Tianlu
| Pixiu | |||||||||||
Pixiu
|
|||||||||||
| Chinese | 貔貅 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||||||
| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 辟邪 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | to ward off evil spirits | ||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | píxiū |
| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | bìxié |
| Southern Min | |
| Hokkien POJ | phì-siâ, phek-siâ |
Pixiu (Chinese: ; pinyin: píxiū; Wade–Giles: P'i-hsiu), is a Chinese mythical hybrid creature, commonly, but incorrectly referred to in the West by the Greek word "chimera", is considered to be a very powerful protector to practitioners of Feng Shui. It resembles a strong, winged lion. Pixiu is an earth and sea variation, particularly an influential and auspicious creature for wealth. It is said to have a voracious appetite towards only gold, silver and jewels. Therefore, traditionally to the Chinese, Pixiu has always been regarded as an auspicious creature that possessed mystical power capable of drawing Cai Qi (財氣 wealth) from all directions. Because of this, according to Chinese zodiac, it is especially helpful for those who are going through a bad year.
There are two different types of Pixiu, a male and a female. The physical difference is seen by their antlers. The one with two antlers is the female of the species and is called a "Bìxié" and the one with one antler is the male of the species and is called a "Tiān lù".
Pixiu craves the smell of gold and silver and it likes to bring his master money in his mouth. Statues of this creature are often used to attract wealth in feng shui.
Today, Pixiu are also a popular design on jade pendants.
Fierce looking and covered with whitish-grey fur, Pixiu, are a type of auspicious, winged animal, written about in ancient Chinese history and heralded through the millennia by fantastic stories of powerful and grandiose feats of victory in battle. Their fantastic legend has been passed down through two-thousand years of Chinese lore. They have the powerful head of a Chinese dragon, the bold body of a lion and, historically, depending on whether it is a male or female, sports on its head either one antler (male) or two antlers (female). In modern times, the historical physical appearance of this legendary creature has been somewhat lost and, as time has passed, it is now more commonly depicted with only one antler, which would be a male according to the ancient descriptions.
...
Wikipedia