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Four Perils

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Four Perils
Clockwise: Hundun, Qiongqi, Taotie, and Taowu.
Chinese name
Chinese四凶
Literal meaningFour Perils
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinSì Xiōng
Japanese name
Kanji四凶
Hiraganaしきょう
Transcriptions
RomanizationShikyō
Si Zui
Clockwise: Huandou as seen in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Gonggong at war with Zhurong, Gun in small seal script, and Chi You, the progenitor of the Sanmiao tribe.
Chinese name
Chinese四罪
Literal meaningFour Evildoers
Four Criminals
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinSì Zuì
Japanese name
Kanji四罪
Hiraganaしざい
Transcriptions
RomanizationShizai

The Four Perils (Chinese: 四凶; pinyin: Sì Xiōng) are four malevolent beings that exist in Chinese mythology.

Book of Documents

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The Four Criminals (四罪; Sì Zuì) are a set of individuals who caused great trouble for the rule of Emperor Yao of the Taotang clan and Emperor Shun of the Youyu clan.[1][2] Three of the criminals are of the Sanmiao tribe: Huandou, Gonggong, and the tribe itself. The last criminal, Gun, was of the Youxia clan. Gun's son, Yu the Great, would go on to found the Xia dynasty with the Youxia clan, having fulfilled his father's legacy of controlling the floods.[1]

According to the Bamboo Annals, Gonggong was the first of several individuals tasked with managing the Great Flood. This occurred during Emperor Yao's 19th year.[3] He failed, and this forced Yao to consult the Four Mountains for advice. According to the Canon of Yao in the Book of Documents, Huandou was seemingly surprised at the inadequacy of Gonggong, and Gun was recommended instead. Yao begrudgingly agreed, and so Gun went to manage the cataclysm. After nine years, no progress was made. His son, Yu, would be recommended to finish the job, and succeeded, thus being named Yu the Great. Gonggong and Gun would be exiled far away from Emperor Yao's territory for their incompetence. In response, Huandou would rebel against the Taotang and Youyu clan's increasing influence over the region, which resulted in him being defeated several times by Yu the Great during Emperor Shun's reign, which would put an end to the Sanmiao tribe. After this, the three, and the broader tribe, would be labelled as the Four Criminals.[4][1]

Zuo Zhuan, Shanhaijing, and Shenyijing

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In the Zuo Zhuan,[5][6] Shanhaijing, and Shenyijing, the Four Perils (Sì Xiōng) are defined as:

  • Hundun (渾敦, 混沌; Hùndùn; 'chaotic torrent'[a]), a yellow winged creature of chaos with six legs and no face;[7][8]
  • Qiongqi (窮奇; Qióngqí; 'distressingly strange', 'thoroughly odd'), a monstrous creature that eats people,[9][10]
  • Taowu (檮杌; Táowù; 'block stump'), a reckless, stubborn creature;[11] The Taowu is said to appear with "a human face, a tiger's feet, a pig's tusks and a tail 18 feet long."[12][13]
  • Taotie (饕餮; Tāotiè; 'greedy glutton'), a gluttonous beast.[14]

In the Zuo Zhuan

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The Zuo Zhuan does not describe these four beings as mythological beasts, but instead as "historical" persons. Hundun is said to have descended from Emperor Hong[b], Qiongqi from Shaohao, Taowu from Zhuanxu, and Taotie from the Jinyun lineage.[15] This narrative is also used by Sima Qian in his record of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period in Records of the Grand Historian.

In the Classic of Mountains and Seas

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The Classic of Mountains and Seas records Hundun and Qiongqi, but omits Taowu and Taotie, and there is no specific tie between the two creatures.[16]

Qiongqi is given two conflicting descriptions in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. The first is in the Classic of the Western Mountains (西山經), where it is described a man-eating beast as residing on Mt. Gui ({邽山), possessing hedgehog-like fur and crying like a howling dog. The second description, in the Classic of the Northern Seas' Inner Realm (海內北經), records it as resembling a tiger with wings, eating people with dishevelled hair, starting from either the head or the feet.[16]

Hundun is given the name Di Jiang (帝江) in the classic, a name usually given to thearchs, and is usually translated into English as "emperor," such as with Emperor Shun, Emperor Yao, and the Yellow Emperor. It resides on Mt. Tian (天山) and has a round, yellow sack-like body with a cinnabar-coloured pattern, as well as four wings and six legs, but neither a mouth nor eyes. However, it also sings and dances. The adjective hundun (渾敦), a homophone with the name Hundun, is used to describe it.[16]

In the Book of Gods and Strange Things

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Taowu in Gujin Tushu Jicheng, using the description from the Book of Gods and Strange Things.

