Jiǎo

狡Jiao

The horned canine beast of Mount Yu from the Shan Hai Jing: dog-like with leopard spots and ox horns, its appearance brings a great harvest to the country.《山海经》记载玉山瑞兽狡：状如犬而豹文，角如牛，音如吠犬，见则其国大穰。

Body身形

Dog-like, leopard spots身如健犬布钱斑

其狀如犬

Colour花纹

Leopard patterns通体覆满斑斓豹纹

豹文

Horn长角

Ox-like horns顶生弯翘牛角

其角如牛

Omen吉兆

Abundant harvest现世邦国五谷丰收

見則其國大穰

Woodblock print from Gujin Tushu Jicheng showing the horned, spotted canine beast Jiao trotting on grassy earth, inscribed 'Jiao Tu'角如牛Ox-like horns顶生牛角角如牛Ox-like horns顶生牛角其狀如犬Canine body猎犬身姿其狀如犬Canine body猎犬身姿豹文Leopard markings斑驳豹斑豹文Leopard markings斑驳豹斑吠犬Barking muzzle如犬吠叫吠犬Barking muzzle如犬吠叫
有獸焉，其名曰狡

There is a beast here; its name is Jiao.

山海經·西山經
狡圖, 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》“狡图”，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·西山經 · 山海經·西山經 · Wikisource

玉山，有獸焉，其狀如犬而豹文，其角如牛，其名曰狡，其音如吠犬，見則其國大穰。
There is a beast here shaped like a dog with leopard markings and horns like an ox, named Jiao; its sound is like a barking dog, and when it appears the country has a great harvest.

山海經·西山經 · 山海經·西山經 · Wikisource

玉山，有獸焉，其狀如犬而豹文，其角如牛，其名曰狡，其音如吠犬，見則其國大穰。
There is a beast here shaped like a dog with leopard markings and horns like an ox, named Jiao; its sound is like a barking dog, and when it appears the country has a great harvest.

Comparing the Books典籍对比

The Classic of the Western Mountains celebrates the Jiao of Mount Yu: a horned, leopard-spotted canine whose domestic barking foretells glorious nationwide agricultural abundance.

The story来历与故事

A joyful harbinger of agricultural prosperity in western myth: shaped like a sturdy hound cloaked in elegant leopard rosettes, crowned with curving ox horns. Barking merrily like a domestic watchdog, its emergence from sacred Mount Yu signals golden grain filling every granary and nationwide abundance.

The Harvest Hound of the Queen Mother's Mountain玉山仙境与大穰瑞兽

In the Classic of the Western Mountains, the Shan Hai Jing recounts that three h《山海经·西山经》记载，又西三百五十里曰玉山，此乃西王母所居之圣境。在西王母豹尾

In the Classic of the Western Mountains, the Shan Hai Jing recounts that three hundred and fifty li westward lies Mount Yu, the celestial sanctuary where the Queen Mother of the West resides. Among the auspicious wonders of this sacred summit roams the Jiao, an animal displaying a canine body patterned with leopard rosettes and crowned with bovine horns.

Unlike the predatory leopard, the Jiao makes a familiar, home-like sound: 'its voice is like a barking dog' ('yin ru fei quan'). To ancient agrarian communities, this cheerful canine bark sounded the dawn of prosperity: 'when it is seen, the nation enjoys a great harvest' ('jian ze qi guo da rang'), guaranteeing that drought, blight, and famine would be banished.

Agricultural Auspices in Ancient Chinese Culture农耕丰稔信仰与祥瑞崇拜

The combination of a watchdog's loyalty, a leopard's nobility, and an ox's conne在华夏传统农耕文化的心理结构中，犬司守护看家，牛司耕耘稼穑，豹呈威武尊贵。狡兼取

The combination of a watchdog's loyalty, a leopard's nobility, and an ox's connection to plowing made the Jiao an ideal mythological guardian of peasant welfare. In ancient state sacrificial rites, the appearance of the Jiao was celebrated as proof of a ruler's virtuous stewardship.

Throughout imperial art, Jiao was honored in agricultural ceremonies and carved upon granary tiles, enduring as a beloved emblem of peace and food security.

Record档案

Record Card档案卡

TypeAuspicious Beast (horned hound of bountiful harvest)
Also known asBountiful Hound; Horned Harvest Beast
Earliest sourceShan Hai Jing 山海經 (Classic of the Western Mountains)
OmenSightings herald bumper grain harvests, peace, and abundance across the realm
HabitatDwells upon sacred Mount Yu, the western residence of the Queen Mother of the West
Earliest source山海經·西山經
Source books山海經·西山經
Image sourceChen Menglei 陳夢雷 (ed.) · Wikimedia Commons
LicensePublic domain
AuspiciousAuspiciousShan Hai JingBeast-bodied兽身

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Jiao beast in Chinese mythology?

The Jiao is an auspicious mythical beast from the Shan Hai Jing resembling a dog with leopard spots and ox horns. Its appearance foretells a great harvest ('da rang').

Where does the Jiao live?

According to the Shan Hai Jing, the Jiao dwells on sacred Mount Yu, the legendary home of the Queen Mother of the West.

Why is the Jiao associated with harvests?

The classic text explicitly states that 'when it is seen, the nation enjoys a great harvest', symbolizing agricultural abundance and security.

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