synonymQuartet God(Sifang Gods) generally refers to the four great mythical beasts (mythical beasts in ancient China)
The four mythical beasts are modernQinglong、white tiger、rosefinch、BasaltIn fact, it is not a divine animal, but a god. In ancient times, it was also calledFour imagesThe four spirits of heaven belong to the product of ancient star worship[1]。The four beasts are integratedFive Elementsandposition, represented by different colors: eastern cyan is wood, western white is gold, southern red is fire, northern black is water, and central yellow is soil.Other《Writings of Prince Huainan》Huanglong, one of the five dragonswinged dragonBeing in the center is the leader of the four beasts.
so-calledDaysThey are left green dragon, right white tiger, front rosefinch and back Xuanwu.So you can know the order of the sun and the moon when you are in the shade of the hall, and the cold and heat of the world when you see the ice in the bottle.[2]
In ancient ChinaskyInfixed starDivide into“Sanyuan”And“Four images”Seven star areas.The so-called "wall" means "city wall".[3]Surrounded by three wallsPolarisIt is arranged in a triangle shape.Distributed around the "Three Yuan"“Four images”: "Dongcanglong, Xibaihu, Nanzhuque, Beixuanwu".[3]
In other words, the eastern stars are like a dragon, the western stars are like a tiger, the southern stars are like a bird, and the northern stars are like turtles and snakes.As the earth revolves around the sun, the stars in the sky change with the seasons.Every evening at the turn of winter and spring, the black dragon appears;At the turn of spring and summer, the rosefinch rises;At the turn of summer and autumn, white tigers appear;At the turn of autumn and winter,BasaltRise, collectively known as the "four divine beasts".[3]
In addition, the four mythical beasts are alsoZhouyiSix linesThe four beasts in the "six beasts" corresponding to the divinatory symbols are collectively called "six gods", namely, green dragon, rosefinchOutline、Tenser, White Tiger, Xuanwu, except forFive ElementsAnd orientation, and also reactmanifestation of a divinationInformation.
Four beasts are also ChinaTwelve hour systemA term corresponding to good or bad luck at different times.Usually, the corresponding time of the green dragon isAuspicious timeThe white tiger, rosefinch and Xuanwu correspond to fierce times.
In ancient times, Chinese ancients looked up at the stars near the ecliptic and divided the stars near the ecliptic into several regions, calledTwenty eight nightsThe 28 constellations are also related to the four phenomena according to the location and season.The ancients successively selected 28 constellations near the equator of the ecliptic as coordinates.Because they are surrounded by the sun, the moon and the five stars, much like the sun, the moon and the five starsHabitatTherefore, it is called the twenty eighth night.It is also divided into four palaces in the east, south, west and north according to the location, season and four images. Each palace has seven nights. The seven nights of the palaces are thought to be a kind of animal, which is "the four spirits of the sky, and the four directions are upright".Qinglong(Canglong)white tiger、rosefinch、Basalt(A turtle shaped god).In fact, the sky is divided into four parts, which are named after the seven main constellations in each part.
Eastern horn (wooden dragon)Hyperactivity(Jinlong), Di (raccoon dog), Fang (Japanese rabbit)heart(Moon Fox), Tail (Fierce Tiger)Dustpan(Water leopard) is shaped like a dragon, so it is called the Eastern Palace as a green dragon or a black dragon.
Western Seven Star Kui (Wooden Wolf)Lou(Golden Dog), Stomach (Native Pheasant)Pleiades(Japanese chicken), Bi (Yuewu)Letter(Fire Monkey)ginseng(Water ape) is shaped like a tiger, so it is called White Tiger in the Western Palace.
Well (Mu'an) in the southghost(Golden Sheep), Liu (Earth Swertia)Star(Japanese horse), Zhang (moon deer), Yi (fire snake)Zhen(Water worm) is connected in the form of a bird, called a rosefinch.
Northern Seven Star Battle (Mistle)cattle(Taurus)female(Earth bat)empty(Japanese rat), danger (swallow), room (fire pig)wall(Shuiyu), shaped like a turtle, is called Xuanwu.Therefore, the green dragon, white tiger, rosefinch and Xuanwu became the four gods guarding the heaven again, dispelling evil and regulating yin and yang.[5]
Why does Taoism regard the four elephants as its guardian gods?
