The names "Zhuyin" and "Zhulong" appear in
classic Chinese texts from the
Han (3rd century BCE– 3rd century CE) that record the
myths of the
Zhou (12th–3rd century BCE).
Classic of Mountains and Seas The
Classic of Mountains and Seas (c. 3rd century BCE- 1st century CE) records parallel myths about Zhuyin and Zhulong. "The Classic of Regions Beyond the Seas: The North" section (8) describes Zhuyin on Bell Mountain
Zhōngshān): The deity of Mount Bell is named Torch Shade. When this deity's eyes look out there is daylight, and when he shuts his eyes there is night. When he blows it is winter, and when he calls out it is summer. He neither drinks, nor eats, nor breathes. If this god does breathe, there are gales. His body is a thousand leagues long. Torch Shade is east of the country of Nolegcalf, which "lies East of Longtigh country". Nolegcalf "people have no calves on their legs". He has a human face and a snake's body, and he is scarlet in colour. The god lives on the lower slopes of Mount Bell.
Guo Pu (276-324 CE)'s commentary on this passage is: 'Enlightener' is a dragon; he enlightens the nine
yin (darknesses, i.e. the nine points of the compass at the opposite, dark side of the earth, which is a flat disk; these nine points are North, South, East, West, North-east, North-west, South-east, South-west, and the Centre)". "The Classic of the Great Wilderness: The North" section (17) describes Zhulong living on Mount Brillianttail
Zhāngwěishān): Beyond the northwest seas, north of the River Scarlet there is Mount Brillianttail. There is a god-human here with a human face and a snake's body, and he is scarlet. He has vertical eyes that are in a straight seam. When this deity closes his eyes, there is darkness. When the deity looks with his eyes, there is light. He neither eats, nor sleeps, nor breathes. The wind and the rain are at his beck and call. This deity shines his torch over the ninefold darkness. This deity is Torch Dragon. Guo Pu quotes a legend from a no longer extant
Classic of Poetry commentary that "the sky is insufficient to cover the northwest, so there is no ebb and flow of
yang and yin. Therefore a
dragon carries a torch in its mouth to light up the sky."
Songs of Chu The
Songs of Chu (3rd-2nd centuries BCE) mentions Zhulong, though not Zhuyin. The "
Heavenly Questions" section (3, cf.
Bashe) asks about Zhulong in a line variously translated: • "What land does the sun not shine on and how does the Torch Dragon light it?" • "Where does the sun not rise, How does the Torch Dragon flame?" • "The Torch Dragon flares where the sun does not reach [where? how?]" The "
Great Summons" section (10) uses the alternate name Chuolong or Zhuolong, although Hawkes translates it according to its usual form: "In the north are the Frozen Mountain, and the Torch Dragon, glaring red."
Huainanzi The
Huainanzi (2nd century BCE) has a section called the "Treatise on Topography" (4) that refers to Zhulong: The Torch Dragon dwells north of Wild Goose Gate. He hides himself in Abandoned Wings Mountain and never sees the sun. This god has a human face and a dragon body, but no feet.
Gao You (CE) composed a commentary on the
Huainanzi that explains "
Weiyu is the name of a mountain ... in the shade of the northern limit, the sun cannot be seen." Mount Weiyu (), notes Major, might mean "abandoned wings", "broken wings", "shed feathers", or something else.
Records of Penetration into the Mysteries The
Records of Penetration into the Mysteries (,
Dòngmíngjì) describes
ritual activities of
Emperor Wu of Han (r. 141–87 BCE). It is traditionally attributed to
Guo Xian (, –57 CE) but probably dates from around the 6th century. Although this text does not mention Zhuyin or Zhulong by name, Wu's
Taoist advisor
Dongfang Shuo describes a mythical northern "
Azure Dragon" which bears a torch: ... in the year 99 before our era the emperor Wu convoked a meeting of magicians and learned men, at which Tung Fang-soh spoke as follows: "I made a journey to the north pole, and came to a mountain planted with fire, which neither the sun, nor the moon ever illumines, but which is lighted to its uttermost bounds by a blue dragon by means of a torch which it holds in its jaws. I found in that mountain gardens, fields, and parks with ponds, all studded with strange trees and curious plants, and with shrubs which had luminiferous stalks, seeming at night to be lamps of gold. These stalks could be broken off and used as torches, in the light of which the spectres were visible. Ning-fung the immortal had always eaten this plant, the consequence being that in the darkness of the night there beamed light out of his belly. It is called the herb which pierces darkness. This namesake torch-like plant is called the "herb of penetration into the mysteries" (,
dòngmíngcǎo). == Interpretations ==