What does Xuanwu mean?
The name of Xuanwu is one of the names of God.
"The Songs of Chu Travel Far": "Call Xuanwu and rush to the genus." Wang Yi's note: "Call the Taiyin God to make Cheng Weiye." Hong Xingzu added: "The Speaker said:' The name of Xuanwu is tortoise and snake, and it is called Xuan because it is located in the north, and it is called martial because it has scales. Cai Yong said:' Xuanwu in the north is the best place for insects. Notes in Selected Works:' The turn of the tortoise and the snake is Xuanwu. "And" Book of Rites Quli ":Zhu Bird goes forward and then announces martial arts." Kong Shu: "Xuanwu is also a turtle." Wang Liangchuan: "The name of Xuanwu Water God." Li Xian's Note: "Xuanwu, the God of the North, is a combination of tortoise and snake." According to Xuanwu, the great Taoist Zhenwu, in the Song Dynasty, it was a taboo to change Xuanwei. Later, Taoism worshipped Zhenwu, with turtles and snakes beside it. Tang Duanshicheng's "Youyang Miscellaneous Zhi Nuo Gorge": "Taoist Zhu traveled in Lushan Mountain in Taihe for eight years and suddenly saw a flat quilt. He was hungry. That is the legendary supernatural change.
In ancient times, people imagined some stars in the north as turtles and snakes, which were called gods. In folk beliefs, the divine monarch has the following sacred characteristics:
God of the North
"Chu ci? 6? 1 journey "Note:" Xuanwu, the name of the North God ". Historical records? 6? 1 tianguanshu says: "Gong Bei is Xuanwu, empty and dangerous". "River Map" Volume 6 "Rebuilding the Integration of Weft Books": "North Hei Di, known as Ye Guangji, is good at Xuanwu".
② Water God Xuanwu Water God
According to the theory of yin-yang and five elements, the north belongs to water, so the god in the north is the water god. Wuyi's "Nine Sentences of Zhang Huai" said: "Turtles are water gods". "Once"? 6? 1 Wang Liangchuan: "Xuanwu, the name of water god". "Rebuilding the Integration of Weft Books" Volume 6 "River Map": "The residence of the seven gods in the north actually started from fighting, and the town in the north dominated the storm". Everything needs rain to grow, and water can put out fires, so people attach great importance to and believe in Xuanwu's water god attribute.
③ The God of Reproduction
In ancient times, China always compared the great divine power with the phenomenon of the sympathetic evolution of everything in Yin and Yang, and worshipped the divine power of reproduction. The snake itself is a symbol of reproduction and reproduction. Xuanwu, in the shape of a turtle and a snake, was regarded by the ancients as a symbol of male and female mating and reproduction. Wei Boyang in the Eastern Han Dynasty (who lived around 12 1 year) also explained that Yin and Yang must cooperate with each other with the example of tortoise and snake correcting mistakes: "Guan Guan Sui's dove, in the river continent, is a gentle and graceful lady, and the male is not lonely, and the female is not lonely. Xuanwu tortoise and snake help each other.
④ God of life
In ancient times, turtles were symbols of longevity and immortality, and they could guide dying people. 6? 1 "Biography of Turtle Policy" says: "The old people in the south use turtles to support their beds. They are in their twenties. When the old people die, they will move their beds, but the tortoise is not dead yet. Turtles can guide qi. " "Bao Puzi" contains: Chengyang hunted when he was frugal, and fell into an empty tomb, hungry and cold. When he saw a chinemys reevesii in the tomb, he counted it, turned around, his direction was uncertain, swallowed his mouth, or squatted or leaned back. Thrift is also called the tortoise can guide, but it tries to do what the tortoise does, so it is no longer hungry. "In addition, the first night of Gong Bei Xuanwu Seven Nights is also called Nandou. "The Star Classic says:" There are six stars in the south, and the life span of the emperor is also the position of the prime minister. Gan Bao of the Jin Dynasty (living around 3 16) quoted Guan Lu as saying: "The southern bucket is reborn, and the Beidou is dead again". Life expectancy can be extended in southern operations. This is very attractive to emperors, bureaucrats and ordinary people who pursue immortality.
