Who are the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors in ancient Chinese mythology?

Three Emperors and Five Emperors

In ancient my country, there was a legend that the three ancient emperors and the five ancient emperors were collectively called the Three Emperors and Five Emperors. In order to express his lofty status, Qin Shihuang once used the term "Three Emperors". "Emperor" and "Emperor" from the Five Emperors constitute the title of "Emperor". So, who are the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors? There are many different opinions.

"Historical Records: The Chronicles of Qin Shihuang" said that the Emperor of Heaven, the Emperor of Earth, and the Emperor of Tai were the three emperors, and the Emperor of Tai was considered the most noble. So, who is the King of Thailand? Volume 78 of "Taiping Yulan" quotes "Spring and Autumn Wei" to put forward another view that the Emperor of Heaven, the Emperor of Earth, and the Emperor of Humanity are the three emperors. It seems that the Emperor of Taiping is the Emperor of Humanity. "Shang Shu Da Zhuan" and "White Tiger Tong Yi" also advocated that the three emperors should be Suiren, Fuxi, and Shennong. However, "Yun Dou Shu", "Yuan Ming Bao" and other wei books, in addition to agreeing with Fu Xi and Shennong, supplemented Go to Nuwa, the creator of mankind. In addition, "Emperor Century" lists Fuxi, Shennong and Huangdi as the three emperors, and "Tongjian Waiji" lists Fuxi, Shennong and Huangdi as the three emperors. From this point of view, Fuxi and Shennong occupy two of the three emperors, and the theories are basically consistent. However, there are greater differences in who the third emperor is.

As for the five ancient emperors, there are different opinions. "Shiben", "Da Dai Ji", and "Historical Records: The Five Emperors" list Huangdi, Zhuanxu, Emperor Ku, Tang Yao, and Yushun as the five emperors; while "Book of Rites: Yue Ling" lists Taihao (Fuxi), Yandi (Shennong) ), Huangdi, Shaohao, and Zhuanxu are the five emperors; "Preface to Shangshu" and "Emperor Century" regard Shaowu (Hao), Zhuanxu, Gao Xin (Emperor Ku), Tang Yao, and Yushun as the five emperors. In addition, there are The five gods are collectively referred to as the myth of the Five Emperors. The "Five Emperors" in "Chu Ci Xisong" written by Wang Yi of the Eastern Han Dynasty are the gods of the five directions, namely Taihao of the East, Emperor Yan of the South, Shaohao of the West, Zhuanxu of the North, and Huangdi of the Central Region; The "Five Emperors" in "Zhou Li Tianguan" written by Jiagong Yanshu of the Tang Dynasty are the ancestors of the Qing Emperor in the East, the Red Emperor in the South and the Red Emperor in the South.

There are several different combinations. To sum up, there are roughly some sayings:

Three Emperors

① Suiren, Fuxi and Shennong ("Shangshu Da") "Biography");

②Fuxi, Nuwa, Shennong ("Customs");

③Fuxi, Zhurong, Shennong (same as above);

④Fuxi, Shennong, and Huangdi ("Gu Weishu")

Five Emperors

①Huangdi, Zhuanxu, Emperor Ku, Yao, and Shun ("Dadai Liji");< /p>

②Pao Xi, Shennong, Huangdi, Yao, and Shun ("Warring States Policy");

③Taihao, Yandi, Huangdi, Shaohao, and Zhuanxu ("Lu Shi Chunqiu") ;

④Fuxi, Shennong, and Huangdi were the three emperors, and Shaohao, Zhuanxu, Emperor Ku, Yao, and Shun were the five emperors (pseudo "Preface to Shangshu");

With its status as a classic Therefore, this theory of the Three Emperors and the Five Emperors was regarded as the trustworthy history of ancient times; 5. Huangdi, Shaohao, Zhuanxu, Ku, and Yao ("Zizhi Tongjian Waiji") ).

