yámén. In many cases these tāotiè have been obliterated, and are nowadays replaced by the crossed flags of the Republic in token of patriotism, though occasionally a large red sun, the symbol of brightness and purity, is substituted.
The Beast of Greed is generally represented with two enormous eyes and powerful mandibles armed with curved tusks, and is said to have actually existed at the time of the Emperor Yáo, being banished from the realm by his successor Shùn. The term tāotiè is now generally used for a glutton, and an ogre with this name, having a huge belly and a thin face, is often seen on ancient bronze vessels and food utensils as a warning against self-indulgence.
Bee
(蜂)
Apis mellifica or the domestic bee (家蜜蜂), is chiefly found in the hill districts, and commonly kept by the monks of the mountain temples. The honey is employed for making sweetmeats and preserves, and the wax, coloured with vermilion, is used to enclose the tallow core or centre of the common candle. The Chinese bee is of a very gentle disposition.
“In China honey-bees are not cultivated to anything like the extent they are in other countries. . . . In the wilds of Shansi, Shensi, Kansu, and Szechuan, many of the villagers keep bees somewhat extensively, while in the Manchurian forest areas the settlers have learnt their value, and set out specially hollowed tree trunks, stood on end, to attract the wild bees when they swarm. But nowhere is apiculture reduced to an art or looked upon as much more than a profitable hobby.”17
The composition of the written symbol for the bee denotes that it is the awl (条), insect (虫), in reference to its sting. This creature is an emblem of industry and thrift, and a crowd of people is metaphorically compared to a swarm of bees, while honey mixed with oil is a euphemism for false friendship.
The Chinese bee is smaller than the foreign varieties.“Wild bees are also found. The natives smoke them, and thus capture them, wrapping them up in a cloth, and take them home to rear. The hives are curious-looking objects: some are like hour-glasses about two feet long, while others are not so willow-waisted, but more cylindrical in shape; both sorts are fastened high up horizontally against walls of buildings, or over the front door. The entrance to the hour-glass ones are at the ends, and to the cylindrical ones at the side in the middle. These apertures, of which there are several, are very small, being only large enough for the tiny insects to push through one at a time.”18 Beehives and apparatus in foreign style are also employed in apiculture in China to some extent, the hives being moved about from place to place during the summer where suitable flowers are blooming, at other times being fed with syrup.
Begging-bowl
(鉢多羅)
Sanskrit, Patra. Carried by priests and mendicants. The alms-bowl of Buddha is said to have been made of stone, and possessed of miraculous powers, but those in modern use are generally of wood. Buddhist priests, on their initiation, are presented with a gown, staff, water-pot, and begging-bowl for food.
Bell
(鐘)
Bells have been known in China from the highest antiquity, and heralds, commissioned by the sovereign, used them to convene assemblies of the people to hear the imperial will and receive instruction.
The large hanging bell without a clapper (鐘) is struck to mark the periods of Buddhist or Confucian worship. A set of 16 smaller bells (編鐘), hung on a frame, was used at Confucian services. The hand-bell (鈴), Sanskrit, Ghanta, with clapper, is generally of brass and is used in ritualistic observances by Buddhist, Lama, and Taoist priests. Wind-bells (風鈴) are fixed to the corners of the eaves of temples, etc., and ring when the wind blows. The sound of the sacred bells is believed to disperse the evil spirits.“The duó (譯), or tocsin, is an ordinary bell having either a metal or wooden tongue, and a handle at the apex. Formerly there were four different kinds of tongued bells in use in the army. The ringing of the duó conveyed to the soldiers the injunction to stand still and be quiet in the ranks. Hence, this bell came to be associated with the idea of respect and veneration; and when music was performed to illustrate the meritorious actions of warriors, faithful ministers, etc., the duó was employed to symbolize obedience; each military dancer had a bell with a wooden tongue; it was used at the end of the dance. At present the duó is used only by the Bonzes to mark the rhythm of their prayers.”19
The bronze bells of the Shāng and Zhōu Dynasties, 1766–249 B.C. were decorated with many emblematic devices, chiefly of a religious nature (vide MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS).
Birds and Beasts
(禽獸)
Chinese naturalists make five grand divisions of animated nature, the feathered, hairy, naked, shelly and scaly animals; at the head of the feathered race they class the fènghuáng (鳳凰), or Phoenix; among hairy animals, the qílín (戲麟), or Unicorn, stands pre-eminent; man is the chief of all naked animals; while the Tortoise and the Dragon rate respectively as leaders of the shelly and scaly tribes. The six domestic animals of China (六畜) are the Horse, Ox, Goat, Pig, Dog, and Fowl, and these, with the exception of the Horse, constitute the five sacrificial beasts (五性). Each of the TWELVE TERRESTRIAL BRANCHES (q. v.) has its corresponding animal or bird.
About three or four thousand years ago China is said to have been suddenly invaded by numbers of wild beasts, and the Yellow Emperor (
The skins of many animals are converted into wearing apparel for the winter. The lower orders use those of sheep, cats, dogs, goats, squirrels, and even rats and mice. The expensive fur dresses of the higher orders descend from father to son, and sometimes form no inconsiderable portion of the family inheritance. It is the custom for both rich and poor to pawn their furs in the summer, as they are well looked after in the pawnshops, which are generally strong, substantial buildings immune from the attacks of thieves, and, moreover, the better kinds are properly licensed by the government. The civil and military official grades were formerly distinguished by the insignia of different birds and animals embroidered upon the bûzî (補子) or badges on the back and front of the robes worn on ceremonial occasions.
“Chinese proverb-makers have not overlooked the many apt illustrations of human life and conduct which are to be gathered from the habits and instincts of the animated beings around them; and some of their comparisons are strikingly characteristic of the modes of thinking so prominent in the popular mind. Thus, for example, the practice of filial duty is enforced by a reference to the lamb and kid:‘Look’, say they, ‘at the lamb; it always kneels when it is suckled by the dam’.”20
Many creatures are supposed to have the power of changing their shape, and of coming and going in a mysterious way. Some are said to have been once men, and will, after many years, be permitted to regain, permanently, their human form. If they come in contact with mankind, sickness and death will result to the latter. It is therefore considered necessary to propitiate them with shrines and offerings in the countryside. The denizens of the zoological kingdom have a share in the communistic theory of Buddhism; the stories of past existence in animal form is said to form the basis of Aesop’s fables, and the animals are said to have wept bitterly on the death of their master and protector. To liberate a captured animal or bird is regarded by the Buddhists as a good deed that will not be unrewarded in the next world.
Birds
