Historical legends:

Jiang is a dog-like northern beast mentioned in ancient books that cannibalize humans. It was first recorded in "Erya" and in the Qing Dynasty notebook novel "Sequel" It is recorded as the pinnacle of zombies in "Buyu" and evolved from the "drought demon".

The two stone elephants sitting on the Chinese watch in front of the Tiananmen Gate Tower facing south are called "Wang the Emperor Returns". It is said that they specially watch the emperor's foreign tours. If the emperor does not return from a long trip, they will call him to return quickly and take care of political affairs.

The two stone statues behind the tower sit facing north and are called "watching the emperor come out." Their division of labor is different. They are to monitor the emperor's behavior in the palace. If the emperor lives deep in the palace, If they ignore government affairs, they will urge the emperor to leave the palace and see what is going on.

It is said that the rhinoceros is a very spiritual animal. It squats on the Chinese watch every day to pay close attention to the emperor's whereabouts. The two roosters facing south were specially designed to wait for the emperor's tour. Whenever the emperor would not return for a long time and indulge in debauchery, they would call to the emperor: "Your Majesty, please come back quickly to take care of state affairs. We are looking forward to your return, and our eyes are eager to see you." Wear it."

So people called these two dogs "Wang Jun Gui". The two jiaos on the Chinese watch at the back of the tower, facing north, monitor the emperor's actions in the palace. If the emperor stays in the palace for a long time and ignores political affairs, they will urge the emperor: "Your Majesty, please leave the palace quickly and observe the sentiments of the people." , don’t stay in the palace to enjoy yourself, we are looking forward to seeing you come out.” So people called these two dogs “Wang You Come Out”.

Extended information:

The origin of roar

Wangtianhou, whose real name is Jian, also known as Chaotianhou. Legend has it that he is the son of the Dragon King. He has the habit of keeping watch and has a beautiful appearance. The roaring dragon on the top of the pillar roars to the sky, which is regarded as conveying the will of heaven and conveying the sentiments of the people. Its sound can shake the sky. In ancient Chinese folk, the roaring to the sky usually appeared as a tomb-suppressing beast. Generally, the shape of "Looking to the Sky" is used to guard tombs and ward off evil spirits. In the minds of the people, it is a symbol of auspiciousness, beauty, power and majesty.

One of the Nine Sons of the Dragon, Qi Niu

Qi Niu is the eldest of the nine sons of the Dragon. He loves music all his life. He often squats on the head of the piano to enjoy the plucked strings. music, so his portrait is engraved on the head of the piano. This decoration has been used ever since, and some valuable huqin heads are still engraved with the image of a dragon head, which is called "leading huqin".

The second of the nine sons of the dragon·Yaizu

Yaizu is the second child. He was aggressive and fond of killing. The ring, handle and dragon swallowing mouth are his legacy. Decorating the image of the dragon, these weapons add even more frightening power. It is not only decorated on the weapons of famous generals on the battlefield, but also widely used on the weapons of ceremonial guards and palace guards, making it even more majestic and solemn.

The third of the nine sons of the dragon, Chaofeng

Chaofeng, shaped like a beast, is the third child. He was fond of both danger and hope. The beast on the corner of the hall is his portrait. These animals lined up in a single line, standing upright at the front of the vertical ridge. The leader of the animals was an "immortal" riding a bird, followed in order by: dragon, phoenix, lion, Pegasus, seahorse, Suan Ni, fish, Xie Zhi, Bullfighting, and entertainment.

There is a strict hierarchy in their placement. Only the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City in Beijing can have all ten of them, and the number of secondary halls must be reduced accordingly. Chao Feng not only symbolizes good luck, beauty and majesty, but also has the meaning of deterring demons and eliminating disasters. The placement of the mocking wind makes the shape of the entire palace both strict and varied, achieving the harmony of solemnity and vividness, the unity of grandeur and exquisiteness. It adds a mysterious atmosphere to the towering palace.

Pulao, the fourth of the nine sons born in the dragon, Pulao

Pulao, looks like a coiled dragon, ranks fourth, has a good singing and roaring life, and is the dragon-shaped animal button on the bell. 's portrait. It turns out that Pulao lives by the sea. Although he is a dragon, he has always been afraid of the huge whale.

When the whale attacks, it roars loudly in fear. People reported that because of its "good nature", "every bell wants to make a loud sound", that is, the Pulao was cast as a bell button, and the wooden pestle for ringing the bell was made into the shape of a whale. When ringing the bell, let the whale hit Pulao again and again, making it "ring into the sky" and "sound alone and far away".

