The Four Spirits Picture is the essence of traditional Chinese culture and is represented by images. White tiger means calmness and contemplation, with a hint of majesty; Suzaku means lightness, unity of mind and spirit, and a hint of flying spirit; Qinglong means winding and soaring, and its momentum is unpredictable. In addition, green belongs to wood, and wood is benevolent; Xuanwu means rising from the water. Yang means latent budding movement. Water needs to be calm and quiet, and quietness contains agility.
The four spirits govern spring, summer, autumn and winter in turn.
"青龙"
[青龙] refers to the cyan dragon, cyan is pale, so it is also called "Qinglong" Canglong". The east is green, so the dragon occupying the east is called "green dragon". Spring is associated with the east, and its spiritual creature "green dragon" represents the vitality of spring and the growth of all things. The green dragon is full of vitality, just like the budding flowers and plants in spring.
"White Tiger"
In the Han Dynasty, people regarded the tiger as the king of beasts. It is said that a tiger's fur will only turn white when it is five hundred years old. Therefore, the white tiger has become a sacred object, and it can only appear if the emperor widely implements "virtuous government". White represents the west, so [white tiger] is the god of the west. Autumn has a chilling atmosphere, and in ancient times there were more executions than in autumn, so it was called Autumn Judgment. The white tiger also represents the loneliness and chilling atmosphere of autumn.
"Suzaku"
In summer, birds are particularly active. [Suzaku] is the red fire bird, so the summer spirit is Suzaku. The red bird was also called the "red bird" in the Han Dynasty, and the red bird and the red bird were the "phoenix". In ancient times, the phoenix was the representative of the red color in the south. Its other names include black bird, blue bird, ostrich bird, red bird, etc. The ancients regarded the phoenix as the king of divine birds, which heralded good fortune, tranquility, prosperity of descendants, and symbolized prosperity.
"Xuanwu"
In winter, flowers, plants and trees no longer flourish, and animals also hibernate, giving the appearance of a collection. The so-called [Xuanwu] is a big black turtle. Black represents convergence, which just symbolizes this season. Turtles have armor, which is a weapon, and the "martial" of Xuanwu comes from this. Xuanwu is a mythical beast that combines a tortoise and a snake. Because the snake is shaped like a dragon, the ancients respected the snake and prayed for an endless life like a turtle...
According to the above statement, let me summarize, the green dragon symbolizes growth, and the white tiger It symbolizes chilling, the red bird symbolizes peace, and the black basalt symbolizes collection.
The saying that the red bird symbolizes love and the basalt symbolizes longevity should be from modern works, such as light novels or comics.