Ping Sien Si - 002 Taiyi Zhenren (15949381439)

Taiyi Zhenren () is a deity in Chinese religion and

Taoism 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 '' Ta ...

. ''Taiyi'' () means "primordial unity of

yin and yang Yin and yang ( and ) is a Chinese philosophical concept that describes opposite but interconnected forces. In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the cycles of yin and ya ...

" and ''

Zhenren Zhenren () is a Chinese term that first appeared in the '' Zhuangzi'' meaning "Taoist spiritual master", roughly translatable as "Perfected Person". Religious Taoism mythologized ''zhenren'' to rank above '' xian'' "transcendent; immortal" in the ...

'' () is a

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 ...

term for "Perfected Person". According to the opening of the classical novel '' Fengshen Bang'', he is the reincarnation of the first

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

of the

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and ...

Tang of Shang Cheng Tang (), personal name Zi Lü (), recorded on oracle bones as Da Yi (大乙), was the first king of the Shang dynasty in Chinese history. Traditionally considered a virtuous ruler, he overthrew Jie, the last ruler of the Xia dynasty. Ris ...

Taiyi Tianzun

Taiyi Zhenren is the name given to him in

Investiture of the Gods ''The Investiture of the Gods'', also known by its Chinese names () and is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major vernacular Chinese works in the gods and demons (''shenmo'') genre written during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Cons ...

and he is based on the deity Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun (). In orthodox Taoism, he is the deity of salvation for all sentient beings in the 10 directions with a different incarnation for each direction and can transform into other incarnations for any purpose. He is invoked during funerals and rituals for the dead to send them to the Eastern Heavenly Pureland Chang Le where he resides and is also invoked to save suffering souls from hell during the

Ghost Festival The Ghost Festival, also known as the Zhongyuan Festival (traditional Chinese: 中元節; simplified Chinese: ) in Taoism and Yulanpen Festival () in Buddhism, is a traditional Taoist and Buddhist festival held in certain East Asian countrie ...

In fiction

In ''Fengshen Bang'', Taiyi Zhenren is the renowned teacher of

Nezha Nezha ( 哪吒) is a protection deity in Chinese folk religion. His official Taoist name is "Marshal of the Central Altar" (). He was then given the title "Third Lotus Prince" () after he became a deity. Origins According to Meir Shahar, Nez ...

, the celestial being destined to bring peace back to the

Zhou Dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by ...

. Taiyi Zhenren is stationed atop Mount Champion and instructed Nezha to stay at Old Pond Pass - the place he had been born. After Nezha experienced great trouble with Ao Guang and went fleeing back to him, Taiyi Zhenren would at first be seen in deep thought; Zhenren would soon draw an "invisible juju" along his back however—as to give him a safe passage to heaven through invisibility. After Nezha created further issues with stone spirit Shiji Niangniang, Taiyi Zhenren would soon be seen face to face with her in front of Taiyi Zhenren's cave which Nezha retreated into for protection. After having no choice but to be rid of Shiji Niangniang, he would start off by disabling the silk scarf which she stole from Nezha, and then trap her within his Nine-dragon-fire-net. While trapped in this net, Taiyi Zhenren summoned several dragons which unleashed a large volley of fire into the net; instantly killing Shiji and turning her back into her original form as a molten rock.

References

Sources

* ''

Fengshen Yanyi ''The Investiture of the Gods'', also known by its Chinese names () and is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major vernacular Chinese works in the gods and demons (''shenmo'') genre written during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Cons ...

'' chapter 12 {{DEFAULTSORT:Taiyi Zhenren Chinese gods Investiture of the Gods characters Deities in Taoism