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55-526: The origin of Erlang is complex. He is most commonly believed to be the deification of Li Erlang, the second son of Li Bing , a hydraulic engineer of the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC). Later stories identify him as the deification of Yang Jian , the nephew of the legendary Jade Emperor . He is also identified with several other folk heroes associated with controlling floods. In the Ming -era semi-mythical novels Investiture of

110-562: A beard and sword. He has a third eye in the middle of the forehead, sometimes called "Eye of Heaven" ( Chinese : 天眼 ; pinyin : Tiānyǎn ), which lets him see through deceptions, disguises, and transformations. In some stories, his third eye can also fire destructive blasts of light or divine fire. As a god, Erlang is a noble and powerful warrior who vanquishes demons and monsters, and embodies justice and righteousness. He possesses vast, superhuman strength, being able to cleave through an entire mountain in one stroke. His main weapon

165-423: A chance to bring him down, and Erlang's dog bit him in the leg. After Sun Wukong had been captured (to which Sun Wukong retorts that they are cowards for attacking from behind), he and his heavenly soldiers would burn areas of Mount Huaguo . Erlang is seen again far later in the novel when he assists Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie through chance by fighting against an ancient Dragon King and his villainous son-in-law,

220-571: A disciple of Yuding Zhenren at Jinxia Cave in Yuquan Mountain. By the age of seventeen, he had cultivated powerful abilities that allowed him to stand proudly in the world. His martial skills progressed remarkably, especially after he obtained the Three-Pointed Two-Edged Blade. Driven by his deep desire to save his mother, he used his blade to split open Peach Mountain and rescued her. This legend has also become an important origin for

275-671: A good society using the principle of filial piety. Filial piety is central to Confucian role ethics . In more general terms, filial piety means to be good to one's parents; to take care of one's parents; to engage in good conduct, not just towards parents but also outside the home so as to bring a good name to one's parents and ancestors; to show love, respect, and support; to display courtesy; to ensure male heirs; to uphold fraternity among brothers; to wisely advise one's parents, including dissuading them from moral unrighteousness; to display sorrow for their sickness and death; and to bury them and carry out sacrifices after their death. Filial piety

330-739: A hydraulic engineer from the Qin dynasty. According to the "Story about Li Bing and His Son in Harnessing the Rivers" in the Records of Guansian , Li Erlang assisted his father in the construction of the complex irrigation system that prevented the Min River from flooding and irrigated the Chengdu Plain . In thanks for the prosperity that this brought to them, the local people elevated the father and son to gods and dedicated

385-454: A local god of Guankou , Sichuan , where Li Erlang was from. During the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127 CE), the cult of Erlang spread to the rest of China. In later stories, Erlang is the deification of Yang Jian, son of the goddess Yunhua , and nephew of the legendary Jade Emperor . This portrayal as Yang Jian is most common in popular media. Li Erlang was the second son of Li Bing ,

440-462: A mortal scholar, who saved her life by giving her his own heart to replace the one the dragon damaged. They had three children: Yang Jiao, Yang Jian (Erlang Shen), and Yang Chan (Holy Mother of Mount Hua ). When the Jade Emperor discovered her marriage, he sent his armies to kill her family and capture her. Only Erlang and his sister Yang Chan survived. In order to rescue his mother, Yang Jian became

495-470: A nine-headed bird demon. Wukong also mentions being sworn brothers with Erlang Shen. Erlang has six other sworn brothers from Plum Hill. In the tale Lotus Lantern ( Bao Lian Deng ), Erlang had a sister known as the Holy Mother of Mount Hua ( Hua Shan ). She married a mortal man, Liu Yanchang, who was a scholar. Together, they had a son by the name of Chenxiang. Erlang had to seal her because she violated

550-423: A punishment, hence the traditional saying, "being smitten by lightning for being unfilial and ungrateful" towards unruly children. Erlang's origin comes from a combination of historical and legendary figures. Generally, he is believed to be the deification of Li Erlang, the second son of Li Bing . However, he is also identified with several other folk heroes, which may have influenced his portrayal. He originated as

605-626: A temple enshrining Zhao Yu as the god Erlang and the floods were subdued. Deng Xia is said to have been a general under Erlang who surpassed his predecessors in valor and defeated a flood dragon, receiving the title "Erlang Shen" and a temple in his honor at Zhongqingli in Hangzhou . In the Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms , it is recorded that the Emperor Wang Zongyan of Former Shu

