Xirang

Xirang (Chinese: 息壤; pinyin: xírǎng)^[a] was a magical soil in Chinese mythology with the ability to self-expand and grow continuously. Its properties made it particularly effective for use by Gun and Yu the Great in fighting the rising waters of the Great Flood.^[1]

Etymology

This Chinese word compounds xí 息 "breathe; cease; rest; grow; multiply" and rǎng 壤 "soil; earth". Noting similarities with earth-diver creation myths, Anne Birrell translates xirang as "self-renewing soil", and compares other translations of "breathing earth" (Wolfram Eberhard), "swelling mold" (Derk Bodde), "idle soil" (Roger Greatrex), and "living earth" or "breathing earth" (Rémi Mathieu).^[2]

Mythology

In some versions of the myths, Gun stole the xirang from the

A less mythical explanation could be sought in various forms of expansive clay. Generally impervious to water, clays are useful in creating the core of earthen dams. Expansive clays, in particular, slowly expand when wetted, thus matching the "swelling" translation. When dried, they take on a puffy "popcorn" look, which could be interpreted as "breathing" or airy. Such clays are abundant in the Shaanxi Province where many of these events are thought to have occurred.^{[citation needed]}

Comparative mythology

The xirang mythology has interesting parallels to the

• Chinese mythology

Notes

References