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{{Short description|Four bodies of water that metaphorically made up the boundaries of ancient China}}
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{{Names of China}}
{{for|the film|Only Fools Rush In}}

{{Infobox Chinese| pic = Chinese_Four_Seas.png|c = {{Linktext|四海}} |p = Sìhǎi|bpmf=ㄙˋ ㄏㄞˇ|gr=Syhhae|w={{Tonesup|Ssŭ4-hai3}} |mi={{IPAc-cmn|s|i|4|.|h|ai|3}}|j={{Tonesup|Sei3 Hoi2}}|poj=sìr-hái|}}{{Names of China}}
The '''Four Seas''' ({{zh |c = 四海 |p = Sìhǎi}}) were four [[Body of water|bodies of water]] that metaphorically made up the boundaries of [[History of China#Ancient China|ancient China]]. There is a sea for each for the four [[cardinal direction]]s. The West Sea is [[Qinghai Lake]], the [[East Sea (Chinese mythology)|East Sea]] is the [[East China Sea]], the North Sea is [[Lake Baikal]], and the South Sea is the [[South China Sea]].{{sfn|Chang|2007|p=264}} Two of the seas were symbolic until they were tied to genuine locations during the [[Han dynasty]]'s [[Han–Xiongnu War|wars with the Xiongnu]]. The lands "within the Four Seas", a literary [[names of China|name for China]], are alluded to in [[Chinese literature]] and [[Chinese poetry|poetry]].{{sfn|Chang|2007|pp=263–264}}
The '''Four Seas''' ({{zh |c = 四海 |p = Sìhǎi}}) were four [[body of water|bodies of water]] that metaphorically made up the boundaries of [[History of China#Ancient China|ancient China]]. There is a sea for each for the four [[cardinal direction|cardinal directions]]. The West Sea is [[Qinghai Lake]], the [[East Sea (Chinese literature)|East Sea]] is the [[East China Sea]], the North Sea is [[Lake Baikal]], and the South Sea is the [[South China Sea]].{{sfn|Chang|2007|p=264}} Two of the seas were symbolic until they were tied to genuine locations during the [[Han dynasty]]'s [[Han–Xiongnu War|wars with the Xiongnu]]. The lands "within the Four Seas", a literary [[names of China|name for China]], are alluded to in [[Chinese literature]] and [[Chinese poetry|poetry]].{{sfn|Chang|2007|pp=263–264}}


== History ==
== History ==
[[File:Qinghai lake.jpg|thumb|right|[[Qinghai Lake]], the West Sea]]
[[File:Qinghai lake.jpg|thumb|right|[[Qinghai Lake]], the West Sea]]


The original Four Seas were a metaphor for the borders of pre-[[Han dynasty]] China.{{sfn|Chang|2007|p=264}} Only two of the Four Seas were tied to real locations, the East Sea with the [[East China Sea]] and the South Sea with the [[South China Sea]].{{sfn|Chang|2007|p=263}} During the [[Han dynasty]], [[Han–Xiongnu War|wars with the Xiongnu]] brought them north to [[Lake Baikal]]. They recorded that the lake was a "huge sea" (hanhai) and designated it the mythical North Sea. They also encountered [[Qinghai Lake]], which they called the West Sea, and the lakes [[Lop Nur]] and [[Bostang]] in [[Xinjiang]]. The Han dynasty expanded beyond the traditional West Sea and reached [[Lake Balkash]], the westernmost boundary of the empire and the new West Sea of the dynasty. Expeditions were sent to explore the [[Persian Gulf]], but went no further. The military expansion of the dynasty ended in 36 BC after the [[Battle of Zhizhi]].{{sfn|Chang|2007|p=264}}
The original Four Seas were a metaphor for the borders of pre-[[Han dynasty]] China.{{sfn|Chang|2007|p=264}} Only two of the Four Seas were tied to real locations, the East Sea with the [[East China Sea]] and the South Sea with the [[South China Sea]].{{sfn|Chang|2007|p=263}} During the [[Han dynasty]], [[Han–Xiongnu War|wars with the Xiongnu]] brought them north to [[Lake Baikal]]. They recorded that the lake was a "huge sea" (hanhai) and designated it the mythical North Sea. They also encountered [[Qinghai Lake]], which they called the West Sea, and the lakes [[Lop Nur]] and [[Bostang]] in [[Xinjiang]]. The Han dynasty expanded beyond the traditional West Sea and reached [[Lake Balkhash]], the westernmost boundary of the empire and the new West Sea of the dynasty. Expeditions were sent to explore the [[Persian Gulf]], but went no further.{{sfn|Chang|2007|p=264}}


