Qinyuan

Overview

Qinyuan is called a bird in the Kunlun account of the Shanhaijing’s third western sequence, yet its shape resembles a bee. Its size is compared with a mandarin duck. When it stings birds or beasts, they die; when it stings trees, they wither. These statements make its harm unusually specific, extending from animals to plants.

The classification as a bird should not be silently corrected into a modern insect species. The hybrid description is part of the work’s received taxonomy. The same mountain contains other separately named beings, including Tulou and Luwu, but no cooperative relationship is narrated. Qinyuan’s colours, nesting habits, and method of reproduction are absent from this passage. Its directly supported identity rests on bee-like shape, bird category, comparative size, and lethal or withering sting.

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.

1. 01

   Shanhaijing: Western Mountains

   Anonymous composite received text

   Third western sequence; Mount Kunlun 昆侖之丘; bracketed commentary distinguished from base text.

Family & connections

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Primary records and illustrations

References

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1. Primary-text transcriptionShanhaijing, Western Mountains: Third western sequence; Mount Kunlun 昆侖之丘Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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