Reporter: OFIMA, ROWENA G.

BSED English 3

Chinese Mythology
(Gods of Heavens, Earth and Underworld)

According to Chinese popular religion, there are three domains in the cosmos —Heaven, Earth, and the
Underworld — and each domain is populated by a host of important gods and goddesses. 
-He records the names and allotted date of
death for every person in the world and also acts
 Pangu (盤古) as a judge for these souls when they die.
-The guardians of hell, Ox-Head ( 牛 頭 )
- god of creation and Horse-Face (馬面), bring newly dead souls
to Yanluo Wang for judgement, who will then be
-known as the first living being and sentenced to either torture and atonement in hell,
the creator of all in Chinese cosmology. or sent on to a good next life in the cycle of
reincarnation.
Yin(earth) and Yang(heaven) became balanced in
the egg, and eventually, Pangu emerged.

 Jade Emperor(玉皇)  Guanyin (觀音)

-the supreme ruler of the pantheon of gods.   -goddess of mercy and compassion

- human-like representation of one of the first
Chinese gods.  -One of the most well-known figure
-was considered the great ancestor of all
Chinese, who gave the -depicted as a woman in white robes,
people culture, architecture, skill holding a vase and a willow branch.
in battle, agriculture, controlled the weather,
regulated the seasons, and was king over the other -she hears people’s sorrows and woes and is
gods, human beings, and nature. the embodiment of empathy, kindness, and
grace, a loving matriarchal figure.

-one of the most beloved of all gods and

 Xiwangmu (西王母) deities. 

- the Queen Mother of the West

-an ancient being who holds power
over longevity and eternal bliss.  Wendi (文昌王) and Wudi (武帝)
- describe as the wife of the Jade Emperor.
-she is also in charge of giving human -this pair is best known for being the deities
emperors the Mandate of Heaven, approving of civil and martial affairs.
their rule over the Chinese world.
Wendi is the deity of culture and literature.

 Yanluo Wang (閻王) Wudi is the deity of military and martial affairs.