Chinese writers and artists often alluded to the Four Seas. [[Jia Yi]], in [[The Faults of Qin|an essay]] that summarized the collapse of [[Qin dynasty]], wrote that while the [[Qin (state)|state of Qin]] has succeeded in "pocketing all within the Four Seas, and swallowing up everything in all Eight Directions", its ruler "lacked humaneness and rightness; because preserving power differs fundamentally from seizing power".{{sfn|Holcombe|2011|p=48}} The metaphor is also referenced in the [[Chengyu|Chinese adage]] "we are all brothers of the Four Seas", a proverb with utopian undercurrents. The lyrics of a popular Han dynasty folk song extol that "within the Four Seas, we are all brothers, and none be taken as strangers!"{{sfn|Chang|2007|p=263}}
Chinese writers and artists often alluded to the Four Seas. [[Jia Yi]], in [[The Faults of Qin|an essay]] that summarized the collapse of [[Qin dynasty]], wrote that while the [[Qin (state)|state of Qin]] has succeeded in "pocketing all within the Four Seas, and swallowing up everything in all Eight Directions", its ruler "lacked humaneness and rightness; because preserving power differs fundamentally from seizing power".{{sfn|Holcombe|2011|p=48}} The metaphor is also referenced in the [[Chengyu|Chinese adage]] "we are all brothers of the Four Seas", a proverb with utopian undercurrents. The lyrics of a popular Han dynasty folk song extol that "within the Four Seas, we are all brothers, and none be taken as strangers!"{{sfn|Chang|2007|p=263}}
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== See also ==
== See also ==
* [[China Seas]]
* [[China Seas]]
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* [[Names of China]]
* [[Tianxia]]
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* [[Borders of China]]
* [[Natural borders of France]]
* [[Seven Seas]]
* [[Seven Seas]]
* [[Tianxia]]
* [[List of seas]]
*"[[Deutschlandlied]]", which similarly defines Germany's borders as four rivers
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* [[Names of China]]


== References ==
== References ==
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=== Sources ===
=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |first = Charles |last = Holcombe |title = A History of East Asia: From the Origins of Civilization to the Twenty-First Century |year = 2011 |publisher = Cambridge University Press |ISBN = 978-0-521-51595-5 |ref = harv }}
* {{cite book |first = Charles |last = Holcombe |title = A History of East Asia: From the Origins of Civilization to the Twenty-First Century |year = 2011 |publisher = Cambridge University Press |isbn = 978-0-521-51595-5 }}
* {{cite book |first = Chun-shu |last = Chang |title = The Rise of the Chinese Empire: Nation, State, and Imperialism in Early China, ca. 1600 B.C. – A.D. 8 |year = 2007 |publisher = University of Michigan Press |ISBN = 978-0-472-11533-4 |ref = harv }}
* {{cite book |first = Chun-shu |last = Chang |title = The Rise of the Chinese Empire: Nation, State, and Imperialism in Early China, ca. 1600 B.C. – A.D. 8 |year = 2007 |publisher = University of Michigan Press |isbn = 978-0-472-11533-4 }}
{{refend}}
{{refend}}


{{Portal bar|History of Imperial China|China}}
{{Portal bar|China|History}}


[[Category:Names of China]]
[[Category:4 (number)|Seas]]
[[Category:History of China]]
[[Category:Asia in mythology]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of China| ]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of China| ]]
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[[Category:Literary terminology]]
[[Category:Chinese literature]]
[[Category:Chinese literature]]
[[Category:4 (number)|Seas]]
[[Category:Ancient China]]
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[[Category:Literary terminology]]
[[Category:Names of China]]
[[Category:Seas]]
[[Category:Locations in Chinese mythology]]

Latest revision as of 19:22, 16 December 2023

For the film, see Only Fools Rush In.
Four Seas
Chinese四海
Part of a series on
Names of China

The Four Seas (Chinese: 四海; pinyin: Sìhǎi) were four bodies of water that metaphorically made up the boundaries of ancient China. There is a sea for each for the four cardinal directions. The West Sea is Qinghai Lake, the East Sea is the East China Sea, the North Sea is Lake Baikal, and the South Sea is the South China Sea.[1] Two of the seas were symbolic until they were tied to genuine locations during the Han dynasty's wars with the Xiongnu. The lands "within the Four Seas", a literary name for China, are alluded to in Chinese literature and poetry.[2]

History[edit]

Qinghai Lake, the West Sea

The original Four Seas were a metaphor for the borders of pre-Han dynasty China.[1] Only two of the Four Seas were tied to real locations, the East Sea with the East China Sea and the South Sea with the South China Sea.[3] During the Han dynasty, wars with the Xiongnu brought them north to Lake Baikal. They recorded that the lake was a "huge sea" (hanhai) and designated it the mythical North Sea. They also encountered Qinghai Lake, which they called the West Sea, and the lakes Lop Nur and Bostang in Xinjiang. The Han dynasty expanded beyond the traditional West Sea and reached Lake Balkhash, the westernmost boundary of the empire and the new West Sea of the dynasty. Expeditions were sent to explore the Persian Gulf, but went no further.[1]

Chinese writers and artists often alluded to the Four Seas. Jia Yi, in an essay that summarized the collapse of Qin dynasty, wrote that while the state of Qin has succeeded in "pocketing all within the Four Seas, and swallowing up everything in all Eight Directions", its ruler "lacked humaneness and rightness; because preserving power differs fundamentally from seizing power".[4] The metaphor is also referenced in the Chinese adage "we are all brothers of the Four Seas", a proverb with utopian undercurrents. The lyrics of a popular Han dynasty folk song extol that "within the Four Seas, we are all brothers, and none be taken as strangers!"[3]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Chang 2007, p. 264.
  2. ^ Chang 2007, pp. 263–264.
  3. ^ a b Chang 2007, p. 263.
  4. ^ Holcombe 2011, p. 48.

Sources[edit]

  • Holcombe, Charles (2011). A History of East Asia: From the Origins of Civilization to the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-51595-5.
  • Chang, Chun-shu (2007). The Rise of the Chinese Empire: Nation, State, and Imperialism in Early China, ca. 1600 B.C. – A.D. 8. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-11533-4.
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