changyou, named historical Shan hai jing woodcut
Exact named figure in the Southern Mountains section of a seventeenth-century illustrated Shan hai jing edition. Historical interpretation, not a biological photograph. Source file cites the Library of Congress digitized edition.
Overview
Changyou appears on the mountain of the same name in the Shanhaijing's second southern itinerary. Its body resembles a yu, an ape-like animal, and it has four ears. Its voice is compared with groaning; the displayed commentary specifies a human groan. Seeing it is associated with great floods in the surrounding districts.
The itinerary reaches this mountain by moving southeast for four hundred and fifty li from Mount Gui. The entry describes much water and no vegetation. Its commentary connects the mountain's name with the presence of this animal. The flood is an omen attributed to the creature's appearance, while the wet, treeless locality and four-eared form are descriptive details of the same passage.
Origins & earliest records
China; Shanhaijing, Southern Mountains
Records & interpretation
Directly read Chinese primary-text transcription; exact section and geographical passage retained. No matched scan or illustration verified.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Shanhaijing: Southern Mountains
Second southern sequence; Mount Changyou 長右山; hosted text displays commentary separately in brackets.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
Shanhaijing, Southern Mountains
南山經. Second southern sequence; Mount Changyou 長右山
Directly read transcription, not a collated historical scan. Identifying passage: 有獸焉，其狀如禺而四耳，其名長右，其音如吟。 Base text and bracketed commentary distinguished; no exact plate assigned.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary-text transcriptionShanhaijing, Southern Mountains: Second southern sequence; Mount Changyou 長右山Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationchangyou, named historical Shan hai jing woodcut
Exact named figure in the Southern Mountains section of a seventeenth-century illustrated Shan hai jing edition. Historical interpretation, not a biological photograph. Source file cites the Library of Congress digitized edition.