-Also known as Jim Wong ( 閻 王 ) or

sometimes Lord Yama
-who rules over the underworld.   Wong Tai Sin (黃大仙)
-Depicted with bright red skin, a long black
beard, a menacingly stern expression, and -a poor shepherd who learned the way of
accompanied by minions of hell, the fearsome Taoism from an immortal and, after years of
Yanluo Wang is nevertheless a fair god.
solitary practise himself, also achieved
miraculous feats and immortality.  carrying a walking stick and a peach of
 Caishen (財神)
-Chinese god of wealth and prosperity
- often invoked during Chinese New Year’s
celebration, with people imploring the deity
to be kind to them (and therefore their
pockets) in the coming year. During spring
cleaning, one is always told not to sweep
their floors out toward their front doors,
because Caishen might be hanging around
and you might be literally sweeping him—
and the wealth that he brings—straight out the
door.
-he oversees the realms of a happy family
and a secure and respectable job.
 Yue Lao (月老)
-Shortened from Yue Xia Laoren, literally
meaning “Old Man under the Moon”
- Chinese deity of love and marriage.
-He is a matchmaker, carrying around
a red silk string which he uses to tie fated
lovers together, appearing when the moon is
in the sky.
 The Three Stars
- represent the top three traditional
qualities of a good life:
namely prosperity ( 福 ; fuk1; fú), status ( 祿 ;
luk6; lù), and longevity (壽; sau6; shoù).
-The trio are often portrayed together in
statues, paintings, and ornaments.  contraption for sieges—grappling hooks, and
-Fuxing is usually depicted with children
or sometimes a scroll;
- Luxing wears a Mandarin official’s
robes and is associated with luck in passing
imperial examinations; 
-Shouxing is typically a bald old man
immortality.
 Mazu (媽祖)
- Chinese goddess of the sea 
-widely worshipped along coastal regions
of China and Southeast Asia.
-also sometimes referred to as Tin Hau
( 天 后 ) in Chinese mythology, meaning
“Heavenly Empress.”
As legend has it, she was a mortal girl
born in Fujian who learned the Taoist
arts and once saved her father and
brother during a typhoon. After dying
at a young age, she became the patron
saint of fishermen in her home area, and
the worship soon spread to other sea-
faring folks.
Eventually, her fame grew enough that emperors
had bestowed posthumous titles on her, and she
became known as Tin Hau. Because Hong Kong
is a coastal city which used to be mostly populated
by fisherfolk, we have a large number of Tin Hau
temples dotted across the territories, all dedicated
to Mazu, who fishermen pray to for smooth
voyages and a safe return to shore.
 Lu Ban (魯班)
- is a skilled inventor and engineer from
the Zhou dynasty period, though other
versions of the story tell of a man from Gansu
who built a kite that could lift him off the
ground. He was credited with inventing the
cloud ladder—a mobile, counterweighted
the saw, among other tools.
- Nowadays, he is the patron deity of
builders, carpenters, and contractors.
Other Chinese Goddesses
Bixia ( 碧 霞 ) is a Chinese fertility goddess who
protects young children and mothers. Also
associated with the dawn, she set the perilous
Yellow River back in its place during the Great
Flood of China.
Chang’e ( 嫦 娥 ) is the Chinese goddess of the
moon, best known for stealing an elixir of
immortality from her husband, Hou Yi. Her story
is celebrated as part of the annual Mid-Autumn
Festival.
Changxi ( 常 羲 ) is a lunar goddess in Chinese
mythology. She is the mother of the twelve
moons, which can either be taken literally or to
mean she originated the twelve calendar months
of the year.
Leizi, formally known as Dianmu ( 電 母 ) is the
Chinese lightning goddess, married to the thunder
god Lei Gong. She uses polished mirrors to form
lightning and works with her husband and three
assistants to create storms.
Doumu ( 斗 母 ), whose name means “Mother of
the Big Dipper,” is one of Chinese mythology’s
foundational deities. She is the female counterpart
to Tian, the Daoist concept of male heavenly
energy, and embodies mercy and love.
Nüba (女魃) is an ancient Chinese goddess known
to cause droughts. Fiercely loyal to her father, she
defended the Yellow Emperor against rebellion by
the gods of wind and rain.
Jiutian Xuannu ( 九 天 玄 女 ) is the beautiful
Chinese goddess of war, sex, and longevity. Her
magical abilities and strategic advice helped
powerful military commanders win pivotal battles
for China.
Nüwa ( 女 媧 ) is considered to be the first being
with the ability to procreate and is the creator of
all mankind. Ancient Chinese society was fiercely
matriarchal, so Nüwa, being the mother of all
humans, was considered a very important deity.
Other Chinese Gods
Di Jun (帝俊) is an ancient Chinese Emperor. He
is the father of the ten Suns that almost destroyed
the Earth. Di Jun’s name is composed of the
character for "emperor", dì (帝), and the word for
"handsome", jùn ( 俊 ). He is married to the sun
goddess, Xihe ( 羲 和 ), and the moon
goddess, Changxi (常羲).
Longwang ( 龍 王 ) lords over the seas and is
known as the “Dragon King.” He is a fearsome
guardian deity who controls all dragons, sea
creatures, the oceans, and the weather.
Erlang Shen (二郎神) has an all-seeing third eye
in the middle of his forehead. As the god of
engineering, he is considered to be one of the
greatest warrior gods of Heaven. Erlang Shen is a
folk hero god that helped calm catastrophic
flooding during ancient times.
Fuxi ( 伏 羲 ) is seen as mankind’s first male
ancestor in Chinese mythology. Along with being
a god of creation, he is revered as the inventor of
fishing, writing, and domesticating animals.
Lei Gong ( 雷 公 ) is the Chinese god of thunder,
who punishes sinful humans and evil demons
alike with his hammer. He carries a drum that
makes the sound of thunder, a warning against
immoral behavior.
Nezha (哪吒) is a precocious young Chinese deity
who watches over teenagers and professional
drivers. Enraged by his father’s actions after his
reincarnation, his eventual reconciliation with his  Zhōnglí Hàn ( 鍾 離 漢 )—Zhongli Han’s
parents is a classic example of filial piety. name is composed of the characters for
“concentrate” ( 鍾 ), “distance” ( 離 ), and
“han” ( 漢 ). His name translates as
“Zhongli of the Han Dynasty.”
The Menshen (門神), or “door gods,” are a pair of
Chinese deities who act as the guardians of
thresholds. The two brothers protect the occupants
of a building from demons and bad luck, feeding
interlopers to their pet tigers.

Shennong (神農) is the founder of agriculture and

the father of traditional Chinese medicine.
Concerned for the health of his village, he
experimented with different types of plants to test
their effects on the body.

Other Chinese Dieties

The Ba Xian ( 八 仙 ), or Eight Immortals, are a

legendary group of Chinese heroes who fight to
vanquish evil. Their status as fabled folk icons
makes them well-known in popular culture.

 Cáo Guójiù ( 曹 國 舅 )—This immortal’s

name translates literally as “Imperial
Brother-in-law Cao.”
 Hán Xiāngzi ( 韓 湘 子 )—Han Xiangzi’
name means “Han of the Xiang River.”
 Hé Xiāngū ( 何 仙 姑 )—The only woman
in the group, He Xiangu’s name translates
as “the Female Celestial Being.”
 Lán Cǎihé (藍采和)—Lan Caihe’s name
is comprised of the words for “blue” (藍),
“gather” (采), and “gentle (和).”
 Lǐ Tiěguǎi (李鐵拐)—Li Tieguai’s name
translates as “Iron-Crutch Li.”
 Lǚ Dòngbīn ( 呂 洞 賓 )—Lü Dongbin’s
name is made up of a character unique to
his name, “Lǚ” (呂), dòng (洞), which can
mean “hole” or “cave,” and bīn (賓) which
means “visitor.”
 Zhāng Guǒlǎo (張果老)—Zhang (張) is a
common Chinese last name, while
guǒ (果) means “fruit” and lǎo (老) means
“old.”