Chapter 11 of the Classic of Mountains and Seas (Classic of the Great Wilderness: West)

The Classic of Regions Within the Seas of the West (海內西經 Hǎinèi xījīng) is the eleventh book of the Classic of Mountains and Seas and the second of the "Classics of Regions Within the Seas" (海內經). Its core is the grand description of Kunlun (崑崙), the earthly capital of the Celestial Sovereign: a cosmic mountain with nine gates guarded by the beast Kaiming, source of the four great rivers, abode of the hundred gods, sorcerers, and the tree of immortality. The Chinese text is presented with its pinyin transcription, followed by the French translation and notes.

海內西經 — Regions Within the Seas of the West

海hǎi內nèi西xī南nán陬zōu以yǐ北běi者zhě。

Regions within the seas, from the southwest corner northward.

貳èr負fù之zhī臣chén曰yuē危wēi，危wēi與yǔ貳èr負fù殺shā窫yà窳yǔ。帝dì乃nǎi梏gù之zhī䟽shū屬shǔ之zhī山shān，桎zhì其qí右yòu足zú，反fǎn縛fù兩liǎng手shǒu與yǔ髮fà，繫xì之zhī山shān上shàng木mù。在zài開kāi題tí西xī北běi。

Erfu’s minister was named Wei (危): Wei and Erfu killed the god Yayu (窫窳). The Sovereign (帝) then bound Wei to Mount Shushu (䟽屬之山), shackling his right foot, tying his hands and hair behind his back, and securing him to a tree at the mountain’s summit. This is northwest of Kaiti.

大dà澤zé方fāng百bǎi里lǐ，群qún鳥niǎo所suǒ生shēng及jí所suǒ解jiě。在zài鴈yàn門mén北běi。

The Great Marsh (大澤), a hundred li on each side, is where flocks of birds are born and molt. It lies north of the Goose Gate (鴈門).

鴈yàn門mén山shān，鴈yàn出chū其qí間jiān，在zài高gāo柳liǔ北běi。

The Goose Gate Mountain (鴈門山): geese pass between its peaks. It lies north of Gaoliu (高柳).

高gāo柳liǔ在zài代dài北běi。

Gaoliu (高柳) is north of the state of Dai (代).

后hòu稷jì之zhī葬zàng，山shān水shuǐ環huán之zhī，在zài氐dī國guó西xī。

The tomb of Houji (后稷), encircled by mountains and waters, lies west of the Di state (氐國).

流liú黃huáng酆fēng氏shì之zhī國guó，中zhōng方fāng三sān百bǎi里lǐ。有yǒu塗tú四sì方fāng，中zhōng有yǒu山shān。在zài后hòu稷jì葬zàng西xī。

The state of Liuhuang-Fengshi (流黃酆氏), square and three hundred li on each side, has roads running in all four directions, with a mountain at its center. It lies west of Houji’s tomb.

流liú沙shā出chū鍾zhōng山shān，西xī行xíng又yòu南nán行xíng崑kūn崙lún之zhī墟xū，西xī南nán入rù海hǎi黑hēi水shuǏ之zhī山shān。

The Shifting Sands (流沙) emerge from Zhong Mountain (鍾山), flowing west and then south to the ruins of Kunlun (崑崙之墟), and from the southwest they enter the sea at the Blackwater Mountain (黑水之山).

東dōng胡hú在zài大dà澤zé東dōng。

The Donghu (東胡) dwell east of the Great Marsh.

夷yí人rén在zài東dōng胡hú東dōng。

The Yi (夷人) dwell east of the Donghu.

貊mò國guó在zài漢hàn水shuǐ東dōng北běi。地dì近jìn于yú燕yàn，滅miè之zhī。

The state of Mo (貊國) lies northeast of the Han River (漢水). Its lands border Yan (燕), which destroyed it.

孟mèng鳥niǎo在zài貊mò國guó東dōng北běi，其qí鳥niǎo文wén赤chì、黃huáng、青qīng、東dōng鄉xiāng。

The Meng Bird (孟鳥) dwells northeast of Mo; this bird is patterned in red, yellow, and blue-green, and faces east.