These divine characteristics of Xuanwu not only won the belief of all social strata, but also laid the foundation for Xuanwu to evolve into a Taoist god after the Tang and Song Dynasties.
The second star name
"Book Yao Dian": "The stars are empty in the night, and Zhong Qiu is cloudy." Legend has it: "If you are empty, the star is in Xuanwu." According to Xuanwu, it is the floorboard of the seven nights in the north.
Its three directions
"Four-god pattern tiles" were very popular in the Han Dynasty, including four animals, namely Qinglong, Baihu, Suzaku and Xuanwu, and a set of patterns composed of these animals, also known as "four-spirit patterns". It is also widely used, such as bronze mirrors, lacquerware, stone carvings, bricks and tiles. In the Han dynasty, the four gods were regarded as related to avoiding evil spirits and seeking happiness, which also indicated the season and direction. The direction of Qinglong is east, representing spring; The orientation of the white tiger is the west, representing autumn; Suzaku is located in the south, representing summer; The orientation of Xuanwu is north, which represents winter.
One of its four spirits.
In ancient China, the stars in the sky were divided into seven star zones, namely "Three Walls" and "Four Elephants". The so-called "wall" means "city wall". "Three Walls" is the "Wei Zi Wall", which symbolizes the palace; "Taiweiyuan" symbolizes the administrative organization; The "sky wall" symbolizes the bustling market. These three walls are arranged in a triangle around Polaris. There are four elephants around the three walls: East Black Dragon, West White Tiger, South Suzaku and North Xuanwu. That is to say, the stars in the east are like dragons, the stars in the west are like tigers, the stars in the south are like big birds, and the stars in the north are like turtles and snakes. As the earth revolves around the sun, the stars in the sky change with the seasons. Every evening at the turn of winter and spring, the black dragon will appear; At the turn of spring and summer, Xuanwu rises; At the turn of summer and autumn, white tigers emerge; At the turn of autumn and winter, Suzaku rises.
Xuanwu originally meant Xuanming, and the ancient sounds of Wu and Ming are interlinked. Xuan means black; Ghost means yin. At first, Xuan Ming described the tortoise divination as follows: the tortoise's back is black, and the tortoise divination is to ask the tortoise to ask his ancestors in the underworld, bring back the answers and show them to the world in the form of divination. Therefore, the earliest Xuanwu is the tortoise. Since then, the meaning of Xuanming has been expanding. Turtles live in rivers, lakes and seas (including turtles), so Xuan Ming became a water god; The tortoise lives long, and Xuan Ming has become a symbol of immortality; It turned out that the underworld was in the north, and Oracle Bone Inscriptions of Shang Dynasty was' the divination must go north', so Xuan Ming became the northern god again.
Like the other three spirits, Xuanwu is also changed from 28 stars in the world: battle, ox, female, empty, danger, room and wall. However, people after ancient times have the following explanations for Xuanwu. Xuanwu is a turtle. "。 In Volume 44 of Tai Shang Huang Ru Zhai Yi, Bei Xuanwu Xing Jun is called "Dou Su Tian Miao Xing Jun, Niu Su Tian Ji Xing Jun, Su Tian Nv Jun, Xu Su Tian Qing Xing Jun, Wei Su Tian Qian Xing Jun, Su Su Tian Qi Xing Jun and Su Bi Shi Tianxing Jun." As for its image, "The Collection of Jiao Tong's Needs" has seven clouds: "North Xuanwu, Taiyin Metaplasia, Virtual and Dangerous Aerosol, Turtle and Snake Terrace, Wandering Nine Clouds, Commanding All Spirits, Coming from My Right." "At the same time, Taoism also used it in alchemy. For example, Volume 72 of Yun Qi Tanabata quoted Dan, the four gods in ancient classics, saying, "Xuanwu people are black mercury in northern China, and they can be soft and firm. "The Classic says: Good is like water. Non-lead, non-tin, non-stone and the like, water is Hedong Shenshui, born before heaven and earth, so medicine can not be abandoned temporarily, and everything can be nourished, so it is called Xuanwu.
