Chao fish, named1667 historical plate
Actual1000-pixel image directly inspected and full printed anatomical/location caption read. Scaled carp with chicken feet. Printed caption states carp form, chicken feet and Huaize River, matching the northern 抄魚 passage. Heading orthography is recorded as variant rather than silently normalized. Smithsonian catalog dates1667 and classifies public domain.
Overview
The Chao fish lives in the Huaize River, which rises from Yuefa Mountain and flows northeast into Tai Marsh in the Shanhaijing. It resembles a carp but has the feet of a chicken. Eating it is said to remove warts. Its entry is followed by the human-faced, doglike Shanhui on the same mountain, placing an aquatic hybrid and a land creature within one geographical notice.
A directly inspected Smithsonian 1667 plate shows a scaled carp furnished with chicken feet. Its caption explicitly places it in the Huaize River and matches the received northern passage, although the printed heading uses a variant fish-name graph.
Origins & earliest records
China; Shanhaijing Northern Mountains
Records & interpretation
Specific named received-primary passage directly read; exact historical image status recorded separately.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Shanhaijing, Northern Mountains
First northern itinerary; Yuefa Mountain and Huaize River
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
Shan hai jing: er shi san juan (Smithsonian digitized edition)
Physical volume2; illustration sequence. IIIF canvas index98 (zero based), fish-name heading with variant graph; full caption matched; no printed page number asserted
Actual 1000-pixel image directly inspected and full printed anatomical/location caption read. Scaled carp with chicken feet. Printed caption states carp form, chicken feet and Huaize River, matching the northern 抄魚 passage. Heading orthography is recorded as variant rather than silently normalized. Smithsonian catalog dates 1667 and classifies public domain.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary text transcriptionShanhaijing Northern Mountains received primary textResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationChao fish, named1667 historical plate
Actual1000-pixel image directly inspected and full printed anatomical/location caption read. Scaled carp with chicken feet. Printed caption states carp form, chicken feet and Huaize River, matching the northern 抄魚 passage. Heading orthography is recorded as variant rather than silently normalized. Smithsonian catalog dates1667 and classifies public domain.
