Four Perils

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Si Xiong
Chinese name
Chinese四凶
Literal meaningFour Perils
Japanese name
Kanji四凶
Hiraganaしきょう
Si Zui
Chinese name
Chinese四罪
Literal meaningFour Evildoers
Japanese name
Kanji四罪
Hiraganaしざい

The Four Perils (Chinese: 四凶; pinyin: Sì Xiōng) are four malevolent beings that existed in Chinese mythology and the antagonistic counterparts of the Four Benevolent Animals.

Book of Documents[]

In the Book of Documents, they are defined as the "Four Evildoers" (四罪; Sì Zuì):[1]

  • Gonggong (Chinese: 共工; pinyin: Gònggōng; lit. 'all-powerful'), the disastrous god;
  • Huandou (驩兜; Huāndōu; 'happy armor'), a chimeric minister from the south who conspired with Gonggong against Emperor Yao[2]
  • Gun (鯀; Gǔn; 'emperor's father'), father of Yu the Great whose poorly-built dam released a destructive flood;
  • Sanmiao (三苗; Sān Miáo; 'Three Miao'), the tribes that attacked Yao the Great's tribe.

Zuo Zhuan and Shanhaijing[]

In the Zuo Zhuan and the Shanhaijing, they are defined as:

  • the Hundun (混沌; Hùndùn; 'chaotic torrent'), a yellow winged creature of chaos with six legs and no face;
  • the Qiongqi (窮奇; Qióngqí; 'poor and strange'), a monstrous creature that eats people, considered the same in Japan as Kamaitachi
  • the Taowu (檮杌; Táowù; 'stupid stump'), a reckless, stubborn creature;
  • the Taotie (饕餮; Tāotiè; 'greedy glutton'), a gluttonous beast.

The four perils are featured in the popular Japanese anime A Certain Scientific Accelerator.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ 《尚书·舜典》 (Canon of Shun, Book of Documents)：“《流共工于幽州，放欢兜于崇山，窜三苗于三危，殛鲧于羽山，四罪而天下咸服。”《史记·卷一·五帝本纪第一》中记载，“欢兜进言共工，尧曰不可而试之公师，共工果淫辟。四岳举鲧治鸿水，尧以为不可，岳强请试之，试之而无功，故百姓不便。三苗在江淮、荆州数为乱，于是舜归而言于帝，请流共工于幽陵，以变北狄；放欢兜于崇山，以变南蛮；迁三苗于三卫，以变西戎；殛鲧于羽山，四罪而天下咸服。”
  2. ^ Persons: Huandou
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