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660-414: A toast. When the river deity did not drink his glass of wine, Li, deeply offended, ran off with a drawn sword. The crowd then saw two bulls prepared in advance, fighting along the river bank. Symbolically, this was Li Bing in a duel with the deity. Li Bing returned, sweating as if in battle, and called for assistance. One of his lieutenants ran up to the bull that Li Bing had designated as the deity and killed

715-455: Is a combination of the character lao (old) above the character zi (son), that is, an elder being carried by a son. This indicates that the older generation should be supported by the younger generation. In Korean Confucianism , the character 孝 is pronounced hyo ( 효 ). In Vietnamese, the character 孝 is written in the Vietnamese alphabet as hiếu . In Japanese, the term

770-443: Is a spear called Sanjian Liangren Qiang ( Chinese : 三尖兩刃槍 ; pinyin : Sānjiān Liǎngrèn Qiāng ; lit. 'Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear'), usually depicted as a flat, broad spear with three tips like a trident , and the two cutting edges of a saber. This bladed polearm is powerful enough to penetrate and cleave through steel and stone like wool. Erlang is almost always accompanied by his faithful hunting dog,

825-479: Is an awareness of repaying the burden borne by one's parents. As such, filial piety is done to reciprocate the care one's parents have given. However, it is also practiced because of an obligation towards one's ancestors. According to some modern scholars, xiào is the root of rén ( 仁 ; benevolence, humaneness ), but other scholars state that rén , as well as yì ( 義 ; righteousness ) and li ( 禮 ; propriety ) should be interpreted as

880-608: Is compared to the Great Yu . Dujiangyan is still in use today and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . King Zhaoxiang of Qin (r. 306–251 BC) dispatched Li Bing as a joint military and civilian governor ( shou ) over Shu , a recently defeated state in Sichuan province, Southwest China , just west of modern Chengdu . According to the Records of the Grand Historian , Li Bing

935-515: Is considered a key virtue in Chinese and other East Asian cultures, and it is the main subject of many stories. One of the most famous collections of such stories is The Twenty-four Cases of Filial Piety . These stories depict how children exercised their filial piety customs in the past. While China has always had a diversity of religious beliefs, the custom of filial piety has been common to almost all of them; historian Hugh D.R. Baker calls respect for

990-676: Is generally rendered in spoken and written language as 親孝行 ( oyakōkō ) adding the characters for parent and conduct to the Chinese character to make the word more specific. Confucian teachings about filial piety can be found in numerous texts, including the Four Books , that is the Great Learning ( 大學 ), the Doctrine of the Mean ( 中庸 ), Analects ( 論語 ), and the book Mencius , as well as

1045-468: Is said to have set forth with 1000 men to defeat a flood dragon that had been tormenting the area. Upon reaching the river, Zhao Yu dived into the water with his double-edged sword and emerged holding the dragon’s head. Following his death, according to the Chronicle of Changshu County , the region was once again plagued by flood and he was seen riding a white horse amidst the swirling currents. The locals built

1100-673: Is that Li Erlang had never appeared in any of the tales related to stopping the Min River. The first appearance of Li Erlang was in Zhishui ji ( 治水記 ) by Li Ying ( 李膺 ) of the Liang dynasty (502–557 CE). Historically, Li Bing was conferred an official title until the Five Dynasties period under the rule of the Shu kingdom. He rose to political power when the great flood that occurred on the twenty-sixth day of

1155-622: Is the archetype of the former: "This folk tradition originated in the Sichuan region with a Zoroastrian cultural background, Erlang Shen shares many common features and characteristics with Tishtrya. Therefore, it is speculated that the cult of Erlang Shen should be derived from the worship of the Zoroastrian rain deity." In Investiture of the Gods , Yang Jian (Yang Bliss) is a disciple of Yuding Zhenren , and he learned fighting and magical skills including

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1210-533: Is the virtue of exhibiting love and respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors, particularly within the context of Confucian , Chinese Buddhist , and Daoist ethics. The Confucian Classic of Filial Piety , thought to be written around the late Warring States - Qin - Han period, has historically been the authoritative source on the Confucian tenet of filial piety. The book—a purported dialogue between Confucius and his student Zengzi —is about how to set up

1265-552: Is titled as being either True Lord or Illustrious Sage, is the nephew of the Jade Emperor . Erlang made his first appearance when he had been ordered by the Jade Emperor (in which Erlang was also with his seven elite sages whom he called his brothers) to subdue Sun Wukong , who was to be punished for his havoc in heaven. His bearing was refined, his visage noble, His ears hung down to his shoulders, and his eyes shone. The hat on his head had three peaks and phoenixes flying, And his robe

