Xian (mythology)

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Xian ( Chinese  仙 , Pinyin Xiān , W.-G. Hsien , Jyutping Sin 1 , outdated graphic variant 仚 or 僊 ) denotes the immortals in Chinese mythology and Daoism . The term “saints” is sometimes used for these deified ones . They are a very common motif in Chinese legends and Chinese mythology .

Xian were mostly men, but occasionally women were also included. The immortals were characterized by supernatural powers and magical abilities during their lifetime and were deified after their death . It is said that they wandered the country and lived in the western Kunlun Mountains , the abode of the "Queen Mother of the West", Xiwangmu , or on islands in the eastern sea. The Xian are also assigned different forms, according to which there are heavenly, earthly and Xian detached from the corpse.

Xian is considered to be the ideal of the religious direction in Daoism. In some schools of Daoism, the merging of Qi in the Dantian (human energetic center) means the creation of a “sacred embryo” ( Shengtai ), to which eternal life is given.

The most famous immortals are the so-called Eight Immortals ( Bāxiān ): Lü Dongbin , Li Tieguai , Zhongli Quan , Han Xiangzi , Cao Guojiu , Zhang Guolao , Lan Caihe , He Xiangu . There are numerous representations of them in Chinese art . Although Lan Caihe was temporarily depicted as a woman, He Xiangu was the only woman among the Eight Immortals.

literature

  • Wolfram Eberhard: Lexicon of Chinese symbols. The imagery of the Chinese. Hugendubel, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-89631-428-9 , pp. 287-288.
  • Josef Guter: Lexicon of the gods and symbols of the ancient Chinese. Marix, Wiesbaden 2004, ISBN 3-937715-04-5 , p. 323.
  • Werner Lind : The dictionary of martial arts. Edition BSK, Sportverlag, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-328-00898-5 , p. 664.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Term xian (仙) (Chinese, English): [1] on zdic.net, accessed on Sept. 24, 2018 - online
  2. ↑ term xian (仚,僊) - veralt. count. Character variant (Chinese): on dict.variants.moe.edu.tw , accessed on Sept. 24, 2018 - online
  3. ↑ 仙 - LEO: Translation in Chinese German WB. In: LEO.org. Retrieved September 24, 2018 .