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CHINESE MYTHOLOGYMagnificent Stories Not Well Known
WHY NOT WELL KNOWN?
Three major reasons according to Yuan Ke ( 袁珂 , Chairman, Assoc. of Chinese Mythology) China didn’t enjoy the phenomenon of
gifted poets like Homer and Hesiod Chinese writing system was not sufficiently
developed to write down the oral traditions Myths were prevented from fully developed
by the negative attitude of the scholars of early dynasties
A TREASURE TROVE OF MYTHS … …
In a piecemeal fashion (as in Birrell’s book) 300+ narratives from 100+ classical texts
Revealing a wide range of mythic themes: Origins Cultural bearers Saviors, destroyers Miracle birth and founding (of dynasties) Emperors, heroes, goddesses Immortality, fabled flora/fauna
盘古开天 (PanGu SEPARATES HEAVEN & EARTH)
Before heaven and earth had formed, there was a shapeless, dark expanse
女娲补天 (GODDESS NǙ WĀ)
Creates human beings
Mends the Heaven
伏羲氏创八卦 (FUXI INVENTED TRIGRAMS)
Taught Fishing & Hunting Changed marriage
customs ： inter-clans Created symbols for
recording （ specifically ， the trigrams ）
Invented musical instruments
Started government & administration
Created calendar system
燧人氏取火 (SuiRen THE FIRE DRILLER) One of the Three
Huangs （三皇， major cultural bearers ）
Honored as 燧皇 （ SuiHuang ） Fire making and
cooking The other two being
伏羲 （ FuXi ） or 羲皇 神农 （ ShenNong ）
or 农（ agriculture ）皇
神农氏尝百草
Tasted various herbs
Invented agriculture and medicine
One of the Three Huangs
倉頡造字 (CANGJI INVENTS WRITING SYSTEM)
奚仲作車 倉頡作書 后稷作稼 皋陶作刑 昆吾作陶 夏鯀作城
后羿射日 (YI SHHOTS THE 10 SUNS)
嫦娥奔月 (CHANG E ESCAPES TO THE MOON)
后稷教种五谷 (JI TEACHES SOWING SEEDS)
Teaches farming Plants various
grains Helps Yu The Great
put flood under control
Ancestor of the Zhou royal house
楚辞 CHU-CI / 天问 HEAVENLY QUESTIONS Qu, Yuan and his poems, collectively
known as ChuCi ( 楚辞 , or Verses of Chu)
CONSONANTS
Chinese phonetic alphabet
VOWELS
Chinese phonetic alphabet
Composites
Singles