1320-455: The Min River ." Additionally, the Qin monarchy had been sending its exiles to this state, and the Qin military needed food and infrastructure. Li Bing then created “the largest, most carefully planned public works project yet seen anywhere on the eastern half of the Eurasian continent.” It would be called Dujiangyan . He conducted an extensive hydraulic survey of the Min River to stabilize

1375-513: The Two Kings Temple in their honor. Legend states that Li Bing sent his son out to discover the source of the flooding. He spent a year exploring the county without success. One day whilst sheltering in a cave, he encountered a tiger which he slew and seven hunters who had witnessed this bravery agreed to join him in his quest. The group finally came to a cottage on the outskirts of Guan County (modern Dujiangyan City ). From within they heard

1430-614: The Xiaotian Quan ( Chinese : 嘯天犬 ; pinyin : Xiàotiān Quǎn ; lit. 'Howling/Barking Celestial Dog'), which has the ability to viciously attack, maul, and subdue demons and evil spirits. In some legends, Erlang possesses a unique ability known as the Jiuzhuan Xuangong ( Chinese : 九轉玄功 ; pinyin : Jiǔzhuǎn Xuángōng ; lit. 'Nine Turns Divine Skill'), which turns him nearly invincible against conventional weapons and most forms of magic. In

1485-535: The " filial piety " culture along the banks of the Guan River. In the Ming dynasty novel Investiture of the Gods (1605), it is mentioned that Princess Longji is the Jade Emperor's daughter, making her Yang Jian's cousin. The Golden Fleece Lads are his disciples. Erlang Shen is also identified with Zhao Yu, a hermit who lived on Mount Qingcheng and was appointed by Emperor Yang of Sui as Governor of Jiazhou . Zhao Yu

1540-414: The 72 Earthly Transformations. Erlang ( Chinese : 二郎 ; pinyin : Èrláng ; lit. 'Second Son/Boy/Lad/Male') is an ancient given name for boys. This stems from Li Erlang, the primary historical figure that Erlang is thought to be based on. Shen ( Chinese : 神 ; pinyin : Shén ) means "God". Since Li Erlang was from Guankou , Sichuan , the god Erlang is also known by

1595-573: The 72 earthly transformations. He first appeared during the time of the Diablo Brothers' attack on the Western Foothills. After hearing of the situation, Yang personally took the offensive against the brothers. During his duel against all four brothers, Yang deliberately allowed himself to be consumed by Diablo Long Life's flying mink (some sources say an elephant). Following the battle, Yang Jian suddenly reappeared before Jiang Ziya after killing

1650-652: The Gods and Journey to the West , Erlang Shen is the nephew of the Jade Emperor. In the former novel, he assists the Zhou army in defeating the Shang . In the latter, he is the second son of a mortal and the Jade Emperor's sister Yunhua , as well as an enemy-turned-ally of the Monkey King . In his legends he is known as the greatest warrior god of heaven, and was a disciple of Yuding Zhenren , who taught him fighting and magical skills such as

1705-541: The Qin system of land distribution with wet paddy rice in the Chengdu plains. The native Animist people of Shu believed that the Min was a deity. Sima Qian 's Shiji relates that upon appointment as administrator of Po, a province of Wei , Ximen Bao discouraged the local belief that the god of the river required a bride, and punished the local gentry and bureaucrats who took advantage of such superstitions. Administrators across

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1760-1051: The bull. Li Bing subdued the river spirit, and the local people were satisfied. The workers were primarily exiles from lands conquered by the Qin and the local population. Filial piety Confucianism Persons Topics Neo Confucianism New Confucianism Daoism Persons Topics Legalism Mohism Military and Strategy Han Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism Maoism General topics Vedic philosophy Mimamsa Vedanta Samkhya Yoga Nyaya Navya-Nyāya Vaisheshika Nāstika (heterodox) Tamil Other General topics Jainism Buddhism Traditions Topics Japanese Buddhism Japanese Confucianism Kokugaku Modern Thought Statism Kyoto School Korean Buddhism Korean Confucianism Persons Topics Donghak Modern Thought Persons Topics Filial piety

1815-411: The conclusion of the battle, he managed to see through Sun Wukong's disguise (as a temple) using his third eye and with the assistance of another God. It should be noted, however, that Wukong fleeing was for his monkeys' safety. Erlang eventually captured Wukong through teamwork with several other gods; Laozi personally had dropped his refined golden ring that had hit Sun Wukong on the head, giving Erlang

