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Ranka (legend)
''Lanke'' or ''Lankeshan'' (, Lànkē(shan), Lan-k'o (Shan)); "(The Mountain of) the Rotten Axe Handle" in English), is a Chinese legend which has been compared to that of Rip Van Winkle, although it predates it by at least 1000 years. The exact date of origin of the legend is unknown, but it has literary antecedents from the 5th century AD, and the "rotten axe handle" plot element was certainly present by an early 6th-century version. One plot element of the legend features two immortals playing a board game, interpreted in later times as Go, so that ''Lanke'' (or ''Ranka'' in Japanese) has become a literary name for Go. The legend The legend is recorded in 's or ''Tales of the Strange'', and features a woodcutter, Wang Zhi or Wang Chih (), and his encounter with the two immortals in the mountains. The story runs as follows:Ren Fang (任昉), ''Shu Yi Ji'' (《述異記》: "At Mount Shishi in Xing'an County, during the Jin Dynasty, a Wang Zhi was chopping wood, when he saw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tomb01
A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immurement'', and is a method of final disposition, as an alternative to cremation or burial. Overview The word is used in a broad sense to encompass a number of such types of places of interment or, occasionally, burial, including: * Architectural shrines – in Christianity, an architectural shrine above a saint's first place of burial, as opposed to a similar shrine on which stands a reliquary or feretory into which the saint's remains have been transferred * Burial vault – a stone or brick-lined underground space for multiple burials, originally vaulted, often privately owned for specific family groups; usually beneath a religious building such as a church ** Cemetery ** Churchyard * Catacombs * Chamber tomb * Charnel house * Church mon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gan Bao
Gan Bao (or Kan Pao) (, pronounced ân.pàu ( fl. 315, died March or April 336), courtesy name Lingsheng (令升), was a Chinese historian and writer at the court of Emperor Yuan of Jin. Life He was a native of Xincai County, in southern Henan. After diligent study of the classics during his childhood and youth, Gan Bao was appointed head of Office of History at the court. Apparently, the position was granted to him in recognition of his skills which he demonstrated in his ''Chin-chi'' (晋纪, "Jin-ji"), presumably a written account of earlier court activities. ''Soushen Ji'' Gan Bao subsequently occupied other prominent positions at the court, but today he is best remembered for the book ''Soushen Ji'', which he probably compiled. An extremely important early example of the Zhiguai ''Zhiguai xiaoshuo'', translated as "tales of the miraculous", "tales of the strange", or "records of anomalies", is a type of Chinese literature which appeared in the Han dynasty and developed aft ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
History Of Go
The game of Go () originated in China in ancient times. It was considered one of the four essential arts of a cultured Chinese scholar in antiquity and is described as a worthy pastime for a gentleman in the ''Analects of Confucius''. It reached Korea by the 5th century, in the 7th century it had reached Japan. The game was described by Thomas Hyde in 1694, but it did not become popular in the West until the late 19th century. According to legend, the game was created as a teaching tool after the ancient Chinese Emperor Yao (2356–2255 BCE) designed it for his son, Danzhu , to learn discipline, concentration, and balance. Another suggested genesis for the game is that Chinese warlords and generals used pieces of stone to map attacking positions. Other plausible theories relate Go equipment to divination or flood control. Origin in China Go's early history is debated, but there are myths about its existence, one of which assuming that Go was an ancient fortune telling dev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Mythology In Popular Culture
Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature in the geographic area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions. Much of the mythology involves exciting stories full of fantastic people and beings, the use of magical powers, often taking place in an exotic mythological place or time. Like many mythologies, Chinese mythology has in the past been believed to be, at least in part, a factual recording of history. Along with Chinese folklore, Chinese mythology forms an important part of Chinese folk religion. Many stories regarding characters and events of the distant past have a double tradition: ones which present a more historicized or euhemerized version and ones which present a more mythological version. Many myths involve the creation and cosmology of the universe and its deities and inhabitants. Some mythology involves creation myths, the origin of things, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oware
Oware is an abstract strategy game among the mancala family of board games (pit and pebble games) played worldwide with slight variations as to the layout of the game, number of players and strategy of play. Its origin is uncertain but it is widely believed to be of Ashanti origin. Played in the Bono Region, Bono East Region, Ahafo Region, Central Region, Western Region, Eastern Region, Ashanti Region of Ghana and throughout the Caribbean, oware and its variants have many names - ayò, ayoayo (Yoruba), awalé (Ivory Coast, Benin), wari (Mali), ouri, ouril or uril (Cape Verde), warri (Caribbean) Pallanguzhi (India) wali (Dagbani), adji ( Ewe), nchọ/ókwè (Igbo), ise ( Edo), awale ( Ga) (meaning "spoons" in English). A common name in English is awari but one of the earliest Western scholars to study the game, Robert Sutherland Rattray, used the name ''wari''. Rules Following are the rules for the ''abapa'' variation, considered to be the most appropriate for serious, adult p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ki No Tomonori
