As one of the five auspicious animals, Pixiu is one of the most widely used themes in sculpture. When many friends think of Pixiu, they always think of its meaning of attracting wealth. In fact, Pixiu not only has the meaning of attracting wealth and blessings, but as a thousand-year-old mythical beast, it also has the meaning of warding off evil spirits and being mighty and brave.
So what kind of animal is Pixiu? Why does it have such a meaning? Next, I will introduce the story of Pixiu in detail. The myth of Pixiu - attracting wealth and warding off evil spirits
Pixiu is a legendary animal in the history of our country, which has the meaning of warding off evil spirits, dispelling evil, and attracting wealth and good fortune. In the continuous development of history, people have given it important significance. The most common ones are to attract wealth, ward off evil spirits, and to be powerful.
According to legend, Pixiu is the ninth son of the dragon. Ancient books record: "The dragon gave birth to nine sons with different magical powers. His son Pixiu is a thousand times better than his father, has a long mouth, looks like a golden toad, and is covered with scales. , the armor is shaped like a unicorn, taking advantage of the beast. "
However, the mighty Pixiu was punished by the Jade Emperor for violating the laws of heaven. He could only feed on the wealth from all directions, swallowing all things in the world without diarrhea. . This special magic power of attracting wealth and accumulating treasures, which can only go in but not come out, makes people think that Pixiu is an auspicious beast that attracts wealth and brings good fortune. People like to wear and collect Pixiu jade, mostly because of this allusion.
These are ultimately legends, but in reality, Pixiu has three official titles. The first one is the "Emperor Treasure", named by Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty. At that time, Pixiu was an exclusive item of the royal family and was usually placed at the entrance of the study room, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the imperial mausoleum. It is used to build a country and bring prosperity, and it is definitely not something that ordinary nobles or common people can use. The second is "Tianlu", which means blessings from heaven. The third one is "to ward off evil spirits", because Pixiu eats all kinds of monsters and monsters and has the effect of exorcising evil spirits. The Power of Pixiu
The Pixiu cultural relics that can be seen today can be traced back to the Han Dynasty, and most of them are shaped like winged four-legged beasts.
In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the image of Pixiu became more abstract. It can be seen from the existing stone carvings and jade carvings that the overall shape of Pixiu is round and full, with graceful lines, head held high, and majestic.
Before the Tang Dynasty, the image and decoration of Pixiu could only be used by the royal family, symbolizing authority and wealth. Any private collection without permission would result in beheading and execution. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, senior generals could use the shape and sculpture of Pi Xiu in their shoulder armor and helmets to draw on the mighty power of Pi Xiu.
Taoism became popular in the Ming Dynasty, and with the development of religion, Pixiu gradually became a feng shui instrument. It is precisely because of the legend that it could only be entered but not exited before, so it became a fortune-seeking weapon alongside the three-legged golden toad.
Finally, in the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong liked jade and loved ancient times, especially having a great fascination and love for jade. Among the treasures of the Qing Palace, you can see many ancient jade braves with imperial poems written by Emperor Qianlong himself, which shows that Qianlong attached great importance to them. The shape of Pixiu
The shape of Pixiu has changed a lot with the changes of the times. Its unique feature is that it takes the best of beasts, has a unique shape and is powerful. There are statistics of 26 shapes and 49 incarnations, making it difficult to distinguish.
This is because Pixiu is a mythical animal that has no real image to support it. Instead, it relies more on the imagination of painters and craftsmen to create different images of Pixiu.
The description of the appearance of Pixiu in ancient books is that it has a dragon head, a horse body, and a lin foot. It looks like a lion, has gray fur, and can fly. This is also the most common Pixiu shape we usually have.
In ancient times, Pixiu was divided into one or two corners. One corner was called "Tianlu", and the two corners were called "evil evil". Nowadays, one corner is the main one.
The jade carvings of Pixiu are usually in a crouching position, some holding copper coins in their mouths, and some holding them in their arms. The first part is divided into animal head, dragon head, toad head, etc. There are three main body shapes: lion, tiger and dragon. The number of toes is divided into five toes and four toes. The number of Pixiu's tails is a mystery. It is said that there are multiple tails, ranging from 1 to 9.
Just like the Phoenix, Pixiu is also divided into male and female. The male is called "Pixi" and the female is called "Pixiu". The male Pixiu represents wealth and is responsible for attracting wealth, while the female Pixiu represents the treasury and is responsible for keeping money. Some people say that Xiu is mainly responsible for resisting invaders and warding off evil spirits. But now most Pixiu are neither male nor female. Conclusion
Pixiu, like the dragon and unicorn, is a fictional mythical beast. People use it more as a spiritual sustenance, believing that it can bring good luck and good luck.
There is a saying that the jade Pixiu is the best at attracting wealth and good luck. In fact, this is just a way of saying it. We should not forget the meaning of "Pixiu warding off evil spirits and being brave". Pixiu, with its cuteness, strength, and various beautiful meanings, has brought higher cultural enjoyment to our lives.