1870-502: The dragon was secured in the pool below the Dragon-Taming Temple , freeing the region from floods. Another legend tells of Li Erlang suppressing a fire dragon that lived in the mountains north of Dujiangyan by climbing to the top of Mount Yulei, turning into a giant and building a dam with 66 mountains then filling it with water from Dragon Pacifying Pool. Li Bing himself has been thought of as inspiration for Erlang. For stopping

1925-616: The eighth month in 920 AD was reported to the emperor by Daoist Du Guangting . Many legends and novels describe Erlang as Yang Jian, a nephew of the Jade Emperor . According to an ancient text, Erlang Baojuan , Yang Jian's mother was Princess Yunhua , the Jade Emperor's sister, who was imprisoned under Mount Tao because she violated the Heavenly Rules by marrying a human named Yang Tianyou. Many years later, her son Yang Jian cleaved Mount Tao using his axe, hoping to set his mother free. He did successfully rescue his mother after he chased away

1980-427: The epithets Chuanzhu ( Chinese : 川主 ; pinyin : Chuānzhǔ ; lit. 'Lord of Sichuan') and Guankou Erlang ( Chinese : 灌口二郎 ; pinyin : Guànkǒu Èrláng ; lit. 'Erlang of Guankou'). Other bynames of the deity include: Erlang is usually portrayed as a young, handsome man with a three-pointed spear, though in older paintings he is sometimes portrayed as an older man with

2035-405: The family the one element common to almost all Chinese people. The western term filial piety was originally derived from studies of Western societies, based on Mediterranean cultures. However, filial piety among the ancient Romans , for example, was largely different from the Chinese in its logic and enactment. Filial piety is illustrated by the Chinese character xiao (孝). The character

2090-494: The floods of the Min River by constructing Dujiangyan , he was turned into a folk hero who defeated a river god in order to save his prefecture from being flooded. He was then portrayed as the new river god that protected the local people in the area from floods. However, a discrepancy comes up that even though Li Bing/Erlang was known as Guankou Shen, the river that he is associated with is in Qianwei and not Guankou. Another discrepancy

2145-666: The laws of heaven by having a relationship with a mortal. When Chenxiang came of age, he defeated Erlang and split the mountain with an axe to free his mother, mirroring how Erlang has split Mount Tao to free his own mother. Erlang is also introduced as a resplendent, powerful god in Kevin Hearne 's Scourged , book 9 of The Iron Druid Chronicles . Sheng actor 大鬧天宮 西游记 西游记 东游记 宝莲灯 宝莲灯 封神榜之凤鸣岐山 宝莲灯前传 西游记 西游记 China 西游记之大闹天宫 China Li Bing (Qin) Li Bing ( Chinese : 李冰 ; pinyin : Lǐ Bīng ; c.  3rd century BC )

2200-419: The mink inside its stomach with his many transformations. To trick the Diablo Brothers, Yang Jian later transformed himself into Long Life's flying mink and stole Diablo Red's Havoc-Umbrella. Thus, Yang was renowned as the true reason for Jiang Ziya's victory over the Diablo Brothers at an overall point. Erlang makes an appearance near the start of the classic Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en . Erlang, who

2255-520: The novel Investiture of the Gods , this ability turns him completely impervious to attacks from mystical weapons that have proven capable of injuring or even killing other immortals. Some stories state he is capable of 72 transformations (sometimes 73), meaning he can transform into virtually anything he wants. In some folk beliefs, he was a filial son that entered Diyu , or hell, to save his deceased mother from torment. After being deified, he punishes unfilial children by striking them with thunder as

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2310-401: The region commonly took such actions, but Ximen Bao failed. Therefore, to avert a similar massive revolt, Li Bing set out to end this practice by what Steven Sage describes as a "combination of tact and showmanship.” He set up a temple to honor the Min deity, then offered his own two daughters as brides to the deity. In preparation, he set up a large nuptial banquet along the river and offered

2365-649: The rest of the royal family of the Former and Later Shu were Zoroastrians. He believed that there is great similarity between the appearance of Erlang Shen and that of the Sogdian -Zoroastrian deity Weshparkar , which is able to conclude that Erlang Shen is a localized deity originated in Persia or Zoroastrian Central Asia . After a detailed comparison of Erlang Shen and the Zoroastrian rain deity Tishtrya in his article for Religious Studies , Professor Hou Hui suggested that Tishtrya

2420-410: The roots of xiào . Rén means favorable behavior to those whom we are close to. Yì refers to respect to those considered worthy of respect, such as parents and superiors. Li is defined as behaving according to social norms and cultural values. Moreover, it is defined in the texts as deference , which is respectful submission, and reverence , meaning deep respect and awe. Filial piety

