Fenghuang

{{Short description|Mythological birds in Sinosphere traditions}} {{Italic title}} {{Hatnote group| {{Other uses}} {{Redirect|Hōō||Hoo (disambiguation)}} }} {{Infobox mythical creature |name = Fenghuang |AKA = Chinese phoenix |image = chinese-phoenix-from-nanning.jpg |caption = Fenghuang sculpture in Nanning, Guangxi |Folklore = Chinese mythology |Grouping = Mythical creature |Sub_Grouping = Phoenix |Country = China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam | module = {{Infobox Chinese|child=yes | t = 鳳凰 | s = 凤凰 | p = fènghuáng | mi = {{IPAc-cmn|f|eng|4|.|h|uang|2}} | tp = fònghuáng | gr = fenqhwang | w = {{tonesup|fêng4-huang2}} | bpmf = {{bpmfsp|ㄈㄥˋ|ㄏㄨㄤˊ}} | showflag = p | j = fung6-wong4 | y = fuhngwòhng | ci = {{IPAc-yue|f|ung|6|.|w|ong|4}} | gan = fung5uong4 | wuu = vonwaon, bonwaon | poj = hōnghông | h = fung55fong11 | mc = bɨung<sup>H</sup>hwang | qn = {{ubl|Phượng hoàng|Phụng hoàng}} {{IPA|vi|fɨəŋ˧ˀ˩ hwaŋ˨˩}} | hiragana = ほうおう | romaji = hōō | hangul = 봉황 | mr = ponghwang | rr = bonghwang | order = ts }} }}

'''''Fenghuang''''' ({{IPAc-en|f|ʌ|ŋ|ˈ|w|ɑː|ŋ}} {{respell|fung|HWAHNG}}) are mythological birds featuring in traditions throughout the Sinosphere. ''Fenghuang'' are understood to reign over all other birds: males and females were originally termed ''feng'' and ''huang'' respectively, but a gender distinction is typically no longer made, and ''fenghuang'' are generally considered a feminine entity to be paired with the traditionally masculine Chinese dragon.

In the West, they are commonly called '''Chinese phoenixes''', although mythological similarities with the Western/Persian phoenix are superficial.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://study.com/learn/lesson/fenghuang-vs-phoenix-meaning-in-chinese-mythology.html|title=The Phoenix vs. Fenghuang Bird {{!}} Mythology & Meaning|website=Study.com|date=21 November 2023|first=Mikaela|last=Swank}}</ref>

==Appearance== [[Image:Twelve Symbols national emblem of China.svg|thumb|left|Image of the ''fenghuang'' opposite the dragon on the Twelve Symbols national emblem, which was the state emblem of China from 1913 to 1928]] A common depiction of fenghuang was of it attacking snakes with its talons and its wings spread. According to the ''Erya''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s chapter 17 ''Shiniao'', fenghuang is made up of the beak of a rooster, the face of a swallow, the forehead of a fowl, the neck of a snake, the breast of a goose, the back of a tortoise, the hindquarters of a stag and the tail of a fish.<ref>{{lang-zh|labels=no|s=《尔雅·释鸟》郭璞注，鳳凰特徵是："雞頭、燕頷、蛇頸、龜背、魚尾、五彩色，高六尺许"。}}</ref> Today, however, it is often described as a composite of many birds including the head of a golden pheasant, the body of a mandarin duck, the tail of a peacock, the legs of a crane, the mouth of a parrot, and the wings of a swallow.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}}

The fenghuang's body symbolizes the celestial bodies: the head is the sky, the eyes are the sun, the back is the moon, the wings are the wind, the feet are the earth, and the tail is the planets.<ref name=nozedar06-37/> The fenghuang is said to have originated in the sun.<ref name=nozedar06-37>{{cite book| last1=Nozedar| first1=Adele |title=The secret language of birds: A treasury of myths, folklore & inspirational true stories| date=2006| publisher=HarperElement |location=London |isbn=978-0007219049| page=37}}</ref> Its body contains the five fundamental colors: black, white, red, yellow, and green or blue.<ref name=nozedar06-37/> It sometimes carries scrolls or a box with sacred books.<ref name=nozedar06-37/> It is sometimes depicted with a fireball.<ref name=nozedar06-37/> It is believed that the bird only appears in areas or places that are blessed with utmost peace and prosperity or happiness.

