Some representations show him as a human with snake-like characteristics, "a leaf-wreathed head growing out of a mountain", "or as a man clothed with animal skins."[5]
Pangu was said to be the creation god in Chinese mythology. He was a giant sleeping within an egg of chaos. As he awoke, he stood up and divided the sky and the earth. Pangu then died after standing up, and his body turned into rivers, mountains, plants, animals, and everything else in the world, among which is a powerful being known as Huaxu (華胥). Huaxu gave birth to a twin brother and sister, Fuxi and Nüwa. Fuxi and Nüwa are said to be creatures that have faces of human and bodies of snakes.[6]
However, in some myths, Fuxi was held to be the creator, not Pangu, who worked alone and not with Nüwa.[7]
Fuxi was known as the "original god", and he was said to have been born in the lower-middle reaches of the Yellow River in a place called Chengji (成紀) (possibly modern Lantian, Shaanxi province, or Tianshui, Gansu province).[8]
A possible historical interpretation of the myth is that Huaxu (Fuxi's mother) was a leader during the matriarchal society (c. 2600BC) as early Chinese developed language skill while Fuxi and Nüwa were leaders in the early patriarchal society (c. 2600BC) while Chinese began the marriage rituals.[9]
A divinity Taihao (太皞, "The Great Bright One") appears, vaguely, in sources before the Han dynasty, independent from Fuxi. Later, Fuxi is identified with Taihao, the latter being his courtesy or formal[5] name.[10]
Creation legendEdit
According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Fuxi and Nüwa were the original humans who lived on the mythological Kunlun Mountain (today's Huashan). One day they set up two separated piles of fire, and the fire eventually became one. Under the fire, they decided to become husband and wife. Fuxi and Nüwa used clay to create offspring, and with the divine power they made the clay figures come alive.[8] These clay figures were the earliest human beings. Fuxi and Nüwa were usually recognized by Chinese as two of the Three Sovereigns in the early patriarchal society in China (c. 2600BC), based on the myth about Fuxi establishing marriage ritual in his tribe. The creation of human beings was a symbolic story of having a larger family structure that included the figure of a father.
Social importanceEdit
On one of the columns of the Fuxi Temple in Gansu Province, the following couplet describes Fuxi's importance: "Among the three primogenitors of Huaxia civilization, Fu Xi in Huaiyang Country ranks first."[8] During the time of his predecessor Nüwa, society was matriarchal.
In the beginning there was as yet no moral(Sangang) or social order. Men knew their mothers only, not their fathers. When hungry, they searched for food; when satisfied, they threw away the remnants. They devoured their food hide and hair, drank the blood, and clad themselves in skins and rushes. Then came Fu Xi and looked upward and contemplated the images in the heavens, and looked downward and contemplated the occurrences on earth. He united man and wife, regulated the five stages of change, and laid down the laws of humanity. He devised the eight trigrams, in order to gain mastery over the world.
Fuxi taught his subjects to cook and various methods of hunting and fishing,[3] including fishing with nets and hunting with weapons made of bone, wood, or bamboo. He instituted the basic family structure,[3] as well as marriage, and offered the first open-air sacrifices to heaven. A stone tablet, dated AD 160, shows Fuxi with Nüwa.
Traditionally, Fuxi is considered the originator of the methods of divination that were passed down through the ages before the I Ching.[4] In other versions of the story, he is credited to the writing of some of the I Ching itself. His divination powers are attributed to his reading of the He Map (or the Yellow River Map). According to this tradition, Fuxi had the arrangement of the trigrams of the I Ching revealed to him in the markings on the back of a mythical dragon horse (sometimes said to be a tortoise) that emerged from the Luo River. This arrangement precedes the compilation of the I Ching during the Zhou dynasty. This discovery is said to have been the origin of calligraphy. Fuxi is also credited with the invention of the Guqin musical instrument, though credit for this is also given to Shennong and Yellow Emperor.
Fuxi is said to have lived for 197 years altogether and died at a place called Chen (modern Huaiyang, Henan), where a monument to him can still be found and visited as a tourist attraction.[8]
^also known as Pao Xi (包犧, 包羲, 炮犧 or 庖犧), Xi Huang 犧皇 or Huang Xi 皇羲 "August Shepherd". Taihao (太皞, 太昊) "Great Brightness"; his tribal surname Huang Xiong 黄熊氏 "Yellow Bear"
ReferencesEdit
^Theobald, Ulrich. Fu Xi 伏羲 ChinaKnowledge.de - An Encyclopaedia on Chinese History, Literature and Art
^Fernald, Helen E. (December 1926). "Ancient Chinese Musical Instruments: As Depicted on Some of the Early Monuments in the Museum". The Museum Journal. XVII (4): 325–371.
^ abCanton, James; Cleary, Helen; Kramer, Ann; Laxby, Robin; Loxley, Diana; Ripley, Esther; Todd, Megan; Shaghar, Hila; Valente, Alex; et al. (Authors) (2016). Canton, James (ed.). The Literature Book (First American ed.). New York: DK. p. 21. ISBN978-1-4654-2988-9.