2475-542: The sound of an old woman crying. The woman was Grandma Wang and she told them that her grandson was to be sacrificed to an evil dragon who was the local river god. Li Erlang reported this to his father who devised a plan to capture the dragon. The eight friends hid in the River God Temple and jumped out on the dragon when it arrived to claim its offering. The dragon fled to the river pursued by Li Erlang, who eventually captured it. Grandma Wang arrived with an iron chain and

2530-474: The sun by carrying a mountain on his back. In the Tang dynasty story The Magic Lotus Lantern , Erlang's mother, Princess Yunhua, was the goddess of the realm of desire in heaven. Her job was to limit the gods' mortal urges such as love, affection, greed, and ambition. When she pursued an evil dragon who broke free of its heavenly prison into the mortal realm and was injured by it, she fell in love with Yang Tianyou,

2585-541: The waters from flooding settlements and plot out an extension into Chengdu. This extension would be a fair way to provide military logistical support to the Chengdu supply lines. This is standard practice for Qin administrators who routinely combine their agricultural projects for civilian and military purposes. The Min River is 735 km long and it is the largest and the longest of the Yangtze tributaries . The Qin administration

2640-616: The works Classic of Filial Piety ( 孝經 ) and the Book of Rites ( 禮記 ). In the Classic of Filial Piety , Confucius (551–479  BCE ) says that "filial piety is the root of virtue and the basis of philosophy" and modern philosopher Fung Yu-lan describes filial piety as "the ideological basis for traditional [Chinese] society". For Confucius, filial piety is not merely a ritual outside respect to one's parents, but an inward attitude as well. Filial piety consists of several aspects. Filial piety

2695-583: Was a Chinese hydraulic engineer and politician of the Warring States period . He served the state of Qin as an administrator and is revered for his work on the Dujiangyan River Control System , which both controlled flooding and provided irrigation water year-round, greatly increasing the productivity of the valley. Li Bing became a cultural icon , known as the vanquisher of the River God and

2750-532: Was appointed governor of Shu in c. 277 BC. However, the Chronicles of Huayang place Li Bing in Shu in 272 BC. He arrived just as Zhang Ruo had put down the last of the marquis rebellions and moved out to engage the Chu city of Yan. Zhang Ruo did not leave any incumbent ministers, and Li Bing had complete control over Shu. "When he arrived in Shu, Li Bing witnessed the sufferings of local people from frequent flooding of

2805-403: Was more experienced working with arid lands than wet rice paddies . Additionally, slowing the water current reduced the river's ability to carry away large amounts of sediment. At peak discharge, the Min flows at about 5000 or even 6000 cubic meters per second. At low water, it lessens to about 500 cubic meters per second. On the other hand, the water diversion would have a positive effect and on

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2860-530: Was of a pale goose−yellow. His boots were lined with cloth of gold; dragons coiled round his socks; His jade belt was decorated with the eight jewels, At his waist was a bow, curved like the moon, In his hand a Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear. His axe had split open Peach Mountain when he rescued his mother, His bow had killed the twin phoenixes of Zongluo. Widespread was his fame for killing the Eight Demons, And he had become one of Plum Hill's seven sages. His heart

2915-632: Was present in a ceremonial procession wearing golden armor, pearl-decorated hat and holding a bow and an arrow. His appearance was compared to that of the Xian ( 祆 , Chinese term for " Zoroastrian ") god of Guankou by the crowd. According to the tradition, Erlang Shen was originally a river god in the Guankou district. Professor Li Guotao argued that this "Xian god" has his origins in Zoroastrianism. Furthermore, he also suggested that Emperor Wang Zongyan, as well as

2970-483: Was taught by Confucius as part of a broad ideal of self-cultivation ( Chinese : 君子 ; pinyin : jūnzǐ ) toward being a perfect human being. Modern philosopher Hu Shih argued that filial piety gained its central role in Confucian ideology only among later Confucianists. He proposed that Confucius originally taught the quality of rén in general, and did not yet emphasize xiào as much. Only later Confucianists such as Tseng Tzu focused on xiào as

3025-571: Was too lofty to acknowledge his relatives in Heaven; In his pride he went back to be a god at Guanjiang. He was the Merciful and Miraculous Sage of the red city, Erlang, whose transformations were numberless. Throughout the course of Erlang's duel between Sun Wukong, it was proven that they are equally matched. After many transformations that were performed in their duel (Sun Wukong fleeing as a fish; Erlang and Sun Wukong becoming larger birds, and so forth), near

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