Huán

獂Huan2

The three-legged ox-like beast of Mount Gan from the Shan Hai Jing: shaped like a bovine with three legs, its bellow calls its own name.《山海经》记载乾山异兽獂：其状如牛而三足，其鸣自詨，步履如鼎足鼎立。

Body身形

Like an ox身躯庞重威猛若牛

其狀如牛

Legs脚足

Three legs下生鼎立三足

三足

Home居所

Mount Qian of metal and jade栖息金铁乾山

乾山

Voice叫声

Calls its own name仰天啼鸣自呼其名

其鳴自詨

Woodblock print from Gujin Tushu Jicheng showing the three-legged bovine beast Huan balancing upon rocky northern terrain, inscribed 'Huan Tu'牛首Bovine horned head健硕牛首牛首Bovine horned head健硕牛首其狀如牛Ox torso如牛身躯其狀如牛Ox torso如牛身躯三足Three tripod legs三足鼎立三足Three tripod legs三足鼎立自詨Bellowing muzzle自詨巨吻自詨Bellowing muzzle自詨巨吻
有獸焉，其名曰獂

There is a beast here; its name is Huan.

山海經·北山經
獂圖, Gujin Tushu Jicheng 古今圖書集成, Qin Chong Dian (Section on Birds and Animals), woodblock print, 1726清·陈梦雷等编《古今图书集成·禽虫典》“獂图”，雍正四年（1726）铜活字印本 · Public domain公有领域

Highlighted words: anatomy part · feature · form type — tap to jump标色词：形态部位 · 特征 · 形态类别，点击可跳转

The texts原文

Original Text & Translation原文与译文

山海經·北山經 · 山海經·北山經 · Wikisource

又北四百里，曰乾山，無草木，其陽有金玉，其陰有鐵而無水。有獸焉，其狀如牛而三足，其名曰獂，其鳴自詨。
There is a beast here shaped like an ox with three legs, named Huan; its cry calls its own name.

山海經·北山經 · 山海經·北山經 · Wikisource

又北四百里，曰乾山，無草木，其陽有金玉，其陰有鐵而無水。有獸焉，其狀如牛而三足，其名曰獂，其鳴自詨。
There is a beast here shaped like an ox with three legs, named Huan; its cry calls its own name.

Comparing the Books典籍对比

The Classic of the Northern Mountains documents the Huan of Mount Gan: a three-legged bovine whose tripod stride and self-calling bellow echo through waterless northern crags.

The story来历与故事

A rugged, tripod-limbed marvel of the desolate northern frontier: built with the heavy bone and sweeping horns of a wild bull, yet uniquely balanced upon three sturdy legs. Striding effortlessly across the waterless cliffs of Mount Gan, its resonant bellow proclaims its own name across the wilderness.

The Three-Legged Bull of Mount Gan乾山绝地与三足异牛

The Shan Hai Jing records in the Classic of the Northern Mountains that four hun《山海经·北山经》记载，又北四百里曰乾山，无草木，其阳有金玉，其阴有铁而无水。在

The Shan Hai Jing records in the Classic of the Northern Mountains that four hundred li north lies Mount Gan, a harsh ridge without trees or plants, holding gold and jade on its sunny face and iron on its shaded flanks, but completely devoid of water. Upon these parched rocks lives the Huan, an animal shaped like an ox with three legs.

Despite possessing only three limbs, ancient naturalists noted that the Huan moves with remarkable stability, its tripod arrangement forming a geometric balance perfectly adapted to craggy terrain. In the silence of the dry heights, it constantly bellows its own name ('qi ming zi jiao'), its deep bovine resonance cutting through northern gales.

Tripod Forms in Ancient Chinese Cosmology鼎足相衡与上古三足灵兽谱

The number three held sacred status in early Chinese cosmology, linked to the Tr在华夏古代哲学与器物崇拜中，“三”为阳数之极，象征天地人三才与鼎足之平衡。日中有

The number three held sacred status in early Chinese cosmology, linked to the Trigrams of the Yijing and the tripod vessels (ding) that anchored imperial ritual. Like the Three-Footed Crow (Sanzuwu) in the sun, the Three-Legged Ox Huan embodied nature's capacity for uncanny tripartite equilibrium.

In subsequent dynastic encyclopedias like Gujin Tushu Jicheng, Huan was carefully rendered balancing upon crags, enduring as an indelible icon of northern wilderness resilience.

Record档案

Record Card档案卡

TypeMountain Beast (three-legged bellowing ox)
Also known asThree-Legged Mountain Ox; Gan Mountain Beast
Earliest sourceShan Hai Jing 山海經 (Classic of the Northern Mountains)
HabitatDwells upon barren Mount Gan amidst gold and iron deposits with no water
SymbolismPrimeval emblem of tripod balance and harsh northern mountain mystery
Earliest source山海經·北山經
Source books山海經·北山經
Image sourceChen Menglei 陳夢雷 (ed.) · Wikimedia Commons
LicensePublic domain
Fierce BeastsCalamityShan Hai JingBeast-bodied兽身

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Huan (獂) in Chinese mythology?

The Huan is an ox-like beast from the Shan Hai Jing with three legs that calls its own name. It lives on Mount Gan in the northern ranges.

Where does the Huan live?

It lives on Mount Gan, a harsh northern mountain with gold, iron, and jade, but completely without vegetation or water.

How does a three-legged ox maintain balance?

Classical commentators noted that its three limbs formed a stable tripod like a bronze cauldron ('ding'), enabling it to traverse craggy rocks with ease.

One more?再看一只？

Draw another creature随机抽一只怪