Tiānwú

天吴Tianwu

The eight-headed water god of the Valley of the Morning Sun from the Shan Hai Jing: human-faced heads, eight legs, eight or ten tails, and called the Master of the Waters.《山海经》记载朝阳之谷的水伯天吴：八首人面，虎身，八尾或十尾，是为水伯。

Heads头面

Eight human-faced heads八张人脸并列而生

八首人面

Body躯干

Tiger body, ten tails老虎身子十条尾巴

虎身十尾

Legs肢足

Eight legs, eight tails八条腿八条尾巴

八足八尾

Coat脊背

Blue and yellow back背脊杂有青黄两色

背青黃

Woodblock print from Gujin Tushu Jicheng depicting Tianwu, a multi-headed water god with tiger body above rolling waves, inscribed 'Tianwu Shen Tu'八首人面Eight heads八个人面的头八首人面Eight heads八个人面的头虎身Tiger body老虎的身子虎身Tiger body老虎的身子八足Eight legs画中的腿脚八足Eight legs画中的腿脚多尾Multiple tails好几条尾巴多尾Multiple tails好几条尾巴
朝陽之谷，神曰天吳，是為水伯

At the Valley of the Morning Sun, the spirit is named Tianwu; he is the Master of the Waters.

山海經·海外東經

Tiger beast with ringed faces in Ming edition明代格致丛书本题为天吴 — A striped tiger-like beast with a ring of small human heads around its face画成带条纹的虎形兽，脸周围一圈小人头

Tianwu Shen Tu 天吳神圖, the eight-headed water god. Gujin Tushu Jicheng 古今圖書集成, Spirits and the Supernatural, woodblock print, 1726清·陈梦雷等编《古今图书集成·神异典》“天吴神图”，雍正四年（1726）铜活字印本 · Public domain公有领域Hu Wenhuan, Newly Carved Classic of Mountains and Seas, 1593, juan 1, PDF page 25, inscribed 'Tianwu'明·胡文焕《新刻山海经图》卷上（PDF第25页），万历二十一年（1593）格致丛书本，题“天吴” · Hu Wenhuan 胡文煥 (ed.)胡文焕 编, 15931593年

Highlighted words: anatomy part · feature · form type — tap to jump标色词：形态部位 · 特征 · 形态类别，点击可跳转

The texts原文

Original Text & Translation原文与译文

山海經·海外東經 · Shan Hai Jing · Wikisource

朝陽之谷，神曰天吳，是為水伯。在𧈫𧈫北兩水間。其為獸也，八首人面，八足八尾，背青黃。
At the Valley of the Morning Sun, the spirit is named Tianwu; he is the Master of the Waters. He is between two rivers north of 𧈫𧈫. As a beast, he has eight heads with human faces, eight legs and eight tails, and his back is blue-green and yellow.

山海經·大荒東經 · Shan Hai Jing · Wikisource

有神人，八首人面，虎身十尾，名曰天吳。
There is a divine spirit who has eight heads with human faces, a tiger body and ten tails; his name is Tianwu.

Comparing the Books典籍对比

Two chapters of the Shan Hai Jing describe Tianwu with eight human-faced heads; Overseas East gives eight legs and eight tails, Great Wilds East a tiger body and ten tails.

The story来历与故事

The eight-headed water god of the Valley of the Morning Sun in the Shan Hai Jing: eight human-faced heads, eight legs, eight or ten tails and a tiger body; he is the Master of the Waters.

The Water God of the Morning Sun朝阳之谷：司水之伯

Tianwu is the Master of the Waters dwelling in the Valley of the Morning Sun.《山海经》记载天吴为朝阳之谷水伯，位于𧈫𧈫以北。

In the Classic of Overseas: East, Tianwu is the spirit of the Valley of the Morning Sun and the Master of the Waters.

The text places him between two rivers north of 𧈫𧈫 (HongHong).

Hu Wenhuan, Newly Carved Classic of Mountains and Seas, 1593, juan 1, PDF page 25, inscribed 'Tianwu'
Hu Wenhuan, Newly Carved Classic of Mountains and Seas, 1593, juan 1, PDF page 25, inscribed 'Tianwu'明·胡文焕《新刻山海经图》卷上（PDF第25页），万历二十一年（1593）格致丛书本，题“天吴”

Anatomical Variations Across Chapters首尾异文：八尾与十尾

Accounts vary between eight and ten tails across the Classic's chapters.《海外东经》与《大荒东经》分别记其为八足八尾或虎身十尾。

The Classic of Overseas: East describes Tianwu as a beast with eight heads and human faces, eight legs, eight tails, and a back coloured blue-green and yellow.

In contrast, the Classic of the Great Wilds: East records him as a divine person with eight human-faced heads, a tiger body, and ten tails.

Woodblock Depictions of the Multi-Headed God古本版画：多首水神

Woodblock prints portray the multi-headed water god atop rolling waves.《古今图书集成》画天吴在波涛上方，明胡文焕本画成脸周围有一圈小人头的虎形兽。

The Gujin Tushu Jicheng print portrays Tianwu above rolling waves with an inscription box reading Tianwu Shen Tu in the upper right.

The print illustrates a multi-headed deity with a tiger-like body, multiple legs, and flaring tails.

Hu Wenhuan's 1593 edition shows a striped tiger-like beast with a ring of small human heads around its face, inscribed Tianwu.

Record档案

Record Card档案卡

TypeWater Deity (eight-headed Master of the Waters)
Also known asTianwu 天吳; Shuibo 水伯 (Master of the Waters)
Earliest sourceShan Hai Jing 山海經 (Classic of Overseas: East & Great Wilds: East, c. 4th–2nd c. BCE)
DwellingValley of the Morning Sun (朝陽之谷), between two rivers north of 𧈫𧈫
RoleMaster of the Waters (水伯)
ColourBack blue-green and yellow (背青黃; one text reads 皆)
Earliest source山海經·海外東經
Source books山海經·海外東經
山海經·大荒東經
Image sourceChen Menglei 陳夢雷 (ed.) · Wikimedia Commons
LicensePublic domain
Deities & ImmortalsShan Hai JingMulti-tailed多尾Many-legged多足Beast-bodied兽身Multi-headed多首

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the role of Tianwu in ancient mythology?

The Shan Hai Jing identifies Tianwu as the Master of the Waters residing in the Valley of the Morning Sun.

How many tails does Tianwu possess?

The Classic of Overseas: East attributes eight tails to him, whereas the Classic of the Great Wilds: East records ten tails.

What do the imperial woodblock prints show?

Both the Gujin Tushu Jicheng and Ming editions depict Tianwu as a tiger-bodied beast with multiple heads or human faces.

One more?再看一只？

Draw another creature随机抽一只怪