Fenghuang ( ) 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.

Appearance

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. 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.

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. Its body contains the five fundamental colors: black, white, red, yellow, and green or blue.

Origin

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.

The earliest known form of a dragon-fenghuang design, on the other hand, dates back to the Yangshao culture (BC) and was found at an archeological site near Xi'an in Shaanxi Province.

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 (state)|Chu tomb during Zhou dynasty (100BC-250BC).]]

During the Spring and Autumn period (c.771c.476BC) and the Warring States period, the combination of dragon-fenghuang designs together became a common form of unearthed artifacts.

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.

thumb|Man playing [[Sheng (instrument)|sheng to a fenghuang, , 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.

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 patternthe 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:

  1. Ren: the virtue of benevolence, charity, and humanity;
  2. 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
  3. Zhi: knowledge
  4. Xin: faithfulness and integrity;
  5. Li: correct behavior, propriety, good manners, politeness, ceremony, worship.

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 ().

Etymology

Linguist Wang Li relates element to "peng, fabulous great bird"; is also related to "wind".

Historical linguist Marc Miyake reconstructs , which he proposes, though with uncertainty, to be the affixed form of "wind sovereign".

Symbolism

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. 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 (), the wing represents duty (), the back represents propriety (), the abdomen represents credibility () and the chest represents mercy ().

The fenghuang originally consisted of a separate male feng and a female huang as symbols of yin and yang. 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. In China and Japan, it was a symbol of the imperial house, and it represented "fire, the sun, justice, obedience, and fidelity".

  • Korea: two bonghwang (, Korean pronunciation of ) 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.

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" () 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 () 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.
  • The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) uses it in its emblem to symbol nobility, beauty, loyalty and majesty.
  • Phoenix Television () 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 ()) is a valuable card in hanafuda, traditional Japanese playing cards that are also popular in Korea and formerly in Hawaii. It is the 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", a name derived from hōō, with a second extraneous h added. The Japanese also use the word fushichō for this image.

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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 () 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.

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See also

References