Fifth of the Nine Sons of the Dragon·Suanni

Suanni looks like a lion and ranks fifth. He likes quietness but does not like movement. He likes to sit and likes fireworks, so he is the seat of the Buddha. The foot decorations on the upper body and the incense burner are its portraits.

According to legend, this kind of suan Ni decorated on the Buddha's seat was introduced to China by Indians in the Han Dynasty. By the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it had been widely used in Buddhist art in my country. The artist's creation gave it a traditional Chinese style, and later became Longzi's Lao Wu. It was often placed in front of statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas sitting in lotus position or cross-legged.

The dragon-shaped decoration in the middle of the stone lion or copper lion collar during the Ming and Qing Dynasties is also the image of Suan Ni, which makes the traditional Chinese door lion guarding the door more open and majestic.

The Sixth of the Nine Sons of the Dragon: Baxia

Baxia, also known as Bixi, looks like a turtle and is the sixth son. Fu is his portrait. Legend has it that in ancient times Baxia often carried three mountains and five mountains on his back, making waves in rivers, lakes and seas. Later, Dayu conquered it when he was controlling floods. It obeyed Yu's command, pushed mountains and dug trenches, and dredged rivers, making contributions to flood control.

After the flood was controlled, Dayu was worried that Ba Xia would go wild again, so he moved a huge stone stele that stood high in the sky, on which was engraved the traces of Ba Xia's flood control, and asked Ba Xia to carry it on his back. The heavy stone stele weighed him down. It cannot walk casually. Basia and tortoises are very similar, but there are differences upon closer inspection. Basia has a row of teeth, while tortoises do not. There are also differences in the number and shape of the carapace between Basia and tortoises.

Baxia, also known as stone turtle, is a symbol of longevity and good luck. It always held its head forward with difficulty, holding on to its four feet desperately, struggling to move forward, but it could never move away. The bases of some of my country's most prominent stone monuments are carried by Ba Xia, which can be seen in the Forest of Steles and some historical sites.

The Seventh of the Nine Sons of the Dragon·Bi'an

Bi'an, also known as the Charter, looks like a tiger and is the seventh child. He was prone to litigation, but he was also powerful. The tiger head-shaped decoration on the upper part of the prison door is his portrait. Legend has it that Bifan is not only eager for justice and speaks out for justice, but also can distinguish right from wrong and make impartial decisions. In addition, its majestic image is not only decorated on the prison door, but also crouching on both sides of the lobby of the government office.

Whenever the yamen chief sits in the court, his image appears on the top of the chief executive's title plate and the silence card. He looks around and looks around to maintain the solemnity and integrity of the court.

Eighth of the nine sons born in the dragon·Ningxi

Ningxi, like a dragon, is the eighth oldest son. He was good at writing throughout his life. The Wenlong on both sides of the stone tablet is his portrait. Our country's stone tablets have a long history and are rich in content. Some of them are simple in shape, smooth and bright, and the light is discernible; some are exquisitely carved, with graceful words and vivid writing; some are famous poems and stone carvings, which are popular among people. , praised throughout the ages.

Ningyi likes this kind of inscriptions that shine with artistic brilliance. He is willing to turn them into patterned dragons to set off these handed down literary treasures, making the base of the stele more elegant and beautiful. They are coiled around each other and seem to be slowly squirming. Together with the base of the base, it looks even more spectacular.

Nine of the Nine Sons of the Dragon · Chiki

Chiki, also known as Chiwei or Chiki, is a dragon-shaped spine-swallowing beast. It's good to swallow. The curly-tailed dragon heads at both ends of the ridge are his portraits. "Taiping Yulan" has the following account: "In the Tang Hui Dynasty, after the disaster in the Liang Palace of the Han Dynasty, Yue Wu said, 'There are fish and turtles in the sea, with tails like owls, and strong waves will cause rainfall.' So he made his image on the tail to show the auspiciousness of the fire." ."

The "Witch" mentioned in the article refers to alchemists and others, and "Yuqiu" is the predecessor of Chiki. Chiki is water-based, so use it as a slaying agent to ward off fire. Its prototype may be a deep-sea whale.

Baidu Encyclopedia - J

Baidu Encyclopedia - Wangtianhou

Baidu Encyclopedia - Nine Sons of Dragons