In fact, the differences in the legend of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors are the product of the multi-ethnic development of our country. It tortuously reflects the progressive trend of national integration in the vast land of the motherland long before entering the civilized era. The Huaxia tribe, the Miao tribe, and many fraternal ethnic groups called Man, Yi, Rong, Di, etc. were formed by the Huaxia tribe at that time. Saying that the Huaxia tribe was named after Huang and Yan actually reflects that the Huaxia tribe was represented by Huangdi and Yandi. The two clans with blood relations developed over a long period of time.

Most of the people mentioned in the Three Emperors theory are symbols of the different cultural stages of Chinese ancestors in prehistory. Pa Xi (Fuxi) represents the low, intermediate and high stages of the savagery period respectively; Shen Nong represents the low stage of the barbaric era; Nuwa is an earlier creation-style deity who combined with Fu Xi in mythology to create human beings. The people referred to by the Five Emperors theory are mainly tribal chiefs or military leaders during the heyday of the patriarchal tribal alliance and its disintegration or the period when military democracy was implemented at the end of primitive society.

Most opinions are that. Suiren, Fuxi, and Shennong are called the "Three Emperors", and Emperor Huang, Zhuanxu, Emperor Ku, Emperor Yao, and Emperor Shun are called the "Five Emperors". These statements originated from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

Detailed introduction

Pangu's family

is the protagonist of the well-known story of Pangu's creation of the world. It is said that the world was opened by Pangu with an axe. This story reached the Northern Wei Dynasty and was introduced to the north through Li Daoyuan. Since then, Pangu has developed from a myth spread among ethnic minorities in the south to a legendary and unique ancestor of the Chinese nation.

The ninth line of "Guang Bo Wu Zhi" Volume "Five Movement Calendar Years"

In the past, when Pangu died, his head was the four mountains, his eyes were the sun and the moon, his fat was the rivers and seas, and his hair was For vegetation. Common saying between Qin and Han Dynasties: Pangu's head is Dongyue, his belly is Zhongyue, his left arm is Nanyue, his right arm is Beiyue, and his feet are Xiyue. Ancient Confucians said: Pangu's weeping became rivers, his breath became wind, and his pupils became electricity. An ancient saying goes: Pangu's happiness is his eyes and his anger is his yin. Wu Chujian said: The Pangu family and his wife are the beginning of Yin and Yang. There is Pangu's tomb in the South China Sea today, which stretches for three hundred miles. It is said that later generations will bury Pangu's soul. There is the Pangu Temple in Guilin, where people today worship, and there is the Pangu Kingdom in the South China Sea, where everyone today takes Pangu as their surname. Pangu is the ancestor of all things in the world, and living things began with Pangu.

After Pangu, the ancestor of the Chinese nation, transformed into an immortal, his body organs transformed into the sun, moon, stars, four poles and five mountains, rivers, lakes and all living things.

Although this legend contains mythological elements, it provides us with a reference for studying the sun and moon gods of the Chinese nation. "Five Yun Calendar" believes that the two gods of the Chinese nation, the sun and the moon, were transformed from Pangu's eyes. The sun god was transformed from Pangu's left eye; the moon god was transformed from Pangu's right eye. According to folklore, the "male left eye" was transformed. This is where the custom of "female right" comes from.

The Chao clan

The legend of the Chao clan has been recorded in ancient books of the Pre-Qin Dynasty. He is the legendary inventor of the nest. This legend reflects the transition from cave dwelling to nest dwelling in the primitive era of our country.

The hero who invented nesting in ancient Chinese mythology. Also known as "Dachao clan". In the beginning, people lived in caves in the wild and were harmed by wild beasts. Chao family taught the people to build wooden nests to avoid wild beasts. From then on, people moved from cave dwelling to nest dwelling. "Zhuangzi. Robber Zhi": "In ancient times, there were many animals and few people, so the people all lived in nests to avoid them. They picked up oak chestnuts during the day and perched on trees at dusk, so they were called people with the Chao family." "Taiping Yulan" "Volume 78 quotes "Xiang Junshi Xue Chapter": "In the ancient cave, there was a nest where the saint taught, named Dachao." Jin Zhanghua's "Natural History. Miscellanies": "In the past, there was a Chao family with ministers and noble , let the ruler of the country decide, and then seize it. The ministers are angry and change, and the nest is destroyed."

