Bovidae in Chinese mythology
![Oxherding pictures, No. 6](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Oxherding_pictures%2C_No._6.jpg/220px-Oxherding_pictures%2C_No._6.jpg)
Bovidae in Chinese mythology include various myths and legends about a group of biologically distinct animals which form important motifs within Chinese mythology. There are many myths about the animals modernly classified as Bovidae, referring to oxen, sheep, goats, and mythological types such as "unicorns" (though perhaps not Bovidae, in the strict scientific sense). Chinese mythology refers to those myths found in the historical geographic area of China, a geographic area which has evolved or changed somewhat through history. Thus this includes myths in Chinese and other languages, as transmitted by Han Chinese as well as other ethnic groups (of which fifty-six are officially recognized by the current administration of China, according to Lihui Yang, 2005:4). There are various motifs of animals of the Bovidae biological family in Chinese mythology. These have often served as allusions in poetry and other literature. Some species are also used in the traditional Chinese calendar and time-keeping system.
Biological taxonomy
The family Bovidae are a diverse group, classified as being part of the
The exact taxonomy of Bovidae subfamilies and the placement of species within them is not at least yet an exact science, and there is a lack of scientific consensus in some cases, and some reclassification due to further research distinctly possible. However, all Bovidae are "even-toed" ungulates, a taxonomic group which besides Bovidae also includes deer (cervidae), camels, and pigs. (The "odd-toed" ungulates include horses and rhinoceroses).
Bovinae
The biological
Caprinae
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/VM_5234_Shennongjia_-_goats_south_of_Muyu.jpg/220px-VM_5234_Shennongjia_-_goats_south_of_Muyu.jpg)
The subfamily Caprinae are
Antilopinae and others
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/The_book_of_antelopes_%281894%29_Gazella_picticaudata.png/220px-The_book_of_antelopes_%281894%29_Gazella_picticaudata.png)
This group includes various miscellaneous species, including gazelles. Species which have historically ranged in parts of China include 3 extant species of the genus Procapra: the Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa), the Tibetan Gazelle ((Procapra picticaudata), also known as the Goa), and the Przewalski's gazelle (Procapra przewalskii).
Cattle
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/OMBRE_CHINOISE_BUFFLE.jpg/220px-OMBRE_CHINOISE_BUFFLE.jpg)
One type of bovid is the bovine, or subfamily Bovinae, more commonly known as "oxen", "cows", "beef cattle", "calves", "buffalo". There are many Chinese myths about the
Sheep and goats
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/OMBRE_CHINOISE_CHEVRE.jpg/220px-OMBRE_CHINOISE_CHEVRE.jpg)
Sheep and goats are not necessarily traditionally distinguished, in Chinese languages, with one word serving to denominate both.[1] In ancient history, sheep arrived before goats.[2]
Goats/Sheep are the eighth animal of the Chinese zodiac, and a symbol of filial piety, as the lambs are thought to kneel while their mothers suckle them (Eberhard: 264, sub "Sheep").
Mythological types
Some mythological Bovidae in Chinese mythology are incapable of any pretence at scientific classification. Some of these are translated as "unicorns", in English. Some of the mythological types may represent extinct or exotic species, others seem completely mythological (Parker: passim). Some of the mythological types are chimeras, or composite type beasts, composed of parts from various animals, combined to form something different than found in nature.
Qilin
Many translations from Chinese into English involve the translation of the Chinese qilin as "unicorn". However, the "Chinese unicorn" is more of a type of deer, than it is a type of horse. Taxonomically, the qilin would appear to be a one-horned ungulate; although, without information on whether the qilin, or lin, had, for example, an odd or even number of toes, the classification, in this regard, may remain moot, from a modern biological perspective. Nevertheless, and contextually, the Chinese characters used in sources strongly suggest that the "Chinese unicorn" was considered to be a type of bovid or cervid (deer family), rather than a horse (equid).
See also
- List of Chinese terrestrial ungulates
- Mammals of China
Works cited
- ISBN 0-415-00228-1
- Parker, Jeannie Thomas (2013). The Mythic Chinese Unicorn. Victoria, BC, Canada: FriesenPress. ISBN 9781460224076
- Yang, Lihui, et al. (2005). Handbook of Chinese Mythology. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-533263-6