 Qilin-shaped incense burner (Qing dynasty,c. 17th-18th century) | |
| Creature information | |
|---|---|
| Grouping | Legendary creature |
| Sub grouping | Chimera |
| Similar entities | kirin,kỳ lân,gilen |
| Origin | |
| Country | China |
| Qilin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.svg) "Qilin" in Chinese characters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 麒麟 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vietnamese alphabet | kỳ lân | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chữ Hán | 麒麟 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thai name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thai | กิเลน | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RTGS | kilen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Korean name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hangul | 기린 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanja | 麒麟 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 麒麟 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hiragana | きりん | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Manchu name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manchu script | ᡴᡳᠯᡳᠨ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Romanization | kilin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Theqilin (English:/tʃiˈlɪn/chee-LIN;Chinese:麒麟;pinyin:qílín) is alegendary hoovedchimerical creature that appears inChinese mythology, and is said to appear with the imminent arrival or death of asage or illustrious ruler.[1] Qilin are a specific type of thelin mythological family of one-horned beasts. The qilin also appears in the mythologies of other Chinese-influenced cultures.
The earliest mention of the mythical qilin is in the poem麟之趾;Lín zhī zhǐ; 'Feet of the Lin' included in theClassic of Poetry (11th – 7th c. BCE).[2][3]
麟之趾，振振公子，于嗟麟兮。
麟之定，振振公姓，于嗟麟兮。
麟之角，振振公族，于嗟麟兮。
The feet of the Qilin, the noble sons of our lord. Ah, the Qilin!
The forehead of the Qilin, the noble kinsmen of our lord. Ah, the Qilin!
The horn of the Qilin, the noble clansmen of our lord. Ah, the Qilin!
Spring and Autumn Annals mentioned that alin (麟) was captured in the 14th year of Duke Ai of Lu (魯哀公) (481 CE);Zuo Zhuan creditedConfucius with identifying thelin as such.[5][6][7]
The bisyllabic formqilin (麒麟 ~騏驎), which carries the same generic meaning aslin alone, is attested in works dated to theWarring States period (475–221 BCE).[citation needed]Qi denotes the male andlin denotes the female[8] according toShuowen Jiezi.[9][10]
The legendary image of the qilin became associated with the image of thegiraffe in theMing dynasty.[11][12] The identification of the qilin with giraffes began afterZheng He's 15th-centuryvoyage to East Africa (landing, among other places, in modern-daySomalia). The Ming Dynasty bought giraffes from theSomali merchants along with zebras, incense, and various other exotic animals.[13] Zheng He's fleet brought back two giraffes toNanjing and they were mistaken by the emperor for the mythical creature. The identification of qilin with giraffes has had a lasting influence: even today, the same word is used for the mythical animal and the giraffe in both Korean and Japanese.[14]
Axel Schuessler reconstructsOld Chinese pronunciation of麒麟 as*gərin. Finnish linguistJuha Janhunen tentatively compares*gərin to an etymon reconstructed as*kalimV,[15] denoting "whale"; and represented in the language isolateNivkh and four different language familiesTungusic,Mongolic,Turkic andSamoyedic, wherein *kalay(ә)ng means "whale" (inNenets) and *kalVyǝ "mammoth" (inEnets andNganasan). As even aborigines "vaguely familiar with the underlying real animals" often confuse the whale, mammoth, andunicorn: they conceptualized the mammoth and whale as aquatic, as well as the mammoth and unicorn possessing a single horn; for inland populations, the extant whale "remains ... an abstraction, in this respect being no different from the extinct mammoth or the truly mythical unicorn." However, Janhunen cautiously remarks that "[t]he formal and semantic similarity between *kilin < *gilin ~ *gïlin 'unicorn' and *kalimV 'whale' (but also Samoyedic *kalay- 'mammoth') is sufficient to support, though perhaps not confirm, the hypothesis of an etymological connection", and also notes a possible connection between Old Chinese and Mongolian (*)kers ~ (*)keris ~ (*)kiris "rhinoceros" (Khalkha:хирс).[16]
Qilin generally haveChinese dragon-like features: similar heads withantlers, eyes with thick eyelashes, manes that always flow upward, and beards. The body is fully or partially scaled and often shaped like an ox, deer, or horse, or more commonly a goat.[17][18] They are always shown with cloven hooves.[19] While dragons in China (and thus qilin) are also most commonly depicted as golden, qilin may be of any color or even various colors, and can be depicted as bejeweled or exhibiting a jewel-like brilliance.[20]
