Ancient Chinese Mythical Beasts and the Four Perils
Deconstructing the Four Perils and Celestial Malign Spirits from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Zuo Zhuan, and Classic of Spirits and Wonders: Exploring the Archetypes of Human Dark Side, Omens of Natural Disasters and War, and the Daoist Art of Transforming Malice into Power.
The Four Ancient Evils (Hundun · Taotie · Qiongqi · Taowu)
Hundun (Chaos)
Classic of Mountains and Seas · Western Mountains ClassicShaped like a yellow sack, red as cinnabar fire, with six legs and four wings, formless and faceless. It knows right from wrong yet aids evil, corresponding to the entropic increase of disorder in the universe and the mind.
Taotie
Classic of Mountains and Seas · Second Northern ClassicIt has the body of a sheep and a human face, with eyes under its armpits, tiger teeth, and human claws. Its cry sounds like a baby. Before it can swallow its prey, it brings harm upon itself. It is a warning deity on bronze ritual vessels, cautioning against greed and killing.
Qiongqi
Classic of Mountains and Seas · Classic of Regions Within the Seas: NorthIt resembles a tiger with wings, and devours humans starting from the head. When it hears of a fight, it eats the righteous one; when it hears of loyalty and trustworthiness, it eats the person's nose; when it hears of evil and rebellion, it catches beasts to feed them.
Taowu
Classic of Spirits and Wonders · Western Wilderness ClassicIt resembles a tiger but is larger, with fur two feet long, a human face, tiger feet, pig-like mouth and teeth, and a tail eighteen feet long. It stirs chaos in the wilderness, cannot be taught or disciplined, and knows death but does not avoid it.
Omens of Natural Disasters and War (Xiangliu · Huashe · Zhuyan · Fei)
Xiangliu
Classic of Mountains and Seas · Classic of Regions Beyond the Seas: The NorthA minister of Gonggong, with nine human-faced heads and a serpentine body, it devours from nine mountains. The venom it spews is foul and unfathomable; Yu slew it, but its blood was so stinking that no grain could grow on the land.
Huashe
Classic of Mountains and Seas · Central MountainsHuman face, jackal body, bird wings, serpentine movement; its cry sounds like a shout, and when it appears, the city is flooded. It wails mournfully, drowning the city in water.
Zhuyan
Classic of Mountains and Seas · Western Mountains ClassicA giant ape with a white head and red feet, whose appearance heralds great war. Formed from the condensed aura of celestial slaughter, it is battle-crazed and ferocious.
Fei
Classic of Mountains and Seas · Eastern Mountains ClassicIt resembles an ox with a white head, one eye, and a snake's tail. Where it passes, water dries up and grass withers; when it appears, a great plague sweeps the world.
Philosophy of the Evil Beasts: Transforming Killings into Use and Shadow Transformation
The <em>I Ching</em> says: "The noble person sees the opportunity and acts, not waiting until the end of the day." Ancient people personified extreme destructive forces in the universe, famine, war, and the deep greed and arrogance of human nature into the appearance of evil beasts. The Four Evils are not insurmountable dead ends, but rather the dark side trials that must be faced in spiritual cultivation.
In the YuanYu Eight Characters and Qi Men Dun Jia system, ferocious beasts correspond to the Seven Killings, Sheep Blade, Injury Officer, and fierce stars like White Tiger and Black Tortoise in the fate chart. If one can clearly understand the root of these ominous signs and apply Daoist inner alchemy cultivation for conflict resolution and mindful contemplation, the fierce energy can be transformed into unparalleled courage to stabilize the nation and expand one's career.