Because the four elephants are the guardians of the four sides《Three supplementary yellow pictures》It is called black dragon, white tiger, rosefinch, and Xuanwu, the four spirits of the sky, which are upright in all directions.Zuo Qinglong, right white tiger, front rosefinch, and back Xuanwu, the four spiritual beasts guard the four palaces in the east, west, north, south, and north, dispel evil, regulate yin and yang, andGod of the Four Sides。
Later, the Four Elephants were gradually personified due to their absorption by Taoism and the evolution of Taoism, and they were given the titles of "Green Dragon", "Mengzhang God", "White Tiger", "Jianbing God", and "Lingguang God";Xuanwu is called "Zhiming Shenjun".[6]
The Emperor Taizhou at the beginning of the year said that the wonderful scripture of the Northern Emperor's Demon Subduing Mantra: "Zuo Qinglong, named Meng Zhang, Mao Wen, right white tiger, named Jianbing, Youwen, front rosefinch, named Lingguang, noon text, back Xuanwu, named Zhiming, Ziwen."[7]
Taoists practice Dharma and are guarded by four elephants,Taoist CollectionAccording to the Secret of Beidou Seven Yuan Ziting Life Extension, there are green dragons and Meng Zhang on the left, white tigers and soldiers on the right, rosefinches and Lingguang on the front, and Xuanwu and Ming on the back, who build festival buildings and bear bells and drums around me.[8]
Qinglong
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origin
Qinglong, originated from the worship of stars in ancient times.In ancient Chinafixed starDivide into“Sanyuan”And“Four images”Seven star areas."Three walls" are "purple walls", symbolizing the imperial palace;"Taiweiyuan" symbolizes the administrative organization;"Tianshiyuan" symbolizes a prosperous market.The three walls are arranged in a triangle around Polaris."Four Elephants" are distributed around the "Three Yuan": "East Canglong, Westwhite tiger, Southrosefinch, NorthBasalt”。In other words, the eastern astrology is like a dragon.As the earth revolves around the sun, the stars in the sky change with the seasons.Every evening at the turn of winter and spring, the black dragon appears.[9]
The dragon is the seven constellations of the east -- horn, kang, di, room, heart, tail, and dustpan. The shape of the seven constellations is very similar to the dragon shape. From the meaning of their words, it can be seen that the horn is the dragon's horn, kang is the neck, di is the root, but the neck, the room is the arm, the threat, and the heart isheartThe tail is the tail, and the dustpan is the end.[9]
Also in the heart of the dragon, some people call it "fire", which is related to rain and sunshine, and because the green dragon belongs to wood, it is also Jupiter's old age.And inTaoist schoolAfter the rise of these four spirits, they were also crowned with names, which is convenient for people to call. The green dragon is called 'Meng Zhang'. In many dynasties, some emperors also took the green dragon as their year title, such as the Three KingdomsEmperor Wei MingFor example, there are also records in the historical records that the Xia Dynasty belongs to the Mude Dynasty, so he has the auspicious omen of "the green dragon was born in the suburbs".[9]
On the second day of the second lunar month, the Chinese people call it "the second day of the second lunar month, when the dragon raises its head", which symbolizes that spring returns to the earth and everything recovers.[9]
To put it simply, the dragon is a race. It has a public mother, can reproduce, and will die.The green dragon is a sexless monomer and cannot reproduce. It is unique in the world.There is no lower limit of life.[4]
The dragon is the totem of the Yan and Huang civilizations, while the green dragon is the oriental god guarding the East. It belongs to the ancient god, that is, "the green dragon is not the dragon". The two are two kinds of creatures, and cannot be confused.
white tiger
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white tigerIt is also the god of war and killing, which originated from the worship of ancient stars.The white tiger has many magical powers, such as avoiding evil, avoiding disasters, praying for wealth, punishing evil and promoting good, getting rich, and getting married.It is one of the Four Spirits. Of course, it is also transformed by the stars.It is composed of seven constellations in the west of the 28 constellations: Kui, Lou, Stomach, Pleiades, Bi, Kou and Shen.So it is the representative of the West, and its white is because the West belongs to gold in the five elements, and its color is white.So white is from the five elements.