The Book of Gods and Strange Things mentions the Four Perils, and links Taotie, Taowu, and Hundun together in the Ten Examples from the Southwestern Wilderness (西南荒經三則) chapter.[17]

Hundun is the first mentioned of the Perils, said to be located east of the Kunlun Mountains. It has a quadruped, dog-like body, sort of like a brown bear, but without claws. While it is described as having eyes, it cannot see, and cannot begin to walk. Despite having two ears, it cannot hear. It has a belly but no internal organs, and its intestines are straight, so food passes straight through its body. Those of virtue go against it, those without it rely on it. Tian is said to have created it, which is from where it gets its name. The name Di Jiang is not mentioned here.[17]

The received description of Taowu is first mentioned in this text. It is said to be a monster with a human face, a tiger's feet, a pig's mouth and teeth, and a tail 18-foot long. It is also given two alternate names: Aohen (傲狠) and Nanxun (難訓).[17]

Taotie is described as a theme and personality trait, using the word ren (人) "person" to describe it, rather than the regular shou (獸) "beast." It claims the people have fur and a pig's head. It is as greedy as a wolf, but will not eat a person's grain. It feeds on the old and feeble, but fears those in groups. It also lists three other names: Tanlin 貪惏), Qiangduo (強奪), and Lingruo (凌弱), and cites the Zuo Zhuan to note that Taotie is the son of Jinyun. In the Ten Examples from the Western Wilderness (西荒經十則), Taotie is also used as an adjective to describe the Miao people, claiming they are greedy and unreasonable.[17]

The text embellishes the second account of Qiongqi from the Classic of the Northern Seas' Inner Realm chapter of the Classic of Mountains and Seas. However, it is recorded separately from the other Perils, in the Ten Examples from the Northwestern Wilderness chapter (西北荒經六則). In addition to being a tiger-like creature that eats people, it is also said to understand human speech, and eat those who are in the right when they are arguing with someone. It will also eat the nose of those who are trustworthy and loyal, and kill beasts to feed those who are wicked. It is said to eat beasts and birds.[17]

Identification

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Zhang Shoujie's Correct Meanings of the Record of the Grand Historian (史記正義; Shǐjì Zhèngyì) identifies Huandou with Hundun (渾沌), Gonggong with Qiongqi (窮竒), Gun with Taowu (檮杌), and the Sanmiao (三苗) with Taotie (饕餮).[18]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a.k.a. 帝江; Dìjiāng; 'Emperor River', 'Thearch River'
  2. ^ 帝鴻; Dìhóng; 'Emperor Swan', 'Thearch Swan'