^ abcdWorshiping the Three Sage Kings and Five Virtuous Emperors - The Imperial Temple of Emperors of Successive Dynasties in Beijing. Beijing: Foreign Language Press. 2007. ISBN978-7-119-04635-8.
^Cotterell, Arthur (1979). A Dictionary of World Mythology. Book Club Associates. ISBN978-0-19-217747-6.
fuxi, this, article, about, figure, chinese, mythology, chinese, buddhist, monk, sometimes, known, fudaishi, 伏羲, 伏犧, 伏戲, culture, hero, chinese, mythology, credited, along, with, sister, wife, nüwa, with, creating, humanity, invention, music, hunting, fishing,. This article is about the figure in Chinese mythology For Chinese Buddhist monk sometimes known as Fuxi see Fudaishi Fuxi or Fu Hsi 伏羲 伏犧 伏戲 a 1 is a culture hero in Chinese mythology credited along with his sister and wife Nuwa with creating humanity and the invention of music 2 hunting fishing domestication 3 and cooking as well as the Cangjie system of writing Chinese characters around 2900 BC 4 or 2000 BC Fuxi was counted as the first mythical emperor of China a divine being with a serpent s body who was miraculously born 5 a Taoist deity and or a member of the Three Sovereigns at the beginning of the Chinese dynastic period FuxiFuxi and Nuwa Hanging scroll Color on silk Length 144 3 cm Width 101 7 cm Located at the Chinese History Museum Chinese伏羲TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinFuxiWade GilesFu hsiIPAfǔ ɕiPaoxiTraditional Chinese庖犧Simplified Chinese庖牺TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinPaoxiWade GilesP ao hsiSome representations show him as a human with snake like characteristics a leaf wreathed head growing out of a mountain or as a man clothed with animal skins 5 Contents 1 Names 2 Origin 3 Creation legend 4 Social importance 5 Death 6 Gallery 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External linksNames EditHe is also known as Bao Xi 包牺 and Mi Xi 宓羲 5 Origin EditPangu was said to be the creation god in Chinese mythology He was a giant sleeping within an egg of chaos As he awoke he stood up and divided the sky and the earth Pangu then died after standing up and his body turned into rivers mountains plants animals and everything else in the world among which is a powerful being known as Huaxu 華胥 Huaxu gave birth to a twin brother and sister Fuxi and Nuwa Fuxi and Nuwa are said to be creatures that have faces of human and bodies of snakes 6 However in some myths Fuxi was held to be the creator not Pangu who worked alone and not with Nuwa 7 Fuxi was known as the original god and he was said to have been born in the lower middle reaches of the Yellow River in a place called Chengji 成紀 possibly modern Lantian Shaanxi province or Tianshui Gansu province 8 A possible historical interpretation of the myth is that Huaxu Fuxi s mother was a leader during the matriarchal society c 2600 BC as early Chinese developed language skill while Fuxi and Nuwa were leaders in the early patriarchal society c 2600 BC while Chinese began the marriage rituals 9 A divinity Taihao 太皞 The Great Bright One appears vaguely in sources before the Han dynasty independent from Fuxi Later Fuxi is identified with Taihao the latter being his courtesy or formal 5 name 10 Creation legend EditAccording to the Classic of Mountains and Seas Fuxi and Nuwa were the original humans who lived on the mythological Kunlun Mountain today s Huashan One day they set up two separated piles of fire and the fire eventually became one Under the fire they decided to become husband and wife Fuxi and Nuwa used clay to create offspring and with the divine power they made the clay figures come alive 8 These clay figures were the earliest human beings Fuxi and Nuwa were usually recognized by Chinese as two of the Three Sovereigns in the early patriarchal society in China c 2600 BC based on the myth about Fuxi establishing marriage ritual in his tribe The creation of human beings was a symbolic story of having a larger family structure that included the figure of a father Social importance EditOn one of the columns of the Fuxi Temple in Gansu Province the following couplet describes Fuxi s importance Among the three primogenitors of Huaxia civilization Fu Xi in Huaiyang Country ranks first 8 During the time of his predecessor Nuwa society was matriarchal 古之時未有三綱 六紀 民人但知其母 不知其父 能覆前而不能覆後 臥之言去言去 起之吁吁 饑即求食 飽即棄余 茹毛飲血而衣皮葦 於是伏羲仰觀象於天 俯察法於地 因夫婦正五行 始定人道 畫八卦以治下 In the beginning there was as yet no moral Sangang or social order Men knew their mothers only not their fathers When hungry they searched for food when satisfied they threw away the remnants They devoured their food hide and hair drank the blood and clad themselves in skins and rushes Then came Fu Xi and looked upward and contemplated the images in the heavens and looked downward and contemplated the occurrences on earth He united man and wife