Also known as Tianlu or Bixie, Pixiu is one of the five auspicious animals in ancient Chinese mythology, the other four being the dragon, phoenix, tortoise, and Chinese unicorn. Pixiu is considered a wealth-bringing divine animal with a dragon's head, a horse's body and a unicorn's feet. The animal, capable of flying, looks like a lion and has gray fur.

 

Pixiu is fierce and powerful by nature. As such, it is in charge of patrolling duty in the sky to keep demons, ghosts, plagues and diseases at bay. It has a mouth but no anus, so it just swallows things inside without passing anything out. That's why it is regarded as a divine accumulator of wealth from all sides without letting anything out.

 

Like the dragon and the lion, Pixiu is also believed to be an animal capable of driving away the evil sprits of a particular place and bringing happiness and good luck. But unlike Chinese unicorn, Pixiu is an auspicious animal with a ferocious nature and fierce loyalty in protecting its master. It is considered a house-guarding animal with the ability to ward off evil spirits. That’s why many Chinese people wear jade ornaments shaped like a Pixiu.

[1] [2]  Next

查看评论