Myth and Symbols 神话与象征
玄武——北方守护者 English The Black Tortoise — Xuanwu, sometimes translated as the Dark Warrior — is the most philosophically layered of the four divine beasts. It governs the north, the season of winter, and the element Water. Unlike the other three,…
朱雀——南方守护者 English The Vermilion Bird — Zhuque — is the guardian of the south and the season of summer, associated with the element Fire and with a cluster of qualities that includes beauty, cultural refinement, warmth, and the vivid abundance…
白虎——西方守护者 English If the Azure Dragon represents the energy of spring — new growth, expansion, the sun rising in the east — then the White Tiger represents its complement and counterpart: the power of autumn, of contraction, of forces that…
青龙——东方守护者 English The Four Divine Beasts — Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise — are among the most ancient and enduring symbols in Chinese culture. They appear in texts and artifacts dating to at least the Han dynasty,…