PAN GU


Meaning of PAN GU in English

or P'an Ku

In Chinese Daoist legend, the first man.

He came forth from Chaos (an egg) with two horns, two tusks, and a hairy body. He used his knowledge of yin-yang to separate heaven and earth, set the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets in place, and divide the four seas. He also shaped the earth by chiseling out valleys and stacking up mountains. Another legend says that the universe derived from Pan Gu's gigantic corpse. His eyes became the Sun and Moon, his blood formed rivers, his hair grew into trees and plants, and the human race sprang from parasites that infested his body. In art, he is often shown as a dwarf clothed with leaves.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.