Chinese tradition cites it as living atop Mount Danzuan in the southern mountains.<ref>{{cite book |trans-title=Shan Hai Jing |script-title=zh:山海經 |script-chapter=zh:大荒西經 |language=zh |url=http://ctext.org/shan-hai-jing/da-huang-xi-jing }}</ref>

==Origin== [[File:Shang_Jade_Phoenix,_Fu_Hao_Tomb,_c._1200_BC.jpg|thumb|left|224x224px|Jade fenghuang, unearthed from the tomb of Fu Hao, c. 1200 BC, Shang dynasty.]]

The earliest known ancient fenghuang design dates back to about the 7th millennium BC and was discovered in Hongjiang, Hunan Province, at the Gaomiao Archeological Site.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Hu|first=Jiaxiang|title=Study on Chinese traditional theory of artistic style|date=2019|isbn=978-981-327-943-8|location=New Jersey|publisher=World Scientific|pages=34–36|oclc=1222224249}}</ref>

The earliest known form of a dragon-fenghuang design, on the other hand, dates back to the Yangshao culture ({{circa|5000|3000}}{{nbsp}}BC) and was found at an archeological site near Xi'an in Shaanxi Province.<ref name=":0" /> The ancient usage of ''fenghuang'' and ''dragon'' designs are all evidence of an ancient form of totemism in China.<ref name=":0" />

During the Shang dynasty, phoenix and dragon images appear to have become popular as burial objects.<ref name=":0" /> Several archeological artifacts of jade fenghuang and jade dragons were unearthed in tombs dating from the Shang dynasty period.<ref name=":0" /> The Xuanniao seen in Zhou dynasty poetry about the Shang people are implied, and in ''Shuowen Jiezi'', glossed, as male Fenghuang (simply "Feng").<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zhi 致 |first1=Chen 陳 |title=A Study of the Bird Cult of the Shang People |journal=Monumenta Serica |date=January 1999 |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=127–147 |doi=10.1080/02549948.1999.11731325}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Xu |first1=Shen |editor1-last=Duan |editor1-first=Yucai |editor2-last=Xu |editor2-first=Weixian |title=說文解字注 [Shuowen Jiezi Zhu] |date=2015 |publisher=鳳凰出版社 [Phoenix Media] |location=Nanjing |isbn=978-7-5506-2167-1 |trans-title=Annotated Edition of Shuowen Jiezi}}</ref>

[[File:Silk_Painting_of_a_Lady,_Phoenix_and_Dragon.jpg|right|thumb|272x272px|A fenghuang (top) and dragon (left), ''Silk Painting of a Human Figure with Phoenix and Dragon'', Silk painting unearthed from a Chu tomb during Zhou dynasty (100BC-250BC).]] During the Spring and Autumn period (c.{{nbsp}}771{{snd}}c.{{nbsp}}476{{nbsp}}BC) and the Warring States period, the combination of dragon-fenghuang designs together became a common form of unearthed artifacts.<ref name=":0" /> One such artifact is the ''Silk Painting of Human Figure with Dragon and Phoenix'' from the Hunan Museum.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Silk painting with female figure, dragon and fenghuang patterns {{!}} 湖南省博物館|url=https://www.hnmuseum.com/en/content/silk-painting-female-figure-dragon-and-phoenix-patterns|access-date=2021-06-18|website=www.hnmuseum.com}}</ref>

In the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC), fenghuang hairpins (i.e. hairpins with ''fenghuang'' decorations) and shoes which were also decorated with fenghuang designs were supposed to be worn by the Imperial concubines of the Qin Emperor.<ref name=":0" /> thumb|A pair of Chinese Fenghuang (鳳凰) vases. Each vase depicts the male bird, "Feng" and the female bird, "Huang" facing one another, representing their harmonious relationship. The pair also represent the concept of "Yin" and "Yang".

