Snake (zodiac)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Snake (蛇) is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac and related to the Chinese calendar, as well as in related East Asian zodiacal or calendrical systems. The Year of the Snake is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 巳.[1]
According to one mythical legend, there is a reason for the order of the 12 animals in the 12-year cycle. The story goes that a race was held to cross a great river, and the order of the animals in the cycle was based upon their order in finishing the race. In this story, the Snake compensated for not being the best swimmer by hitching a hidden ride on the Horse's hoof, and when the Horse was just about to cross the finish line, jumping out, scaring the Horse, and thus edging it out for sixth place.
The same 12 animals are also used to symbolize the cycle of hours in the day, each being associated with a two-hour time period. The "hour" of the Snake is 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., the time when the sun warms up the earth, and Snakes are said to slither out of their holes.
The reason the animal signs are referred to as "zodiacal" is that one's personality is said to be influenced by the animal sign(s) ruling the time of birth, together with elemental aspects of the animal signs within the sexagenarian (60 year) cycle. Similarly, the year governed by a particular animal sign is supposed to be characterized by it, with the effects particularly strong for people who were born in a year governed by the same animal sign.
In Chinese symbology, Snakes are regarded as intelligent, but with a tendency to be somewhat unscrupulous.[2]
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[hide]Years and the Five Elements[edit]
People born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the "Year of the Snake", while also bearing the following elemental sign:
| Start date | End date | Heavenly branch |
|---|---|---|
| 10 February 1929 | 29 January 1930 | Earth Snake |
| 27 January 1941 | 14 February 1942 | Metal Snake |
| 14 February 1953 | 2 February 1954 | Water Snake |
| 2 February 1965 | 20 January 1966 | Wood Snake |
| 18 February 1977 | 6 February 1978 | Fire Snake |
| 6 February 1989 | 26 January 1990 | Earth Snake |
| 24 January 2001 | 11 February 2002 | Metal Snake |
| 10 February 2013 | 30 January 2014 | Water Snake |
| 29 January 2025 | 16 February 2026 | Wood Snake |
| 15 February 2037 | 3 February 2038 | Fire Snake |
Basic astrology elements[edit]
| Earthly Branch of Birth Year: | Si |
| The Five Elements: | Fire (Huo) |
| Yin Yang: | Yin |
| Lunar Month: | Fourth |
| Lucky Numbers: | 2, 8, 9; Avoid: 1, 6, 7 |
| Lucky Flowers: | orchid, cactus |
| Lucky Colors: | red, light yellow, black; Avoid: white, golden, brown[3] |
Gallery[edit]
Depictions of zodiacal Snakes either solo or in group context with the other eleven zodiacal creatures shows how they have been imagined in the calendrical context.
Wood (Wu Xing)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Classical elements |
|---|
Stoicheion (στοιχεῖον)
|
Tattva – Mahābhūta, Panchikarana
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Wŭ Xíng (五行)
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Godai (五大)
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Bön
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Alchemy
|
Wood (Chinese: 木; pinyin: mù), sometimes translated as Tree, is the growing of the matter, or the matter's growing stage.[1] Wood is the first phase of Wu Xing. Wood is yang in character. It stands for springtime, the east, the planet Jupiter, the color green, wind, and theAzure Dragon (Qing Long) in Four Symbols.
The Wu Xing are chiefly an ancient mnemonic device for systems with 5 stages; hence the preferred translation of "tree" over "wood".[citation needed]
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[hide]Attributes[edit]
In Chinese Taoist thought, Wood attributes are considered to be strength and flexibility, as with bamboo. It is also associated with qualities of warmth, generosity, co-operation and idealism. The Wood person will be expansive, outgoing and socially conscious. The wood element is one that seeks ways to grow and expand. Wood heralds the beginning of life, springtime and buds, sensuality and fecundity. Wood needs moisture to thrive.
