Peng () or Dapeng () is a giant bird that transforms from a Kun () giant fish in

Chinese mythology 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 ...

Names

The Chinese

logogram In a written language, a logogram, logograph, or lexigraph is a written character that represents a word or morpheme. Chinese characters (pronounced '' hanzi'' in Mandarin, ''kanji'' in Japanese, ''hanja'' in Korean) are generally logograms, ...

s for ''peng'' and ''kun'' exemplify common radical-phonetic characters. ''Peng'' (鵬) combines the "bird radical" ( 鳥) with a ''peng'' ( 朋 "friend") phonetic, and ''kun'' combines the "fish radical" ( 魚) with a ''kun'' ( 昆 "progeny; insect") phonetic. Both the mythic Chinese ''Peng'' and ''Kun'' names involve

word play Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, pho ...

. ''Peng'' ( 鵬) was anciently a

variant Chinese character Variant Chinese characters (; Kanji: ; Hepburn: ''itaiji''; ; Revised Romanization: ''icheja'') are Chinese characters that are homophones and synonyms. Most variants are allographs in most circumstances, such as casual handwriting. Some context ...

for ''feng'' ( 鳳) in ''

fenghuang ''Fènghuáng'' (, ) are mythological birds found in Sinospheric mythology that reign over all other birds. The males were originally called ''fèng'' and the females ''huáng'', but such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and ...

'' (鳳凰 "Chinese phoenix" ca. 100 CE ''

Shuowen Jiezi ''Shuowen Jiezi'' () is an ancient Chinese dictionary from the Han dynasty. Although not the first comprehensive Chinese character dictionary (the ''Erya'' predates it), it was the first to analyze the structure of the characters and to give t ...

''); ''Kun'' 鯤 originally meant "fish roe; fry;

spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment, and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** '' Spawn: A ...

" (ca. 200 BCE ''

Erya The ''Erya'' or ''Erh-ya'' is the first surviving Chinese dictionary. Bernhard Karlgren ( 1931:49) concluded that "the major part of its glosses must reasonably date from the 3rd century BC." Title Chinese scholars interpret the first title cha ...

''). Synonyms of Peng include Dapeng (大鵬 "Big Peng", "Great Peng") and Dapengniao (大鵬鳥 "Great Peng Bird"). Dapeng is also a

place name Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Of ...

for a few places in

greater China Greater China is an informal geographical area that shares commercial and cultural ties with the Han Chinese people. The notion of "Greater China" refers to the area that usually encompasses Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan in East ...

, most notably in

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern provi ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

. After recent fossil discoveries in northeast China, Chinese

paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

s used Peng to name the

enantiornithine The Enantiornithes, also known as enantiornithines or enantiornitheans in literature, are a group of extinct avialans ("birds" in the broad sense), the most abundant and diverse group known from the Mesozoic era. Almost all retained teeth and cla ...

bird '' Pengornis'' and the

wukongopterid Wukongopteridae is a group of basal pterosaurs, found in China and the UK. It contains eight species in five genera, all dated to the Middle to Late Jurassic period, The Wukongopteridae were first named by Wang ''et al.'' in 2009, not yet givi ...

pterosaur '' Kunpengopterus''.

Literature

Zhuangzi

In Chinese literature, the

Daoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Tao ...

classic '' Zhuangzi'' has the oldest record of the Kun Peng myth. The first chapter ("Free and Easy Wandering" 逍遙遊

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese fo ...

''xiāoyáoyóu'') begins with three versions of this parable; the

lead paragraph A lead paragraph (sometimes shortened to lead; in the United States sometimes spelled lede) is the opening paragraph of an article, book chapter, or other written work that summarizes its main ideas. Styles vary widely among the different types an ...

, a quote from the ''Qixie'' (齊諧 "Universal Harmony", probably invented by Zhuangzi), and a quote from the ''Tang zhi wen Ji'' (湯之問棘 "Questions of

Tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) ...

to Ji", cf. '' Liezi'' chapter 5, ''Tang wen'' 湯問). The first account contrasts the giant Peng bird with a small ''tiao'' (蜩 "cicada") and ''jiu'' (鳩 "pigeon; turtledove") and the third with a ''yan'' (鴳 or 鷃 "quail"). The Peng fish-bird transformation is not only the beginning myth in ''Zhuangzi'', but Robert Allinson claims, "the central myth".

