What does Xuanwu mean?

Xuanwu, one of the four spirits, is a kind of spirit composed of turtles and snakes. Xuanwu originally meant Xuanming, and the ancient sounds of Wu and Ming are interlinked. Wu means black; Ghost means yin. At first, Xuan Ming described the tortoise's divination as follows: the tortoise's back is black, and the tortoise's divination is to invite the tortoise to the underworld to ask questions, 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 the divination of Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Shang Dynasty was' its divination will be in the north', so Xuan Ming became a northern god again.

The name of Xuanwu is one of the names of gods.

"The Songs of Chu Travel Far": "Call Xuanwu, run to the genus." Wang Yi's note: "Call the Taiyin God to make Cheng Weiye." Hong Xingzu also said:' Xuanwu is called tortoise and snake because it is located in the north, and it is called Xuan because it has scales. Cai Yong said:' Xuanwu in the north is the best place for insects. Notes in Selected Works:' Tortoise and snake intersect as Xuanwu. "And" Book of Rites Quli ":Zhu bird moves forward, and then proclaims martial arts." Kong Ying Da sparse: "Xuanwu, turtle also." Wang Liangchuan: "The name of Xuanwu Water God." Li Xian's Note: "Xuanwu, the God of the North, the tortoise and the snake are one." According to Xuanwu, the Taoist Zhenwu Emperor, it was forbidden to change the mysterious into the true in the Song Dynasty. Later, Taoism worshipped Zhenwu, with turtles and snakes beside it. Tang Duanshicheng's "Youyang Miscellaneous Zhi Nuo Gorge": "Taoist Zhu visited Lushan Mountain in Taihe eight years, and suddenly he saw a flat quilt like a pile of cotton, so he was hungry. That is the legendary supernatural change.

In ancient times, people imagined some stars in the north as turtles and snakes, and called them divine kings. In folk beliefs, divine kings have the following divine characteristics:

(A) the 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 a basalt, empty and dangerous". Rebuilding the Six Rivers Map of the Weft Book Integration Volume: "North Hei Di, famous for 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 northern god 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 Xuanwu's water god attribute is quite valued and believed by the people.

(3) The God of Reproduction

In ancient China, great divine power was always compared with the phenomenon of the sympathetic evolution of all things, and the reproductive divine power was worshipped. The snake itself is a symbol of reproduction. Xuanwu appeared in the shape of tortoise and snake, which 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 used the example of tortoise and snake to explain that Yin and Yang must cooperate: "Guan Guan Sui dove, in Jiangzhou, is a gentle and graceful lady, the husband is not lonely, and the mother 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 turtle ce chuan said: "The old people in the south use turtles to support their beds, and they are in their twenties. When the old man died, he moved the bed. The tortoise was not dead. Turtles can guide qi. " "Bao Puzi" contains: Chengyang hunted when he was frugal, fell into an empty tomb, and was hungry and cold. I saw a chinemys reevesii in the tomb, counted it, turned around, swerved, swallowed, 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's seven nights of Xuanwu is also called Nandou." The Star Classic says: "There are six stars in the south, and the emperor's life span is also the prime minister's position. "Gambao of Jin Dynasty (born around 3 16) quoted Guan Ju as saying:" Nandou is reborn, Beidou is dead again ". Fighting in the south can prolong life. 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

"Shu Yao Dian": "The stars are empty in the night, and Zhong Qiu is overcast." Legend: "The virtual one is the star of Xuanwu." According to Xuanwu, it is the floorboard of seven nights in the north.

Its three directions

"Four-god pattern tiles" were very popular in the Han Dynasty, including four animals, namely, Qinglong, White Tiger, 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" is the "city wall". "Three Walls" is the "Wei Zi Wall", symbolizing 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 appears; At the turn of spring and summer, Xuanwu rose; 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 let the tortoise go to the underworld to ask his ancestors, 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 the divination of Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Shang Dynasty was' its divination will be in the north', so Xuan Ming became a northern god again.

Xuanwu, like other three spirits, is also derived from the 28 stars on earth: bucket, ox, female, air, danger, house and wall. However, people after ancient times have the following explanations for Xuanwu. Xuanwu' is a tortoise. "。 Volume 44 of Emperor Tai Shang Ru Zhai Yi calls North Xuanwu Star Jun: "Dou Su Tian Miao Xing Jun, Niu Su Tian Ji Xing Jun, Female Su Tian Nv Jun, Xu Su Tian Qing Xing Jun, Su Su Tian Qian Xing Jun, Su Su Su Tian Qi Xing Jun, Su Bi Shi Tianxing Jun". As for its image, Jiao Tong's Essentials of Daomen has seven clouds: "North Xuanwu, Taiyin Metaplasia, and Virtual Danger. "At the same time, Taoism also uses it in alchemy. For example, Volume 72 of Yun Qi Tanabata quoted the Dan of the Four Gods in ancient books and records as saying: "Xuanwu is the black mercury in northern China, which 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't be abandoned temporarily, and it can support everything, so it is called Xuanwu.

