Fúxī
伏羲
"Cultural ancestor of civilization."
Types |
Shén |
Forms |
Snake |
Groups |
Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors |
Appearance
Fúxī appears as a human with a lower body of a snake.
Mythology
Creation of the Eight Trigram Bāguà
Fúxī’s Bāguà embodies a holistic and intuitive way of thinking rooted in the harmony between Heaven and humanity, as well as early dialectical thought. It is considered the starting point of Chinese cultural philosophy.
Increased civilization productivity
He taught people to make nets for fishing and hunting, as well as wild animals domestication, which marked the beginning of animal husbandry.
Reforming marriage customs
He advocated for proper rituals of marriage where men proposed and women married, transforming kin-based marriage into exogamy (marriage outside one’s clan). This ended the primitive group marriage system where children knew only their mothers, not their fathers. He created the tradition of surnames.
Inventing written symbols
Fúxī created written characters for recording information, replacing the older method of tying knots in ropes.
Creating musical instruments
He invented instruments such as the Xūn, Qín, and Sè, and composed songs, thereby bringing music into daily life.
Establishing regional governance
Fuxi divided his territory for administration and appointed officials to manage society, laying the groundwork for future systems of governance.
Literature
Volume 78 of the Taiping Yulan quotes the Poem of Divine Mist, stating:
A great footprint appeared at Leize; Huaxu stepped on it and gave birth to Fuxi.
The Book of Changes (Yi Jing) states:
In ancient times, when Bao Xi-shi ruled all under Heaven, he looked upward to observe the patterns in the heavens, and downward to observe the laws of the earth. He observed the markings of birds and beasts and the suitability of the land. He took what was near from himself and what was distant from external things. Thus, he created the Eight Trigrams (Bagua).
In the official histories, Sima Qian wrote in the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji, “Preface of the Grand Historian”):
I have heard from the elders: ‘Fuxi was of the utmost sincerity and kindness; he created the Eight Trigrams of the Book of Changes.’
Games
