Which four elephants are the four elephants

The four elephants refer to: the Green Dragon, the Vermilion Bird, the White Tiger, Xuanwu.

1, Qinglong: Qinglong, also known as Canglong, Meng Zhang, is the image of ancient Chinese myths and legends, for the "four spirits of the sky," one of the gods of the East, corresponding to the "four elephants" in the "seven Eastern". The origin of the Green Dragon is related to the natural heavenly bodies. The origin of the Green Dragon is related to natural celestial phenomena, which mainly originated from people's understanding of the operation of the stars and the farming culture in the ancient times.

2, Vermilion Bird: Vermilion Bird from the ancient star worship, is on behalf of Emperor Yan Di and the southern seven southern god, in the eight trigrams is away, in the five elements of the main fire, symbolizing the four elephants of the old sun, the four seasons in the summer, but also the south of the sky land. The southern beast of the Zhu Bird is the shape of the bird. South of the fire, Vermilion Bird and other bird totems in ancient mythology often belong to the sun worship.

3, White Tiger: White Tiger is one of the four spirits of the sky in ancient Chinese mythology, the God of the West, and later for the Taoist religion, with the Green Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Xuanwu, known as the four gods of the four directions. Pre-qin period, "the mountains and seas classic - west of the four scriptures" records: "and two hundred and twenty miles west, said the birds and rats with the cave of the mountain, which on the more white tiger, white jade. Wei Shui out of it, and the east flow into the river."

4, Xuanwu: Xuanwu, also known as the turtle snake, originated in ancient star worship, refers to the twenty-eight lodges according to the southeast, northwest and north are divided into four elephants in the northern Xuanwu seven lodges. Xuanwu is a combination of turtles and snakes into a spirit, the four elephants in traditional Chinese culture refers to the Green Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Xuanwu, respectively, on behalf of the east, west, south, north and south directions. North Xuanwu in the eight trigrams for the kan, in the five elements of the main water, symbolizing the four elephants of the old yin, the four seasons of winter, but also the northern land of the sky.

The origin of the Green Dragon:

The Green Dragon was initially the name of the eastern dragon-like stars, originating from the ancient star worship, in the Chinese twenty-eight stars, at first because of the "eastern seven stars" arranged in the shape of a dragon, so the Green Dragon has become a symbol of the eastern seven stars and Taihao, the first Qin Dynasty. Symbolizing the eastern seven stars and Tai Hao, the god of the east, in the five elements of wood, in the eight trigrams corresponds to the Zhen and Xun, on behalf of the four elephants in the "less yang", the four seasons in the "spring", but also the sky of the east land.

In the ancients will be the combination of the seven eastern lodges imagined as the image of the dragon, and according to the five elements of yin and yang to the five sides of the color scheme, because it is located in the east of the main wood, on behalf of the color of "green", so the name "green dragon", which is derived from the figurative form of the beasts, was presented as a green (pale) of the dragon. The Dragon is the color of green (pale). The appearance of the seven eastern constellations and rainfall correspond to each other, the ancients believe that the dragon is in charge of rainfall, and rainfall determines the agricultural harvest, the agricultural harvest determines the standard of living, the dragon has become the most important "totem" of the agricultural society.

Refer to Baidu Encyclopedia - Qinglong Baidu Encyclopedia - Zhuquiao for more information