regulated the five stages of change and laid down the laws of humanity He devised the eight trigrams in order to gain mastery over the world Ban Gu Bai Hu Tongyi 11 Fuxi taught his subjects to cook and various methods of hunting and fishing 3 including fishing with nets and hunting with weapons made of bone wood or bamboo He instituted the basic family structure 3 as well as marriage and offered the first open air sacrifices to heaven A stone tablet dated AD 160 shows Fuxi with Nuwa Traditionally Fuxi is considered the originator of the methods of divination that were passed down through the ages before the I Ching 4 In other versions of the story he is credited to the writing of some of the I Ching itself His divination powers are attributed to his reading of the He Map or the Yellow River Map According to this tradition Fuxi had the arrangement of the trigrams of the I Ching revealed to him in the markings on the back of a mythical dragon horse sometimes said to be a tortoise that emerged from the Luo River This arrangement precedes the compilation of the I Ching during the Zhou dynasty This discovery is said to have been the origin of calligraphy Fuxi is also credited with the invention of the Guqin musical instrument though credit for this is also given to Shennong and Yellow Emperor The Figurists viewed Fuxi as Enoch the Biblical patriarch 12 Alexander Catcott a Hutchinsonian identified Fuxi with the Biblical Noah A Treatise on the Deluge Fuxi and Nuwa were also thought to be gods of silk 13 Death Edit nbsp Fuxi temple in HebeiFuxi is said to have lived for 197 years altogether and died at a place called Chen modern Huaiyang Henan where a monument to him can still be found and visited as a tourist attraction 8 Gallery Edit nbsp Tang dynasty painting of Fuxi right and Nuwa left unearthed in the Astana Cemetery Xinjiang nbsp Seated portrait depicting Fuxi painted by Ma Lin of the Song dynasty nbsp Painting of Fuxi looking at a trigram sketch painted by Guo Xu 郭詡 of the Ming dynasty nbsp Emperor Fuxi woodcut print by Gan Bozong of the Tang dynasty nbsp Fuxi painted by Qiu Ying of the Ming dynasty as depicted in Orthodoxy of Rule Through the Ages nbsp Chinese emperor Fuxi wearing a traditional costume holding the yin yang symbol 19th century nbsp Picture along with various scientists at Peterborough UK nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Fuxi s Taijitu diagram from the Gujin Tushu Jicheng by Chen Menglei See also Edit nbsp China portalSnakes in Chinese mythologyNotes Edit also known as Pao Xi 包犧 包羲 炮犧 or 庖犧 Xi Huang 犧皇 or Huang Xi 皇羲 August Shepherd Taihao 太皞 太昊 Great Brightness his tribal surname Huang Xiong 黄熊氏 Yellow Bear References Edit Theobald Ulrich Fu Xi 伏羲 ChinaKnowledge de An Encyclopaedia on Chinese History Literature and Art Fernald Helen E December 1926 Ancient Chinese Musical Instruments As Depicted on Some of the Early Monuments in the Museum The Museum Journal XVII 4 325 371 a b c Ivanhoe Philip J Van Norden Bryan W 2005 Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy 2nd ed Indianapolis Hackett Publishing Company p 379 ISBN 0 87220 781 1 OCLC 60826646 a b Canton James Cleary Helen Kramer Ann Laxby Robin Loxley Diana Ripley Esther Todd Megan Shaghar Hila Valente Alex et al Authors 2016 Canton James ed The Literature Book First American ed New York DK p 21 ISBN 978 1 4654 2988 9 a b c d Pletcher Kenneth Fu Xi Encyclopedia Britannica Retrieved 2023 05 30 Millidge Judith 1999 Chinese Gods and Myths Chartwell Books ISBN 978 0 7858 1078 0 Forty Jo 2004 Mythology A Visual Encyclopedia London Barnes amp Noble Books pp 196 210 ISBN 0 7607 5518 3 a b c d Worshiping the Three Sage Kings and Five Virtuous Emperors The Imperial Temple of Emperors of Successive Dynasties in Beijing Beijing Foreign Language Press 2007 ISBN 978 7 119 04635 8 Cotterell Arthur 1979 A Dictionary of World Mythology Book Club Associates ISBN 978 0 19 217747 6 Birrell Anne 1993 Chinese Mythology An Introduction Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press p 44 ISBN 0 8018 4595 5 Wilhelm Richard Baines Cary F 1967 I Ching ISBN 9780710015815 Mungello 1989 321 Wood Frances 2002 The Silk Road Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia Berkeley California University of California Press p 29 ISBN 978 0 520 23786 5 Mungello David Emil 1989 Curious Land Jesuit Accommodation and the Origins of Sinology Honolulu University of Hawaii Press ISBN 0 8248 1219 0External links Edit nbsp Media related to Fuxi at Wikimedia Commons nbsp Quotations related to I Ching at Wikiquote FuxiThree Sovereigns and Five EmperorsRegnal titlesPreceded bySuiren Mythological Sovereign of China Succeeded byNuwa or Shennong Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fuxi amp oldid 1178715374, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