During the Han dynasty (2,200 years ago) two fenghuang, one a male (''feng'', {{lang|zh-hant|鳳}}) and the other a female (''huang'', {{lang|zh-hant|凰}}) were often shown together facing one other.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}} In the Han dynasty, an imperial edict decreed that the fenghuang hairpins had to become the formal headpiece for the empress dowager and the imperial grandmother.<ref name=":15">{{Cite journal|last=Cheng|first=Hui-Mei|date=2001|title=Research on the Form and Symbolism of the Chinese Wedding Phoenix Crown|url=https://www.koreascience.or.kr/article/CFKO200111921178119.pa1ff8ge|journal=Proceedings of the Korea Society of Costume Conference|pages=59–61}}</ref> [[File:吹笙引凤画像砖114639.jpg|thumb|Man playing ''sheng'' to a fenghuang, {{ill|Dengzhou painted stone-relief|zh|邓州南朝彩色画像砖}}, Liu Song dynasty.]]

Later, during the Yuan dynasty the two terms were merged to become ''fenghuang'', but the "King of Birds" came to symbolize the empress when paired with a dragon representing the emperor.{{cn|date=November 2025}}

[[Image:Verseuse phénix Musée Guimet 2418.jpg|thumb|A vase with a fenghuang-headed spout, gray sandstone with celadon coating, Song Dynasty, last half of 10th century.|254x254px]]

From the Jiajing era (1522–1566) of the Ming dynasty onwards, a pair of fenghuang was differentiated by the tail feathers of the two birds, typically together forming a closed circle pattern{{snd}}the male identified by five long serrated tail feathers or "filaments" (five being an odd, masculine, or ''yang'' number) and the female by what sometimes appears to be one but is in fact usually two curling or tendrilled tail feathers (two being an even, feminine, or ''yin'' number). Also during this period, the ''fenghuang'' was used as a symbol representing the direction south. This was portrayed through a male and female facing each other. Their feathers were of the five fundamental colors: black, white, red, green, and yellow. These colours are said to represent Confucius' five virtues: #Ren: the virtue of benevolence, charity, and humanity; #Yi: honesty and uprightness; ''Yì'' may be broken down into ''zhōng'', doing one's best, conscientiousness, loyalty and ''shù'': the virtue of reciprocity, altruism, consideration for others #Zhi: knowledge #Xin: faithfulness and integrity; #Li: correct behavior, propriety, good manners, politeness, ceremony, worship.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.analects-ink.com/mission/Confucius_Five_Virtues.html |title=Confucius' Five Virtues |access-date=2011-06-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707134948/http://www.analects-ink.com/mission/Confucius_Five_Virtues.html |archive-date=2011-07-07 }}</ref>

The fenghuang represented power sent from the heavens to the Empress. If a fenghuang was used to decorate a house it symbolized that loyalty and honesty were in the people that lived there. Or alternatively, a fenghuang only stays when the ruler is without darkness and corruption ({{lang|zh-hant|政治清明}}). {{cn|date=November 2025}} ===Etymology===

Linguist Wang Li relates element {{Old Chinese|bums (ZS)|鳳|fèng}} to {{Old Chinese|bɯːŋ (ZS)|鵬}} "peng, fabulous great bird";<ref>Wang, Li (王力) (1982). {{lang|zh|《同源字典》}} (''Dictionary of Word Families''). Beijing: Commercial Press. p. 318. Cited in Schuessler, Axel (2007). ''ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese'', Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p. 239</ref> {{lang|zh|鳳}} is also related to {{Old Chinese|風|*plum|fēng}} "wind".<ref>Schuessler, Axel (2007). ''ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese'', Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p. 239</ref>