There is a character in the myth and legend of the Chao family, the imaginary ancestor of the Han people, the original nest dweller. inventor. It is said that in the ancient times of Haoying, there were few people and many animals. In order to protect themselves from the intrusion of wild animals, the Chao family taught people to build wooden nests, pick oak chestnuts during the day, and sleep on the trees at night. "Zhuangzi" records: "In ancient times, there were many animals and few people, so the people all lived in nests to avoid them." That is the Chao family era. Because the name of Juchao is related to the invention of Chaoju by Chao family, he is regarded as a Chaohu native. Like the Suiren clan, Fuxi clan, and Shennong clan that appeared at the same time, although they are all fictionalized by later generations, they also show the glorious historical process of the Han ancestors persisting in their struggle for survival

There is a legend of the Chao clan in ancient pre-Qin books Already documented. Zhuang Zhou said: "In ancient times, there were many animals but few came in, so the people all lived in nests to avoid them. They picked up oak chestnuts during the day and perched on trees at dusk. Therefore, they were called the people of the Chao family." ("Zhuangzi Robber Zhi") ) Han Fei said: "In the ancient times, there were few people and many animals. The people were invincible to animals, insects, and snakes. Some saints built a nest to avoid the harm of the group. The people liked it and made it king of the world. They were called 'Youchao's family." "("Han Feizi. Wu Chu") It is said that the Chao family invented the nest dwelling in ancient times. This legend reflects the transition from cave dwelling to nest dwelling in the primitive era of our country. "Dunjia Kaishan Picture" says: "Shilou Mountain is in Langya. In the past, the Chao family ruled this south of the mountain." (Quoted in Volume 11 of "Yi Wen Lei Ju") Langya Mountain is in Zhucheng County, Shandong Province. It is said that the Chao family ruled in this area. This is really not credible. Xiang Jun's "Shi Xue Bian" said: "In ancient times, there were caves where saints came out and taught their nests. Today, they live in caves in the south, and caves in the north are relics of ancient times." (Quoted in Volume 78 of "Taiping Yulan") Nesting is thought to have begun in the south. "Lin Yi Ji" also said: "To the south of Cangwu, there are Wenlang barbarians who live without houses. They sleep on trees, eat raw meat, collect incense as their occupation, and trade with others, as if they were the emperor's people." ("Taipingyu") Quoted from Volume 172 of "Lan") Zhou Qufei said: "The people in the deep and wide areas live in fences, with huts on top and cattle and hogs on the bottom. The reason for this is that there are many tigers and wolves on the covered land. It is not as good as this, and neither humans nor animals are safe. "The ancient meaning of nest dwelling!" (Volume 4 of "Lingwai Dai Reply") This all shows that nest dwelling may have originated in the south.

Nuwa's name

The name Nuwa first came from Qu Yuan's "Heavenly Questions": "Nuwa has a body, who made it?" It means: Nuwa's body, Who made it. It is said that Nuwa "refined five-color stones to mend the sky" and created human beings. This is a reflection of the myth of matriarchal society. It is said that before this, the sky collapsed and the earth fell, and disasters continued. After her work, everything was in order. She also became the legendary god who ordered the world. This story reflects the arduous struggle between ancient humans and nature.

In order to beautify the spiritual life of mankind, Nuwa also invented the sheng reed instrument, which can play the wind hissing, birds singing, insects humming and the singing of the creek, and the sweet words of love between men and women, blending together. The spiritual love songs can also be expressed vividly and vividly, thus adding an infinite peaceful atmosphere between people, especially between men and women. Due to the nourishment of music, many happy and happy relationships have been beautifully sung. The music melody stirred up.

Later, the Fuxi family died and was replaced by the Nuwa family. They had no children. Because they were getting older, they retired to a beautiful place, which is now the Nuwa Valley in Lantian County, Shaanxi Province. Unexpectedly, a Kang Hui came and used water to harm people. The boss of the Nuwa family couldn't bear it, so he came out to fight with Kang Hui again.