Xuanwu increased in value in the Song Dynasty and was personified. This is inseparable from the help of the Emperor of the Song Dynasty. In the early Song Dynasty, it was said that Zhenwu and Tian Peng were heavenly soldiers and generals. In the first year of Tianxi, something happened in the military camp. In the seven-year "The Original":' A snake was seen in the camp, so the sergeant built a real martial arts school. In April of the following year, the fountains were inexhaustible, and the sick and the infected drank more. When Zhenzong heard this, he wrote a letter to build a landscape there and named it "Xiangyuan". This may be the earliest Zhenwu Temple in China. Later generations often tell the story of Zhenwu Emperor. During the reign of Yang Di, the Jade Emperor became the Empress Lezheng, hated the world, gave up his position to practice in Wudang Mountain, successfully ascended to heaven and defended the north, and was nicknamed Xuanwu. Speaking of Xuanwu changing its name to Zhenwu, it is to avoid the ancestors of Lao Zhao's family. In the Tang Dynasty, in order to improve their social status, the Lao Li family called Lao Zi the eternal ancestor and vigorously promoted Taoism with Lao Zi as the respect. When I arrived at Lao Zhao's house, I wanted to find a "home" to enjoy the scenery, but I found that there was no nb person named Zhao. When Zhenzong was in a hurry, he made up one casually, and performed a farce of "sending books from heaven" with the minister, and said that "the holy father holds dreams", which is also a great imperial edict for the whole world. Who dares to say no when the emperor makes a decision? Taoism does not openly oppose it, but it does not admit it. The sage who was fabricated by the true Sect was called "Zhao Xuanlang", and Xuanwu changed his name to avoid him. From then on, Xin Jianxian, who presided over military affairs, missed Song Zhao.
Fifth, the star god worshipped by Taoism.
"Four Elephants" and "Twenty-eight Hostels"
Twenty-eight nights, also known as "twenty-eight houses" or "twenty-eight stars". In ancient China, in order to observe the astronomical phenomena and the movements of the sun, the moon and the five stars, 28 star officials were chosen as the signs of observation, which were called "Twenty-eight Hostels". It is divided into four groups on average, with seven nights in each group, which matches the four directions of east, west, north and south and the images of animals such as black dragon, white tiger, suzaku and Xuanwu, and is called "four elephants" and "four spirits" by Taoism. The concept of four elephants and twenty-eight lodgings was formed very early, and it was recorded at the beginning of the Warring States Period. Later, in the Book of Rites Quli, it was said: "Before the trip, Zhuniao followed Xuanwu, Zuo Qinglong and You Baihu." Kong said: "Zhu Bird, Xuanwu, Qinglong and Baihu are also called the four major places." Shu Wei's "Shangshu Kao Ling Yao" in the Han Dynasty said: "Twenty-eight lodgings are the vitality of heaven and the essence of all things. Therefore, the Oriental Corner, Kang, Bian, House, Heart, Tail and Basket are seven nights, and their shape is like a dragon, which is called' Zuo Qinglong'. Nanjing, Ghost, Willow, Star, Zhang, Wing and Bird all stay for seven nights, which looks like quail and is called "Former Suzaku". In the west, Kui, Lou, Wei, Chang, Bi, Gou and Shen spend seven nights, which are shaped like tigers and are called "right white tigers". In the north, fighting, cows, women, emptiness, danger, rooms and walls stay for seven nights. It is shaped like a tortoise and a snake, and it is called' Wu Hou'. " Taoism personifies this celestial phenomenon, endows it with name, clothing color and job title, and worships it. Twenty-four Nights in Volume 24 of Seven Stars Cloud says: "A is the Zhengyang God, the Lord of the Stars, and the Jiuyang God named Binming Sheng Yuan, dressed in mysterious green clothes, and the Lord of the Stars. B is from the official Yin God, Kangxing God, Siyin God, surnamed Sima, Chimatoujian, Kangxing God. " For the next 26 nights. The "Five-star Hotel in Shen Dong, Taishan" also describes the appearance and behavior of 28 hotels. "As the saying goes:" The essence of the Horn Star often travels in the temple after beginning of spring's birthday, with a small beard and temples, asking questions about Zen rituals, ... or swimming and drinking alone in the hotel, ... the knower asks, showing more people's skills of health preservation and sowing. "Kang, Di and Fang are the essence of three stars. They often take a walk together in the morning and evening, wear green clothes, travel in the crowd or on Lent. ... is to seek and save the world with others.
