The image of the red bird in Chinese culture and folklore

The image of the Zhu-niao (Red Bird) is familiar to specialists in the history and mythology of ancient China. This article examines the origin of the image and the development of the concept of Zhu-niao in Chinese culture and philosophy. The aim of the study is to analyze the semantics and symbolism of the Red Bird image, to establish the difference between the notions of the Red Bird and the Phoenix, to explain the projections of the Red Bird image in Chinese ornamental culture and folklore. The novelty of the study lies in the systematization and generalization of the meanings behind the Red Bird image in Chinese culture. The author concludes that the image of Zhu-niao represents Chinese primitive ancestors' worship of the totem of the bird, totem of the sun, and totem of the constellation. The semantics of the Red Bird image in Chinese culture and folklore is classified into three categories. The Red Bird is primarily an ornithomorphic symbol of one of the sides of the world: Zhu-niao (South) is among the four zoomorphic symbols along with Qing-lun (East), Bai-hu (West), and Xuan-wu (North). The Red Bird is also a symbol of good luck and demonstrates the Chinese people's idea of praying for good luck. In addition, the image of the Red Bird has become one of the four symbols of Taoism. Although the Red Bird image has different symbolic meanings, its semantics does not go beyond the context of Chinese traditional culture and national psychology. The practical significance of the study lies in the opening up of prospects for research into semantics and symbolism of mythical images in Chinese culture. The results of the study can be used in research on Chinese mythological images as well as animal characters in Chinese folklore and literary works.