Huan of Mount Yiwang, anonymous1667 Shanhaijing illustration
Exact讙 caption gives wildcatlike body, one eye and three tails, MountYiwang; raised branched tails and single eye depicted. Distinct from mouthless sheep䍺. Physical Smithsonian edition1667; ancient text composition is earlier. Anonymous illustrator; GuoPu commentator and WuZhongheng editor, neither asserted as artist.
Overview
The Huan of Mount Yiwang concludes the creature inventory of the Shanhaijing’s third western sequence. It resembles a li, a wildcat-like mammal, but has one eye and three tails. Its voice is compared with overwhelming a hundred sounds. The bracketed commentary interprets this as producing many kinds of calls, while recording uncertainty and a variant reading.
The passage also attributes protective and healing effects to the creature. Those assertions remain literary evidence rather than practical instructions. The mountain contains another protective bird with multiple heads and tails, but the two should not be combined into one composite animal. Huan’s single eye and three tails belong to its own entry. No invisibility, human disguise, or particular hunt is described in the directly read passage.
Origins & earliest records
China; Shanhaijing, Western 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: Western Mountains
Third western sequence; Mount Yiwang 翼望山; bracketed commentary distinguished from base text.
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, Western Mountains
西山經. Third western sequence; Mount Yiwang 翼望山
Directly read transcription, not a historical scan. Identifying passage: 其狀如狸，一目而三尾，名曰讙，其音如奪百聲。 Base text and commentary distinguished; exact plate remains unverified.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary-text transcriptionShanhaijing, Western Mountains: Third western sequence; Mount Yiwang 翼望山Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationHuan of Mount Yiwang, anonymous1667 Shanhaijing illustration
Exact讙 caption gives wildcatlike body, one eye and three tails, MountYiwang; raised branched tails and single eye depicted. Distinct from mouthless sheep䍺. Physical Smithsonian edition1667; ancient text composition is earlier. Anonymous illustrator; GuoPu commentator and WuZhongheng editor, neither asserted as artist.
