Fuxi

Fuxi

See also: Fúxī, Fu Xi, and fùxí

English

An Eastern Han tomb tile relief depicting Fuxi and his sister Nüwa as half-snake and bearing the sun and moon respectively

Alternative forms

• Fu Xi
• Fu Hsi, Fu-hsi (dated)
• Fo Hi, Fo-hi, Fo-Hi, Fo-Hsi, Fo-hsi, Fou Hi, Fou-hi (obsolete)

Etymology

From the Hanyu Pinyin[1] romanization of the modern Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 伏羲 (Fúxī), variously understood and treated as a solar god, protoplast, culture hero, legendary emperor, and protohistorical tribal chief or as an imperial or prehistoric dynasty (氏, shì) in China before the Xia. The two characters may be phonetic but have the meaning "concealed from", "submitting to", or "prostrate before" 羲, a character that also appears in the name of the early solar goddess 羲和 (“Xīhé”), q.v.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /fuʃiː/
• (China) IPA^(key): /fuɕi/

Proper noun

Fuxi

1. (Chinese mythology) A legendary ancient Chinese ruler and culture hero, typically the brother of Nüwa.
   • [1738, Du Halde, J. B., “PROVINCE VII. HO-NAN.”, in A Description of the Empire of China and Chinese-Tartary, Together with the Kingdoms of Korea, and Tibet‎, volume I, London, page 102:

     The Chineſe ſay that Fo-hi, the Founder of their Monarchy, fix’d his Court in this Province; and began his Reign about the Year 2952, according to ſome Authors, whoſe Opinion if true confirms the Chronology of the Septuagint.]

Translations

legendary ancient Chinese ruler

Chinese: Cantonese: 伏羲 (fuk6 hei1) Mandarin: 伏羲 (zh) (Fúxī) Japanese: 伏羲 (ふっき, Fukki) Korean: 복희(伏羲) (bokhui) Vietnamese: Phục Hy (伏羲)

References

1. “Selected Glossary”, in The Cambridge Encyclopedia of China‎, Cambridge University Press, 1982, →ISBN, LCCN 79-42627, OCLC 781411242, pages 476, 478

Anagrams

• Xifu