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| Pixiu | |||||||||||||||||||
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 Pixiu | |||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 貔貅 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 辟邪 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Korean name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Hangul | 비휴 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hanja | 豼貅 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 貔貅 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hiragana | ひきゅう | ||||||||||||||||||
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Thepixiu ([pʰǐ.ɕjóʊ];Chinese:貔貅) is aChinese mythicalhybrid creature. Pixiu are considered powerful protectors of thesouls of the dead,xian,[1] andfeng shui practitioners, and resemble strong, winged lions. A Pixiu is an earth and sea variation[clarification needed], particularly an influential and auspicious creature for wealth, and is said to have a voracious appetite exclusively for gold, silver, and jewels. Therefore, traditionally to the Chinese, Pixiu have always been regarded as auspicious creatures that possessed mystical powers capable of drawingcai qi (財氣; "wealth") from all directions,[2][3] and according to theChinese zodiac, it is especially helpful for those who are going through a bad year.
There are two types of Pixiu that are categorised by theirantlers. The one with two antlers is the female and is called aBìxié, and the one with one antler is the male and is called aTiānlù.[4]
Pixiu crave the smell of gold and silver and like to bring their masters money in their mouth. Statues of this creature are often used to attract wealth in feng shui.[5][6]
Today, Pixiu are a popular design on jade pendants.
Sinologist Axel Schuessler (2007) states that in old textspí (貔) referred to large panther-like cats.[7] Minimally reconstructing貔'sOld Chinese pronunciation as *bi, Schuessler compares it toTibetan:དབྱི།,Wylie:dbyi "lynx" then proposes a probableSino-Tibetan etymology.[7] Moreover, he sees possible cognacy withཔི (pi) andབྱི (byi) in two Tibetan words for "cat", namely:པི་ཤི (pi shi) andབྱི་ལ (byi la) respectively.[7] Elementsཔི (pi) andབྱི (byi) are either of native Tibetan origin or derived fromIndic (cf.Hindiबिल्ला (billā) ←Sanskritबिडाल (biḍāla)).[7]
Xu Ke (徐珂) describes the貔貅;pixiu as resembling either tigers or bears and having ashen white furs, the貔;pi being male and the貅;xiu female.[8]
Pixiu are auspicious, winged animals, written about in ancient Chinese history and heralded through the millennia by fantastic stories of powerful and grandiose feats of victory in battle.[9] Their legend has been passed down through 2,000 years of Chinese lore. They have the head of a Chinese dragon, the body of a lion, and historically sport on their heads either one antler (male) or two antlers (female). In modern times, this legendary creature's historical physical appearance has been somewhat lost, and is now more commonly depicted with only one antler.[10][circular reference]
Ancient Chinese descriptions, depictions and stone carvings of Pixiu from theHan dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) show the male with a single antler and the female with two. As with theChinese phoenix, the common image today represents a single gender with one antler (male). Pixiu have protruding eyes and sharp teeth. There is one ancient stone sculpture variation found with hooves, but all Pixiu have wings. Many have a bifurcated (split) tail that hangs low and downward that covers its rear, a representative metaphor that they hold gold inside their stomachs but will not let it out.[citation needed]
ImperialPixiu used during theQing dynasty developed the physical characteristic of a fatter, more rotund body, indicating a stomach that could be loaded with unlimited amounts of gold and all forms of wealth and good fortune.
Due to their similar appearances, Pixiu are often confused withstone lions andqilin, but they can easily be distinguished from those two animals by its pair of feathered wings with which it can fly between Heaven and Earth.[5]
In theEastern Han dynasty, pixiu were thought to be able to fly into the realm of immortals orxian[1] by Daoists and a minority of Confucianists.
One story of thePixiu tells that it violated a law ofHeaven by defecating on the floor of Heaven. When it was found out, it was punished by a spanking executed by theJade Emperor. The spanking was hard enough to cause its rectum to be permanently sealed. This is whyPixiu can eatgold, silver and jewels but cannot expel it.[11] This is one of the origins of the status ofPixiu statues as a symbol of the acquisition and preservation of wealth.
Another story describes the Pixiu as the well-behaved, youngest son of the Dragon King and was spoiled by its parents. One day, Pixiu played on the Dragon King's desk and accidentally broke a seal that represented the power of the Dragon King. The Dragon King became very angry and used magic to turn Pixiu into an animal. He then sealed his rectum and declared that from then on, Pixiu could only eat things representing wealth.[12]
Pixiu have a reputation of being fierce creatures. The large fangs visible in their mouths are used to attack demons and evil spirits, draining their essence and converting it to wealth. Pixiu also guard against disease caused by these evil spirits. It is written that Pixiu patrol the Heavens to keep demons at bay and to protect their owners from all harm.[13]
It was believed that the ferociously devoted Pixiu would always and constantly guard its master, even after he passed from this life onto the next world. It was also believed that Pixiu would help their masters ascend to heaven by flying them up to Heaven on their backs.[9]
Pixiu appear to have their origin in theHan dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) where they are found mentioned and were originally calledTáo bá in chapter 96 of theBook of Han.
An annotation describes the female and maleTáo bá to have antlers like a deer, where the male (Tiānlù) has one antler, and the female (Bìxié) two. In tribute to the legend of the ferocity and prowess of the Pixiu in battle, it became synonymous with the army in ancientChina. The wordPixiu, interpreted as meaning "fierce beast" and also "brave warrior", was used as a symbol on battle flags and banners.[9]
Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty declared that the Pixiu, who obtained and guarded the Master's gold, would be forever known as the "Treasure of the Emperor".[14] It is said the Emperor declared that only royal personage could possess a Pixiu and it was strictly forbidden for all others to own one, including officials.[14] This law was kept through to the end of theQing dynasty.[14]
During China's history, Pixiu were commonly displayed in ancient architecture to ward offyin qi (陰氣) and to harness auspiciousqi.
Statues of Pixiu are commonly found on the four corners of the roofs of houses, palaces and halls of the most important people such as theChinese Emperor. The Pixiu sits behind the dragon, the phoenix, the winged horse, the seahorse, and other, similar creatures.
In ancient China, stone statues of Pixiu were also used as tomb guardians of Han dynasty emperors and other royal persons.
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Infeng shui, Pixiu (akaPiyao in some modern cultural translations) is the heavenly variation of a creature of good fortune. They are said to have the power to assist anyone suffering from bad feng shui due to having offendedTai Sui.
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InMulan. Pixiu is featured as a design on the sword of Fa Mulan's.
InDuckTales of 2017, Pixiu serves as a minor antagonist.
InAmerican Born Chinese,Shiji Niangniang has a pet Pixiu that was turned into a dog, along with having his anus sealed, after he pooped in theJade Emperor's pond.
InFabulous Beasts (zh:有兽焉 or You Shou Yan), one of the main characters in the show is a Pixiu by the name of Tianlu who has a twin brother named Bixie.
In the video gameOverwatch, a Pixiu costume is available for the character Zenyatta.
Media related toPixiu at Wikimedia Commons