Four Perils

The Four Perils (Chinese: 四凶; pinyin: Sì Xiōng) are four malevolent beings that existed in Chinese mythology and the antagonistic counterparts of the Four Benevolent Animals.

Si Xiong
Chinese name
Chinese	四凶
Literal meaning	Four Perils
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Sì Xiōng
Japanese name
Kanji	四凶
Hiragana	しきょう
Transcriptions Romanization Shikyō

Si Zui
Chinese name
Chinese	四罪
Literal meaning	Four Evildoers
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Sì Zuì
Japanese name
Kanji	四罪
Hiragana	しざい
Transcriptions Romanization Shizai

Book of Documents

In the Book of Documents, they are defined as the "Four Evildoers" (四罪; Sì Zuì):[1]

• Gonggong (Chinese: 共工; pinyin: Gònggōng; lit.: 'all-powerful'), the disastrous god;
• Huandou (驩兜; Huāndōu; 'happy armor'), a chimeric minister from the south who conspired with Gonggong against Emperor Yao [2]
• Gun (鯀; Gǔn; 'emperor's father'), father of Yu the Great whose poorly-built dam released a destructive flood;
• Sanmiao (三苗; Sān Miáo; 'Three Miao'), the tribes that attacked Yao the Great's tribe.

Zuo Zhuan and Shanhaijing

In the Zuo Zhuan and the Shanhaijing, they are defined as:

• the Hundun (混沌; Hùndùn; 'chaotic torrent'), a yellow winged creature of chaos with six legs and no face;
• the Qiongqi (窮奇; Qióngqí; 'poor and strange'), a monstrous creature that eats people, consider the same in Japan as Kamaitachi
• the Taowu (檮杌; Táowù; 'stupid stump'), a reckless, stubborn creature;
• the Taotie (饕餮; Tāotiè; 'greedy glutton'), a gluttonous beast.

See also

• Four Barbarians

References

1. 《尚书·舜典》 (Canon of Shun, Book of Documents)：“《流共工于幽州，放欢兜于崇山，窜三苗于三危，殛鲧于羽山，四罪而天下咸服。”《史记·卷一·五帝本纪第一》中记载，“欢兜进言共工，尧曰不可而试之公师，共工果淫辟。四岳举鲧治鸿水，尧以为不可，岳强请试之，试之而无功，故百姓不便。三苗在江淮、荆州数为乱，于是舜归而言于帝，请流共工于幽陵，以变北狄；放欢兜于崇山，以变南蛮；迁三苗于三卫，以变西戎；殛鲧于羽山，四罪而天下咸服。”
2. Persons: Huandou