Kang Hui is a strange man who appeared in Jizhou. He was born with a bronze head and an iron forehead, red hair and a snake body. He was a demon king descended from the sky and came to fight against the people. The history books also called him ** *Gongshi. People in his country are familiar with the nature of water and always use water to deal with people. Nuwa used her seventy transformations to go to Kanghui to inquire about it. After returning, she asked many people to prepare 20,000 stones of various sizes, divided into five types, each with green, yellow, red, The colors black and white serve as markers. He also ordered a hundred pieces of wood to be prepared, and twenty pieces of the longest wood to be prepared. On each piece, Nuwa personally carved out the shape of a fish. He also asked the people to prepare another 500,000 loads of reeds, and they were required to prepare them within one month. He also selected a thousand strong people, designated a high mountain, and asked them to run up and down the mountain twice a day, the faster the better. He also selected 2,000 smart people and asked them to swim in the water four times a day. It would be best if you could lurk underwater for half a day.

Nuwa used her magical power to teach them a secret, which made the two thousand people happy and encouraged to practice it seriously. Nuwa took some more soil and shaped it into human shapes, large and small, and she kneaded thousands of them in one go.

As soon as the preparations were completed, Kang Hui led his troops to attack. He repeated his old tricks and the flood opened the way. Nuwa asked the people to divide the 500,000 loads of reeds into half and burn them with fire until they were reduced to ashes. He also asked the people to dig up the mud and mix it with grass ashes. Each person would carry a load forward and fill in any place with water. Nuwa used her magical power from behind, and Kang poured back the water. Pour it all back. Kang Hui was defeated in the first battle, so he led his subordinates to charge directly. His subordinates were already fierce, but they suffered a loss this time and became even more arrogant. At this time, the thousands of clay dolls made by the Nuwa clan all grew up. The big one was five feet high, and the small one was three feet tall. They held weapons in their hands and faced the enemy. Kang Hui's tribe had never seen this kind of battle before, and they were all frightened and defeated. Nuwa immediately ordered the thousand people who were practicing swimming: "When Kang Hui retreats, he must choose a dangerous place to guard. He must hide in Dalu Ze and his hometown Zhaoyu Daze, where he built a The dike, to prevent it from bursting to fill the water, when you go to a lake with a dike, use the wood I prepared for you to dig four long logs all the way to the ground around the lake, and then use a few short logs to dig it. Next to him, he broke the embankment without moving, because turtles are the largest and strongest in the sea, and are good at carrying heavy loads. I have already gone to the sea and discussed with the Poseidon to temporarily borrow the four legs of several turtles, so the wood is What is carved is not only the shape of a turtle, but its spirit is also inside." After hearing this, these people went happily, and Nuwa led another two thousand people who ran into the mountains, carrying miniature clay figures, stones and other objects along the way. He rushed there and completely defeated Kang Hui in Daluze and Zhaoyu Daze. When Kang Hui escaped, he encountered the two thousand people who had practiced long-distance running. He was no match for him and was captured alive. The tribe captured Kang Hui and presented him to the Nuwa family. The Nuwa family listed his crimes and ordered him to be beheaded. When the knife was slashed, no blood came out, but a black air rose into the air. It turned out that Kang Hui also had some With magical power, he transformed into a black dragon and snaked away. In the end, there was another battle with Ruixu, Nuwa's subordinate, at Buzhou Mountain. Kang Hui failed and died after his head hit Mount Buzhou.

As a result, the following historical events recorded in history appeared: The head of the Kang Hui family of Emperor Kangxi touched Mount Buzhou, and Mount Buzhou collapsed. As a result, the four poles were destroyed, Kyushu was split, the pillars of heaven were broken, and the earth was lacking. , Nuwa took on the arduous task of making five-color stones to mend the sky, so that the earth was flat and the sky was flat, without changing all things.