Xuanwu is not only a highly worshipped god in Taoism, but also an image that can guide practice. In the stories and legends about Xuanwu worship, we can also see that "Xuan Di", as a personified Xuanwu God, has the guidance of a famous teacher, just like many immortal figures. From the aspect of "learning from others", we can also find its close relationship with Dan Dao. Volume 1 of Apocalypse God's Sect Xuantiandao records such a story:
He read Tao wholeheartedly, so he felt that Jade Qing's sage taught infinite Tao. He said to the emperor, "I can swim across the East China Sea, with mountains under my wings, starting from the stem and circling for 50 thousand miles." . Water flowed out of the earthquake palace. If you have Tai Chi, you will be born as a mountain. It should be clear that there are 72 peaks and 36 rocks in Tai 'an and Huangya during the two-day extreme wind. Children can enter the mountains and choose peaks. People who rush to the purple sky will live there and they will live in harmony. After the promotion, when I was 500 years old, I was in heaven. When I robbed Han Long for the second time, I was really fine. After all, I recovered. I am an assistant minister in the third world and a great sage in the next world. I am famous for robbery. I live in harmony with the heavens, the earth, the sun and the moon, and the fruits are numerous. After telling the story, Yuan Jun rose to the clouds and left.
This story can still be found in the third volume, "Tai Shang's mother said Tian Xuansheng's wonderful classic of vivid spelling in Zhenwu's book". As can be seen from the story, our "teacher" is called "Zi". According to the Taoist address habit, this high-standard fairy is called "Yuan Jun", which shows that Zi Yuanjun is a woman. Where does she live? Tian Xuan Tian Qi Ji added the attribute of "Jade Qing Sage" in front of Zi Yuan Jun, which not only showed Zi Yuan Jun's position in Taoist fairyland, but also showed that she was a fairy in heaven. This "Yuan Jun" is regarded as a "saint", which shows its prominent position, and she lives in the territory of "Jade Qing", so it still seems to belong to the big family under the jurisdiction of the original Buddha. From a rational point of view, the story of Xuan Di's apprentice is of course a manifestation of belief psychology. It is difficult for us ordinary people to find Xuan Di's school records from the Graduate School of Shenxian University in Qing Yu Scenic Area. However, this information at least provides useful clues for us to trace back how Xuanwu belief merged with Dandao vein system in the process of popularity. Among the Taoist classics, there is a classic called "Zi Yuan Jun's Method of Teaching the Mind" (hereinafter referred to as "Mind Method"), and its title is "Immortal Yinzhu". Since it is a "note", it means that its scriptures existed before Yin Changsheng. According to Daomen, the immortal Yin Zhenren is also called Yin Zhenjun, or Ying Zhenjun. According to Ge Hong's Biography of Immortals, Yin Changsheng was the great-grandfather of Yin Empress in the Eastern Han Dynasty (88- 105 reigned). He came out of the door of wealth and became a very good immortal. I heard that Ma Ming became an immortal, so he left home and converted to his door, followed him day and night, and worked hard as a servant for more than 20 years. It is said that more than ten people who studied Taoism with Yin Changsheng went home because they couldn't stand the hardships of learning Taoism. Only Yin Changsheng did not change his original intention and held ceremonies more frequently. Aśvaghoṣa won the trust, and in the first year (122), he brought it to Qingcheng Mountain for alchemy, built an altar beside the tripod and awarded the Taiqing Shendan Classic. Yin Changsheng returned to his hometown from another division, and made an alchemy medicine according to the prescription of single crystal, and refined100000 Jin of gold, which is widely used in the world. After taking Dan, his family lived for 300 years, then he died. As far as Yin Changsheng's life story is concerned, he is obviously a master of foreign alchemy and should belong to foreign alchemists. However, there are many criticisms of foreign orders in the book "Heart Method" entitled "Yin Zhenren's Note". For example, it says: "A fairy should not make wrong intentions, he will turn into yellow medicine and take it by mistake." This is a warning to people not to mechanically understand the drugs in the immortal scriptures