Historical linguist Marc Miyake reconstructs {{Old Chinese|N-prəm-s ɢʷˁɑŋ|鳳凰|fènghuáng}}, which he proposes, though with uncertainty, to be the affixed form of {{Old Chinese|prəm [ɢ]ʷˁɑŋ (B&S)|風皇|fēng huáng}} "wind sovereign".<ref>Miyake, Marc (5-6 November 2015) "[https://www.academia.edu/25740267/Old_Chinese_type_A_type_B_in_areal_perspective Old Chinese type A/type B in areal perspective: Recent Advances in Old Chinese Phonology beyond Boundaries]", a talk given at ''Recent Advances in Old Chinese Historical Phonology'' held at SOAS, University of London; under the auspices of the European Research Council Grant Beyond Boundaries: Religion, Region, Language and the State. Slide 43 of 49</ref>

==Symbolism== [[File:Basin with dragon and phoenix design, Jingdezhen ware, China, Ming dynasty, Wanli era, 1573-1620 AD, ceramic, overglaze enamel - Tokyo National Museum - Tokyo, Japan - DSC08359.jpg|thumb|Basin with dragon and fenghuang design, Jingdezhen ware, China, Ming dynasty, Wanli era, 1573-1620 AD. Tokyo National Museum ]] The fenghuang has positive connotations. It is a symbol of virtue and grace. The fenghuang also symbolizes the union of yin and yang.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}} The first chapter of the ''Classic of Mountains and Seas'', the "Nanshang-jing", states that each part of fenghuang's body symbolizes a word. The head represents virtue ({{lang|zh-hant|德}}), the wing represents duty ({{lang|zh-hant|義}}), the back represents propriety ({{lang|zh-hant|禮}}), the abdomen represents credibility ({{lang|zh-hant|信}}) and the chest represents mercy ({{lang|zh-hant|仁}}).<ref>''Shan Hai Jing'' - chapter 1. "Nanshang Jing" - Nan Ci San Jing: {{lang-zh|labels=no|t=有鳥焉，其狀如雞，五采而文，名曰鳳凰，首文曰德，翼文曰義，背文曰禮，膺文曰仁，腹文曰信。是鳥也，飲食自然，自歌自舞，見則天下安寧。}}</ref>

The ''fenghuang'' originally consisted of a separate male ''feng'' and a female ''huang'' as symbols of yin and yang.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Rosen|first=Brenda|title=The mythical creatures bible : the definitive guide to legendary beings|date=2009|publisher=Sterling|isbn=978-1-4027-6536-0|location=New York|pages=151|oclc=244063992}}</ref> The male ''feng'' represented the ''yang'' aspect while the ''huang'' represented the ''yin'' aspect; and together, the feng and huang image was symbolic of love between husband and wife.<ref name=":1" /> However, since the Qin dynasty, the ''fenghuang'' progressively went through a feminization process as the dragon became a symbol of masculinity.<ref name=":0" /> Eventually, the ''feng'' and the ''huang'' merged into a single female entity.<ref name=":1" />

In ancient and modern Chinese culture, ''fenghuang'' can often be found in the decorations for weddings or royalty, along with dragons. This is because the Chinese considered the dragon-and-fenghuang design symbolic of blissful relations between husband and wife, another common yang and yin metaphor. In some traditions, it appears in good times but hides during times of trouble, while in other traditions it appeared only to mark the beginning of a new era.<ref name="onmark">Sources: *{{cite web | title = Hou-ou (or Hoo-oo) | url = http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/ho-oo-phoenix.shtml }} It's rumored to only land in areas where there is something precious underneath. Such as so, in one story, a man who saw a Fenghuang land on a patch of ground later returned to dig in that area and salt was discovered. *{{cite web | title = The phoenix in Egyptian, Arab and Greek mythology | url = http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/egypt-greece-popup.html }}</ref> In China and Japan, it was a symbol of the imperial house, and it represented "fire, the sun, justice, obedience, and fidelity".<ref name="onmark" />