Suirenshi

Suirenshi is the legendary person who invented the method of drilling wood to make fire. This has been recorded in ancient books of the Pre-Qin Dynasty. Sui Renshi, in ancient times, the Shangqiu area was a mountain forest. The Suiren family who lived in the mountains and forests often hunted wild animals. When the rocks hitting the wild animals collided with the rocks, sparks often occurred. Suiren was inspired by this, so he struck stones with stones and used the sparks produced to ignite tinder and make fire. This method of making fire was still used by people in rural areas of Shangqiu thirty years ago. At that time, a saint was inspired by the sparks appearing when birds pecked the flint wood, so he broke off the flint branches and drilled the wood to make fire. He taught this method to people. Since then, mankind has learned to make artificial fire, use fire to roast food, lighting, heating, smelting, etc. Human life has entered a new stage. People called this saint the Suiren family and regarded him as the "head of the three emperors".

Fuxi clan

Fuxi clan is also known as Bao Xi clan and Pa Xi clan. It is said that he is a great inventor and has made great contributions to the people. "Bao Xi began to make Bagua to communicate the virtues of gods and imitate the emotions of all things." He also invented "knotting ropes into nets for fishing", which benefited the people. These are two great inventions. Of course, the emergence of such new things in society is the result of people's collective labor, not the gift of a certain "saint". But this legend tells us that the Fuxi clan began to use a recording symbol and knew how to make nets for fishing. Xi is also called Taihao Fuxi. It is said that he was the son of Hua Xu who stepped on the footprints of the God of Thunder in Lei Ze. He was able to "go up and down to the sky" along the trees growing in the fields of Miyako as a ladder to heaven.

Fuxi had many creations and inventions. Fuxi was one of the earliest wise men recorded in Chinese literature. Fuxi has a keen observation of things and a deep affection for the land. At the same time, he possesses superhuman intelligence. Fu Xi described everything he observed using a mathematical symbol (this binary mathematical model has become the cornerstone of the development of today's computer technology), which is Bagua. It mainly says that he sat on a square altar, listened to the music of the wind from all directions, and then drew □ (Qian), □ (Kun), □ (Zhen), □ (Xun), □ (Kan), □ (Li), The symbols of the eight hanging hexagrams □ (Gen) and □ (Dui) are called "Bagua" and represent various things in the world. He also imitated spider webs and made fishing nets. His minister Gou Mang, based on this principle, became a bird-catcher. Fuxi also made zither and created the music of "Jiabian". The dawn of ancient civilization began to emerge in the legendary Fuxi era. In ancient times, there was a Tu River in the east of Mengjin connected with the Yellow River. The dragon and horse negative diagram came from this river. Fuxi made the hexagrams Qian, Dui, Li, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Gen and Kun based on the dragon and horse diagram. The picture is called the Fuxi Bagua Picture by later generations. Fu Xi looked up to observe phenomena in the sky, looked down at the law on the earth, and used the Yin and Yang Bagua to explain the laws of evolution of all things in the world and the order of human relations. The Fuxi family made written contracts, formalized marriages, and taught fishing and hunting. This ended the ignorant history of people consuming hair, drinking blood, and tying ropes to record events, and created Chinese civilization.

Longma Negatu Temple became the "source of the river map", and Fuxi was regarded as the "ancestor of human roots" and "the ancestor of humanities" of the Chinese nation. "Han Shu·Kong Anguo Biography" says: "Dragon horses are the essence of heaven and earth. They are shaped like dragons with dragon scales on their bodies, so they are called dragon horses. Dragon horses have red stripes and green stripes. They are eight feet and five inches tall. They are like a camel with wings and can swim in water. No, when the saint is on the throne, the negative plan comes from Menghe."

Fuxi later became the Emperor of Heaven in the East, and his minister Gou Mang became his god. The shape of Jumang is the body of a bird, the face of a human, and it rides two dragons. The two of them jointly manage the wilderness of green earth and trees in the east for twelve thousand miles, and are the main gods of spring.

Shennong

Shennong is the legendary Emperor Yan. Emperor Yan is the Chinese sun god. He is also said to be the god of agriculture, teaching people how to farm. He is also the god of medicine. According to legend, it was Shen Nong who tasted hundreds of herbs and created medicine. Legend has it that Shennong died from trying poisonous herbs. He is the legendary earth god in charge of crops. Probably refers to the name of the clan where agriculture began to develop in primitive society. According to records, people originally ate raw meat, drank animal blood, and wore animal skins. Shennong believed that it would be difficult for people to live like this. Therefore, he "tasted the essence of the herbs, examined the sour and bitter flavors, and taught the people to eat grains." In fact, agricultural production knowledge is the accumulation of practical experience of ancient humans. Shennong has no one else. Later, people speculated that Shennong's deeds roughly reflected the social situation equivalent to the period when the matrilineal clan system flourished.