References

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  1. ^ a b c Book of Documents "Canon of Shun" quote: “流共工于幽洲，放驩兜于崇山，竄三苗于三危，殛鯀于羽山，四罪而天下咸服。”
  2. ^ Shiji "Annals of the Five Emperors" "請流共工於幽陵，以變北狄；放讙兜於崇山，以變南蠻；遷三苗於三危，以變西戎；殛鯀於羽山，以變東夷：四罪而天下咸服。"
  3. ^ Sturgeon, Donald (ed.). "帝堯陶唐氏". 竹書紀年 [Bamboo Annals] (in Literary Chinese). Chinese Text Project. 十九年，命共工治河。
  4. ^ Fu, Sheng. "堯典". In Sturgeon, Donald (ed.). 尚書 [Book of Documents] (in Literary Chinese). Chinese Text Project.
  5. ^ Shiji "Annals of the Five Emperors" quote: "昔帝鴻氏有不才子，掩義隱賊，好行凶慝，天下謂之渾沌。少暤氏有不才子，毀信惡忠，崇飾惡言，天下謂之窮奇。顓頊氏有不才子，不可教訓，不知話言，天下謂之梼杌。此三族世憂之。至于堯，堯未能去。縉云氏有不才子，貪于飲食，冒于貨賄，天下謂之饕餮。天下惡之，比之三凶。舜賓於四門，乃流四凶族，遷于四裔，以御螭魅，於是四門辟，言毋凶人也。"
  6. ^ Zuo zhuan "Duke Wen" quote: "舜臣堯，賓于四門，流四凶族，渾敦，窮奇，檮杌，饕餮， 投諸四裔，以禦魑魅，". translation: "When Shun became Yao's minister, he received the nobles from the four quarters of the empire, and banished these four wicked ones, Chaos (Hundun 渾敦), Monster (Qiongqi 窮奇), Block (Taowu 檮杌), and Glutton (Taotie 饕餮), casting them out into the four distant regions, to meet the spite of the sprites and evil things (Chimei 魑魅)."
  7. ^ Shanhaijing "Classic of the West Mountains" quote: "有神焉，其狀如黃囊，赤如丹火，六足四翼，渾敦無面目，是識歌舞，實惟帝江也。"
  8. ^ Shenyijing "Classic of the West Wilderness: Ten Examples" quote: "崑崙西有獸焉，其狀如犬，長毛四足，似羆而無爪，有目而不見，行不開。有兩耳而不聞，有人知往。有腹無五臟，有腸直而不旋，食物徑過。人有德行而往牴觸之。有凶德則往依憑之。天使其然，名為渾沌。《春秋》云：渾沌，帝鴻氏不才子也。空居無為，常咋其尾，回轉仰天而笑。"
  9. ^ Shanhaijing "Classic of the West Mountains" quote: "其上有獸焉，其狀如牛，蝟毛，名曰窮奇，音如獋狗，是食人。"
  10. ^ Shenyijing "Classic of the Northwest WIlderness: Six Examples" quote: "西北有獸焉，狀似虎，有翼能飛，便剿食人。知人言語，聞人鬥，輒食直者；聞人忠信，輒食其鼻；聞人惡逆不善，輒殺獸往饋之。名曰窮奇，亦食諸禽獸也。"
  11. ^ Shenyijing, "Classic of the West Wilderness: Ten Examples" quote: "西方荒中有獸焉，其狀如虎而犬毛，長二尺，人面虎足，豬口牙，尾長一丈八尺，攪亂荒中，名檮杌，一名傲狠，一名難訓。《春秋》雲顓頊氏有不才子名檮杌是也。"
  12. ^ 東方朔. 神異經  (in Chinese) – via Wikisource. 西方荒中有獸焉，其狀如虎而犬毛，長二尺，人面虎足，猪口牙，尾長一丈八尺，攪乱荒中，名梼杌，一名傲狠，一名難訓。《春秋》云顓頊氏有不才子名梼杌是也。
  13. ^ Dongfang 東方, Shuo 朔 (2022). 神异经. Chengdou: 巴蜀书社 [Bashu Book Club]. ISBN 978-7-5531-1784-3.
  14. ^ Shenyijing, "Classic of the Southwest Wilderness: Three Examples" quote: "西方荒中有獸焉，其狀如虎而犬毛，長二尺，人面虎足，豬口牙，尾長一丈八尺，攪亂荒中，名檮杌，一名傲狠，一名難訓。《春秋》雲顓頊氏有不才子名檮杌是也。"
  15. ^ Durrant, Stephen W.; Li, Wai-yee; Schaberg, David, eds. (2016). Zuo tradition =: Zuozhuan: commentary on the "Spring and autumn annals". Classics of Chinese thought. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 574. ISBN 978-0-295-99915-9.
  16. ^ a b c Liu, Xin; Liu, Xiang (2018). Zhongquan, Miao (ed.). 山海经. Shenyang: 万卷出版公司. ISBN 978-7-5470-4819-1.
  17. ^ a b c d e Dongfang, Zhuo (2022). 神异经. Chengdou: 巴蜀书社. ISBN 978-7-5531-1784-3.
  18. ^ Shiji Zhengyi "Volume 1" Siku Quanshu version, Zhejiang university's copy p. 133 pf 156
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