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The qilin ( ; ) is a legendary hooved chimerical creature that appears in Chinese mythology, and is said to appear with the imminent arrival or death of a sage or illustrious ruler. Qilin are a specific type of the lin mythological family of one-horned beasts. The qilin also appears in the mythologies of other Chinese-influenced cultures.
The bisyllabic form qilin (麒麟 ~ 騏驎), which carries the same generic meaning as lin alone, is attested in works dated to the Warring States period (475–221 BCE). Qi denotes the male and lin denotes the female ChinaKnowledge.de according to Shuowen Jiezi. SWJZ Radical 鹿" quote: "麟：大牝鹿也。……麒：仁獸也。麋身牛尾，一角。……麐：牝麒也。" translation: " Lín (麟) : a large female deer. ... Qí (麒): a humane beast. With elaphure's body, ox's tail, and one horn. ... Lín (麐): female qí."Parker, Jeannie Thomas (2018) The Mythic Chinese unicorn. Victoria: Friesen Press. p. 44
The legendary image of the qilin became associated with the image of the giraffe in the Ming dynasty. 此“麟”非彼“麟”专家称萨摩麟并非传说中麒麟 The identification of the qilin with giraffes began after Zheng He's 15th-century Treasure voyages (landing, among other places, in modern-day Somalia). The Ming Dynasty bought giraffes from the Somali merchants along with zebras, incense, and various other exotic animals. Zheng He's fleet brought back two giraffes to Nanjing and they were mistaken by the emperor for the mythical creature. The identification of qilin with giraffes has had a lasting influence: even today, the same word is used for the mythical animal and the giraffe in both Korean and Japanese.Parker, J. T.: "The Mythic Chinese Unicorn" Axel Schuessler reconstructs Old Chinese pronunciation of as * gərin. Finnish linguist Juha Janhunen tentatively compares * gərin to an etymon reconstructed as * kalimV,Janhunen, J. (2011). "Unicorn, Mammoth, Whale: mythological and etymological connections of zoonyms in North and East Asia". Linguistics, Archaeology and the Human Past, Occasional Paper, 12, 189–222. denoting "whale"; and represented in the language isolate Nivkh language and four different language families Tungusic, Mongolic, Turkic languages and Samoyedic, wherein * kalay(ә)ng means "whale" (in Nenets languages) and * kalVyǝ "mammoth" (in Enets language and Nganasan). As even aborigines "vaguely familiar with the underlying real animals" often confuse the whale, mammoth, and unicorn: they conceptualized the mammoth and whale as aquatic, as well as the mammoth and unicorn possessing a single horn; for inland populations, the extant whale "remains... an abstraction, in this respect being no different from the extinct mammoth or the truly mythical unicorn." However, Janhunen cautiously remarks that "the formal and semantic similarity between * kilin < * gilin ~ * gïlin 'unicorn' and * kalimV 'whale' (but also Samoyedic * kalay- 'mammoth') is sufficient to support, though perhaps not confirm, the hypothesis of an etymological connection", and also notes a possible connection between Old Chinese and Mongolian (*) kers ~ (*) keris ~ (*) kiris "rhinoceros" (Khalkha: хирс).
The qilin is depicted throughout a wide range of Chinese art, sometimes with parts of their bodies on fire.
Legends tell that qilin have appeared in the Chinese gardens of the legendary Yellow Emperor and in the capital of Emperor Yao; both events bore testimony to the benevolent nature of the rulers. It has also been told that the birth of the great sage Confucius was foretold by the arrival of a qilin.
Nevertheless, the mythical and etymological connections between the creatures have been noted by various cultural studies and even the Chinese government, which has minted silver, gold, and platinum commemorative coins depicting both archetypal creatures.
In modern Korean, the term "girin" is used for "giraffe".
In Phra Aphai Mani, the masterpiece epic poem of Sunthorn Phu, a renowned poet of the 18th century, there is a monster that is Sudsakorn's steed, one of the main characters in the epic. This creature was called "Ma Nin Mangkorn" (, "ceylonite dragon horse") and is depicted as having diamond fangs, ceylonite scales, and a birthmark on the tongue. It was a mixture of horse, dragon, deer antlers, fish scales, and Phaya Nak tail, and has black sequins all over. Its appearance resembles a qilin.
The Qilin costume features a single horn in the middle, with finned ridges lined with fur. The dance involves graceful and synchronized movements that mimic cats and tigers. The performance routine typically tells of a Qilin exiting its lair, playfully move round, and looking for vegetable to eat. After eating from the vegetable, it spits it out, and it also spits a jade book, before moving around and returning back to its lair.
The dance is accompanied by music played on traditional Chinese instruments, including drums, flutes, and cymbals. Today, similar to the Chinese Lion and Dragon dances, the Qilin dance is commonly performed during important Chinese celebrations and festivals, such as Chinese New Year and weddings, it is also performed to preserve cultural traditions and enhance community cohesion.
==Gallery==
Qilin as unicorns
In modern times, the depictions of qilin have often fused with the Western concept of unicorns, and qilin (麒麟) is often translated into English as "unicorn". The Han dynasty dictionary Shuowen Jiezi describes qi as single-horned, and it can sometimes be depicted as having a Unicorn horn. The translation, however, may be misleading, as qilin can also be depicted as having two horns. In modern Chinese, "one-horned beast" (labels=no) is used for "unicorns". A number of different Chinese mythical creatures can be depicted with a single horn, and a qilin depicted with one horn may be called a "one-horned qilin" in Chinese.
Other cultural representations
Japan
Kirin, which has also come to be used as the modern Japanese word for a giraffe, are similar to qilin. Japanese art tends to depict the kirin as more deer-like than in Chinese art. Alternatively, it is depicted as a dragon shaped like a deer, but with an ox's tail instead of a lion's tail. They are also often portrayed as partially unicorn-like in appearance, but with a backwards curving horn.
Korea
Girin or kirin (기린) is the Korean language form of qilin. It is described as a maned creature with the torso of a deer, an ox tail with the hoof of a horse. The girin were initially depicted as more deer-like, however over time they have transformed into more horse-like. 기린 : 네이버캐스트 They were one of the four divine creatures along with the Korean dragon, Fenghuang, and turtle. Girin were extensively used in Korean royal and Buddhist arts.
Thailand
In Thailand, the qilin is known as "italics=no" (), and is a member of the pantheon of Thai Himavanta forest mythical animals. It is most probable that the Gilen was introduced into the pantheon under the influence of the Tai Yai who came down from Southern China to settle in Siam in ancient times, and the legend was probably incorporated into the Himapant legends of Siam in this manner. The Gilen is a mixture of various animals which come from differing elemental environments, representing elemental magical forces present within each personified creature. Many of the Himapant animals actually represent gods and devas of the Celestial Realms, and , who manifest as personifications which represent the true nature of each creature deity through the symbolism of the various body parts amalgamated into the design of the Mythical creature.
Qilin Dance
The Qilin dance is traditionally performed by the Hakka people. The Qilin is a mythical creature believed to symbolize good fortune, prosperity, and harmony, and performers wear ornate Qilin costumes with vibrant colors and intricate details to resemble the mythical creature.
(Qing dynasty, 19th century)]] in Gulistan (1582)]] encountering a qilin, depicted in Jiao Bingzhen Virtuous Empresses and Empresses Dowager in Successive Dynasties'' (Qing dynasty, 18th century)]] in the dragon, fish, and ox style (Ming dynasty, )]]
See also
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