FENG-HUANG

Pinyin Fenghuang (Chinese: phoenix), in Chinese mythology, a creature whose rare appearance is said to indicate some great event or bear testimony to the greatness of a ruler. Tradition recounts an appearance of the feng-huang before the death of the legendary Yellow Emperor (Huang-ti), who ruled China in the 27th century BC. Its latest appearance is said to have taken place in Anhwei province at the grave of the father of Hung-wu, founder of the Ming dynasty in 1368. It is said that the song of the phoenix is exceptionally beautiful and meaningful and that the animal has a special appreciation of human music. The Shuo-wen dictionary (1st or 2nd century AD) describes the bird as having 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 down of a duck, the marks of a dragon, the back of a tortoise, the face of a swallow, and the beak of a cock. It was reportedly about 9 feet (2.7 m) tall. In systematized mythology, the phoenix is the female counterpart of the male dragon.