In Chinese medicine, wood is associated with negative feelings of anger, positive feelings of patience, and altruism.
Astrology[edit]
In Chinese astrology, wood is included in the 10 heavenly stems (the five elements in their yin and yang forms), which combine with the 12 Earthly Branches (or Chinese signs of the zodiac), to form the 60 year cycle.
Yang WOOD years end in 4 (e.g. 1974).
Yin WOOD years end in 5 (e.g. 1975).
Some Western astrologers have argued for an association between wood and the element Ether, on the grounds that ether is associated with Jupiter in Vedic Astrology.[2]
Cycle of Wu Xing[edit]
In the regenerative cycle of the Wu Xing, water engenders Wood, "as rain or dew makes plant life flourish"; Wood begets fire as "fire is generated by rubbing together two pieces of wood" and it must be fueled by burning wood.
In the conquest cycle:
Wood overcomes earth by binding it together with the roots of trees and drawing sustenance from the soil;
Azure Dragon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Thanh Long" redirects here. For the fruit known as "Thanh Long", see Dragonfruit.
| Azure Dragon | |||
Depiction of the Qīng Lóng on a tile
| |||
| Chinese name | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 青龍 | ||
| Simplified Chinese | 青龙 | ||
| Literal meaning | Blue Dragon | ||
| |||
| Vietnamese name | |||
| Vietnamese alphabet | Thanh Long | ||
| Korean name | |||
| Hangul | 청룡 | ||
| |||
| Japanese name | |||
| Kanji | 青竜 | ||
| Hiragana | せいりゅう | ||
| |||
The Azure Dragon is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It represents the east and the spring season. It should not be confused with the mythological yellow dragon that is associated with the Emperor of China. It is also referred to in media, feng shui, other cultures, and in various venues as the Green Dragon and the Avalon Dragon.[1]
It is known as Qing Long in Chinese, Seiryū in Japanese, Cheongnyong in Korean, and Thanh Long in Vietnamese. It is sometimes called the Azure Dragon of the East (simplified Chinese: 东方青龙; traditional Chinese: 東方青龍; pinyin: Dōng Fāng Qīng Lóng, or sometimes simplified Chinese: 东方苍龙; traditional Chinese: 東方蒼龍; pinyin: Dōng Fāng Cāng Lóng).
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[hide]The Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon[edit]
As the other three Symbols, there are seven "mansions", or positions, of the moon within Azure Dragon. The names and determinative stars are:[2][3]
| Mansion no. | Name (pinyin) | Translation | Determinative star |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 角 (Jiăo) | Horn | Spica |
| 2 | 亢 (Kàng) | Neck | κ Vir |
| 3 | 氐 (Dĭ) | Root | α Lib |
| 4 | 房 (Fáng) | Room | π Sco |
| 5 | 心 (Xīn) | Heart | σ Sco |
| 6 | 尾 (Wěi) | Tail | μ Sco |
| 7 | 箕 (Jī) | Winnowing Basket | γ Sgr |
Cultural depictions[edit]
.svg)
In the novel Shuo Tang Yanyi (Tales of the Tang dynasty), the White Tiger's star is reincarnated as General Luo Cheng (羅成 / 罗成), who serves Li Shimin. The Azure Dragon's Star is reincarnated as General Shan Xiongxin (單雄信 / 单雄信), who serves Wang Shichong. The two generals are sworn brothers of Qin Shubao (秦叔寶 / 秦叔宝), Cheng Zhijie (程知節 / 程知节) and Yuchi Jingde (尉遲敬德 / 尉迟敬德). After death, their souls are said to possess heroes of the Tang dynasty and Goguryeo, such as Xue Rengui (薛仁貴 / 薛仁贵) and Yeon Gaesomun (渊盖苏文).
As an example, the Azure Dragon is represented on the tomb of Wang Hui (stone coffin, east side), Hsi-k'ang (extension of Szechwan during Han), Lu-shan. A Chinese rubbing of this was collected by David Crockett Graham and is in the Field Museum of Natural History.[4][5]
The dragon featured on the Chinese national flag in 1862-1912.