as products such as refining gold and silver and taking pills abroad. In addition, Heart Law also criticizes such things as "abstinence", "persuasion" and "guidance", and regards these things as side roads. This is obviously from the standpoint of Neidan faction. As far as the development of Taoist thought history is concerned, although the thought of Inner Dan already existed in the Book of Changes by Wei Boyang in the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was not clearly expressed at that time, and it was not regarded as the opposite operation mode of Outer Dan. It was not until the end of the Tang Dynasty that the Inner Dan School, represented by Zhong Liquan and Lv Dongbin, began to oppose taking Outer Dan and paid attention to the cultivation of Inner Dan. In the mid-Song Dynasty, Zhang Boduan inherited the Middle Land Daoism, followed the ancestors' Inner alchemy, and refused to eat and rest. Some ideas in Heart Method are quite consistent with Nanzong at that time, so its annotations should be published later, probably Nanzong's works. This makes us see the evolution track of the secret method of Dan Dao from inside and outside to inside and outside Dan. However, even so, we can still find that "Xuanwu" plays an irreplaceable role in Dandao. When discussing how to cultivate the mind in order to bring the "Three Danes" back to life, the mind method talks about "getting up in the morning and tying the rope as evidence". This "Tianyi" is the symbol conversion of Xuanwu, because the method of "Heluo" is like counting, Tianyi lives in the north, where the water is. Tian Xuan Apocalypse said that after the son reached the infinite road, he was called Xuan Di "returning to his place", which is not contradictory to the "providence" in the mental method.
In addition, "Heart Law" has the article "Trinity must rise, there must be discipline". Its interpreter said: "Trinity people are allowed to go to Three Danes, and everyone has his own way to return to the soul and keep a new one." As far as medicine is concerned, the method of four qi, bones and muscles is no different from that of flesh and blood, without losing its essence. Don't let it get angry when it loses its yin and yang at the beginning of each month. Judging from the method of counting ninety-nine a day, this trinity method is not an inner trinity method. It takes twelve months, the fire is controlled at twelve o'clock, twelve people, it is like gossip and five elements. " The statement about "trinity" comes from Laozi's Tao Te Ching, which says "Tao gives birth to one, two, three and everything." The letter three is one. This "one" is a very important concept in Taoism. Ge Hong's "The Truth of the Earth in Bao Puzi" says: "The Tao begins with one, and you have no husband and wife, each living in one place, so it is like heaven and earth, so it is called the Trinity." The sky is clear, the land is peaceful, people are alive and God is spiritual. "Thus, the so-called" trinity "is divided into three and merged into one. As far as Jiugong Bagua is concerned, the five elements are born together, rotating at four seasons, and returning to the origin. This "one" is still the position of Xuanwu.
Another name for Xuanwu
Its six regional names.
Xuanwu can also refer to Xuanwu District in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.
There is a Xuanwu town in the northwest of Luyi County, Henan Province, which is the local economic center and economic development zone. Its main industries are tanning, shoemaking and pharmacy.
The name of the seventh cartoon character
Name: Xuanwu
Identity: one of the twelve gods of Abe Harumi.
Ability: to manipulate water
Number of appearances: about 1 1 words, 18 points.
Seiyuu: Junko Minagawa
Twelve kings who exchanged contracts with the enigma and obeyed the enigma as ritual gods. Because they are born of people's wishes, they must never hurt people. They are fire generals Tengshe (Red Lotus) and Suzaku, wind generals Taiyin and Baihu, wood generals Qinglong and Liuhe, water generals Xuanwu and valiant Kouchin. Others are Tianyi, Tianhou, Taijyou and the sky.
Calm personality, it seems that he is often bullied by the moon.
Handsome in appearance, like a teenager, but actually very old.
Eight immortals-Xuanwu
One of the four holy envoys sent by the Ghost King. In fact, Zhu Xianzhong's Xuanwu is just a tiny figure, adding a little color to the name of a god beast. Zhu Xian didn't describe the mystery and power of god beast well.