<gallery widths="250px" heights="250px" > File:Longshan Temple - Fenghuang.jpg|A fenghuang on the roof of Longshan Temple in Taipei File:Fenghuang-drawing-1664.jpg|Drawing of a ''Fum Hoam'' (''fenghuang'') by a Dutch man, circa 1664. File:Nine-headed phoenix, from a color edition of Shan Hai Jing (crop).jpg|''Classic of Mountains and Seas'' illustration of a nine-headed fenghuang (colored Qing Dynasty edition) File:Portrait of an empress, possibly Xiaoxianchun, wife of Emperor Qianlong.jpg|Portrait of an empress, possibly Empress Xiaoxianchun, (wife of the Qianlong Emperor) sitting on a chair decorated with fenghuang </gallery>

== Modern usage == The fenghuang is still used in modern Japan and Korea in relation to the head of state: * Japan: The ''Hōō'' ({{lang|ja|ほうおう}}, {{IPA|ja|hoːoꜜː|}}, the Japanese pronunciation of {{lang|zh|鳳凰}}) is associated with the Japanese Imperial family. The large difference between ''hō-ō'' and ''feng-huang'' is due to Chinese vowels with ''ng'' usually being converted to ''ō'' in ''go-on'' reading. Examples include: ** The actual Imperial throne {{Nihongo|''Takamikura''|高御座}} is adorned by numerous ''Hōō''s. ** The Imperial regalia ''Kōrozen no Gohō'' ({{lang|ja|黄櫨染御袍}}) is decorated by numerous textile patterns including a pair of ''Hōō''. ** Various Japanese stamps and currency, such as the back of the current series E (2004) ¥10,000 note. ** Toyota's flagship vehicle favored by the Japanese Imperial family and high Japanese government officials, the Toyota Century, uses the ''Hōō'' as an identifying emblem.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lim |first1=Brandon |title=How the Toyota Century Rivals Rolls-Royce |url=https://www.motortrend.com/features/we-dont-get-it |access-date=1 November 2021 |publisher=Motortrend |date=26 June 2019}}</ref> * Korea: two ''bonghwang'' ({{lang|ko|봉황}}, Korean pronunciation of {{lang|zh|鳳凰}}) are used in the symbol of the Korean President. They are also appeared on the national seal. Historically the ''bonghwang'' was used for queens and empresses.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}}

Other uses include: * ''Fèng'' or ''Fènghuáng'' is a common element in given names of Chinese women (likewise, "Dragon" is used for men's names). * "Dragon-and-fenghuang infants" ({{lang-zh|labels=no|t=龍鳳胎|s=龙凤胎|first=t}}) is a Chinese term for a set of male and female fraternal twins. * Fenghuang is a common place name throughout China. The best known is Fenghuang County in western Hunan, southern China, formerly a sub-prefecture. Its name is written with the same Chinese characters as the mythological bird. * ''Phoenix talons'' ({{lang-zh|labels=no|t=鳳爪|s=凤爪|first=t}}) is a Chinese term for chicken claws in any Chinese dish cooked with them. * The Vermilion Bird, (''Suzaku'' in Japanese) one of the Four Symbols of Chinese myth, sometimes equated with the fenghuang.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/ho-oo-phoenix.shtml|title=Hou-ou (or Hoo-oo) -- The Japanese Phoenix|website=www.onmarkproductions.com}}</ref> * The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) uses it in its emblem to symbol nobility, beauty, loyalty and majesty.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/english/aboutus/mission.html|title=Mission & Vision, Motto & Emblem {{!}} About CUHK |website=www.cuhk.edu.hk|language=en|access-date=2019-02-08}}</ref> * Phoenix Television ({{lang|zh-hant|鳳凰衛星電視}}) is a Hong Kong-based media company * Typhoon Fung-wong has been used to name five tropical cyclones. The name was contributed by Hong Kong and is the Cantonese pronunciation of ''fenghuang''. * The hōō (Korean: ''bonghwang'' ({{lang|ko|봉황}})) is a valuable card in hanafuda, traditional Japanese playing cards that are also popular in Korea and formerly in Hawaii. It is the {{nihongo|light card|光札|hikari-fuda}} of the paulownia suit, which is associated with the month of December in Japan and Hawaii, or November in Korea. * When describing chinoiserie or authentic Asian ceramics and other artworks, English-speaking art historians and antique collectors sometimes refer to it as "hoho bird",<ref>Examples (retrieved 3 July 2013):

