the eight immortals crossing the sea(bā xiān guò hǎi)

the eight immortals crossing the sea

The Eight Immortals crossing the sea is one of the most popular myths and legends in China. The eight immortals are Han Zhongli, Zhang Guolao, Han Xiangzi, tie guaili, LV Dongbin, he Xianggu, LAN Caihe and Cao Guojiu.

One of the most popular stories of the eight immortals was first seen in the drama "Eight Immortals crossing the sea on a jade board". It is said that Baiyun fairy Chang once invited eight immortals and five saints to participate in the event when peonies were in full bloom on Penglai Fairy Island. On his return journey, tie Guai Li suggested that he should not take a boat and try his own way, which is the origin of "Eight Immortals crossing the sea, showing their own magic power" or "Eight Immortals crossing the sea, relying on their own abilities". Later, people use this allusion to refer to those who rely on their own special ability to create miracles.

Introduction to the origin

One of the origins

The legend of eight immortals originated very early, but there are many kinds of characters. For example, the eight immortals of Huainan refer to the eight immortals who helped Liu An, the king of Huainan in the Western Han Dynasty, to become Huainanzi. The king of Huainan is good at the magic pill, which is later passed down as an immortal. The theory of the eight immortals of Huainan may be attached to this. During the Five Dynasties, the Eight Immortals in Sichuan were painted by Taoists. The figures they painted include Rong Chenggong, Li Er, Dong Zhongshu, Zhang Daoling, Yan Junping, Li Babai, fan Changsheng and ER Zhu. the song of Eight Immortals in drinking, written by Du Fu in Tang Dynasty, refers to eight literati who are good at poetry and drinking, such as Li Bai and he Zhizhang. Today's so-called eight immortals, formed in the Yuan Dynasty, but the characters are not the same. In the Ming Dynasty, Wu Yuantai wrote a journey to the East where the eight immortals came from. The story of Tieguai Li and other Eight Immortals crossing the sea gradually spread, and the eight immortals characters also stabilized in the spread. They are Zhongli (or zhongliquan), Zhang Guolao, Han Xiangzi, tie guaili, LV Dongbin, he Xianggu, LAN Caihe and Cao Guojiu.

Origin 2

Eight immortals are eight immortals in Chinese folklore, namely tie Guai Li, Han Zhongli, LAN Caihe, Zhang Guolao, he Xianggu, LV Dongbin, Han Xiangzi and Cao Guojiu. However, there are many versions of this ranking and the composition of the eight immortals. Let's give a brief introduction. The earliest eight immortals appeared in the Han Dynasty. They were eight writers who were known as "Eight Immortals of Huainan". They were called "Eight Immortals" at that time. "Primary school Ganzhu" records: "Huainan Bagong: Zuowu, Lishang, Sufei, Tianyou, Maopi, leibei, Jinchang, Wubei." It can be seen that the Eight Immortals in Huainan are only eight literati, not immortals. But later, because of the legend that the king of Huainan became an immortal, the eight immortals who were affiliated with him became immortals, which was called "Eight Immortals". In Shu Ji written by Qiao Xiu in Jin Dynasty, there are "Eight Immortals of Shu", which are in the following order: "first Rong Chenggong, hidden in Hongchuan, now Qingcheng Mountain; second Li Er, born in Shu; third Dong Zhongshu, also a hermit of Qingcheng Mountain; fourth Zhang Daoling, now Heming temple; fifth Zhuang juping, bu Si in Chengdu; Sixth Li Babai, Longmen cave in Chengdu; seventh fan Changsheng, in Qingcheng Mountain; and Mr. BA Erzhu, in Yazhou. ”The above-mentioned "Eight Immortals" have nothing to do with the current eight immortals. The deeds of eight immortals are scattered in the books of Tang and Song Dynasties, but there was no such group as "Eight Immortals" at that time. It is in the Zaju created by the Yuan Dynasty that eight people are really called "Eight Immortals". These dramas are all called eight immortals, but their names are different from each other. Ma Zhiyuan's drama water fairy at the end of the fourth part of LV Dongbin's three drunken Yueyang Tower introduces the Eight Immortals in turn in the tone of LV Dongbin: "the first one is Han Zhong Liquan, who is now in charge of the group of immortals; this one is tie Guai Li, whose hair is disorderly combed; this one is Lan Caihe, who withdraws Yunyang wood; this one is Zhang Guolao, who rides a donkey on Zhaozhou Bridge; this one is Xu Shenweng, who is carrying a gourd; this one is Zhang Guolao One is Han Xiangzi, Han Yu's nephew; this one is Cao Guojiu, a relative of the Song Dynasty; and I'm Lu Chunyang, who loves to play Jian Ziyu drum. " The eight immortals mentioned above are all male. There is no he Xiangu among the eight immortals, but there is a Xu Shenweng. Since Wu Yuantai's novel Journey to the east came out in the Ming Dynasty, "the eight immortals of Shangdong" was chosen. Wu Yuantai arranged the order of the Eight Immortals: first, tie Guai Li; second, Zhong Liquan; third, LAN Caihe; fourth, Zhang Guolao; fifth, he Xianggu; sixth, Lu Dongbin; seventh, Han Xiangzi; Eighth, Cao Guojiu. The composition and ranking order of the eight immortals are completely consistent with the eight immortals, which shows that most people accept Wu's view.

