Taibai Jinxing () is a deity in

Chinese folk religion Chinese folk religion comprises a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. This includes the veneration of ''Shen (Chinese folk religion), shen'' ('spirits') and Chinese ancestor worship, ances ...

and Taoism. He is the son of Bai Di, the White Emperor, and his name means 'Evening Star'. The

Fengshen Yanyi ''The Investiture of the Gods'', also known by its Chinese titles () and is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major vernacular Chinese works in the gods and demons (''shenmo'') genre written during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Co ...

refers to him as an aide in the entourage of the

Jade Emperor In the Chinese mythology, myths and Chinese folk religion, folk religion of Chinese culture, the Jade Emperor or Yudi is one of the representations of the Primordial Divinity (Tai Di), primordial god. In Taoist theology, he is the assistant of ...

. In

Chinese astronomy Astronomy in China has a long history stretching from the Shang dynasty, being refined over a period of more than 3,000 years. The Ancient China, ancient Chinese people have identified stars from 1300 BCE, as Chinese star names later categori ...

, Taibai Jinxing is the name for

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

Legends

Passing mention in several storytellers' tales reveals little about him, though one tale, a variant on the usual seduction story, claims that heaven was scandalized when Taibai Jinxing, charmed by two celestial weaving girls, was led off to a cave where he remained with them, alone, for forty-six days. This escapade was uncovered during a celestial inquiry into the cause of a lengthy drought. Taibai Jinxing, responsible for rain, having been discovered and escorted back to his post, quickly brought rain to the parched region, and the weaving girls saved their skins by retiring to remote celestial palaces. According to Taoist classical description, Taibai Jinxing is described as a goddess. The goddess is in yellow with a cockscomb-like hat and a

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...

in her hands. But after the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

, as the classical novel ''

Journey to the West ''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the Classic Chinese Novels, great Chinese novels, and has been described as arguably the ...

'' was widely spread, in this novel Taibai Jinxing was an old male god and an envoy of the

, the ruler of Heaven. After hearing of the appearance of

Sun Wukong Sun Wukong (, Mandarin pronunciation: ), also known as the Monkey King, is a literary and religious figure best known as one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West''. In the novel, Sun Wukong is a monk ...

, the Jade Emperor tasked Taibai Jinxing to summon him to Heaven. Initially Taibai Jinxing was the first person from Heaven that was to see Sun Wukong. After which Sun Wukong consented to leave with Taibai Jinxing. However, Sun Wukong was angry at the fact that he was appointed as the Protector of the Horses (i.e., made the stableboy as an insult), and rebelled against Heaven. This led to Taibai Jinxing to once again act as a messenger and somewhat a friend toward Sun Wukong. Taibai Jinxing is also associated as the messenger god in

Dongfang Shuo Dongfang Shuo (, c. 160 BCE – c. 93 BCE) was a Han dynasty scholar-official, '' fangshi'' ("master of esoterica"), author, and court jester to Emperor Wu (r. 141 – 87 BCE). In Chinese mythology, Dongfang is considered a Daoist ''xian'' ...

, a Han dynasty scholar-official, was considered to be the reincarnation of Taibai Jinxing. The Tang dynasty poet

Li Bai Li Bai (, 701–762), Literary and colloquial readings, also pronounced Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet acclaimed as one of the greatest and most important poets of the Tang dynasty and in Chinese history as a whole. He and hi ...

's mother dreamed Taibai Jinxing when she was pregnant, so she believed that her son was the reincarnation of Taibai Jinxing, and named him 'Li Bai', expressing the words 'Taibai'. Chinese folk religions consider the appearance of a Taibaixing (Great White Star) particularly during the daytime as a negative omen.

References

{{Reflist Male characters in literature Chinese gods Journey to the West characters Shapeshifting Venusian deities