Cishu of Mount Xunzhuang, anonymous1667 Shanhaijing illustration
Printed bird caption gives chicken form, mouse hair and drought; plate uses拘狀山, while the current received primary text reads栒狀山 (Xunzhuang). This graphic variant is retained rather than rewriting the profile locality. Physical Smithsonian edition1667; anonymous plate illustrator, GuoPu commentator and WuZhongheng editor; later image witness, not ancient composition date.
Overview
Cishu is the bird of Mount Xunzhuang in the Shanhaijing’s first eastern itinerary. Its body resembles a chicken, but its coat is compared with the hair of a mouse. Its appearance forecasts great drought in the locality. The passage does not say that the bird has a mouse’s head: the mouse comparison specifically concerns the covering of the body.
The same mountain contains Congcong, a six-footed dog-shaped beast, and the Gua River with a separately named fish. Those creatures’ numbered limbs and dietary effects remain separate. Cishu’s appearance is connected with drought, but no episode shows it drinking a river dry or calling down the sun. A historical illustration should therefore be matched to the printed bird name and the hair comparison rather than to any general picture of a chicken or mouse.
Origins & earliest records
China; Shanhaijing Eastern Mountains
Records & interpretation
Specific named primary-text transcription directly read; historical plate not assigned yet.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Shanhaijing, Eastern Mountains
First eastern itinerary; Mount Xunzhuang
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
Eastern Mountains. First eastern itinerary; Mount Xunzhuang
Named received-primary passage directly read: 其狀如雞而鼠毛. Historical scan not yet matched.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary text transcriptionShanhaijing Eastern Mountains received primary textResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationCishu of Mount Xunzhuang, anonymous1667 Shanhaijing illustration
Printed bird caption gives chicken form, mouse hair and drought; plate uses拘狀山, while the current received primary text reads栒狀山 (Xunzhuang). This graphic variant is retained rather than rewriting the profile locality. Physical Smithsonian edition1667; anonymous plate illustrator, GuoPu commentator and WuZhongheng editor; later image witness, not ancient composition date.
