Chinese unicorn

Qilin
A qilin of the Qing dynasty in Beijing's Summer Palace
Chinese name
Chinese	麒麟
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin qílín Wade–Giles ch'i2-lin2 IPA [tɕʰǐ.lǐn] Southern Min Hokkien POJ kî-lîn
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet	kỳ lân
Chữ Hán	麒麟
Korean name
Hangul	기린
Hanja	麒麟
Transcriptions Revised Romanization girin McCune–Reischauer kirin
Japanese name
Kanji	麒麟
Hiragana	きりん
Transcriptions Romanization kirin

The qilin (Chinese: 麒麟; pinyin: qílín) or kirin is a mythical hooved chimerical creature known in Chinese and other East Asian cultures, said to appear with the imminent arrival or passing of a sage or illustrious ruler. It is a good omen thought to occasion prosperity or serenity. It is often depicted with what looks like fire all over its body.

The earliest references to the qilin are in the 5th century BC Zuo Zhuan. The qilin made appearances in a variety of subsequent Chinese works of history and fiction, such as Feng Shen Bang. Emperor Wu of Han apparently captured a live qilin in 122 BC, although Sima Qian was skeptical of this.

In legend, the qilin became a stylized representation of the giraffe in the Ming dynasty. The identification of the qilin with giraffes began after Zheng He's voyage to East Africa (landing, among other places, in modern-day Somalia). The Ming Dynasty bought giraffes from the Somali merchants along with zebras, incense, and various other exotic animals. Zheng He's fleet brought back two giraffes to Nanjing, and they were referred to as "qilins". The Emperor proclaimed the giraffes magical creatures, whose capture signaled the greatness of his power.

The identification between the qilin and the giraffe is supported by some attributes of the qilin, including its vegetarianism and quiet nature. Its reputed ability to "walk on grass without disturbing it" may be related to the giraffe's long, thin legs. Also the qilin is described as having antlers like a deer and scales like a dragon or fish; since the giraffe has horn-like "ossicones" on its head and a tessellated coat pattern that looks like scales it is easy to draw an analogy between the two creatures. The identification of qilin with giraffes has had lasting influence: even today, the same word is used for the mythical animal and the giraffe in both Korean and Japanese.