Chinese Gods and Folklore Character Glossary

A-G H-P Q-Z

Sakyamuni - Buddha
Sakyamuni, "The Buddha", is the founder of the Buddhist faith and the deity who taught what today is referred to as Buddhism. He lived during the sixth century BC in India as Prince Siddartha, the heir to the king of Kapilavasta. When he was twenty-nine he saw an elderly beggar and realized that no one can escape their destiny. Leaving his palace, wife and son, he searched many places and many ways for the truth. He attained enlightenment at the age of thirty-five. He preached the way to attain enlightenment for the next forty-five years and died around 480 BC in Kusinagara. He showed by his personal example the way to religious salvation.

Ti-Tsang Wang
Ti-Tsang Wang is a major Buddhist deity in China. He is the Savior of Souls in the Underworld. He is the compassionate and merciful Bodhisattva, protector and friend of the dying and dead. He supports and comforts the poor and hungry.

Wen Shu Pusa
Wen Shu is one of the five great contemplative Bodhisattva and one of the twelve divine Buddhist teachers. Full of kindness and the personification of knowledge and thought, he is prayed to by monks and scholars to dispel their ignorance. He also solves difficult religious questions. He is usually shown sitting on a lion.

Yaoshi
The “Healing Teacher,” Yaoshi is often known as the Medicine Buddha. His specific task is to dispense spiritual medicine to devotees and is believed by many to have the power to heal physical ailments also. He is usually shown as a seated Buddha wearing monk’s robes and holding a small medicine jar representing his healing powers.

Wenshu
This bodhisattva is most often associated with wisdom, specifically the wisdom of the Buddha. He is represented wearing a crown, robes and princely jewelry and sometimes is portrayed as a young boy with his hair tied in several chignons (usually five). He holds a sword in his right hand to cut through ignorance and a lotus in his left hand, representing the knowledge of the Buddha. Often he rides a white lion whose roar symbolizes the voice of the Buddhist Law.

Xuanzang
Xuanzang is the Buddhist monk who traveled from China to India and back in the seventh century in order to learn the true teachings of the Buddha. Over 16 years he and his group of pilgrims traveled 10,000 miles across deserts and glaciers to India where he studied Mahayana Buddhism and wrote many works. He is not worshiped as a diety but is revered as a major figure in the development of Chinese Buddhism. He is usually represented as a pilgrim monk with a shaved head, a monk’s robes and straw sandals. He usually carries a square backpack full of texts which also served as a sun shade for the long walk through the desert.

Yu Huang Shang Di
Also known as the Lord of Heaven (Tien Kung),Yu Huang Shang Di is a first rank mythological deity. He is the Supreme Ruler of the Heavens, of the Underworld and Protector of Humanity. All Buddhist, Taoist and popular religion deities are his subordinates. In many parts of China, he was considered too holy, too awesome and too powerful to be represented by an image and only a tablet bearing his title was placed on the altar (temple).

Zhong Kui - Ghost & Demon Slayer
Zhong Kui is the exorcist par excellence. He is a personal protector, a family household deity. His picture is hung up at the end of the year, or on the 5th day of the 5th month to scare away evil spirits and demons. He is sometimes portrayed with a black face, protruding eyes and curly back beard. He is dressed in red robe, boots and wears a traditional Chinese Governor hat. He usually holds a mystic sword which can kill the demons and ghosts. He is often portrayed accompanied by a bat. In Chinese culture, a bat symbolizes good luck and good fortune.

The origin of Zhong Kui is somewhat unclear. Below are two of the most popular versions:

It has been said that Wu Daozi of the Tang Dynasty was the creator of Zhong Kui. Emperor Ming Huang was afflicted with malaria fever which resisted all treatment. One night he had a strange dream that a big ghost dressed in blue, sporting a large hat and chasing a small ghost. Having caught it, he hollowed out the eyes and started to devour it. The emperor addressing the ghost asked who he was. "I am Zhong Kui, one of those who failed at the palace examination. Now my mission in life is to exterminate all the world's evil spirits." He then vanished without a trace. Upon waking the emperor's ailment was completely cured. He told We Daozi about his dream and commanded him to record it in a painting.

Another version of Zhong Kui's origin is that he is a scholar who lives with his sister in the mountains of Western China. He greatly wished to attend the state examinations but lacked the money for the journey. A rich benefactor gives him money for the long journey along with a sword. On his way to the state exam, he comes across a temple who's monks are feasting in celebration. Getting drunk, he swears at the monks and spoils the feast. In a drunken rage he screams "If demons can harm men, they should be destroyed, not honored with a feast such as this." The spirits in hell complain to Guan Yin who pardons Zhong Kui but the Buddha decides he must be punished. While drunk and passed out he is attacked by demons who alter his appearance by turning his face black and giving him a comical beard. Zhong Kui eventually takes and passes the examination but is turned down for service due to his hideous appearance. In shame, he commits suicide. Once in hell, he is admired for his hatred of demons and is given an army of soldiers to help him slay demons. Some stories say he is the guardian to the bridge leading into the underworld.

A-G H-P Q-Z