Xuanwu gained value in the Song Dynasty and was personified. This is inseparable from the help of the emperors of the Song Dynasty. In the early Song Dynasty, Zhenwu and Tian Peng were legendary generals in heaven. In the first year of Tianxi, something happened in the military camp. In "The Original" for seven years:' Someone saw a snake in the camp, and the sergeant built a real martial arts school because of it. In April of the following year, the spring was inexhaustible, and the sick people drank more. When Zhenzong heard this, he wrote a letter and built a landscape there, named it' Xiangyuan'. This is probably the earliest Zhenwu Temple in China. It is often said by later generations that during the reign of Yang Di, the Jade Emperor became one of his three souls, Empress Lezheng, tired of the world, abandoned Wudang Mountain for practice, and successfully ascended to heaven, defended the north and lived in Xuanwu, posthumous title. Speaking of Xuanwu changing its name to Zhenwu, it is to avoid the taboo of Laozhao's ancestors. 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 supreme old gentleman. 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 "the holy book from heaven" with the minister, saying that "the holy father holds a dream" is also a great imperial edict for the whole world. The emperor makes a decision, who dares to say no? Taoism does not openly oppose it, but it does not admit it. And this holy father made up by the true Sect is called "Zhao", and Xuanwu changed its 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 homes" or "twenty-eight stars". In ancient China, in order to observe the astronomical phenomena and the movements of the five stars of the sun, the moon and the moon, 28 star officials were selected as observation signs, which were called "Twenty-eight Hostels". It is divided into four groups on average, and each group has seven nights, which is called "four elephants" and "four spirits" in Taoism, with four directions of east, west, north and south and animal images such as black dragon, white tiger, suzaku and Xuanwu. 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, Zhu bird followed Xuanwu, left Qinglong and right White Tiger." Confucius said, "Zhuniao, Xuanwu, Qinglong and Baihu are called four places together." Shu Wei's "Shang Shu Kao Ling Yao" in the Han Dynasty says: "Twenty-eight lodgings, the breath of heaven, the essence of all things. Therefore, the Oriental Corner, Kang, Bian, Fu, 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 stayed for seven nights, which looked like quail birds and were called' former Suzaku'. In the west, there are Wei Xiao, Lou, Wei, Chang, Bi, Gou and Shen for seven nights, which are shaped like tigers and called' right white tigers'. In the north, fighting, cows, women, emptiness, danger, rooms and walls stay for seven nights. It looks like a tortoise and snake and is called' Wu Hou'. " Taoism personifies this celestial phenomenon, gives it a name, clothing color and title, and worships it. "Seven Stars Cloud" Volume 24 "Twenty-four Nights" said: "A is the God of Guanyang, the Lord of Stars, the God of Jiuyang, surnamed Bin Ming, dressed in green and mysterious clothes, and the Lord of Stars. B is from the official Yin God, the Lord of Kangxing God, the Four Yin God, surnamed Sima, the naked horsehead sword, and the Lord of Kangxing God. " For the next 26 nights. "Shen Dong five-star Sun Moon Tonghui Inn" also describes the appearance and behavior of these 28 inns. "As the saying goes," the essence of the star of the claw often walks around the temple after the birthday in spring, wearing a moustache, asking questions about Zen rituals, ... or swimming to the hotel to drink by yourself, ... the knower asks, showing more people's health-preserving sowing skills. Kang, Di and Fang are the essence of Samsung. 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 famous teachers, just like many immortal figures. From the aspect of "learning from others", we can also find its close relationship with Dan Dao. "Xuan Apocalypse" Volume 1 records such a story:

Xuan Di read wholeheartedly, thinking it was the boundless Tao of Yuan Junjiao, the son of Jade Qing. Told: "I can swim across the East China Sea, with mountains under my wings, and hover 50,000 miles from the stem." . Water flowed out of the earthquake palace. With Tai Chi, a mountain is born. It should be clear that there are 72 peaks and 36 rocks in Tai 'an and Huangya, which are extremely windy. Children can go into the mountains and choose peaks. People who rush to the purple sky live there. They are harmonious. After the promotion, at the age of 500, I was in heaven. When I robbed Han Long for the second time, I was really fine. After all, I recovered. I am the assistant minister of the Three Realms, the next great sage, and I am famous for robbery. I live in harmony with the sky, the earth, the sun and the moon and have achieved fruitful results. After telling this story, Yuan Jun rose to the clouds and left.

