Birds in Chinese mythology

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Decorative back of bronze mirror, with birds, from the Belitung shipwreck.

Birds in

Xi Wangmu
.

Names and translation

Written and spoken Chinese varieties have different character graphs and sounds representing mythological and legendary birds of China.

Bronze script
version of the niǎo character (鳥)
The character zhuī (隹), in Large seal script

The Chinese characters or graphs used have varied over time calligraphically or typologically. Historically main generic characters for bird are niǎo (old school, traditional character =

radical as constituent to a more complex character graph, for example in the case of the Peng bird (traditional character graph = 鵬 / simplified = 鹏
): in both cases, a version of the niǎo character is radicalized on the right.

Modern pronunciations vary and the ancient ones are not fully recoverable. Sometimes the Chinese terms for mythological or legendary birds include a generic term for "bird" appended to the pronounced name for "bird"; an example would be the Zhenniao, which is also known just as Zhen: the combination of Zhen plus niao means "Zhen bird"; thus, "Zhenniao" is the same as "Zhen bird", or just "Zhen".

Translation into English language of Chinese terms for legendary and mythological birds is difficult, especially considering that even in Chinese there is a certain amount of obscurity. In some cases, the classical Chinese term is obviously a descriptive term. In other cases, the classical Chinese term is clearly based on the alleged sound of said bird; that is, what is known as onomatopoeia. However, often, it's not so simple.[1]

Auspicious birds

Very auspicious birds include the Feng, the Fenghuang, and the Luan.[2]

Symbolically representative birds

Some birds in Chinese legend and mythology symbolize or represent various concepts of a more-or-less abstract nature.

The Vermilion Bird of the South symbolically represents the cardinal direction south. It is red and associated with the wu xing "element" fire.

The Jingwei bird represents determination and persistence, even in the face of seemingly over-whelming odds.

Some birds may function as totems or representative symbols of clans or other social groups.

Associated birds

Some birds are associated with other mythological content.

A three-legged bird or birds are a solar motif. Sometimes depicted as a Three-legged crow.

The Qingniao is associated with the Queen Mother of the West, bearing her messages or bringing her food.[3][4]

Some birds feature as part of visions of the mythological geography of China. According to the

Shanhaijing and its commentaries, the Bifang can be found on Mount Zhang'e and/or east of the Feathered People (Youmin) and west of the Blue River.[5]

Transportation

Certain birds in mythology transport deities, immortals, or others. One example is the

Crane in Chinese mythology
.

Various birds

Other birds include the Bi Fang bird, a one-legged bird.[6] Bi is also number nineteen of the Twenty-Eight Mansions of traditional Chinese astronomy, the Net (Bi). There are supposed to be the Jiān (鶼; jian1): the mythical one-eyed bird with one wing; Jianjian (鶼鶼): a pair of such birds dependent on each other, inseparable, hence representing husband and wife. There was a Shang-Yang rainbird. The Jiufeng is a nine-headed bird used to scare children. The Sù Shuāng (鷫鷞; su4shuang3) sometimes appears as a goose-like bird. The Zhen is a poisonous bird. There may be a Jiguang (吉光; jíguāng).

Real birds

peacock of the family Phasianidae
, in the "Singing Birds' Forest" (鸟语林)

The line between fantastic, mythological, or legendary birds and actually real exotic birds is sometimes blurred. Sometimes, the student of the real versus the unreal becomes challenged.

Sources

Various sources for information on Chinese legends and mythology about bird. This includes the

Questions to Heaven".[8][9]

See also

Main article

Relevant categories

Related

References

  1. ^ Strassberg 2002, pp. xvii–xviii.
  2. ^ Strassberg 2002, p. 102, sub XI:49.
  3. ^ Yang & An 2005, p. 219.
  4. ^ Christie 1968, p. 78.
  5. ^ Strassberg 2002, pp. 110 & 163.
  6. ^ Strassberg 2002, pp. 110–111.
  7. ^ Strassberg 2002, passim.
  8. ^ Strassberg 2002, p. 11.
  9. ^ Yang & An 2005, pp. 8–10.

Sources

  • Christie, Anthony (1968). Chinese Mythology. Feltham: Hamlyn Publishing.
    ISBN 0600006379
    .
  • Ferguson, John C. (1928). "China". Mythology of All Races. Vol. VIII. Archaeological Institute of America.
  • ISBN 978-0-14-044375-2
  • Schafer, Edward H. (1963) The Golden Peaches of Samarkand. Berkeley: University of California Press.
  • Strassberg, Richard E. (2002). A Chinese Bestiary: Strange Creatures from the GUIDEWAYS THROUGH MOUNTAINS AND SEAS. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
    ISBN 978-0-520-29851-4
    .
  • ISBN 0-517-54475X
    .
  • Yang, Lihui; An, Deming (2005). Handbook of Chinese Mythology. with Jessica Anderson Turner. New York: Oxford University Press.
    ISBN 978-0-19-533263-6
    .
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