According to the ancient book "Huainanzi" written in the early Western Han Dynasty: "Shennong tasted the taste of hundreds of herbs and encountered seventy poisons in one day." There is still a touching myth and legend in Sichuan. It is said that Shen Nong tried all kinds of herbs in order to find medicinal herbs for people to cure diseases. One day he tasted a highly poisonous intestine, and finally his intestines were broken and he died for the people. life. Shennong also taught people about trade and exchange: "Shennong used the middle of the day as the market to reach out to the people of the world, gather the goods of the world, trade and withdraw, and everyone gets his own place." These legends are the deification of their ancestor Yan Emperor by later generations, indicating that he, like the Yellow Emperor, is the ancestor of the Chinese nation's civilization.

Yellow Emperor

The Yellow Emperor is the legendary ancestor of the Chinese nation. His surname was Gongsun, and he lived in the hills of Xuanyuan, so he was named Xuanyuan. The country has bears, also known as the bears.

The Yellow Emperor was flexible in nature, eloquent, and had noble moral sentiments. He was hailed as the leader of the nomadic tribes in the northwest. He joined forces with Emperor Yan to defeat the invasion of the Jiuli tribe led by Chi You, and became the leader of the tribal alliance on behalf of Shennong, becoming the "Yellow Emperor". Legend has it that after defeating Chi You, there were three battles with the Yandi tribe in Banquan. The Yellow Emperor led the clans with bears, crabs, Pixiu, Xiu, tiger and other beasts as their totems to participate in the battle, defeated the Yandi tribe and entered the Yellow River Basin. From then on, the Huangdi tribe settled in the Central Plains and developed quickly. Historical records record that "there are twenty-five clans of the Yellow Emperor's sons, and fourteen of them have surnames, which are twelve surnames." This shows that these tribes formed a huge tribal alliance.

It is for this reason that later generations attributed many inventions and creations to the Yellow Emperor's achievements, saying that he used jade as weapons, made boats, chariots, bows and arrows, and dyed clothes in five colors. He asked his wife Leizu to teach the people how to raise silkworms. He ordered his ministers Cangjie to make characters, Da Nao to make stems and branches, Ling Lun to make musical instruments, etc. These legends are not very reliable. We can only understand that production tools have greatly improved in the Huangdi era.

Historically, Yao, Shun, Xia, Shang, and Zhou were all descendants of the Yellow Emperor, so they were called "descendants of Xuanyuan" and "descendants of Yan and Huang." The descendants of the Yellow Emperor merged with other tribes to form the Chinese nation. The Xuanyuan clan of the Yellow Emperor is regarded as the ancestor of the Chinese nation.

Emperor Yan

Emperor Yan, surnamed Jiang. According to legend, he had the head of an ox and was probably the leader of a clan with an ox as a totem. Initially, this clan operated in the Wei River Basin, and later entered the middle reaches of the Yellow River and had a long-term conflict with the Jiuli clan. The leader of the Jiuli tribe is called Chi You. He has the body of an animal and speaks human language. He has a bronze head and an iron neck, horns on his head, and hair on his ears as hard as a sword and halberd. He can eat sand and gravel. He may be a clan with some kind of beast as its totem. He has eighty-one brothers, that is, eighty-one clans. They are powerful clan tribes that are brave and good at fighting. Chi You expelled Emperor Yan to Zhuolu (now the Sanggan River Basin in northwest Hebei). Emperor Yan asked Huang Emperor for help, and the two sides fought in Zhuolu. Chi You asked the Feng Boyu Master to make wind and rain, creating heavy fog that caused Huang Di's soldiers to lose their way. Huang Di asked the Drought Goddess Ba to clear the weather and build a "guide car" to identify the direction. The result of this fierce war was that Chi You failed and was killed. Huangdi won the victory and was elected as the "Emperor".