The qilin is depicted throughout a wide range of Chinese art, sometimes with parts of their bodies on fire.[19]
Legends tell that qilin have appeared in thegarden of the legendaryYellow Emperor and in the capital ofEmperor Yao; both events bore testimony to the benevolent nature of the rulers.[18] It has also been told that the birth of the great sageConfucius was foretold by the arrival of a qilin.[1]
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In modern times, the depictions of qilin have often fused with the Western concept of unicorns,[citation needed] and qilin (麒麟) is often translated into English as "unicorn". The Han dynasty dictionaryShuowen Jiezi describesqi as single-horned,[9] and it can sometimes be depicted as having asingle horn. The translation, however, may be misleading, as qilin can also be depicted as having two horns. In modern Chinese, "one-horned beast" (独角兽;獨角獸;Dújiǎoshòu) is used for "unicorns". A number of different Chinese mythical creatures can be depicted with a single horn, and a qilin depicted with one horn may be called a "one-horned qilin" in Chinese.[citation needed]
Nevertheless, the mythical and etymological connections between the creatures have been noted by various cultural studies[14][15][16] and even the Chinese government, which has minted silver, gold, and platinum commemorative coins depicting both archetypal creatures.[21]
Kirin, which has also come to be used as the modern Japanese word for agiraffe, are similar to qilin. Japanese art tends to depict the kirin as more deer-like than inChinese art. Alternatively, it is depicted as a dragon shaped like a deer, but with an ox's tail[22] instead of a lion's tail. They are also often portrayed as partiallyunicorn-like in appearance, but with a backwards curving horn.
Girin or kirin (기린) is theKorean form of qilin. It is described as a maned creature with the torso of adeer, anox tail with thehooves of ahorse. The girin were initially depicted as more deer-like, however over time they have transformed into more horse-like.[23] They were one of the four divine creatures along with thedragon,phoenix, andturtle. Girin were extensively used in Korean royal and Buddhist arts.
In modern Korean, the term "girin" is used for "giraffe".
In Thailand, the qilin is known as "gilen" (Thai:กิเลน), and is a member of the pantheon of ThaiHimapant forest mythical animals. It is most probable that the Gilen was introduced into the pantheon under the influence of theTai Yai who came down from Southern China to settle inSiam in ancient times, and the legend was probably incorporated into the Himapant legends of Siam in this manner. The Gilen is a mixture of various animals which come from differing elemental environments, representing elemental magical forces present within each personified creature. Many of the Himapant animals actually represent gods anddevas of the Celestial Realms, andbodhisattvas, who manifest as personifications which represent the true nature of each creature deity through the symbolism of the various body parts amalgamated into the design of the Mythical creature.[24]
InPhra Aphai Mani, the masterpiece epic poem ofSunthorn Phu, a renowned poet of the 18th century, there is a monster that isSudsakorn's steed, one of the main characters in the epic. This creature was called"Ma Nin Mangkorn" (Thai:ม้านิลมังกร, "ceylonite dragon horse") and is depicted as having diamond fangs, ceylonite scales, and a birthmark on the tongue. It was a mixture of horse, dragon, deer antlers, fish scales, andPhaya Nak tail, and has black sequins all over. Its appearance resembles a qilin.[25]
The Qilin dance is traditionally performed by theHakka people.[26][27] The Qilin is a mythical creature believed to symbolize good fortune, prosperity, and harmony,[28] and performers wear ornate Qilin costumes with vibrant colors and intricate details to resemble the mythical creature.[28]
The Qilin costume features a single horn in the middle, with finned ridges lined with fur.[26] The dance involves graceful and synchronized movements that mimic cats and tigers.[28] The performance routine typically tells of a Qilin exiting its lair, playfully move round, and looking for vegetable to eat. After eating from the vegetable, it spits it out, and it also spits a jade book, before moving around and returning back to its lair.[26]
The dance is accompanied by music played on traditional Chinese instruments, including drums, flutes, and cymbals.[27] Today, similar to the Chinese Lion and Dragon dances, the Qilin dance is commonly performed during important Chinese celebrations and festivals, such asChinese New Year and weddings, it is also performed to preserve cultural traditions and enhance community cohesion.[26][27]
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Media related toQilin at Wikimedia Commons