海hǎi內nèi崑kūn崙lún之zhī墟xū，在zài西xī北běi，帝dì之zhī下xià都dōu。崑kūn崙lún之zhī墟xū，方fāng八bā百bǎi里lǐ，高gāo萬wàn仞rèn。上shàng有yǒu木mù禾hé，長cháng五wǔ尋xún，大dà五wǔ圍wéi。面miàn有yǒu九jiǔ井jǐng，以yǐ玉yù為wèi檻kǎn。面miàn有yǒu九jiǔ門mén，門mén有yǒu開kāi明míng獸shòu守shǒu之zhī，百bǎi神shén之zhī所suǒ在zài。在zài八bā隅yú之zhī巖yán，赤chì水shuǐ之zhī際jì，非fēi仁rén羿yì莫mò能néng上shàng岡gāng之zhī巖yán。

The Kunlun Within the Seas (海內崑崙之墟) lies in the northwest: it is the earthly capital of the Sovereign (帝之下都). Kunlun’s ruins stretch eight hundred li square and rise ten thousand ren high. At its summit grows the Muhe (木禾, the “grain-tree”), five xun long and five fathoms thick. Each face has nine jade-rimmed wells and nine gates; at each gate stands the beast Kaiming (開明), and here reside the hundred gods. It is on the eight-cornered crag at the edge of the Red Water (赤水)—none but the benevolent archer Yi (羿) can ascend its steep cliffs.

赤chì水shuǐ出chū東dōng南nán隅yú，以yǐ行xíng其qí東dōng北běi。西xī南nán流liú注zhù南nán海hǎi厭yàn火huǒ東dōng。

The Red Water (赤水) flows from the southeast corner, travels northeast, then southwest to empty east of the Fire-Eaters (厭火) into the Southern Sea.

河hé水shuǐ出chū東dōng北běi隅yú，以yǐ行xíng其qí北běi，西xī南nán又yòu入rù渤bó海hǎi，又yòu出chū海hǎi外wài，即jí西xī而ér北běi，入rù禹yǔ所suǒ導dǎo積jī石shí山shān。

The River (河水, the Yellow River) flows from the northeast corner, travels north, then southwest to enter the Bo Sea (渤海); it emerges beyond the seas, turns west and then north, and enters Mount Jishi (積石山), which Yu (禹) guided.

洋yáng水shuǐ、黑hēi水shuǐ出chū西xī北běi隅yú，以yǐ東dōng，東dōng行xíng，又yòu東dōng北běi，南nán入rù海hǎi，羽yǔ民mín南nán。

The Yang Water (洋水) and Black Water (黑水) flow from the northwest corner eastward, then northeast, and enter the sea south of the Feathered Folk (羽民).

弱ruò水shuǐ、青qīng水shuǐ出chū西xī南nán隅yú，以yǐ東dōng，又yòu北běi，又yòu西xī南nán，過guò畢bì方fāng鳥niǎo東dōng。

The Weak Water (弱水) and Blue Water (青水) flow from the southwest corner eastward, then north, then southwest, passing east of the Bifang Bird (畢方鳥).

崑kūn崙lún南nán淵yuān深shēn三sān百bǎi仞rèn。開kāi明míng獸shòu身shēn大dà類lèi虎hǔ而ér九jiǔ首shǒu，皆jiē人rén面miàn，東dōng嚮xiàng立lì崑kūn崙lún上shàng。

South of Kunlun, the abyss plunges three hundred ren deep. The beast Kaiming (開明) has a tiger-like body and nine human faces; it stands facing east at Kunlun’s summit.

開kāi明míng西xī有yǒu鳳fèng凰huáng、鸞luán鳥niǎo，皆jiē戴dài蛇shé踐jiàn蛇shé，膺yīng有yǒu赤chì蛇shé。

West of Kaiming are the phoenix (鳳凰) and the luan bird (鸞鳥), both wearing snakes on their heads and stepping on snakes, with a red serpent on their chests.