In addition to the four spirits in Taoism, including green dragons and white tigers, when Feng Shui masters explored the cemetery, the protruding terrain on the left and right sides of the front of the terrain, which can be used as a place for graves, has a unique title. They are called Left Green Dragon and Right White Tiger, meaning to protect them, while in the public hall they also have the same decoration. Green dragons and white tigers are painted on the left and right hall pillars to suppress evil spirits.After the rise of Taoism, the dragon and tiger were borrowed as the Taoist term for alchemy, which means "lead mercury, Kanli, water fire, yin and yang".Another saying is that the sex belongs to wood, and wood represents the East. The divinatory symbol is an earthquake, so it is more like a green dragon;Love belongs to gold, and gold represents the West. It is called white tiger because it is gold and white in the hexagram.Gold can subdue wood, so emotion is more harmful to nature. If we use the true essence of two or eight to combine them into one, then gold and wood will be unbroken. The dragon and tiger will subdue themselves into pills. In the human body, the liver will be the dragon, the kidney will be the tiger, while the outer pill still means yin and yang. The dragon will be the lead, and the tiger will be the mercury.[10]
In Chinese traditional culture, it is one of the four images of the Western Seven Constellations Star King of Taoism. According to the Five Elements Theory, it is a spirit animal representing the West, a white tiger, and the season is autumn.The western seven constellations of the 28 constellations (Kui, Lou, Wei, Pleiades, Bi, Zui, Shen), with the image of a tiger, are located in the west. They belong to gold and white, and are collectively called white tigers.[10]
Among the four sacred beasts in China, another one that is often compared with the dragon is the 'white tiger'. Like the green dragon, the white tiger is not a "tiger".
In Chinese myths and legends, the white tiger is the god of war and killing.At the same time, the white tiger has a variety of magic powers, such as avoiding evil, avoiding disasters, praying for wealth and punishing evil, promoting good deeds, getting rich, and getting married.And it is one of the four spirits, and of course it is also changed by the stars.
Since White Tiger is the god of war, many powerful generals are said to be reincarnated as White Tiger Star, such as Luo Cheng, the great general of the Tang Dynasty, Xue Rengui and his son.[10]
The white tiger symbolizes the power and army, so many places named after the white tiger in ancient times were related to military affairs, such as the white tiger flag andMilitary runeWhite tiger on.White tigers usually appear inHan dynastyOn the door of the stone tomb, or as separate portraits with the green dragon, they are carved on both sides of the lintel of the tomb to ward off evil spirits.《Customs and common sense》As the saying goes, "The tiger is a male, and is the strength of all animals. It can defeat the sharp and eat ghosts." In the concept of the five elements of the Han Dynasty, the white tiger was regarded as a western divine animal.[10]
rosefinch
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rosefinchIt is one of the four elephants and one of the four sacred animals in Chinese traditional culture. It originates from the worship of stars in ancient times.It is a divine beast representing the south. Its color is red and its season is summer.[11]
The four mythical beasts are: rosefinch, Xuanwu, green dragon and white tiger.Rosefinch is one of the four spirits. Like the other three, it comes from Xingxiu and is the general name of the southern seven constellations: well, ghost, willow, star, Zhang, wing and Zhen.[12]
Zhu is red, like fire. The south belongs to fire, so it is called Zhuque.[11]
Ancient records
1. The name of the constellation.The general name of the southern seven constellations in the 28 constellations.Book·Yao Dian》"Sunrise Star Bird";Sun Yanshu of the Qing Dynasty said: "As the saying goes, birds are called rosefinches, and the Southern Home... Zheng Kangcheng means that the Southern Seven Constellations are always bird stars." 2. It refers to the military flag with rosefinches."Wu Zi · Military Management": "You must have a green dragon on the left, a white tiger on the right, a rosefinch on the front, and a basalt on the back. You can flaunt on the top and work on the bottom." 3. The auspicious animal in ancient Chinese legends, one of the "four spirits".《Three supplementary yellow pictures·Weiyang Palace: "Black dragon, white tiger, red finch, and Yuan Wu are the four spirits of the sky. They are upright in all directions. The king makes the palace and the palace." 4. The southern god name.Selected Works · Wang Yanshou<Lu Lingguangdian Fu>"Zhu Niao Shu Yi";Tang Li and Zhou Han wrote: "The vermilion bird and the vermilion bird are the gods of the south."[13]
Eight genera of astragalusGeminiIn the historical records, the official book of the Heaven: "Nangong Zhuniao weighs, and the east well is a water affair." Boya: "The east well is the head of the quail." The astronomical chronicles of the Jin Dynasty: "The south east well is eight stars, and the south gate of the heaven."[13]
There are four stars in Cancer. The stars are all dark. One star cluster can be seen in the dark night, which is called Jishi Qi. The official book of the Shijitian: "Yu ghost temple" is liberal, "Yu ghost temple" is called the temple of heaven. "The astronomical chronicle of the Jinshu:" Yu ghost five stars, the eye of heaven also. ""The four stars of the ghost are called Yu Ghost, which is the head and eye of a rosefinch. The white center of the ghost is like pink wadding, which is called the accumulated corpse. One is called the celestial corpse, which is like a cloud or a cloud, or a star or a star. It is just like seeing qi."[13]
There are eight stars, all of which belong to the constellation Serpent. The ritual lunar order is: "The autumn moon is in the middle of the willow." Erya Shitian: "The willow is the willow, and the willow quail is the fire." Astronomical chronicles in the Han Dynasty: "The willow is the black pecker, and the main vegetation." Astronomical chronicles in the Jin Dynasty: "The kitchen of the willow eight stars is also the butcher."[13]
There are seven stars, six of which belong to the constellation Serpent. One star is the alpha, which is called alpha in the west. It is alone, and its luminosity is ranked second. The ritual order of the moon is: "The moon in spring is faint, and it is among the seven stars." Also, "The moon in winter is dark, and it is among the seven stars." The official record of the history records: "The seven stars are in urgent matters." The vision game occupies: "Zhou presents the bird flag with seven crowns, and it looks like a quail fire." It is also called the seven stars.[13]
Six stars belong to the constellation Hydra.Records of the Historian: "Zhang Su is the cook and the wine drinker." Astronomical Chronicles of the Han Dynasty: "Zhang Crop is the cook and the wine drinker." Guangya: "Zhang calls the tail of the quail." Avalokitesvara accounts for: "Zhang Liuxing is the palace of heaven, one is called the imperial palace, and the other is called Tianchang, which is actually the crop of red birds and Mars."
