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What are the four traditional beasts in China?

The corresponding orientations of the four great beasts in ancient China are East Black Dragon (Qinglong), West White Tiger, South Suzaku and North Xuanwu. The stars in the east are like dragons, the stars in the west are like tigers, the stars in the south are like big birds, and the stars in the north are like turtles and snakes.

1, Qinglong is one of the four gods in China ancient mythology, which originated from the worship of ancient stars. It is the oriental god who represents Tai Hao and the seven nights in the East. It is the shock in the gossip, the mourning in the five elements, symbolizing the shaoyang in the four elephants and the spring in the four seasons. The theory of divination rose in the Han Dynasty, and its symbolic meaning increased vitality, A, B and benevolence. After the Han Dynasty, Taoism adopted him as the protector and called him the God King of Meng Zhang. The third volume of Huainanzi records that the most expensive god is Qinglong. So Qinglong may be the first of the four elephants.

2. The White Tiger is one of the four gods in China ancient mythology, which originated from the worship of ancient stars. It is the God of the West, representing seven nights in Shao Hao and the West. It is the main gold in the gossip, symbolizing the lack of yin in the four elephants and autumn in the four seasons. The theory of divination rose in the Han Dynasty, and its symbolic meaning increased with the symbol of the military, Geng Xin and Yi Di. After the Han dynasty, Taoism absorbed it as a protector and called it a soldier guard. The white tiger symbolizes power and the army, so many places named after the white tiger in ancient times are related to the military.

Suzaku is one of the four spirits in ancient China mythology, which originated from the worship of ancient stars. It is a southern god who represents Emperor Yan and the seven nights in the south. It is separated from the gossip, igniting the fire in the five elements, symbolizing Lao Yang in the four elephants and summer in the four seasons. In the pre-Qin period, it was thought that it could lead the soul of the dead to heaven, and later generations thought it could give people immortality. The theory of divination flourished in Han dynasty, and its symbolic significance increased, such as reservation, ding bing, ceremony and so on. After the Han Dynasty, Taoism absorbed it as the protector and called it god of light. Many people in modern times regard it as a phoenix or a kind of phoenix, but in fact, Suzaku, as one of the four spirits in heaven and four stars, is very different from Phoenix, one of the four spirits in the Book of Rites.

4. Xuanwu is one of the four gods in China's ancient mythology, which originated from the worship of ancient stars. On behalf of Zhuan Xu and the seven nights in the north, it is the god of the north. Based on gossip and five behaviors, it symbolizes the old yin in the four elephants and the winter in the four seasons. The theory of divination rose in the Han Dynasty, and its symbolic significance was added to the underworld, non-decadence and wisdom. After the Han Dynasty, Taoism absorbed it as the protector, and called it the god of ghosts, and later became the Zhenwu Emperor. Xuanwu, also called Xuanming, is a combination of tortoise and snake. It is the water god, living in Beihai, and the tortoise lives long. Xuan Ming has become a symbol of immortality, and the underworld is also in the north, so it is the god of the north.

Extended data:

In Shang Dynasty, the ancients divided the sky into four palaces, east, west, north and south, named after Qinglong (black dragon), White Tiger, Suzaku and Xuanwu (a turtle-shaped god). In fact, the sky is divided into four parts, which are connected by seven main stars in each part and named after their shapes. Four kinds of animals are represented by different colors: oriental cyan is wood, western white is gold, southern red is fire, northern black is water, and middle yellow is earth. As the earth revolves around the sun, the stars in the sky change with the seasons. Every evening at the turn of winter and spring, the black dragon appears; At the turn of spring and summer, Xuanwu rose; At the turn of summer and autumn, white tigers emerge; At the turn of autumn and winter, Suzaku rose, known as the "four great beasts".

Baidu Encyclopedia-Four Great Beasts