This story can also be found in the third volume of "Tai Shang Huang said that Tian Xuansheng reached Zhenwu's original biography of the magical classics". As can be seen from its plot, our "teacher" is called "Zi". According to Taoist address habits, the high-standard female fairy is called "Yuan Jun", which shows that Zi Yuanjun is a woman. Where does she live? The writing of Tian Xuan Apocalypse adds the attribute of "Jade Qing Sage" before Zi Yuan Jun, which not only shows Zi Yuan Jun's position in Taoist fairyland, but also shows that she is 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 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, and it is difficult for us ordinary mortals to find out Xuan Di's student status 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 popular process. There is a classic in the Taoist scriptures called Zi Yuan Jun's Method of Teaching Taoism and Transmitting Mind (hereinafter referred to as Mind Method), and its title is Shen Xian Yin Zhu. Since it is a "note", it shows 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 (88- 105 reigned) in the Eastern Han Dynasty. He walked out of the door of wealth and became a good fairy. When he heard that Ma Chengxian had become an immortal, he left home and converted to his door. He followed him around 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 could not bear to learn Taoism, except for Yin Changsheng, who did not change his original intention and held ceremonies more frequently. He gained the trust of A?vagho?a, brought him to Qingcheng Mountain as an alchemist in the first year of Guangyuan (122), and built an altar next to the tripod to teach Taiqing Shendan Sutra. Yin Changsheng returned to China from another division, and made alchemy medicine according to the prescription of single crystal, and refined more than 100,000 Jin of gold, which was widely used by the world. After serving Dan, his family lived for 300 years, and then he died. Judging from Yin Changsheng's life story, he is obviously a master of foreign alchemy and should belong to foreign alchemists. However, there are a lot of comments criticizing foreign orders in the book Notes of Yin Zhenren. For example: "Immortals should not make wrong intentions, and they will become yellow medicine if they take it by mistake." This is to warn people not to mechanically understand the drugs in the immortal scriptures as products such as refining gold and silver and taking medicine abroad. In addition, the psychological method also criticizes such things as "abstinence", "persuasion" and "guidance" and regards these things as side roads. This is obviously speaking from the standpoint of the Neidan faction. As far as the development of the history of Taoist thought is concerned, although the thought of Inner Dan existed in Wei Boyang's Book of Changes in the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was not clearly stated 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 Taoist method of Zhongwan, and refused to eat and have a rest by ancestral inner alchemy. 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 allows us to see the evolution 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. The Apocalypse of Tian Xuan said that Yuan Jun, the son of Yuan Jun, was called Xuan Di's "returning to the standard", which is not contrary to the meaning of "Tianyi" in the psychological method.

In addition, "Heart Law" has the article "Trinity must rise, there must be discipline". Its interpreter said, "The Trinity has to go to the Three Immortals, and each one has his own soul to keep one law. As far as medicine is concerned, the method of four qi, bones and muscles is the same as that of the same 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 days, this trinity method is not an internal trinity method. It takes twelve months, the fire is controlled at twelve o'clock, twelve people, just like gossip and five elements. " The statement about "Trinity" comes from Laozi's Tao Te Ching, which says that "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 "Bao Puzi's Inner Chapter: The Truth of the Earth" says: "The Tao begins with one, and you have no husband and wife, so you live in one place, so it is like heaven and earth, so it is called the Trinity." The sky is high and the clouds are light, the ground is flat, people live, and the gods. "Visible, the so-called" trinity "is divided into three, two into one. As far as Jiugong Bagua is concerned, the five elements are born together, rotating at four o'clock and returning to the original. 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.

Xuanwu Town, located in the northwest of Luyi County, Henan Province, 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 word, 18 points.

Seiyuu: Junko Minagawa

Exchange contracts with enigmatic people and obey the enigmatic Twelve Kings as ritual gods. Because they are born of people's will, they must not hurt people. They are Teng Snake (red lotus) and Suzaku of General Fire, Taiyin and White Tiger of General Wind, Qinglong and Liuhe of General Wood, Xuanwu of General Water and Kouchin of General Meng. Others are Tianyi, Tianhou, Taijyou and the sky.

Calm personality, as if 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.