Chapter 7 of the Classic of Mountains and Seas (Classic of the Great Wilderness: West)

The Classic of Regions Beyond the Seas: West (海外西經 Hǎiwài xījīng) is the seventh book of the Classic of Mountains and Seas and the second of the "Classics of Regions Beyond the Seas" (海外經). It traverses the western periphery, from the southwest corner to the northwest corner, listing extraordinary peoples and some of the most famous Chinese myths: the dance of Qi of the Xia, the headless hero Xingtian, the corpse of Nüchou burned by the ten suns, and the land of Xuanyuan. The Chinese text is presented with its pinyin transcription, followed by the French translation and notes.

海外西經 — Regions Beyond the Seas: West

海hǎi外wài自zì西xī南nán陬zōu至zhì西xī北běi陬zōu者zhě。

Regions beyond the seas stretch from the southwest corner to the northwest corner.

滅miè蒙méng鳥niǎo在zài結jié匈xiōng國guó北běi，為wèi鳥niǎo青qīng，赤chì尾wěi。

The Miemeng bird (滅蒙鳥) is located north of the Knotted-Breasts Country (結匈國); it is a green bird with a red tail.

大dà運yùn山shān高gāo三sān百bǎi仞rèn，在zài滅miè蒙méng鳥niǎo北běi。

The Dayun Mountain (大運山), three hundred ren high, is north of the Miemeng bird.

大dà樂lè之zhī野yě，夏xià后hòu啟qǐ於yú此cǐ儛wǔ九jiǔ代dài；乘chéng兩liǎng龍lóng，雲yún蓋gài三sān層céng。左zuǒ手shǒu操cāo翳yì，右yòu手shǒu操cāo環huán，佩pèi玉yù璜huáng。在zài大dà運yùn山shān北běi。一yī曰yuē大dà遺yí之zhī野yě。

In the Dale Plain (大樂), Qi, sovereign of the Xia (夏后啟), danced here the "Nine Generations" dance (九代); he rode two dragons beneath a three-tiered cloud canopy. In his left hand he held a feathered parasol, in his right an ring, and wore a jade huang pendant. This is north of Dayun Mountain. Another version calls it the Dayi Plain (大遺).

身shēn國guó在zài夏xià后hòu啟qǐ北běi，一yī首shǒu而ér三sān身shēn。

The Body Country (身國) is north of Qi of the Xia; its people have one head and three bodies.

臂bì國guó在zài其qí北běi，一yī臂bì一yī目mù一yī鼻bí孔kǒng。有yǒu黃huáng馬mǎ虎hǔ文wén，一yī目mù而ér一yī手shǒu。

The Arm Country (臂國, "one arm") is to the north; its people have one arm, one eye, and one nostril. There are yellow horses with tiger stripes, each having one eye and one foreleg.

奇qí肱gōng之zhī國guó在zài其qí北běi，其qí人rén一yī臂bì三sān目mù，有yǒu陰yīn有yǒu陽yáng，乘chéng文wén馬mǎ。有yǒu鳥niǎo焉yān，兩liǎng頭tóu，赤chì黃huáng色sè，在zài其qí旁páng。

The Qigong Country (奇肱國, "singular arm") is to the north; its people have one arm and three eyes, both male and female (yin and yang), and ride dappled horses. There is a two-headed bird there, red and yellow in color, that stays beside them.

形xíng天tiān與yǔ帝dì至zhì此cǐ爭zhēng神shén，帝dì斷duàn其qí首shǒu，葬zàng之zhī常cháng羊yáng之zhī山shān，乃nǎi以yǐ乳rǔ為wèi目mù，以yǐ臍qí為wèi口kòu，操cāo干gàn戚qī以yǐ舞wǔ。

Xingtian (形天) came here to contest divine power with the Sovereign (帝); the Sovereign beheaded him and buried him at Mount Changyang (常羊). Then Xingtian made eyes from his nipples and a mouth from his navel, and, wielding shield (干) and battle-axe (戚), he began to dance.

女nǚ祭jì、女nǚ戚qī在zài其qí北běi，居jū兩liǎng水shuǐ間jiān，戚qī操cāo魚yú䱉shàn，祭jì操cāo俎zǔ。

Nüji (女祭) and Nüqi (女戚) are to the north; they dwell between two rivers. Qi holds a fish harpoon (魚䱉), and Ji holds an offering table (俎).

