qilin, in Chinese mythology, theunicorn whose rare appearance often coincides with theimminent birth or death of a sage or illustrious ruler. (The name is a combination of the two charactersqi “male,” andlin, “female.”) Aqilin has a single horn on its forehead, a yellow belly, a multicoloured back, the body of adeer, and thetail of an ox. Gentle ofdisposition, it never walks on verdant grass or eats living vegetation.

The firstqilin is said to have appeared in the garden of the legendaryHuangdi (Yellow Emperor) in 2697bce. Some three centuries later a pair ofqilin were reported in the capital of EmperorYao. Both events bore testimony to thebenevolent nature of the rulers.

The advent of a great sage was made known when aqilin appeared to the pregnant mother ofConfucius (6th centurybce). Theqilin thereupon coughed up an inscribed jade tablet that foretold the future greatness of the unborn child. The death of Confucius was foreshadowed when aqilin was injured by a charioteer.

In 1414 a livegiraffe was brought to China for the first time and presented as aqilin to theMing emperorYongle. The tough old warrior, seeing through the intended flattery, curtly remarked that he certainly was nosage and the animal was certainly noqilin. In Japanese, a giraffe is calledkirin, but the characters are those forqilin.