Ki no Tomonori (紀 友則) (c. 850 – c. 904) was an early Heian ''waka'' poet of the court, a member of the ''sanjūrokkasen'' or Thirty-six Poetry Immortals. He was a compiler of the ''Kokin Wakashū'', though he certainly did not see it to completion as the anthology includes a eulogy to him composed by Ki no Tsurayuki, his cousin and colleague in the compilation effort. Ki no Tomonori is the author of several poems in the ''Kokin Wakashū'', and a few of his poems appear in later official collections. A collection of his poems from various sources appeared as the ''tomonori shū''. Tomonori's most famous ''waka'' is "Hisakata no", included in Hyakunin Isshu that was compiled in the 13th century: Hisakata no (From afar literally, but a pillow word are figures of speech used in Japanese poetry in association with certain words. The set phrase can be thought of as a "pillow" for the noun or verb it describes, although the actual etymology is not fully known. It can also ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meng Jiao
Meng Jiao (751–814) was a Chinese poet during the Tang Dynasty. Two of his poems have been collected in the popular anthology ''Three Hundred Tang Poems''. Meng was the oldest of the Mid-Tang poets and is noted for the unusual forcefulness and harshness of his poems. Names Meng Jiao's courtesy name was Dongye (). Biography Meng Jiao was born into difficult times. His pursuit of poetry and reluctance until late in life to write and pass the imperial examinations (which if taken earlier in life might have eventually lead to a well-paid political career) resulted in his living a life in which necessities were scarce. Nevertheless, his commitment to poetry resulted in him becoming an influential leader in terms of poetic innovation. Birth Meng Jiao was born in 751. He was from what is now Deqing County in the province of Zhejiang, in China; but, at that time was Wukang (), in the Tang Chinese province Huzhou. The year he was born was also the year in which the Tang Dyna ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tang Dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Historians generally regard the Tang as a high point in Chinese civilization, and a Golden age (metaphor), golden age of cosmopolitan culture. Tang territory, acquired through the military campaigns of its early rulers, rivaled that of the Han dynasty. The House of Li, Lǐ family () founded the dynasty, seizing power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire and inaugurating a period of progress and stability in the first half of the dynasty's rule. The dynasty was formally interrupted during 690–705 when Empress Wu Zetian seized the throne, proclaiming the Zhou dynasty (690–705), Wu Zhou dynasty and becoming the only legitimate Chinese empress regnant. The devast ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lionel Giles
Lionel Giles (29 December 1875 – 22 January 1958) was a British sinologist, writer, and philosopher. Lionel Giles served as assistant curator at the British Museum and Keeper of the Department of Oriental Manuscripts and Printed Books. He is most notable for his 1910 translations of ''The Art of War'' by Sun Tzu and ''The Analects'' of Confucius. Giles was the son of British diplomat and sinologist Herbert Giles. Early life Giles was born in Sutton, the fourth son of Herbert Giles and his first wife Catherine Fenn. Educated privately in Belgium (Liège), Austria (Feldkirch), and Scotland (Aberdeen), Giles studied Classics at Wadham College, Oxford, graduating BA in 1899.John Minford, ''Sinology, Old and New'China Heritage Quarterly China Heritage Project, Australian National University, No. 13, March 2008. ''The Art of War'' The 1910 Giles translation of ''The Art of War'' succeeded British officer Everard Ferguson Calthrop's 1905 and 1908 translations, and refuted large p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sagittarius (constellation)
Sagittarius is one of the constellations of the zodiac and is located in the Southern celestial hemisphere. It is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Its old astronomical symbol is (♐︎). Its name is Latin for "archer". Sagittarius is commonly represented as a centaur pulling back a bow. It lies between Scorpius and Ophiuchus to the west and Capricornus and Microscopium to the east. The center of the Milky Way lies in the westernmost part of Sagittarius (see Sagittarius A). Visualizations As seen from the northern hemisphere, the constellation's brighter stars form an easily recognizable asterism known as "the Teapot". The stars δ Sgr (Kaus Media), ε Sgr (Kaus Australis), ζ Sgr (Ascella), and φ Sgr form the body of the pot; λ Sgr (Kaus Borealis) is the point of the lid; γ2 Sgr (Alnasl) is the tip of the spout; and σ Sgr (Nunki) and τ Sgr the handle. These same sta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Big Dipper
The Big Dipper ( US, Canada) or the Plough ( UK, Ireland) is a large asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them are of second magnitude and one, Megrez (δ), of third magnitude. Four define a "bowl" or "body" and three define a "handle" or "head". It is recognized as a distinct grouping in many cultures. The North Star ( Polaris), the current northern pole star and the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper (Little Bear), can be located by extending an imaginary line through the front two stars of the asterism, Merak (β) and Dubhe (α). This makes it useful in celestial navigation. Names and places The constellation of ''Ursa Major'' (Latin: Greater Bear) has been seen as a bear, a wagon, or a ladle. The "bear" tradition is Indo-European (appearing in Greek, as well as in Vedic India), but apparently the name "bear" has parallels in Siberian or North American traditions. European astronomy The name "Bear" is Homeric, and appar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
In Search Of The Supernatural
The ''Soushen Ji'', variously translated as ''In Search of the Sacred'', ''In Search of the Supernatural'', and ''Anecdotes about Spirits and Immortals'', is a Chinese compilation of legends, short stories, and hearsay concerning Chinese gods, Chinese ghosts, and other supernatural phenomena. Although the authorship of the book is not made explicit in the text, it is believed to have been written and compiled by Gan Bao, a historian at the court of Emperor Yuan of Jin (sometimes wrongly referred to as Yü Pao) around AD350. It was reissued in numerous editions, including in 1593. The book usually consists of 464 stories. Stories Notable stories include: * Gan Jiang Mo Xie〈干將莫邪〉 * Wu Wang Xiao Nü〈吳王小女〉 * Li Ji Zhan She〈李寄斬蛇〉a legend about serpent-slaying: ''Li Ji Slays the Giant Serpent'' (''Li Chi Slays the Serpent''), similar to the legend of Chen Jinggu. * Han Bing Fufu〈韓憑夫婦〉 The collection also contains a variant of the st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
