Chiwen
Chiwen (Chinese: 蚩吻; pinyin: chīwěn; Wade–Giles: ch'ih-wen; lit. 'hornless-dragon mouth') is an roof ornamental motif in traditional Chinese architecture and art. Chiwen is also the name of a Chinese dragon that mixes features of a fish, and in Chinese mythology is one of the nine sons of the dragon, which are also used as imperial roof decorations. As architectural ornaments or waterspouts, they are comparable with Western gargoyles, but are not related to the mythological character.
Etymology
The name for this dragon is chīwěn (蚩吻), which compounds chī (蚩; 'hornless dragon', 'young dragon') and wěn (吻; '[', 'animal's]', 'mouth'). Chīshǒu (螭首) and Chītóu (螭頭), both literally meaning "hornless-dragon head".
Chiwen is alternatively written 鴟吻; 'owl mouth', using the homophonous
; 'owl roof-ridge') are additional birdlike roof decorations.History
The origin of the roof decoration of chiwen can be traced to the roof decoration alternatively named as chiwei (鸱尾), the earliest visual examples found in the Han dynasty on many ceramic architectural models, que-towers, and tomb murals and stone-reliefs. [a 1]
The chiwei were shaped like wings, associated with the
In the Song dynasty, chiwen fully replaced the chiwei and adopted a more dragon-like appearance while also retaining some of their predecessor's bird-like features such as wings or bird's head. The technical treastise Yingzao Fashi details the proper elements and terminology of the chiwen and formalises their construction and measurements. [a 3]
By the
Symbolism
The chiwen is listed second or third among the Lóng shēng jiǔzǐ (龍生九子; 'dragon gives birth to nine young'), Nine Dragons (九龍; jiǔlóng), which are traditional mythological creatures that have become traditional Chinese feng shui architectural decorations. Each one of the nine dragons has a protective function. The Nine dragons are also used in many place names in Hong Kong, such as Kowloon, literally meaning "nine dragons" in Cantonese (Chinese: 九龍; Jyutping: gau2 lung4; Cantonese Yale: Gáulùhng), as well as numerous lakes, rivers and hamlets in mainland China.
According to the
Welch describes chiwen as "the dragon who likes 'to swallow things'".[2]
This is the fish-like, hornless dragon with a very truncated body and large, wide mouth usually found along roof ridges (as if swallowing the roof beams). His presence on roofs is also said to guard against fires. A paragraph in the Tang dynasty book Su Shi Yan Yi (蘇氏演義) by Su E (蘇鶚) says that a mythical sea creature called the chi wen [sic] was put on the roofs of buildings during the Han dynasty to protect the structures from fire hazards. This dragon is still found on the roofs of traditional Chinese homes today, protecting the inhabitants from fires.
In
The Japanese language borrowed these names for architectural roof decorations as Sino-Japanese vocabulary. Shibi 鴟尾 "ornamental roof-ridge tile" is more commonly used than chifun 蚩吻 or shifun 鴟吻. In Japanese mythology, the Shachihoko 鯱 (a mythical fish with a carp's arched tail, tiger's head, and dragon's scales) roof decoration is believed to cause rain and protect against fire. This 鯱 is a kokuji "Chinese character invented in Japan" that can also be read shachi for "orca".
Gallery
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Tang dynasty fresco fromMogao cavesdepicting green glazed chiwei on architecture.
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Tang dynasty Chiwen on Pingshun Temple.
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Liao dynasty chiwen of Shanhua Temple Main Hall.
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Liao dynasty glazed chiwen on Hall of Bhaisajyaguru, Huayan Temple
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Song dynasty painting of Kaifeng palace rooftop.
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Song dynasty green glazed chiwen on the Manichaean Hall of Longxing temple in Zhengding, Hebei.
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Song dynasty glazed chiwen on Jidu Temple
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Ming dynasty glazed chiwen of Datong Confucian Temple.
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GuandiTemple.
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Qing dynasty chiwen.
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Dragon shaped golden chiwen at Emeishan
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Glazed blue chiwen ofChenghuang Temple of Pingyao.
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Chiwen on roof of the National Theater of Taiwan.
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Xiangyin Temple
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Changchun Temple, Wuhan.
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Fish and dragon shaped chiwen ofYuyuan Gardens.
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Fish and waves chiwen of Fort Provintia, Tainan
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Chiwen in Guangzhou
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Chiwen on the roof of Longyin Temple, Chukou, Taiwan
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A chishou gargoyle
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chishou atTaiwan Confucian Temple
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A golden shachihoko on the roof of Nagoya Castle
See also
- Gargoyle
- Grotesque (architecture)
- Shibi (roof tile), Japanese variation of chiwei.
- Onigawara
- Shachihoko
References
- ^ Wuzazu 五雜俎., cited in de Visser, Marinus Willem (1913). Dragon in China and Japan. J. Müller. p. 101.
- ISBN 9780804838641.
- ISBN 978-7112090709.
- ISBN 9787112031238.
- ISBN 9787112040940.
External links
- The Nine Dragon Scroll, The Circle of the Dragon