Analysis and interpretations

Many ''Zhuangzi'' scholars have debated the Peng story. Lian Xinda calls it "arguably the most controversial image in the text, which has been inviting conflicting interpretations for the past seventeen centuries." In traditional Chinese scholarship, the standard Peng interpretation was the "equality theory" of Guo Xiang (d. 312 CE), who redacted and annotated the received ''Zhuangzi'' text. Guo's commentary said, Some Chinese scholars gave alternate interpretations. The Buddhist monk Zhi Dun (314-366 CE) associated the Peng's flight with the highest satisfaction achieved by the ''zhiren'' (至人 "perfect person; sage; saint", cf. '' zhenren''). The Chan Buddhist master Hanshan Deqing (憨山德清, 1546–1623) also declares the Peng is the image of the Daoist sage, and suggests the bird's flight does not result from the piling up of wind but from the deep piling up of ''de'' "virtue; power". In modern scholarship, some scholars reject Guo's "equality theory" construal. Lian differentiates contemporary interpretations between whether Zhuangzi was a radical skeptic and/or a

relativist Relativism is a family of philosophical views which deny claims to objectivity within a particular domain and assert that valuations in that domain are relative to the perspective of an observer or the context in which they are assessed. Ther ...

. {{blockquote, The Peng bird can either be construed as an image of freedom, even the epitome of the highest Daoist ideal, which supports the argument that Zhuangzi does privilege a perspective and hence is not a relativist in the rigid sense of the term; or it is taken for a creature that is no better or worse than the cicada and the little birds, which serves to illustrate the relativist view that all perspectives are equal." Julian Pas concurs that "the true sage is compared to the enormous bird."

Angus Charles Graham Angus Charles Graham, FBA (8 July 1919 – 26 March 1991) was a Welsh scholar and sinologist who was professor of classical Chinese at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He was born in Penarth, Glamorgan, Wales ...

sees the Peng as "soaring above the restricted viewpoints of the worldly." Allinson finds it "very clear and very explicit that the standpoint of the big bird and the standpoint of the cicada and the dove are not seen as possessing equal value." Karen Carr and Philip J. Ivanhoe find "positive ideals" in the Peng symbolizing the "mythical creature that rises above the more mundane concerns of the word. Brian Lundberg says Zhuangzi uses the image to urge us to "go beyond restricted ''small'' points of views." Eric Schwitzgebel interprets, "Being small creatures, we cannot understand great things like the Peng (and the rest of the ''Zhuangzi''?)." Steve Coutinho describes the Peng as a "recluse who wanders beyond the realm of the recognizable", in contrast the tiny birds that "cannot begin to understand what lies so utterly beyond the confines of their mundane experience." Scott Cook writes, "We are, at first, led by Zhuangzi almost imperceptibly into an unreflective infatuation with the bird." Lian concludes the Peng is "An inspiring example of soaring up and going beyond, the image is used to broaden the outlook of the small mind; its function is thus more therapeutic than instructional." Bryan W. Van Norden suggests, "The likely effect of this passage on the reader is a combination of awe and disorientation." Zhuangzi's Peng bird became a famous literary

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wi ...

. Two early examples were the ''Shen yi jing'' (神異經 "Classic of Divine Marvels") by Dongfang Shuo (154 BCE – 93 CE) and the '' Commentary on the Water Classic'' (水經注).Victor H. Mair, ed. (2002), ''The Columbia history of Chinese literature'', Columbia University Press, p. 298.

Comparisons

comparative mythology Comparative mythology is the comparison of myths from different cultures in an attempt to identify shared themes and characteristics.Littleton, p. 32 Comparative mythology has served a variety of academic purposes. For example, scholars have used ...

of giant creatures, Peng is similar to the Roc or

Garuda Garuda ( Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garu ...

and Kun to the

Leviathan Leviathan (; he, לִוְיָתָן, ) is a sea serpent noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Amos, and, according to some ...

Notable people named Peng (鵬/鹏)

''Peng'' linguistically symbolizes "greatness; great promise; great accomplishments"; for instance, the

idiom An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase; but some phrases become figurative idioms while retaining the literal meaning of the phrase. Categorized as formulaic language ...

''péng chéng wàn lǐ'' (鵬程萬里, literally, the Peng journeys 10,000 '' li'') means "have a bright/unlimited future". This character is commonly used in

Chinese given names Chinese given names () are the given names adopted by speakers of the Chinese language, both in majority-Sinophone countries and among the Chinese diaspora. Description Chinese given names are almost always made up of one or - usually - two charac ...

and several important mainland Chinese, Hong Kong and Taiwanese politicians have ''Peng'' in their given names. In contrast, the character ''Kun'' (鯤/鲲) is seldom used. Mainland China: *

Yue Fei Yue Fei ( zh, t=岳飛; March 24, 1103 – January 28, 1142), courtesy name Pengju (), was a Chinese military general who lived during the Southern Song dynasty and a national hero of China, known for leading Southern Song forces in the wa ...

(

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theo ...

: Pengju, 鵬舉), Chinese military general, calligrapher, and poet during the

Southern Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...

Li Peng Li Peng (; 20 October 1928 – 22 July 2019) was a Chinese politician who served as the fourth Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1987 to 1998, and as the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Ch ...