There are twenty-two stars, the first to the eleventh belongs to the constellation of Grand Duchess, the twelfth to the fourteenth belongs to the constellation of Serpentine, and the outer two stars and the six stars are unknown. It is the highest number of stars in the twenty-eight constellations. The ceremonial moon order: "The moon of Meng Xia is faint, and the wings are in the middle." The official record of the history of heaven says: "The wings are feathers, and the guests are far away." The official record of the Jin Dynasty says: "The wings are twenty-two stars, and the heaven is happy. The main idea is to play music."[13]
There is star four, namely, γ, ε, δ and β in the constellation Corvus. δ is a beautiful double star, and its color is yellow and purple.Ritual month order: "The mid winter moon, Dan, Zhenzhong." Records of the historian Tianguan wrote: "Zhen is the car, the main wind."
Basalt
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Source 1
Founder of Xia Dynasty in ChinaYuHis father is called“Gun”, with the word Xuanming, also known as Xuanwuking yu combating the floodI helped Shun manage the water before.Because it only used plugging instead of dredging, it was not successful despite the help of the gods.Gun is usually regarded as the incarnation of the spirit turtle, while Tu Shan, a branch of Xia, believes that snakes are their ancestors.[14]
Source 2
Basalt, originated from the worship of stars in ancient times.Since the pre Qin period, it has representedZhuan XuIt was the divine beast of the Northern Qisu, but the Five Elements Theory began to rise in the Han Dynasty, and its symbolic meaning was more than Ren Gui and winter.[15]
Tortoises and snakes were regarded as spiritual beasts in ancient China, symbolizing longevity. Before the Han Dynasty, nobles used to wear jade tortoise pendants. Today, influenced by ancient China, tortoise patterns are commonly used in naming and making emblems in Japan.[14]
Xuanwu is a kind ofturtleIt is a kind of spirit thing combined with snake.The original meaning of Xuanwu isXuanmingThe ancient sounds of Wu and Ming are interlinked.[14]
BasaltLike the other three spirits, Xuanwu has also changed from the twenty-eight constellations in the world: Dou, Niu, Nu, Xu, Wei, Shi and Bi.[16]
The name of Xuanwu
One of its deities
《Poetry of the South·A Journey to the Far East: "Call Xuanwu and run for his familyKong Yingdashu: "Xuanwu is also a turtle."《Later Han Dynasty·The Biography of Wang Liang: "Xuanwu is the name of the water god." Li Xiannote: "Xuanwu, the god of the north, is a combination of tortoises and snakes." According to Xuanwu, the true Emperor of Wu worshipped by Taoism, it was taboo in the Song Dynasty, and changed Xuanwu into true. Later generations of Taoism worshipped Zhenwu, and placed tortoises and snakes beside it. Tang Duan formed "Youyang Zazuo Zhinuogao Xia""Taoist Zhu often visited Lushan Mountain in the eighth year of Taihe's reign, resting on the brook rocks, and suddenly he saw a pan like a pile of coiled cotton, hungry and turned into a giant turtle, and when he visited the old man, the cloud was basalt." That is the legendary change of gods and monsters.[17]
In ancient times, people imagined some stars in the north as tortoises and snakes, called Xuanwu Emperor.In Chinese folk beliefs, Xuanwu Emperor has the following divine characteristics:
（1） God of the North
The poem "Songs of Chu: A Journey to the Far East" notes: "Xuanwu is a god in the north".The Records of the Historian - Tianguan Book said: "The Northern Palace is Xuanwu, empty and dangerous.".《Rework weft book integration》Volume VI "River Map": "The Black Emperor of the North, whose name is Ye Guangji, is good at Xuanwu".[17]
（2） Water God Xuanwu Water God
According to the theory of Yin Yang and Five Elements, the north belongs to water, so the north god is the god of water. Wu Yi's "Nine Huai Chapters" says: "Heaven tortoise and water god".The Book of the Later Han Dynasty - Biography of Wang Liang: "Xuanwu is the name of the water god"."River Map", Volume VI of the Collection of Reworked Wisdom Books: "The lodging of the seven gods in the north actually starts from the fight, towns the north, and focuses on wind and rain".Rainwater is needed for the growth of all things, and water can extinguish fire, so Xuanwu's water god attribute is highly valued and believed by Chinese folk.[17]
