Shu fish depicted as a red bird-like creature with multiple feet and three tails, Qing Shanhaijing painted manuscript
The caption describes a chicken-like shape, red feathering, three tails, six feet and four heads in the Peng River, matching the northern Shu (儵魚) notice. This manuscript writes the heading 鮨魚, a discrepancy retained on the page; another textual 鮨魚 is a different dog-headed fish. The painting shows only one head despite the caption’s four.
Overview
The Shu fish lives in the Peng River at Mount Dai in the Shanhaijing’s first northern itinerary. The text calls it a fish but compares its shape with a chicken. It has red feathering or hair, three tails, six feet, and four heads. Its call resembles a magpie. These combined features are directly specified rather than supplied by a later illustrator.
The passage attributes an effect against sorrow to eating it. That assertion belongs to the literary account and should not become a modern instruction. The classification as a fish is also retained even though its body borrows bird features. Other creatures in the same mountain passage have different protective effects, so they cannot be transferred to Shu. The entry contains no transformation episode, breeding account, or story of a person capturing it.
Origins & earliest records
China; Shanhaijing, Northern Mountains
Records & interpretation
Directly read Chinese primary-text transcription, with exact named geographical locator; no historical scan claimed.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Shanhaijing: Northern Mountains
First northern sequence; Peng River 彭水 at Mount Dai
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, Northern Mountains
北山經. First northern sequence; Peng River 彭水 at Mount Dai
Directly read transcription, not a collated historical scan. Identifying passage: 其狀如鶏而赤毛，三尾六足四首，其音如鵲。 No exact illustrated plate verified.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary-text transcriptionShanhaijing, Northern Mountains: First northern sequence; Peng River 彭水 at Mount DaiResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical manuscript illustrationShu fish depicted as a red bird-like creature with multiple feet and three tails, Qing Shanhaijing painted manuscript
The caption describes a chicken-like shape, red feathering, three tails, six feet and four heads in the Peng River, matching the northern Shu (儵魚) notice. This manuscript writes the heading 鮨魚, a discrepancy retained on the page; another textual 鮨魚 is a different dog-headed fish. The painting shows only one head despite the caption’s four.