Cosgrove, Maynard Giles (1974). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=4fTqAAAAMAAJ The Enamels of China and Japan: Champlevé and Cloisonné]''. Hale. p. 75. {{ISBN|978-0-7091-4383-3}}.

Catherine Pagani (2001). ''Eastern Magnificence and European Ingenuity: Clocks of Late Imperial China''. University of Michigan Press. p. 131. {{ISBN|978-0-472-11208-1}}.

Van Goidsenhoven, J. P. (1936). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=a5xpAAAAMAAJ La Céramique chinoise sous les Tsing: 1644–1851]''. R. Simonson. p. 215.</ref> a name derived from ''hōō'', with a second extraneous ''h'' added. The Japanese also use the word ''fushichō'' for this image.

<gallery> File:凤凰雕塑 - Phoenix Sculpture -2011.05 - panoramio.jpg|Fenghuang sculpture in Fenghuang mountain, Fengcheng. File:Dragon & Phoenix Arch.jpg|Dragon & Fenghuang Arch in China File:Seal of the President of the Republic of Korea.svg|Seal of the South Korean President, with twin ''bonghwang'' emblem. Seal of South Korea (photograph).jpg|National seal of South Korea File:Korea-Seoul-Blue House (Cheongwadae) Fountain 0698-07.JPG| ''Bonghwang'' sculpture by the Blue House. File:청와대 대통령 집무실3.jpg|President's workspace in the Blue House File:CU Emblem.jpg|The emblem of CUHK is the mythical Chinese bird ''feng'' ({{lang|zh-hant|鳳}}) which has been regarded as the Bird of the South since the Han dynasty. It is a symbol of nobility, beauty, loyalty and majesty. The University colours are purple and gold, representing devotion and loyalty, and perseverance and resolution, respectively. File:Hanafuda December Hikari Alt.svg|A playing card in hanafuda, depicting a hōō over a paulownia flower. </gallery>

== See also == * {{Annotated link|Birds in Chinese mythology}} * {{Annotated link|Byōdō-in}} * {{Annotated link|Byodo-In (Hawaii)|Byodo-In Temple}} * {{Annotated link|Chinese mythology}} * {{Annotated link|Firebird (Slavic folklore)|Firebird}} * {{Annotated link|Four Holy Beasts}} * {{Annotated link|Garuda}} * {{Annotated link|Huma bird}} * {{Annotated link|Lạc bird}} * {{Annotated link|Phoenix (manga)|''Phoenix'' (manga)}} * {{Annotated link|Phoenix Mountain (Zhejiang)|Phoenix Mountain}} * {{Annotated link|Roc (mythology)}} * {{Annotated link|Simurgh}} * {{Annotated link|Turul}}

== References == {{Reflist|2}}

Category:Mythological Chinese birds Category:Creatures described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas Category:East Asian legendary creatures Category:Four Holy Beasts Category:Japanese legendary creatures Category:Korean legendary creatures Category:Legendary birds Category:Phoenix birds Category:Yangshao culture