

It was believed that the ferociously devoted Pixiu would always and constantly guard its master, even after he passed from this life onto the next world. It is written that Pixiu patrol the Heavens to keep demons at bay and to protect their owners from all harm. Pixiu also guard against disease caused by these evil spirits. The large fangs visible in their mouths are used to attack demons and evil spirits, draining their essence and converting it to wealth. Pixiu have a reputation of being fierce creatures. He then sealed his rectum and declared that from then on, Pixiu could only eat things representing wealth. The Dragon King became very angry and used magic to turn Pixiu into an animal. One day, Pixiu played on the Dragon King's desk and accidentally broke a seal that represented the power of the Dragon King. The Jade Emperor further declared that the diet of the Pixiu would be restricted to gold, silver, and jewels.Īnother story describes the Pixiu as the well-behaved, youngest son of the Dragon King and was spoiled by its parents. The spanking was hard enough to cause its anus to be permanently sealed. When it was found out, it was punished by a spanking from the Jade Emperor. One story of the Pixiu says that it violated a law of Heaven by defecating on the floor of Heaven. Imperial Pixiu used during the Qing dynasty developed the physical characteristic of a fatter, more rotund body, indicating a stomach that could be loaded with unlimited amounts of gold and all forms of wealth and good fortune.ĭue to their similar appearances, Pixiu are often confused with stone lions and qilin, but they can easily be distinguished from those two animals by its pair of feathered wings with which it can fly between Heaven and Earth. Many have a bifurcated (split) tail that hangs low and downward that covers its rear, a representative metaphor that they hold gold inside their stomachs but will not let it out. There is one ancient stone sculpture variation found with hooves, but all Pixiu have wings. Pixiu have protruding eyes and sharp teeth. As with the Chinese phoenix, the common image today represents a single gender with one antler (male). Īncient Chinese descriptions, depictions and stone carvings of Pixiu from the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) show the male with a single antler and the female with two. In modern times, this legendary creature’s historical physical appearance has been somewhat lost, and is now more commonly depicted with only one antler. They have the head of a Chinese dragon, the body of a lion, and historically sport on their heads either one antler (male) or two antlers (female). Their legend has been passed down through 2,000 years of Chinese lore. Pixiu are auspicious, winged animals, written about in ancient Chinese history and heralded through the millennia by fantastic stories of powerful and grandiose feats of victory in battle. Today, Pixiu are a popular design on jade pendants. Statues of this creature are often used to attract wealth in feng shui. Pixiu crave the smell of gold and silver and like to bring their masters money in their mouth. Displaying Tiānlù at home or in the office is said to prevent wealth from flowing away. When it returns to its master's house, the Bìxié is then said to guard the riches. It is said to go out into the world to search for gold and other forms of wealth. Tiānlù ( 天祿 tiānlù t'ien-lu): The male of the species is in charge of wealth.It is also believed that Bìxié have the ability to assist anyone who is suffering from bad feng shui from having offended Tai Sui ( 太歲).


"to ward off evil spirits"): The female of the species wards off evil. The one with two antlers is the female and is called a Bìxié, and the one with one antler is the male and is called a Tiānlù. There are two types of Pixiu that are categorised by their antlers. Therefore, traditionally to the Chinese, Pixiu have always been regarded as auspicious creatures that possessed mystical powers capable of drawing cai qi ( 財氣 wealth) from all directions, and according to the Chinese zodiac, it is especially helpful for those who are going through a bad year. A Pixiu is an earth and sea variation, particularly an influential and auspicious creature for wealth, and is said to have a voracious appetite exclusively for gold, silver, and jewels. Pixiu are considered powerful protectors of feng shui practitioners, and resemble strong, winged lions.

Pixiu ( 貔貅 píxiū P'i-hsiu Old Chinese ( ZS) * bi-qʰu) is a Chinese mythical hybrid creature.