Influence[edit]
In Japan, the Azure Dragon is one of the four guardian spirits of cities and is said to protect the city of Kyoto on the east. The west is protected by the White Tiger, the north is protected by the Black Tortoise, the south is protected by the Vermilion Bird, and the center is protected by the Yellow Dragon. In Kyoto there are temples dedicated to each of these guardian spirits. The Azure Dragon is represented in the Kiyomizu Temple in eastern Kyoto. Before the entrance of the temple there is a statue of the dragon which is said to drink from the waterfall within the temple complex at nighttime. Therefore, each year a ceremony is held to worship the dragon of the east. In 1983, theKitora Tomb was found in the village of Asuka. All four guardians were painted on the walls (in the corresponding directions) and a system of the constellations was painted on the ceiling. This is one of the few ancient records of the four guardians. In Korea, the murals of theGoguryeo Tombs found at Uhyon-ni in South Pyongan province features the Azure Dragon and the other mythological creatures of the four symbols.[6]
Four Symbols (China)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Four Symbols (Chinese constellation))
The Four Symbols (Chinese: 四象; pinyin: Sì Xiàng) are four mythological creatures in the Chinese constellations. They are the Azure Dragon (Chinese: 青龙; pinyin: Qīng Lóng), of the East, the Vermilion Bird (Chinese: 朱雀; pinyin: Zhū Què) of the South, the White Tiger (Chinese: 白虎; pinyin: Baí Hǔ) of the West, and the Black Turtle (Chinese: 玄武;pinyin: Xuán Wū) of the North. Each one of them represents a direction and a season, and each has its own individual characteristics and origins. Symbolically and as part of spiritual and religious belief, they have been culturally important in China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. In the latter countries, they are known under the names, correspondingly: Cheongryong (청룡)/Thanh Long/Seiryū (せいりゅう), Jujak (주작)/Chu Tước/Suzaku (すざく), Baek-ho (백호)/Bạch Hổ/Byakko (びゃっこ), and Hyeonmu (현무)/Huyền Vũ/Genbu (げんぶ).
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[hide]History[edit]
The Four Symbols were given human names after Daoism became popular. The Azure Dragon has the name Meng Zhang (孟章), the Vermilion Bird was called Ling Guang (陵光), the White Tiger Jian Bing (監兵), and the Black Turtle Zhi Ming (執明).
In 1987, a tomb was found at Xishuipo (西水坡) in Puyang, Henan. There were some clam shells and bones forming the images of the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, and the Big Dipper. It is believed that the tomb belongs to the Neolithic Age, dating to about 6,000 years ago.[1]
The Rongcheng Shi manuscript recovered in 1994 gives five directions rather than four and places the animals quite differently: Yu the Great gave banners to his people marking the north with a bird, the south with a snake, the east with the sun, the west with the moon, and the center with a bear.[2]
The colours of the animals also match the colours of soil in the corresponding areas of China: the bluish-grey water-logged soils of the east, the reddish iron-rich soils of the south, the whitish saline soils of the western deserts, the black organic-rich soils of the north and the yellow soils from the central loess plateau.[3]
Correspondence with the Five Elements[edit]
These mythological creatures have also been synthesized into the 5 element system. The Azure Dragon of the East represents Wood, the Vermilion Bird of the South represents Fire, the White Tiger of the West represents Metal, and the Black Turtle (or Dark Warrior) of the North represents Water. In this system, the fifth element Earth is represented by the Yellow Dragon of the Center.[4]
Correspondence with the Four Seasons[edit]
The four beasts each represent a season. The Azure Dragon of the East represents Spring, the Vermilion Bird of the South represents Summer, the White Tiger of the West represents Autumn, and the Black Turtle of the North represents Winter.
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