FENGHUANG


Meaning of FENGHUANG in English

or feng-huang

(Chinese: "phoenix") In Chinese mythology, a creature whose rare appearances portend a great event or indicate the greatness of a ruler.

The female counterpart of the male dragon, the fenghuang has the breast of a goose, the hindquarters of a stag, the neck of a snake, the tail of a fish, the forehead of a fowl, the back of a tortoise, the face of a swallow, and the beak of a cock. It was reportedly about 9 ft (2.5 m) high. Legend tells of its appearance before the death of the Yellow Emperor in the 3rd millennium BC.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.