 Fenghuang sculpture inNanning, Guangxi | |
| Creature information | |
|---|---|
| Other name | Chinese phoenix |
| Grouping | Mythical creature |
| Sub grouping | Phoenix |
| Folklore | Chinese mythology |
| Origin | |
| Country | China,Japan,Korea,Vietnam |
| Fenghuang | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 鳳凰 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 凤凰 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | fènghuáng | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vietnamese alphabet |
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| Korean name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hangul | 봉황 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hiragana | ほうおう | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fenghuang (fung-(KH/H)WAANG) are mythological birds featuring in traditions throughout theSinosphere.Fenghuang are understood to reign over all other birds: males and females were originally termedfeng andhuang respectively, but a gender distinction is typically no longer made, andfenghuang are generally considered a feminine entity to be paired with the traditionally masculineChinese dragon.
Fenghuang are known under similar names in various other languages (Japanese:hō-ō;Vietnamese:phượng hoàng orphụng hoàng;Korean:bonghwang). In the West, they are commonly calledChinese phoenixes, although mythological similarities with the Western/Persianphoenix are superficial.[1]
A common depiction of fenghuang was of it attacking snakes with its talons and its wings spread. According to theErya's chapter 17Shiniao, fenghuang is made up of the beak of arooster, the face of aswallow, the forehead of afowl, the neck of asnake, the breast of agoose, the back of atortoise, the hindquarters of astag and the tail of afish.[2] Today, however, it is often described as a composite of many birds including the head of agolden pheasant, the body of amandarin duck, the tail of apeacock, the legs of acrane, the mouth of aparrot, and the wings of aswallow.[citation needed]
The fenghuang's body symbolizes the celestial bodies: the head is the sky, the eyes are the sun, the back is the moon, the wings are the wind, the feet are the earth, and the tail is the planets.[3] The fenghuang is said to have originated in the sun.[3] Its body contains the five fundamental colors: black, white, red, yellow, and green or blue.[3] It sometimes carries scrolls or a box with sacred books.[3] It is sometimes depicted with a fireball.[3] It is believed that the bird only appears in areas or places that are blessed with utmost peace and prosperity or happiness.
Chinese tradition cites it as living atop Mount Danzuan in the southern mountains.[4]
The earliest known ancient phoenix design dates back to about 7000–8000 years ago and was discovered inHongjiang,Hunan Province, at the Gaomiao Archeological Site.[5] The earliest known form of dragon-phoenix design, on the other hand, dates back to theYangshao culture (c. 5000 – c. 3000 BC) and was found at an archeological site nearXi'an inShaanxi Province.[5] This ancient usage ofphoenix anddragon designs are all evidence of an ancient form oftotemism in China.[5]
During theShang dynasty, phoenix anddragon images appear to have become popular as burial objects.[5] Several archeological artifacts of jade phoenix and jade dragons were unearthed in tombs dating from the Shang dynasty period.[5]
During theSpring and Autumn period (c. 771 – c. 476 BC) and theWarring States period, common form of unearthed artifacts is the combination of dragon-phoenix designs together.[5] One such artifact is theSilk Painting of Human Figure with Dragon and Phoenix, pictured left.[5][6]
In theQin dynasty (221–206 BC), phoenixhairpins (i.e. hairpins withfenghuang decorations) and shoes which were also decorated with phoenix designs were supposed to be worn by the Imperial concubines of the Qin Emperor.[5]
During theHan dynasty (2,200 years ago) two phoenixes, one a male (feng,鳳) and the other a female (huang,凰) were often shown together facing one other.[citation needed] In theHan dynasty, an imperial edict decreed that the phoenix hairpins had to become the formal headpiece for theempress dowager and the imperial grandmother.[7]
Later, during theYuan dynasty the two terms were merged to becomefenghuang, but the "King of Birds" came to symbolize the empress when paired with a dragon representing the emperor.
From theJiajing era (1522–1566) of theMing dynasty onwards, a pair of phoenixes was differentiated by the tail feathers of the two birds, typically together forming a closed circle pattern – the male identified by five long serrated tail feathers or "filaments" (five being an odd, masculine, oryang number) and the female by what sometimes appears to be one but is in fact usually two curling or tendrilled tail feathers (two being an even, feminine, oryin number). Also during this period, thefenghuang was used as a symbol representing the direction south. This was portrayed through a male and female facing each other. Their feathers were of the five fundamental colors: black, white, red, green, and yellow. These colours are said to representConfucius' five virtues:
The phoenix represented power sent from the heavens to the Empress. If a phoenix was used to decorate a house it symbolized that loyalty and honesty were in the people that lived there. Or alternatively, a phoenix only stays when the ruler is without darkness and corruption (政治清明).
LinguistWang Li relates element鳳, OC:*bums(ZS),mod.fèng to鵬, OC:*bɯːŋ(ZS) "peng, fabulous great bird";[9]鳳 is also related to*plum, OC:*風,mod.fēng "wind".[10]
Historical linguistMarc Miyake reconstructs鳳凰, OC:*N-prəm-sɢʷˁɑŋ,mod.fènghuáng, which he proposes, though with uncertainty, to be the affixed form of風皇, OC:*prəm[ɢ]ʷˁɑŋ(B&S),mod.fēng huáng "wind sovereign".[11]
The fenghuang has positive connotations. It is a symbol of virtue and grace. The fenghuang also symbolizes the union ofyin and yang.[citation needed] The first chapter of theClassic of Mountains and Seas, the "Nanshang-jing", states that each part of fenghuang's body symbolizes a word. The head representsvirtue (德), the wing representsduty (義), the back representspropriety (禮), the abdomen represents credibility (信) and the chest representsmercy (仁).[12]
Thefenghuang originally consisted of a separate malefeng and a femalehuang assymbols of yin and yang.[5][13] The malefeng represented theyang aspect while thehuang represented theyin aspect; and together, the feng and huang image was symbolic of love between husband and wife.[13] However, since theQin dynasty, thefenghuang progressively went through a feminization process as the dragon became a symbol of masculinity.[5] Eventually, thefeng and thehuang merged into a single female entity.[13]
In ancient and modern Chinese culture,fenghuang can often be found in the decorations forweddings orroyalty, along withdragons. This is because the Chinese considered the dragon-and-phoenix design symbolic of blissful relations between husband and wife, another commonyang and yin metaphor. In some traditions, it appears in good times but hides during times of trouble, while in other traditions it appeared only to mark the beginning of a new era.[14] In China and Japan, it was a symbol of the imperial house, and it represented "fire, the sun, justice, obedience, and fidelity".[14]
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The fenghuang is still used in modern Japan and Korea in relation to the head of state:
Other uses include:
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Media related toFenghuang at Wikimedia Commons