Chinese Mythology · Mythical Creature
四象 · sì xiàng
The four celestial beasts that guard the directions, seasons, and elements.
四象
Four astral guardians divide the night sky, each ruling a direction, season, and element: the Azure Dragon (青龙, East/Spring/Wood), the Vermilion Bird (朱雀, South/Summer/Fire), the White Tiger (白虎, West/Autumn/Metal), and the Black Tortoise, or Xuanwu (玄武, North/Winter/Water). Together they structure Chinese astrology, feng shui, and Daoist cosmology.
Ideal feng shui terrain places the four guardians in their proper directions; Xuanwu, the tortoise-and-snake of the north, later became a major Daoist deity.
The Vermilion Bird (朱雀) is a fire-and-south guardian, a different creature from the empress-phoenix Fenghuang (凤凰) — a common mix-up.
Widely known through Japanese media as Seiryu, Suzaku, Byakko, and Genbu — the White Tiger and Azure Dragon are especially popular tattoo subjects.
Related figures