(李鵬), former Premier of China *

Ji Pengfei Ji Pengfei (simplified Chinese: 姬鹏飞; traditional Chinese: 姬鵬飛; pinyin: ''Jī Péngfēi''; February 2, 1910 – February 10, 2000) was a Chinese politician. Biography Ji Pengfei was born in Linyi County, Shanxi, Linyi, Yuncheng, Shanx ...

(姬鵬飛), Chinese politician * Xiao Peng (肖鵬) * Bi Dapeng (毕大鹏) * Peng Kiong Chou * Lin Peng (林鹏), Chinese actress *

Dong Chengpeng Dong Chengpeng (; born January 2, 1982), known professionally as Da Peng (), is a Chinese actor, director, scriptwriter, presenter, and singer. Dong Chengpeng began his career in 2004 as the host of a stars interview program called "INSTAR". H ...

(董成鹏), professionally known as Da Peng (大鹏), Chinese actor, film director and singer *

Yue Yunpeng Yue Yunpeng (; born 15 April 1985) is a Chinese actor and ''xiangsheng'' performer, best known in film for portraying Zhu Tianpeng in ''Buddies in India'' (2017), Yue Yunpeng in ''Top Funny Comedian: The Movie'' and Li Shuaiting in ''Revenge fo ...

(岳云鹏), Chinese actor and ''

xiangsheng Xiangsheng (), also known as crosstalk or comic dialogue, is a traditional performing art in Chinese comedy, and one of the most popular elements in Chinese culture. It is typically performed as a dialogue between two performers, or rarely as ...

'' performer * Jing Haipeng (景海鹏), Chinese astronaut * Ouyang Kunpeng (欧阳鲲鹏), Chinese swimmer (note ''Kun'' is also used in this case) Hong Kong: * Stanley Kwan Kam-pang (關錦鵬), Hong Kong film director and producer * Ruco Chan Chin-pang (陳展鵬), Hong Kong actor and singer * Lo Hoi-pang (盧海鵬), Hong Kong actor and singer * Lam Tung Pang (林東鵬), Hong Kong artist Taiwan: *

Yeh Yao-peng Yeh Yao-peng (; born 3 October 1942) is a Taiwanese politician. He was a member of the Legislative Yuan, served on National Assembly, and was twice appointed to the Control Yuan. Political career Yeh was elected to the Legislative Yuan in 1992, ...

(葉耀鵬), Taiwanese politician * Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬), Taiwanese politician *

Hsieh Cheng-peng Hsieh Cheng-peng (; born 22 September 1991) is an inactive tennis player from Taiwan. Alongside Yang Tsung-hua he won the 2008 Wimbledon Championships – Boys' doubles title. He won the 2009 US Open – Boys' doubles with Márton Fuc ...

(謝政鵬), Taiwanese tennis player Southeast Asia: * Alex Au Waipang (区伟鹏), Singaporean LGBT rights activist * Goh Choon Phong (吴俊鹏), Singaporean businessman and CEO of Singapore Airlines * Prajogo Pangestu (彭雲鵬), Indonesian business magnate of Chinese descent Japan: The Chinese character ''peng'' is pronounced ''hō'' in Japanese, as seen in the sumo

ring names Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

Taihō Kōki , ''Ivan Boryshko''; May 29, 1940 – January 19, 2013, lead=yes was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He became the 48th '' yokozuna'' in 1961 at the age of 21, the youngest ever at the time. Kōki won 32 tournament championships be ...

(大鵬幸喜),

Hakuhō Shō ; , lead=yes) is a retired professional sumo wrestler (''rikishi'') from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Making his debut in March 2001, he reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in May 2004. In May 2007, at the age of 22, he became the second native of ...

(白鵬翔), Enhō Akira (炎鵬晃), Daishōhō Kiyohiro (大翔鵬清洋),

Tokushinhō Motohisa is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Matsusaka, Mie. His sumo stable was Kise (for a short time he belonged to Kitanoumi). His height is 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) and his peak weight is 224 kg (494 lbs). His highest rank was ''jūry� ...

(德真鵬元久),

Wakanohō Toshinori Wakanohō Toshinori (born July 8, 1988 as Soslan Aleksandrovich Gagloev (russian: Сосла́н Алекса́ндрович Гагло́ев)) is a retired Russian sumo wrestler. His highest rank was ''maegashira'' 1. He became the first activ ...

(若ノ鵬寿則),

Kyokutenhō Masaru in Nalaikh, Ulan Bator, Mongolia is a former professional sumo wrestler. He fought out of Ōshima stable, with the first group of Mongolians ever to join the sport in Japan. He made his debut in March 1992, and reached the top ''makuuchi'' di ...

(旭天鵬勝) and so on. It is also used in company names, such as Taiho Pharmaceutical (大鵬薬品工業).

References

Mythological and legendary Chinese birds Roc (mythology)