for the shèn The
Chinese classics use the word
shèn to mean "a large shellfish" that was associated with funerals and "an aquatic monster" that could change its shape, which was later associated with "mirages".
Large shellfish The word used to mean a
shellfish, or mollusk, identified as an
oyster,
mussel, or
giant clam such as the
Pearl of Lao Tzu. While early
Chinese dictionaries treat
shèn as a general term for "
mollusca", the
Erya defines it as a large
yáo () "shellfish", "clam", "scallop", or "
nacre". The
Shuowen Jiezi, an early second-century dictionary of the
Eastern Han, defines it a large
gé (), meaning "clam", "oyster", "shellfish", or "
bivalve". Chinese classics variously record that
shèn was salted as a food (in the
Zuo Zhuan), named a "lacquered wine barrel" used in sacrifices to earth spirits (in the
Rites of Zhou), and its shells were used to make hoes (in the
Huainanzi) and receptacles (in the
Zhuangzi). They also record two
shèn-compounds related with funerals:
shènchē (, with cart or carriage) "hearse" (
Rites of Zhou,
Guo Pu's commentary notes
shèn means large, shell-like wheel rims) and
shèntàn () "oyster-lime; white clay", which was especially used as mortar for mausoleum walls (
Zuo Zhuan,
Rites of Zhou).
Wolfram Eberhard describes the
shèn mussel as "a strange animal", and mentions the
Rites of Zhous
zhǎngshèn () "manager of
shèn", who was a special government official in charge of acquiring them for royal sacrifices and funerals. "It is not clear why these mussels were placed into the tombs," he admits, possibly either as a sacrifice to the earth god (compare
shèn below) or "the shell lime was used simply for a purifying and protective effect."
Edward H. Schafer, who translates
shèn as "clam-monster", traces its linguistic evolution from originally designating a "large bivalve mollusc":
Aquatic dragon Second,
shèn meant the "clam-monster" that miraculously transformed shapes. The
Shuowen Jiezi defines
gé (using a graphic variant with the
hé phonetic above the radical) as the "category of
shèn", which includes three creatures that transform within the sea. A
que "sparrow" transforms into a
gé or
muli "oyster" in the dialect of
Qin, after 1000 (commentators say 10) years; a
yān "swallow" transforms into a
hǎigé (with "sea") after 100 years; and a
fulei or
fuyi "bat" transforms into a
kuígé after it gets old. These kinds of legendary animal "transformations" (
huà "transform, change, convert, turn into; metamorphose; take the form of", see the
Huashu) are a common theme in Chinese folklore, particularly for dragons like the
shèn. The "dragon's transformations are unlimited", and "it is no wonder that Chinese literature abounds with stories about dragons which had assumed the shape of men, animals, or objects". The
Yuèlíng "Monthly Commands" chapter of the
Book of Rites lists sparrows and pheasants transforming into shellfish during the traditional Chinese
lunisolar calendar. In
Shuangjiang the last month of autumn, "[
jue , a
rebus character for
que "sparrow"] Small birds enter the great water and become [
gé ] mollusks", and in (
Lidong) the first month of winter, "[
zhi "pheasant"] Pheasants enter the great water and become [
shen ] large mollusks." While many other classical texts (e.g.,
Lüshi Chunqiu,
Yi Zhoushu,
Huainanzi) repeat this seasonal legend about pheasants that transform in
dàshui "great (bodies of) water; flood", the
Da Dai Liji and
Guoyu say they transform in the
Huai River. According to
Chinese folklore, swallows are a favorite food of both
lóng and
shèn dragons. Read explains, "Hence if people eat swallow's flesh they should not go out and cross a river (dragons will eat them if they do)." Eberhard equates the
shàn with the
jiaolong "flood dragon; crocodile" and compares tales of both these dragons attacking cattle in rivers. The 1596
Compendium of Materia Medica describes the
shèn under the
jiaolong entry with quotes from the
Yueling and Lu Dian's
Piya.
Mirage '' The shape-changing
shèn is believed to cause a
mirage or
Fata Morgana.
Shèn- synonyms meaning "mirage" include
shènlóu (with "multi-storied building", "clam castle" or "high house of the clam-monsters"),
shènqì ,
shènqìlóu ,
hǎishì shènlóu , and
shènjǐng . In
Japanese and
Korean,
shinkirō/
singiru is the usual word for "mirage". Compare the association between the
lóng "dragon" and "waterspouts", evident in words like
lóngjuǎn (lit. "dragon roll") "waterspout" and
lóngjuǎnfēng ("dragon roll wind") "cyclone; tornado" ==Characters==