu, "Old Master"), a record-keeper at the Zhou Dynasty court, by whose name the text is known in China. The text's true authorship and date of composition or compilation are still debated, although the oldest excavated text dates back to the late 4th century BC.
The text is fundamental to both philosophical and religious Taoism (Daojia, Chinese: 道家, Pinyin: Dàojiā; Daojiao, Chinese: 道教, Pinyin: Dàojiào) and strongly influenced other schools, such as Legalism, Confucianism and Chinese Buddhism, which when first introduced into China was largely interpreted through the use of Daoist words and concepts. Many Chinese artists, including poets, painters, calligraphers, and even gardeners have used the Daodejing as a source of inspiration. Its influence has also spread widely outside East Asia, and is amongst the most translated works in world literature.
The Wade–Giles romanization "Tao Te Ching" dates back to early English transliterations in the late 19th century; its influence can be seen in words and phrases that have become well-established in English. "Daodejing" is the pinyin romanization.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dao_De_Jing
Human: Diaochan (貂蟬)
Human: Diaochan (貂蟬)
Diaochan was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have been born in 161 or 169 or 176, depending on the source. However, unlike the other three beauties, there is no known evidence that suggests her existence, therefore she is likely to be a fictional character.
Diaochan appears in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms in a plot involving the warrior Lü Bu and the warlord Dong Zhuo. According to historical records, Lü Bu did have relations with one of Dong Zhuo's servant maids. However, there is no evidence that the maid's name was "Diaochan". In fact, it is extremely unlikely that it was Diaochan, because "Diao" is hardly used as a Chinese family name. "Diaochan" likely referred to the sable (diao) tails and jade decorations in the shape of cicadas (chan), which at the time adorned the hats of high-level officials.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaochan
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| Portrait of Diaochan from a Qing Dynasty edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms |
Diaochan was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have been born in 161 or 169 or 176, depending on the source. However, unlike the other three beauties, there is no known evidence that suggests her existence, therefore she is likely to be a fictional character.
Diaochan appears in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms in a plot involving the warrior Lü Bu and the warlord Dong Zhuo. According to historical records, Lü Bu did have relations with one of Dong Zhuo's servant maids. However, there is no evidence that the maid's name was "Diaochan". In fact, it is extremely unlikely that it was Diaochan, because "Diao" is hardly used as a Chinese family name. "Diaochan" likely referred to the sable (diao) tails and jade decorations in the shape of cicadas (chan), which at the time adorned the hats of high-level officials.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaochan
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