開kāi明míng北běi有yǒu視shì肉ròu、珠zhū樹shù、文wén玉yù樹shù、玗yú琪qí樹shù、不bù死sǐ樹shù。鳳fèng凰huáng、鸞luán鳥niǎo皆jiē載zài瞂fá。又yòu有yǒu離lí朱zhū、木mù禾hé、柏bǎi樹shù、甘gān水shuǐ、聖shèng木mù、曼màn兌duì，一yī曰yuē挺tǐng木mù牙yá交jiāo。

North of Kaiming are the Shirou (視肉), the Pearl Tree (珠樹), the Veined Jade Tree (文玉樹), the Yuqi Tree (玗琪樹), and the Tree of Immortality (不死樹). The phoenix and luan each carry a shield (瞂). There are also Lizhu (離朱), the Muhe (grain-tree), cypresses, sweet water (甘水), the Sacred Tree (聖木), and Mandui (曼兌). Another account calls it Tingmu Yajiao (挺木牙交).

開kāi明míng東dōng有yǒu巫wū彭péng、巫wū抵dǐ、巫wū陽yáng、巫wū履lǚ、巫wū凡fán、巫wū相xiāng，夾jiā窫yà窳yǔ之zhī尸shī，皆jiē操cāo不bù死sǐ之zhī藥yào以yǐ距jù之zh之。窫yà窳yǔ者zhě，蛇shé身shēn人rén面miàn，貳èr負fù臣chén所suǒ殺shā也yě。

East of Kaiming are the shamans Wupeng (巫彭), Wudi (巫抵), Wuyang (巫陽), Wulü (巫履), Wufan (巫凡), and Wuxiang (巫相): they surround the corpse of Yayu (窫窳), each holding the herb of immortality to revive him. Yayu, with a serpent’s body and human face, is the one killed by Erfu’s minister.

服fú常cháng樹shù，其qí上shàng有yǒu三sān頭tóu人rén，伺cì琅láng玕gān樹shù。

The Fuchang Tree (服常樹) has a three-headed man at its summit who watches the Langgan Tree (琅玕樹).

開kāi明míng南nán有yǒu樹shù鳥niǎo，六liù首shǒu；蛟jiāo、蝮fù、蛇shé、蜼wèi、豹bào、鳥niǎo秩zhì樹shù，於yú表biǎo池chí樹shù木mù，誦sòng鳥niǎo、鶽sǔn、視shì肉ròu。

South of Kaiming is the six-headed Tree Bird (樹鳥); the dragon Jiao (蛟), the viper (蝮), the serpent (蛇), the langur (蜼), the leopard (豹), and the Niaozhi Tree (鳥秩樹). Beside the wooded Biao Pool (表池) are the Song Bird (誦鳥), the falcon (鶽), and the Shirou (視肉).

Notes

The Kunlun (崑崙), mountain of the world. This chapter offers the most complete description of Kunlun in the Classic of Mountains and Seas: the “lower capital” of the Celestial Sovereign, ten thousand ren high, with nine gates guarded by the beast Kaiming, inhabited by the hundred gods, planted with the tree of immortality and the grain-tree Muhe. It is the matrix of all Chinese cosmography of the Western paradise.

The four sacred rivers. From Kunlun flow the Red Water (赤水), the River (河水, the Yellow River), the Yang/Black Water (洋水/黑水), and the Weak Water (弱水): a fourfold pattern making the mountain the world’s hydrological navel, akin to the four rivers of paradise in other traditions.

Erfu, Wei, and Yayu (貳負・危・窫窳). The murder of the god Yayu by Wei, and his punishment by the Sovereign (bound to a mountain), forms a myth of divine crime and retribution; later, the six shamans (巫) attempt to revive Yayu with the herb of immortality—one of China’s earliest accounts of shamanic healers.

Peoples of the North. The text weaves real peoples of ancient north and northeast China among its wonders: the Donghu (東胡), Mo (貊), Yan (燕), and Dai (代), reflecting a historical geographical substratum.

Uncertain identifications. Many names of trees (玗琪, 服常…), animals, and deities lack secure equivalents; they are transcribed in pinyin with the original characters, and the French renderings follow traditional glosses (Guo Pu, Hao Yixing).

Chinese text after the Chinese Text Project (ctext.org). Translation and notes: Chine-culture.com.