（3） Genius
In ancient China, the great divine power was compared with the phenomenon of the evolution of everything through the interaction of yin and yang, and the divine power of reproduction was worshipped.The snake itself is a symbol of reproduction and reproduction. Xuanwu appears in the shape of a tortoise and a snake, and was regarded by the ancients as a symbol of male female mating and reproduction.Wei Boyang of the Eastern Han Dynasty (who lived around 121 AD) also used the example of turtle and snake correction in the Book of Changes to illustrate that Yin and Yang must cooperate: "Guan Guansui Jiu, in the river island, a fair lady, a gentleman's good match, a male does not live alone, a female does not live alone, a tortoise and a snake, correct the plate and support each other, and a female and a female, after all, are Xuxu".[17]
（4） The god of command
In ancient times, the tortoise is a symbol of longevity and immortality, and can guide the breath. According to the Biographies of the History of the People's Republic of China, "The old people in the south use tortoises to support their bed feet and walk for more than 20 years. When the old people die and move their beds, the tortoise will not die. The tortoise can guide the breath".According to the book "Baopuzi", "Chengyang followed frugality in hunting when he was young, and fell into the empty tomb. He was hungry. He saw a big turtle in the tomb first, counted and turned back. He turned to impermanence, opened his mouth and swallowed his breath, or raised or raised his head. Frugality also heard that turtles could guide him, but he tried to follow the turtle, so he stopped hungry.".Moreover, the first night of the seven nights of Xuanwu in Beigong is Dousu, also called Nandou.The Star Classic says:“Nandou Six StarsThe life span of the Emperor is also the prime minister's position.Jin Ganbao (who lived around 316 years) quoted Guan Lu in his Soushen Ji as saying, "The Southern Dou pays attention to life, and the Northern Dou pays attention to death.".Worship to the south can increase one's life.This has a great attraction for the pursuit of immortality of imperial officials and ordinary people.[17]
These divine characteristics of Xuanwu not only won the belief of all social strata, but also laid the foundation for Xuanwu to become a Taoist god after the Tang and Song dynasties.
Its second star name
Book Yao Code: "The stars in the night are empty, and Yin Zhongqiu is the best." It is said that "empty is the middle star of Xuanwu." Xuanwu is the general name of the northern seven constellations.
Three directions
“Four god pattern tile”It was very popular in the Han Dynasty, including four kinds of animals, namely, the green dragon, the white tiger, the rosefinch, and the Xuanwu.[17]
Four Spirits in the Book of Rites
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In the same Book of Rites, there are differences in the terms of "four spirits" and "four gods".
Volume IV of the Book of Rites · Ritual Luck No. 9 says: "Lin, Feng, tortoise and dragon are the four spirits".Note: Lin is the leader of all kinds of animals, phoenix is the leader of all kinds of birds, and turtle is the leader of all kinds of animals,LoongIt is a hundred scales long.
Volume I of the Book of Rites - First Part of Quli says: "Yes, the former is Suzaku, the latter is Xuanwu, the left is Qinglong, and the right is White Tiger", and its sparse saying is: "Suzaku, Xuanwu, Qinglong, and White Tiger are the four famous sleeping places."
It can be seen that these two combinations of "four spirits" and "four gods" exist at the same time. The former refers to rare creatures on the ground (except turtles), while the latter refers to stars in the sky.
In this way, Qinglong, Baihu, Suzaku and Xuanwu, also known as the "Four Spirits", are actually the gods of stars who keep their posts in the sky and protect the order and harmony of heaven and earth;The buildings on the ground pay attention to "the left green dragon, the right white tiger", which is to correspond to the stars, and pay attention to the idea of mapping heaven and earth.