䳐cì鳥niǎo、𪆻dǎn鳥niǎo，其qí色sè青qīng黃huáng，所suǒ經jīng國guó亡wáng。在zài女nǚ祭jì北běi。䳐cì鳥niǎo人rén面miàn，居jū山shān上shàng。一yī曰yuē維wéi鳥niǎo、青qīng鳥niǎo、黃huáng鳥niǎo所suǒ集jí。

The Ciliao bird (䳐鳥) and the Dan bird (𪆻鳥) are green and yellow in color; any country they traverse perishes. They are north of Nüji. The Ciliao bird has a human face and dwells on the mountains. Another version speaks of the place where the Wei bird (維鳥), the Qing bird (青鳥), and the Huang bird (黃鳥) gather.

丈zhàng夫fū國guó在zài維wéi鳥niǎo北běi，其qí為wèi人rén衣yī冠guān帶dài劍jiàn。

The Husband Country (丈夫國) is north of the Wei bird; its people wear clothes, hats, belts, and swords.

女nǚ丑chǒu之zhī尸shī，生shēng而ér十shí日rì炙zhì殺shā之zhī。在zài丈zhàng夫fū北běi，以yǐ右yòu手shǒu鄣zhāng其qí面miàn，十shí日rì居jū上shàng，女nǚ丑chǒu居jū山shān之zhī上shàng。

The corpse of Nüchou (女丑): she lived, but ten suns scorched her to death. She is north of the Husband Country; with her right hand she shields her face, the ten suns above her, and Nüchou lies atop a mountain.

巫wū咸xián國guó在zài女nǚ丑chǒu北běi，右yòu手shǒu操cāo青qīng蛇shé，左zuǒ手shǒu操cāo赤chì蛇shé，在zài登dēng葆bǎo山shān，群qún巫wū所suǒ從cóng上shàng下xià也yě。

The Xian Sorcerers' Country (巫咸國) is north of Nüchou; its people hold a green serpent in the right hand and a red serpent in the left, and they dwell on Mount Dengbao (登葆山), where the group of sorcerers ascends and descends (between heaven and earth).

并bìng封fēng在zài巫wū咸xián東dōng，其qí狀zhuàng如rú彘zhì，前qián後hòu皆jiē有yǒu首shǒu，黑hēi。

Bingfeng (并封) is east of the Xian Sorcerers; it resembles a pig, with a head at both front and back, and is black.

女nǚ子zi國guó在zài巫wū咸xián北běi，兩liǎng女nǚ子zi居jū，水shuǐ周zhōu之zhī。一yī曰yuē居jū一yī門mén中zhōng。

The Women's Country (女子國) is north of the Xian Sorcerers; two women dwell there, surrounded by water. Another version says they live behind the same gate.

軒xuān轅yuán之zhī國guó在zài此cǐ窮qióng山shān之zhī際jì，其qí不bù壽shòu者zhě八bā百bǎi歲suì。在zài女nǚ子zi國guó北běi，人rén面miàn蛇shé身shēn，尾wěi交jiāo首shǒu上shàng。

The Xuanyuan Country (軒轅國) is at the edge of this Qiong Mountain (窮山); those who die young there still live eight hundred years. It is north of the Women's Country; its people have human faces and serpent bodies, with their tails coiled over their heads.

窮qióng山shān在zài其qí北běi，不bù敢gǎn西xī射shè，畏wèi軒xuān轅yuán之zhī丘qiū。在zài軒xuān轅yuán國guó北běi，其qí丘qiū方fāng，四sì蛇shé相xiāng繞rào。

Qiong Mountain (窮山) is to the north; one dare not shoot arrows westward there, for fear of Xuanyuan's Mound (軒轅之丘). It is north of the Xuanyuan Country; its mound is square, encircled by four entwined serpents.

此cǐ諸zhū夭yāo之zhī野yě，鸞luán鳥niǎo自zì歌gē，鳳fèng鳥niǎo自zì舞wǔ；鳳fèng皇huáng卵luǎn，民mín食shí之zhī