List of legendary creatures from China

The following is a list of legendary creatures recorded from Chinese mythology.

A

• Ao, a mythological tortoise who has a burning shell and cheeks with magma on them.
• Azure Dragon, also called Qinglong, a dragon that represents the cardinal point East and Spring.

B

• Bai Ze, a cow-like monster with a human head, six horns and nine eyes.
• Baihu
• Bai Suzhen
• Bailongma
• Bashe, a python-like snake that ate elephants.
• Bifang, a crane-like bird with only one foot that is accompanied by strange fires
• Bixi, a dragon with the shell of a turtle.
• Birds in Chinese mythology
• Biyiniao, birds with one eye and one wing each, that must attach to each other and fly in pairs.
• Black Tortoise, a turtle that represents the cardinal point North and Winter.

• Bo beast, a horse-like beast with one horn that eats tigers and leopards.
• Bovidae in Chinese mythology
• Boyi, a sheep-like beast with nine tails and four ears and eyes on its back. A man who wears fur of boyi will have no fear.

C

• Canshen
• Chi (mythology), a hornless dragon.
• Chinese guardian lions, traditional architectural ornaments.

• Chinese dragon

• Chituma, steed of General Lü Bu.
• Chiwen, a dragon that protects against fires, floods, and typhoons.
• Crane in Chinese mythology

D

• Denglong, a mythical creature that acts as messenger between heaven and earth.
• Dilong
• Diting, a mythical dog-like creature with the ability to differentiate between truth and falsehood with its ears.
• Dog in Chinese mythology
• Dragon (zodiac)
• Dragon King
• Dragon turtle, mythical creature with head of a dragon and body of a tortoise which symbolises courage, power, and success.

F

• Feng (mythology), an edible monster that resembles a two-eyed lump of meat and magically grows back as fast as it is eaten.
• Fenghuang, Chinese phoenix

• Feilian, god of the wind who is a winged dragon with the head of a deer and tail of a snake.
• Feilong, winged legendary creature that flies among clouds.
• Fish in Chinese mythology
• Four Perils
• Four Symbols, also called Sixiang, four legendary animals that represent the points of the compass.
• Fox spirit, a famous mythological fox-like creature. Also called huli jing, huyao, huxian, or huzu.

• Fuzhu, a Chinese deer with four horns, possessing a gentle countenance, a likeness to be clean, and usually appears during periods of flood.
• Fuzanglong, the dragon of hidden treasures.

H

• Hong (rainbow-dragon), two headed rainbow serpent.
• Huan beast, a cat-like beast with only one eye and three tails with the sound of the chirping of hundreds of animals
• Huli jing, see Fox Spirit.
• Hundun
• Huodou, a huge black dog that emits fire from its mouth.
• Hou, a powerful and ferocious beast, frequently depicted as a wolf-like or dragon-dog hybrid, famous as the mount for the bodhisattva Guanyin.

J

• Jiangshi, a hopping vampire.
• Jiaolong, a hornless scaled dragon.
• Jin Chan, a prosperity frog.
• Jingwei, a bird who is determined to dry up the sea. It was morphed from a girl who drowned in the sea.
• Jiufeng or Nine-headed Bird, an earlier version of the Fenghuang.
• Jinnalaluo, divine creatures with human bodies and animal heads.
• Jiuweihu, Nine-tailed fox
• Jueyuan (mythology), creatures that look similar to monkeys.

K

• Kalaviṅka, creatures with a human head and a bird's torso, with long flowing tail.
• Kui (Chinese mythology)

L

• Lake Tianchi Monster
• Linggui, a spirit turtle, chief of all shelled creatures.
• Longma, a winged horse with dragon scales.
• Longmu
• Luan (mythology), a bird which carries a shield and tramples on snakes while wearing one on its breast.
• Luduan, a deer with green coat, horse tail, and one horn which can travel 18,000 li in a single day and speaks all world languages.
• Lushu, a white headed horse with markings on its body like a tiger, a red tail, and a neigh like people singing folk songs.

M

• Mo (Chinese zoology)
• Mogwai (Chinese culture), evil spirits who reproduces during mating seasons triggered by the coming of rain.
• Moon rabbit, a mythical figure who is a companion of Chang'E and pounds the elixir of life constantly for her.

N

• Nian, a beast related to the Chinese New Year.
• Nine-headed Bird, see Jiufeng and Fenghuang.
• Nine sons of the Dragon

O

• Ox-Head and Horse-Face, two guardians of the underworld.

P

• Panhu, a dog who transformed into a man.
• Pangu, a primitive, hairy giant with horns on his head.
• Panlong (mythology), an aquatic dragon.
• Peng (mythology), a mystical giant bird of the ocean.
• Penghou, a tree spirit.
• Pixiu, strong winged lions that protect Fengshui practitioners.
• Pig dragon
• Pulao (dragon)

Q

• Qilin, a hooved dragon-like creature with antlers and the body of an ox, deer, or horse.

• Qianlima, a winged horse that can run a thousand miles at a step.
• Qingniao, messenger birds of the Queen Mother of the West.
• Qiongqi, a winged tiger, one of the Four Perils.
• Qitu beast, a row-like bird with three heads and six tails and likes to laugh like a human being.
• Qiulong

R

• Ranyi fish, a snake-like fish with the head of a snake, six legs, and eyes like the ears of a horse. Eating one made people sleep without nightmares and protect one from evil.
• Ruishi, Chinese guardian lions.

S

• Shen (clam-monster)
• Shenlong, a dragon who is the master of storms and also a bringer of rain.
• Shennong
• Shōjō
• Shuhu beast, a wild beast with a horse's body and bird's wings, a human's face and a snake's tail. It likes to hug and lift people up.
• Shuihu, a water tiger.
• Sky Fox (mythology), a golden Hulijing that has reached 1000 years of age.
• Sun Wukong, a fire monkey with a golden rod also the Monkey King.

T

• Taotie, a fiendish creature known for its greediness.
• Tenghuang, a fox with horns on its back or a horse-like creature.
• Teng (mythology), a flying dragon.
• Three-legged crow, also known as Jinwu or Taiyang Shenniao

• Tiangou, a dog which eats the moon, resulting in an eclipse.
• Tianma, a heavenly horse.

• Tianlong
• Tiger in Chinese culture

W

• Wangliang
• White Tiger (mythology), also known as Baihu, a white tiger which symbolises the direction West and the season autumn.

X

• Xiangliu, venomous nine-headed snake-like monster that brings floods and destruction.
• Xiao (mythology), name for multiple types of mythical creatures.
• Xiaotianquan, a mythological dog.
• Xiezhi, a creature which symbolises justice.
• Xingtian

Y

• Yaoguai
• Yinglong
• Yeren
• Yong, an owl-like bird with a human face and four eyes and ears. Its cry was the pronunciation of its own name, and when it appeared there was a great drought in the world.

Z

• Zhenniao, a legendary bird with poisonous feathers.
• Zhulong (mythology), a giant red solar dragon and god.
• Zhuque, a Vermilion Bird, one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations.
• Zouyu a precious beast as big as a tiger, with five colors and a tail longer than its body known for travelling 1000 li per day

See also

• List of Chinese mythology
• Chinese deities
• Chinese gods and immortals
• Chinese mythology
• Korean mythology
• List of legendary creatures from Japan

References