Legend introduction

On this day, the eight immortals happily came to Penglai Pavilion to have a party and drink. Each of the eight immortals prepared a dish, with local seafood such as prawns, sea cucumbers, scallops, sea crabs, red snails and red sea bream as the main raw materials, and processed 8 platters, 8 hot dishes and 1 hot soup. Each platter uses its own treasures to make its own pattern, which is vivid and unique. All platters have myths and allusions, which not only taste delicious, but also can be enjoyed. Hot dishes are more exquisite, presenting many scenic spots in Penglai, which is wonderful. Hot soup is made of eight kinds of seafood and chicken soup, which is delicious and peculiar. At the end of the wine, Tieguai Li said to the immortals, "it's said that Penglai, abbot and Yingzhou have beautiful scenery. Why don't we go and have a look?" All the immortals were full of passion and echoed in unison. Lu Dongbin said, "since we are immortals, we are not allowed to cross the sea by boat. What do we mean by our own way?" After hearing this, all the immortals agreed and left together. (on the other hand, the eight immortals go to the Queen Mother's peach party and come back.) Eight immortals gathered at the seaside, each showing his magic weapon. Han Zhongli, a leisurely and leisurely man, threw away his banana fan and threw it into the sea. The fan was as big as a mat. He was drunk and drowsy. He jumped on the fan and floated leisurely to the deep sea. He Xiangu, a graceful and moving lady, followed suit. When she put the lotus into the sea, it suddenly glowed red. The flower was like a millstone, and she stood in the middle of the lotus, charming. None of the immortals is willing to lag behind. Lu Dongbin, a poet, Zhang Guolao, a donkey rider, Cao Guojiu, a Taoist monk, LAN Caihe, Han Xiangzi, and tie Guai Li, a soul Snatcher, threw the treasures into the sea. In an instant, a hundred geese vie with each other to show their magic power. They are brave in Zhenhai and roam leisurely in the vast expanse of blue waves. When the eight immortals roamed the sea, the sea suddenly turned over like a river, and the huge waves shook the palace of the Dragon King of Donghai. The Dragon King of the East Sea sent shrimp soldiers and crab generals to the sea for inspection. Only then did he know that the eight immortals had shown their abilities and prospered the sea. The Dragon King of Donghai became angry and led his troops to intervene. The eight immortals argued with him, and the Dragon King of the East China Sea ordered the shrimp soldiers and crab generals to take LAN Caihe. LAN Caihe, unwilling to be outdone, fights with him and is finally caught and put in the Dragon Palace because he is outnumbered. Seeing this, all the immortals were so angry that they fought bravely and fought a fierce battle in the sea. All the immortals even cut off the two dragon sons of the Dragon King of Donghai. They were so scared that they were defeated one after another. The Dragon King of the East China Sea was so angry that he invited the Dragon Kings of the South China Sea, the North China Sea, and the West China Sea in a hurry. He would not give up until he subdued the immortals. So the Dragon King of the four seas urged the sea water of the three rivers, the five lakes and the four seas to set off a huge wave and rush to the immortals. When it was about to break out, he suddenly saw the golden light flashing, and a way came out of the muddy waves. It turned out that uncle Cao's Baiyun board was born with the magic power of avoiding water. He held the yunban in his arms and opened the way in front of him, and the Immortals followed him closely. He let the huge waves sweep the mountains and the sea, but he could not help them. Seeing this, the Dragon King of the four seas was very angry and mobilized the four seas soldiers to prepare for another battle. It happened that the South China Sea Guanyin (a Buddha) passed by (or specially came to mediate) from here, so they drank and stopped, and the Dragon King of the East China Sea released LAN Caihe. The eight immortals bid farewell to Avalokitesvara, holding their own treasures, riding the wind and waves and traveling away.

Influence of later generations

The story about the Eight Immortals crossing the sea is the most popular Taoist myth in China, which is almost known to all ages. the so-called eight immortals refers to a group of immortals composed of eight immortals of Taoism. They are tie Guai Li, Han Zhongli, Zhang Guolao, he Xianggu, LAN Caihe, LV Dongbin, Han Xiangzi and Cao Guojiu. The complete account of them began in the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) and was formally established in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). and the most famous story about them is "Eight Immortals crossing the sea". The story says that an immortal invited eight immortals to attend a banquet and watch the peony flowers. When they came back, they were obstructed by the Dragon King of the East China Sea. As a result, the two sides and their allies divided into two groups and started a competition. Finally, eight immortals and their friends took out their magic weapons and won the victory, Across the sea. the legend of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea is one of the most moving legends in ancient China. Now it has become a common idiom and allusion. Especially in the folk, its influence is very extensive, and some customs derived from it even spread to the coastal areas of Japan. eight immortals because of the sea, most coastal people have "seven men and one woman different ship" taboo. The barber industry regards LV Dongbin as its grandmaster. It is said that the so-called Lu Zu's birthday falls on the 14th of April in the lunar calendar, and the barber industry around the country is generally busy. Folk birthday celebrations should play the role of eight immortals toasting, rendering a happy atmosphere.

Image source

The eight immortals are different from many immortals of Taoism. They all come from the human world, and they all have colorful mortal stories, which are quite different from the image of ordinary immortals. Therefore, they are deeply loved by the people, including generals, relatives of the emperor, beggars, Taoists and so on. They are not born immortals, and they all have some shortcomings, such as Han Zhong Li's bare breast and Lu Dongbin's frivolous personality He is a heavy drinker and so on. The eight immortals also represent men and women, old and young, rich and poor respectively. Therefore, the general Taoist temples have places to worship the eight immortals, or set up the eight immortals palace independently, and there are eight immortals in the temple fair. The eight immortals also often appear in New Year pictures, embroidery, porcelain, lanterns and dramas. It is said that the eight immortals also regularly go to the queen mother of the West peach festival to celebrate their birthday, so the "Eight Immortals birthday" has become a common theme in folk art. When folk operas reward gods, they often perform "Zui Baxian" or "Zui Baxian"《

Chinese PinYin : bā xiān guò hǎi