Zhuanxu

Zhuanxu, surnamed Ji and named Gaoyang, lived in Puyang County, Henan. According to legend, he was a descendant of Changyi, the son of Huangdi. When he was twenty years old, Huangdi passed the throne to him. Ancient books record: "The Gaoyang clan has eight talented people", which may be eight clans.

After taking the throne, Zhuanxu carried out political reforms and carried out an important religious reform. The Jiuli people who were conquered by the Yellow Emperor still believed in witchcraft and worshiped ghosts and gods when Zhuanxu arrived. Zhuanxu banned witchcraft and forced them to obey the teachings of the Huangdi tribe, which promoted the integration between tribes. Later, there was a tribe leader who was very dissatisfied with Zhuanxu. Legend has it that he knocked down Mount Buzhou with his head in anger. Suddenly, the pillar holding up the sky tilted, and the rope holding the earth broke. Then the sky tilted to the northwest, the sun, moon and stars moved; the earth sunk to the southeast, and the rivers flowed eastward. Zhuanxu reigned for 78 years and was in his 90s when he died. Zhuan Xu had many descendants, and Qu Yuan claimed to be a descendant of Zhuan Xu.

Di Ku

Di Ku, surnamed Ji, nicknamed Gaoxin, was the great-grandson of the Yellow Emperor. His father's name was Jiao Ji, and Zhuanxu was his cousin.

When Emperor Ku was in power, there were many talents and he governed the world very well. Emperor Ku reigned for more than 70 years. According to legend, Emperor Ku was born in Qiongsang (the bride of Xihai), and his mother was born by walking in the footsteps of a giant. Emperor Ku was a young boy who was smart and studious. He became famous at the age of twelve or thirteen. At fifteen, he joined Zhuanxu. He was granted the title of Xindi (today's Shangqiu, Henan) and lived in Diqiu (today's Puyang). At thirty, he won the throne and moved his capital to Haoyi (today's Puyang). Southwest of Yanshi County, Henan Province), lived to be a hundred years old. After his death, he was buried in Qiu Shan, Yinye, South Terrace of Dunqiu City, Puyang.

Emperor Yao

Emperor Yao, surnamed Yin Qi, nicknamed Fangxun. Because he was granted the title of Emperor Yao in the Tang Dynasty, he was called "Yao of the Tang Dynasty". Because of his high moral character and high prestige, the people fell in love with Emperor Yao. He is serious and respectful, shines in all directions, and can distinguish between upper and lower. He can unite his clansmen and make the clans unite as one family and live in harmony. Yao was a simple man, eating coarse rice and drinking wild vegetable soup. Naturally, he is loved by the people.

When Yao reached old age, the twelve herdsmen of the Four Mountains recommended the successor to the military chief of the tribal alliance, and everyone unanimously recommended Shun. Emperor Yao married his two daughters to Shun, and conducted a long-term investigation of him, and finally gave in with peace of mind.

Emperor Shun

Emperor Shun, whose surname was Yao, was said to have double pupils, so he was named "Chonghua". His nickname was Yu, so he was called Yushun. Shun's father was Gusou, and his younger brother was named Xiang. Because of Siyue's recommendation, Yao ordered him to take over his position as leader and gave him his two daughters as wives. The main deeds of Shun recorded in "Yao Dian" include: ordering Hou Ji to sow and plant hundreds of grains on time; digging ditches and canals to facilitate irrigation; dredging rivers and controlling floods; promulgating five punishments to eliminate the four evil tribes. Shun knew people well and appointed capable people. For example, Shun appointed many official positions: Yu was appointed to be Sikong, in charge of water and soil; Qi was appointed to be Houji, in charge of agriculture; Deed was appointed to be Situ, in charge of the five religions; Gao Tao was appointed to administer the five punishments, etc. . When Shun was the leader, he did all the work very well and created a situation of political harmony and harmony in ancient times. Therefore, Shun became the most powerful leader in the Central Plains. As the "Historical Records" says: "All good virtues in the world began with Emperor Yu." In fact, by the time of Shun, the prototype of the state apparatus was already in place. After death, Zen was located in Yu.

