Myth and Symbols 神话与象征
古典文献中的四大凶兽：浑敦、穷奇、梼杌、饕餮 English In classical Chinese texts, a set of four figures known as the “four ferocious beasts” (四凶, sì xiōng) appears in the Zuozhuan (《左传》) and related historical traditions. Their names are Hundun, Qiongqi, Taowu, and Taotie. These are not…
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,…