Question 1

Who is the qilin and what is its role in Chinese mythology?

Accepted Answer

The qilin is a fabulous creature of Chinese mythology, often called the “unicorn of the East.” What you need to remember is that it is not a mere fantastical animal: it embodies an auspicious omen (ruishou) heralding the birth or death of a sage, and symbolizes peace, prosperity, and benevolence (ren). Unlike dragons or phoenixes, the qilin is a peaceful chimera, with the body of a deer, the hooves of a horse, and the scales of a dragon, that walks without crushing a single blade of grass. It is one of the “four supernatural beings” (siling) along with the dragon, the phoenix, and the tortoise, according to the Classic of Rites.

Question 2

What is the importance of the qilin in the Confucian tradition?

Accepted Answer

To understand this, you must remember that Confucius himself is linked to the qilin through two major episodes. First, a legend reports that a qilin is said to have appeared to Confucius's mother before his birth in 551 BC, spitting out a jade tablet announcing that he would become a “throneless king.” Second, in 481 BC, the capture and death of a qilin in the State of Lu is said to have led Confucius to stop writing the Spring and Autumn Annals: this is the episode of the huo lin (“the capture of the lin”). What is striking here is that the qilin becomes the symbol of the end of an era and of the supreme virtue of Confucianism.

Question 3

How was the qilin used as a symbol of power under the imperial dynasties?

Accepted Answer

Less a mythological animal than a political emblem, the qilin served to legitimize imperial power. As early as 51 BC, Emperor Xuan of Han had the portraits of his deserving ministers painted in the Qilin Pavilion (Qilin Ge). Later, under the Ming (1391) and then the Qing (1652), the qilin adorned the mandarin squares (buzi) of the highest dignitaries and officers. What is often forgotten is that in 1414, Emperor Yongle presented a giraffe brought back from Africa as a qilin, a sign that Heaven approved of his reign. The creature thus served as a mark of rank and a favorable omen.

Question 4

What ritual objects are associated with the qilin?

Accepted Answer

The qilin appears on several meaningful objects. Among the most typical are the qilin mandarin square (buzi), an embroidered badge indicating rank, and the guardian qilin statue in stone or bronze, placed at the entrance of temples, palaces, and tombs to protect the place. There are also qilin-shaped incense burners, whose smoke escapes through the mouth, used to purify a space. Finally, the “qilin songzi” amulet shows the qilin carrying a child on its back: it was given to young couples to wish for the birth of a talented son. What makes these objects important is that they combine practical function with spiritual symbolism.

Question 5

Where can you see depictions of the qilin in China today?

Accepted Answer

Several sites preserve traces of the qilin. In Qufu (Shandong), Confucius's birthplace, tradition locates the appearance of the qilin heralding his birth. In Juye, also in Shandong, a site commemorates the deadly capture of the qilin in 481 BC. The Qilin Pavilion in Chang'an (today Xi'an) recalls the Han gallery. Finally, in Nanjing, the sacred ways of the Ming tombs are guarded by qilin statues, and it was there that the giraffe-qilin was presented in 1414. Imagine these places as so many anchor points of the myth in the Chinese historical landscape.

Question 6

What do ancient texts say about the qilin?

Accepted Answer

The oldest sources are the Shijing (Classic of Poetry), which in the 8th century BC evokes the qilin as an emblem of virtuous nobility in the poem “Lin zhi zhi.” The Spring and Autumn Annals soberly note: “In spring, during a hunt in the west, a lin was captured.” The Liji (Classic of Rites) ranks it among the four supernatural beings. Later, in the 4th century, the Shiyi ji by Wang Jia enriched the legend by recounting that the qilin spat out a jade tablet before Confucius's birth. What you need to remember is that these texts show the evolution of the qilin: first an animal of good omen, then a Confucian symbol.

Question 7

What historical events marked the history of the qilin myth?

Accepted Answer

Several key dates mark the history of the qilin. In 551 BC, tradition places the appearance of the qilin heralding the birth of Confucius. In 481 BC, the capture of the qilin in the State of Lu marks the end of the Annals. Under the Han, in 51 BC, the Qilin Pavilion is created. Under the Ming, in 1391, the qilin becomes a badge of rank, and in 1414, a giraffe is presented as a qilin. Finally, in 1652, under the Qing, it becomes the badge of first-rank officers. What is striking is that the myth adapts to the political needs of each dynasty.

Question 8

What specific vocabulary should you know about the qilin?

Accepted Answer

To fully understand the qilin, a few terms are essential. Qilin itself: “qi” refers to the male and “lin” the female. Siling: the four supernatural beings. Huo lin: the capture of the lin, symbol of the end of an age. Ren: the benevolence that the qilin embodies. Ruishou: an auspicious beast. Xiangrui: a favorable omen. Qilin songzi: the qilin brings a son, a wish for fertility. Linzhi: the hooves of the lin, a poetic allusion to noble offspring. Qilin Ge: the Qilin Pavilion. Buzi: mandarin square. This vocabulary shows how the qilin permeates the Chinese language and culture.

Question 9

What is the daily life of the qilin according to the legends?

Accepted Answer

The tales describe a being of extreme gentleness. The qilin appears at the dawn of happy times, emerging in the gardens of just rulers or on the eve of a sage's birth. It walks so delicately that it crushes neither the grass nor the smallest insect, a living image of Confucian ren. It does not feed on flesh and refuses all violence. Its single horn has a fleshy tip so as not to injure anyone. It has no earthly dwelling: it resides in celestial realms, invisible to ordinary men, and shows itself only when virtue reigns. What is often forgotten is that its longevity is said to be immense, sometimes more than a thousand years.

Question 10

What is the influence of the qilin in modern culture?

Accepted Answer

The qilin did not disappear with the empire. In Japan, where it is called kirin, it gave its name to a famous beer brand founded in 1888, whose label still shows the animal. In China, the qilin dance (qilin wu) is performed during festivals, notably the New Year, to summon luck and prosperity. The qilin songzi motif remains popular for birth wishes. What makes this legacy singular is that the qilin has crossed the centuries while retaining its function as a favorable omen, all the while adapting to modern media: from sculpture to beer to dance.

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