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Four Heavenly Ministers
The Four Heavenly Ministers (), also translated as the Four Sovereigns, are four of the highest sky deities of Daoism and subordinate only to the The Great Jade Emperor (). They assist the Jade Emperor in administering all phenomenon of the universe. The Four Heavenly Ministers ( Si Yu), are four deputies assisting the Heavenly Jade Emperor in governing the heaven and earth. They are highly revered in Taoism and positioned just after the Heavenly Jade Emperor. Four Sovereigns The Four Heavenly Ministers are: # the Great Emperor of the Southern Polar of Longevity # the Great Emperor of the North Star (Polaris) in the Purple Forbidden enclosure at the center of Heaven (''Tian'') # the Great Heavenly Emperor of the Highest Palace of the Curved Array (Little Dipper) # the Empress of the Earth (Houtu) The Great Emperor of the Southern Polar of Longevity ( Nan Ji Chang Sheng Da Di) is in charge of all spirits. He oversees the destiny and fate of humanity, commands over the v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sky Deities
The sky often has important religious significance. Many polytheistic religions have deities associated with the sky. The daytime sky deities are typically distinct from the nighttime ones. Stith Thompson's ''Motif-Index of Folk-Literature'' reflects this by separating the category of "Sky-god" (A210) from that of "Star-god" (A250). In mythology, nighttime gods are usually known as night deities and gods of stars simply as star gods. Both of these categories are included here since they relate to the sky. Luminary deities are included as well since the sun and moon are located in the sky. Some religions may also have a deity or personification of the day, distinct from the god of the day lit sky, to complement the deity or personification of the night. Daytime gods and nighttime gods are frequently deities of an " upper world" or "celestial world" opposed to the earth and a " netherworld" (gods of the underworld are sometimes called "chthonic" deities). Within Greek mythology ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Queen Mother Of The West
The Queen Mother of the West, known by #Names, various local names, is a mother goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese religion and Chinese mythology, mythology, also worshipped later in neighbouring countries. She is attested from ancient times. The first historical information on her can be traced back to Shang dynasty oracle bone inscriptions that record sacrifices to a "Western Mother". Even though these inscriptions illustrate that she predates organized Taoism, she is most often associated with Taoism. The growing popularity of the Queen Mother of the West, as well as the beliefs that she was the dispenser of prosperity, longevity, and eternal bliss, took place during Han dynasty, in the 2nd century BCE, when the northern and western parts of China became more accessible through the opening of the Silk Road. Names ''Queen Mother of the West'' is a calque of Xiwangmu in China, Chinese sources, Seiōbo in Japan, Seowangmo in Korea, and Tây Vương Mẫu in Vietnam. S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Gods
Chinese gods and immortals are beings in various Chinese religions seen in a variety of ways and mythological contexts. Many are worshiped as deities because traditional Chinese religion is polytheistic, stemming from a pantheistic view that divinity is inherent in the world. The gods are energies or principles revealing, imitating, and propagating the way of heaven (, ''Tian''), which is the supreme godhead manifesting in the northern culmen of the starry vault of the skies and its order. Many gods are ancestors or men who became deities for their heavenly achievements. Most gods are also identified with stars and constellations. Ancestors are regarded as the equivalent of Heaven within human society, and therefore, as the means of connecting back to Heaven, which is the "utmost ancestral father" (, ). There are a variety of immortals in Chinese thought, and one major type is the ''xian'', which is thought in some religious Taoism movements to be a human given long or infi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Four Heavenly Ministers
The Four Heavenly Ministers (), also translated as the Four Sovereigns, are four of the highest sky deities of Daoism and subordinate only to the The Great Jade Emperor (). They assist the Jade Emperor in administering all phenomenon of the universe. The Four Heavenly Ministers ( Si Yu), are four deputies assisting the Heavenly Jade Emperor in governing the heaven and earth. They are highly revered in Taoism and positioned just after the Heavenly Jade Emperor. Four Sovereigns The Four Heavenly Ministers are: # the Great Emperor of the Southern Polar of Longevity # the Great Emperor of the North Star (Polaris) in the Purple Forbidden enclosure at the center of Heaven (''Tian'') # the Great Heavenly Emperor of the Highest Palace of the Curved Array (Little Dipper) # the Empress of the Earth (Houtu) The Great Emperor of the Southern Polar of Longevity ( Nan Ji Chang Sheng Da Di) is in charge of all spirits. He oversees the destiny and fate of humanity, commands over the v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Mythology
Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature throughout the area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology encompasses a diverse array of myths derived from regional and cultural traditions. Populated with engaging narratives featuring extraordinary individuals and beings endowed with magical powers, these stories often unfold in fantastical mythological realms or historical epochs. Similar to numerous other mythologies, Chinese mythology has historically been regarded, at least partially, as a factual record of the past. Along with Chinese folklore, Chinese mythology forms an important part of Chinese folk religion and Taoism, especially older popular forms of it. Many narratives recounting characters and events from ancient times exhibit a dual tradition: one that presents a more historicized or euhemerized interpretation, and another that offers a more mythological perspective. Numerous myths delve into the creation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taiyi Tianzun
Taiyi Zhenren () is a Daoist deity in Chinese religion and Taoism. ''Taiyi'' () means "primordial unity of yin and yang" and ''Zhenren'' () is a Daoist term for "Perfected Person". According to the opening of the classical novel '' Fengshen Bang'', he is the reincarnation of the first emperor of the Shang dynasty, Tang of Shang. Taiyi Zhenren also appears in Qing dynasty novels such as ''The Story of the Fox'' (狐狸缘全传), ''The Story of Ji Gong'' (济公全传), and the storytelling ''The Immortals Break Through the Heavenly Gate'' (群仙破天门). He is one of the Twelve Golden Immortals under Yuanshi Tianzun. Ranked fifth among the Twelve Golden Immortals, the character is based on Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun, the Lord of Suffering, who practices in the Golden Light Cave of Qianyuan Mountain. Taiyi Zhenren is the leader of the Qingwei Sect, and master of Nezha and Jinxia Tong'er. Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun Taiyi Zhenren is what the Investiture of the Gods calls him, and he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Old Man Of The South Pole
The Old Man of the South Pole ( Chinese & ), also called the Old Immortal of the South Pole (), Xian of Longevity (), or Star of Longevity (), is the Taoist deification of Canopus, the brightest star of the constellation Carina. He is typically portrayed with long white hair and beard, a protruding forehead and a healthy pink complexion. His right hand often holds a peach and left hand a walking staff with a calabash gourd, which is said to contain the elixir of life. He can also be portrayed as riding a crane or a deer, often accompanied by disciples. He is one of the symbols of happiness and longevity in Far Eastern culture. Description The Old Man of the South Pole is often depicted in Chinese pictures as an old man with a long white beard with a deer by his side. This style of picture is related to the story of an emperor of the Northern Song dynasty, who had invited such an old man from the street and later considered the old man as the sign of his longevity. In certain ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King Father Of The East
King Father of the East, also known as Dongwanggong (), is the tutelary deity of the Taoist immortals. Legends say that the King Father of the East is the consort of Queen Mother of the West. He is the manifestation of yang energy. Legends When the Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu) was a mountain demon, she was in love with the King Father of the East (Dongwanggong). Xiwangmu ruled the west and Dongwanggong ruled the east. In some versions of the Chinese creation myth, the two lovers created humanity through their union. According to one text in the ''Classic of Mountains and Seas'', there was a bronze pillar on Kunlun Mountain that was so tall that it reached the sky. On top of this column, there was a huge bird named Xiyou (literally meaning "rare"). Under its left-wing, it held Dongwanggong and under its right wing, it held Xiwangmu. When Xiwangmu first met Dongwanggong, she had to climb onto the bird's wing to reach him. In another account, Dongwanggong lived in a big s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daoism
Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', 'path', or 'technique', generally understood in the Taoist sense as an enigmatic process of transformation ultimately underlying reality. Taoist thought has informed the development of various practices within the Taoist tradition and beyond, including forms of meditation, astrology, qigong, feng shui, and internal alchemy. A common goal of Taoist practice is self-cultivation, a deeper appreciation of the Tao, and more harmonious existence. Taoist ethics vary, but generally emphasize such virtues as '' effortless action'', ''naturalness'', ''simplicity'', and the three treasures of compassion, frugality, and humility. The core of Taoist thought crystallized during the early Warring States period (), during which the epigrammatic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
CNKI
CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure; ) is a private-owned publishing company in China since 2014. It operates databases of academic journals, conference proceedings, newspapers, reference works, and patent documents. CNKI maintains monopoly status on journal search and collection in China and charges high annual database subscription fees. Its subscription fee increases every year. Multiple Chinese universities and research institutions, including the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Peking University, stopped subscribing to CNKI. CNKI was fined CNY 87.6 million for monopoly by the State Administration for Market Regulation in 2022, and fined CNY 50 million for illegal gathering of personal information by the Cyberspace Administration of China in 2023. History and operation The predecessor of CNKI, China Academic Journals CD-ROM (CAJ-CD), was launched in January 1997 as China's first academic journal search system that publishes regularly. It included 3,500 Chinese jour ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
