It is an animal in Chinese legends. It is often used as a symbol of the rule of a virtuous ruler with a unicorn or a phoenix. Legend has it that there are famous mythical beasts in Kunlun Mountain, the whole body is snow-white, can speak human words, understand the feelings of all things, rarely haunt, unless there is a saint to govern the world at that time, only to come to the book. It is an auspicious beast that can turn evil into good fortune. Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor patrolled and went to the seashore to get the beast. This beast can speak, to reach the love of all things, so the emperor ordered the picture to be written, to show the world, and then used as a chapter dress pattern. In later generations, because of its ability to avoid evil, its shape was often used on objects. [1]

Legend one

Zhong Kui mount

Legend has it that the mythical beast is the mount of Zhong Kui, the "Tang Blessing Town House Holy Monarch" in Zhong Kui's hometown in Xi'anhu County, Shaanxi. A pair of stone carving cultural relics of the Song Dynasty of Zhong Kui's divine beast are now preserved in front of the empty cuitang villa of Wang Jiusi, the author of "Zhong Kui's Biography", on the shore of Mipi Lake in Xi'anhu County, Shaanxi, and it is said that it is the only pair of ancient stone carvings in China. [2]

Legend II

The Yellow Emperor patrols

Ge Hong of the Eastern Jin Dynasty "Hug Puzi Jiyan": "The Yellow Emperor is poor and treacherous. ”

Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor patrolled and went to the seashore to get the beast. This beast can speak, to reach the love of all things, so the emperor ordered the picture to be written, to show the world, and then used as a chapter dress pattern. Tang Kaiyuan has a flag, which is used by the Son of Heaven to travel instruments; "The Seven Signatures of the Cloud and the Xuanyuan Benji" "The emperor patrols and hunts, goes east to the sea, climbs Huan Mountain, and obtains the divine beast on the seashore." Able to speak, to reach the love of all things. Because of asking about the ghosts and gods in the world, since ancient times, the essence is a thing, and the wandering soul is a changer, and there are 11,520 kinds. In other words, the imperial decree is written in pictures to show the world. The emperor made a blessing to the evil to wish it. ”

Legend III

unicorn

There is also a saying that it is a unicorn, when the Vermilion Bird together with the dragon, the white tiger, the Xuanwu rebellion, Nuwa Niangniang and the other four spirit beasts Qilin, Bai Zhen, Teng Snake, with the help of the defeat, the four divine beasts headed by the Vermilion Bird, and finally abolished the mana, wandered to the mortal world, it is said that the whole body is a treasure, has the effect of bringing the dead back to life.

Xu Lai's "Imaginary Animals" (Nova Press) is also recorded

Legend IV

Yellow Emperor parade

"Xuanyuan Benji", "Hug Puzi (Jiyan)", and "Ruiying Tu" are contained.

He once explained all kinds of knowledge about animals to the Yellow Emperor. It is said that at that time, the Yellow Emperor was touring around the country to learn the true face of the land under his jurisdiction. On the shores of the East China Sea, he encounters a talking monster. Erudite and knowledgeable about all kinds of animals. All kinds of strange species produced by collecting the aura of heaven and earth and collecting the essence of the sun and the moon, it explained clearly to the Yellow Emperor one by one, and talked about a total of 1,522 species before and after: there is a monster that always appears at night. He had eight heads, his body floating in mid-air, and his head showed a faint glow of fire. This monster is called You Guang, also called Wild Boy, and seeing him means that the country is going to have a plague. There is also a monster whose form is invisible to others.

2. Records in the classics

Chronicle 1

The General Dictionary

Later generations because of the ability to avoid evil, often use its shape on the items, the "General Dictionary" records the shape of the emperor's flag, called the flag.

Record 2

Book of the Tang Dynasty: Five Elements

"Tang Shu Five Elements Chronicles" records that the younger sister of Empress Zhongzong Wei used a tiger and leopard pillow to ward off evil spirits and a pillow to avoid charm.

Record 3

"Kaiyuan Zhanjing"

Volume 116 of "Kaiyuan Zhanjing" quotes the cloud of "Ruiyingtu": "The Yellow Emperor patrolled the East China Sea, out, and reached the essence of all things, and took the people to warn the people for the disaster. ”

Record 4

"Spirit Diagram"

It is known as knowing astronomy and geography from above, and knowing trivial matters from below; However, he can speak human words, and he once made a ghost and god illustrated book at the request of the Yellow Emperor (there are 11,520 kinds of them). (also known as "Spirit Diagram")

The Yellow Emperor cruised to the East China Sea, and when he met it, this beast could speak and reach the love of all things. Ask the world about ghosts and gods, since ancient times, the essence is a thing, and the wandering soul is a changer, in case of five hundred and twenty kinds, in other words, the emperor's order is written in a picture to show the world.

3. Development and inheritance

"It is a legendary beast that knows the name, shape and exorcism of all ghosts in the world, so it has been worshiped as a god and auspicious for exorcism since very early days. Especially in the Middle Ages, the reverence for the right was even more grand. At that time, the book "Diagram" (also known as "Spirit Diagram") was very popular, to the extent that almost one book was in the hands of each family. The book contains the names, appearances, and methods of exorcising various gods and monsters, as well as drawings of them, and people will search for them once they encounter them. In Zen quotations, it is also common to say "There is a picture of the home, and the monster is self-eliminating." ""Don't hang the elbow back symbol, what a sticker." "There is no picture at home, there are such monsters" and other quotations. Pictures were hung on the walls or pasted on the doors to ward off evil spirits. At that time, there was also the custom of making "pillows", that is, pillows made into images were used for sleeping, and their intention was also to ward off evil spirits and drive away ghosts. In the army's uniform equipment, "flag" is also a common flag. People even named themselves after "", and many people called "" appeared. [3]