Historical records say: Emperor Yao was "as benevolent as heaven, as knowledgeable as God, as obedient to him as the sun, and as gazing upon him as clouds." When approaching him, he was like the sun, and when gazing at him from a distance, he was as brilliant as clouds. Be rich but not arrogant, be noble but not arrogant. Yellow hat, black clothes, red car with white horse. "Be able to understand and tame virtue, and be close to the nine tribes." He ordered the Xi family and the He family to determine and deduce the calendar, establish the four seasons of the year, and issue farming orders to the people. The vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumnal equinox and winter solstice were determined.

During the reign of Yao, the world was flooded. Gun was used to control the floods. After nine years of failure, he used Yu to control the floods. Yao set up drums of remonstrance so that the people of the world could express their opinions; he set up slander trees so that the people of the world could attack his faults. He has ruled the world for fifty years. I wonder if the world should be ruled? Do the people love themselves or not? The left and right don’t know, the government and the opposition don’t know. So he visited the people incognito. There was an old man with food in his mouth, belly bulging, and he knocked on the earth and sang: "The sun rises to work, the sun sets to rest, digs wells to drink, plows the fields to eat, how can the emperor's power be to me? ." This ancient poem is called "Song of Attacking the Soil".

Emperor Yao pioneered the abdication of emperors. After reigning for seventy years, he believed that his son Danzhu was ineffective and decided to select virtuous talents from among the people. Yao asked the leaders of the princes in the four directions: "Who can shoulder the heavy responsibility of the emperor?" The leaders of the princes in the four directions said: "There is a bachelor among the people. His name is Yu Shun." So Yao paid a private visit in disguise and came to Lishan area. He heard that Shun was here. When you plow the fields, you reach the fields. I saw a young man, tall, broad and agile, concentrating on plowing the land, driving a black ox and a yellow ox in front of the plow. The strange thing is that this young man never whips the cattle, but hangs a dustpan on the plow shaft. After a while, he knocks the dustpan and shouts. When Yao waited for Shun to plow the fields, he asked: "The plowmen use whips to beat the oxen, why do you only beat the dustpan and not the oxen?" Seeing an old man asking, Shun cupped his hands and bowed his head and replied: "The oxen work hard to plow the fields and sweat hard. How can I endure it if I beat him with a dustpan? The black oxen thought I was beating the scalpers, and the scalpers thought I was beating the black oxen, so they all worked hard to pull the plow." When Yao heard this, he felt that this young man was wise and kind-hearted, and he treated the oxen well. If this is the case, you will have more love for the people. Yao and Shun got into a conversation in the fields and talked about some issues of governing the world. Shun's discussion was clear and righteous, which was unusual for ordinary people. Yao visited again for hundreds of miles around and praised Shun for being a virtuous man. Yao then decided to give Shun a try. Yao married his two daughters Ehuang and Nvying to Shun, and asked his two daughters to observe his virtues; he arranged nine men around Shun, and asked the nine men to observe his conduct. Putting Shun into the deep mountains, he tamed tigers, leopards, and venomous snakes. Shun had a clear mind and clear direction. He did not get lost in the mountains and came out quickly. Yao first asked Shun to serve as an official in the court. After three years of trial, he asked Shun to pay homage to Yao's ancestors in Yao's Confucian Temple. Yao then asked Shun to act as emperor on his behalf.

Tai Hao

Tai Hao, also known as Tai Hao, has the surname Feng. According to legend, he has the head of a snake and the body of a human, and may be the leader of a clan with a snake or dragon as a totem, living in Chendi (now Huaiyang County, Henan). He should be the imaginary ancestor of the clan tribes in the Huaihe River Basin.

Shaohao

Shaohao, also called Shaohao, has a surname of Ji, a first name of Zhi, and the nickname Qiong Sang Emperor. It is said that he is a descendant of the Yellow Emperor and lives in Qufu, Shandong. This tribe uses birds as its totem, and there are twenty four types of tribes: Fengniao, Xuanwu, and Qingwu. This may be a large tribe composed of twenty-four clans. The Shaohao tribe is a branch of the Huangdi tribe that developed eastward.