Chapter 9 of the Classic of Mountains and Seas (Classic of the Seas of the East)

The Classic of Regions Beyond the Seas: East (海外東經 Hǎiwài dōngjīng) is the ninth book of the Classic of Mountains and Seas and the last of the "Classics of Regions Beyond the Seas" (海外經). It traverses the eastern rim, from the southeast corner to the northeast corner, describing the Land of the Giants, the Land of the Noble Ones, the water god Tianwu, the surveyor Shuhai who measured the earth, and the great mulberry tree Fusang where the ten suns bathe. The Chinese text is presented with its pinyin transcription, followed by the French translation and notes.

海外東經 — Regions Beyond the Seas: East

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

The regions beyond the seas stretch from the southeast corner to the northeast corner.

𨲠jiē丘qiū, 爰yuán有yǒu遺yí玉yù, 青qīng馬mǎ, 視shì肉ròu, 楊yáng柳liǔ, 甘gān柤zhā, 甘gān華huá, 甘gān果guǒ所suǒ生shēng. 在zài東dōng海hǎi, 兩liǎng山shān夾jiā丘qiū, 上shàng有yǒu樹shù木mù. 一yī曰yuē嗟jiē丘qiū, 一yī曰yuē百bǎi果guǒ所suǒ在zài, 在zài堯yáo葬zàng東dōng。

The Jie Hill (𨲠丘): It contains the jade Yiyu (遺玉), green horses, the Shirou ("meat-to-look-at," 視肉), willows, the sweet jujube (甘柤), and the "sweet-flourishing" (甘華); sweet fruits grow there. It lies in the Eastern Sea, between two mountains enclosing the hill, atop which trees grow. Another version calls it Jie Hill (嗟丘), another "the place of a hundred fruits"; it is east of the tomb of Yao.

大dà人rén國guó在zài其qí北běi, 為wèi人rén大dà, 坐zuò而ér削xuē舡chuán. 一yī曰yuē在zài𨲠jiē丘qiū北běi。

The Land of the Giants (大人國) is in the north; its people are tall and, while seated, carve boats. Another version places it north of Jie Hill.

奢shē比bǐ之zhī尸shī在zài其qí北běi, 獸shòu身shēn, 人rén面miàn, 大dà耳ěr, 珥ěr兩liǎng青qīng蛇shé. 一yī曰yuē肝gān榆yú之zhī尸shī在zài大dà人rén北běi。

The corpse of Shebi (奢比之尸) is in the north; it has the body of a beast, a human face, large ears, and two green snakes hanging from them. Another version speaks of the corpse of Ganyu (肝榆之尸), north of the Giants.

君jūn子zi國guó在zài其qí北běi, 衣yī冠guān帶dài劍jiàn, 食shí獸shòu, 使shǐ二èr大dà虎hǔ在zài旁páng, 其qí人rén好hǎo讓ràng不bù爭zhēng. 有yǒu薰xūn華huá草cǎo, 朝cháo生shēng夕xī死sǐ. 一yī曰yuē在zài肝gān榆yú之zhī尸shī北běi。

The Land of the Noble Ones (君子國) is in the north; its people wear clothes, hats, belts, and swords, eat wild beasts, and are accompanied by two great tigers; they prefer yielding and do not quarrel. A herb called Xunhua (薰華) grows there, which sprouts in the morning and withers by evening. Another version places it north of the corpse of Ganyu.

𧈫hóng𧈫hóng在zài其qí北běi, 各gè有yǒu兩liǎng首shǒu. 一yī曰yuē在zài君jūn子zi國guó北běi。

The Honghong (𧈫𧈫, rainbow-like creatures) are in the north; each has two heads. Another version places them north of the Land of the Noble Ones.

朝cháo陽yáng之zhī谷gǔ, 神shén曰yuē天tiān吳wú, 是shì為wèi水shuǐ伯bó, 在zài𧈫hóng𧈫hóng北běi兩liǎng水shuǐ間jiān. 其qí為wèi獸shòu也yě, 八bā首shǒu人rén面miàn, 八bā足zú八bā尾wěi, 皆jiē青qīng黃huáng。

In the Valley of Chaoyang (朝陽之谷), the god is named Tianwu (天吳): he is the Earl of Waters (水伯). He is between two rivers, north of the Honghong. As a beast, he has eight human-faced heads, eight legs, and eight tails, all blue-green and yellow.

青qīng丘qiū國guó在zài其qí北běi, 其qí狐hú四sì足zú九jiǔ尾wěi. 一yī曰yuē在zài朝cháo陽yáng北běi。

The Land of Qingqiu (青丘國) is in the north; its foxes have four legs and nine tails. Another version places it north of Chaoyang.

帝dì命mìng豎shù亥hài步bù, 自zì東dōng極jí至zhì于yú西xī極jí, 五wǔ億yì十shí選xuǎn九jiǔ千qiān八bā百bǎi步bù. 豎shù亥hài右yòu手shǒu把bǎ算suàn, 左zuǒ手shǒu指zhǐ青qīng丘qiū北běi. 一yī曰yuē禹yǔ令lìng豎shù亥hài. 一yī曰yuē五wǔ億yì十shí萬wàn九jiǔ千qiān八bā百bǎi步bù。

The Emperor (帝) ordered Shuhai (豎亥) to pace out the earth from the easternmost point to the westernmost point: five hundred and ten million nine thousand eight hundred steps. Shuhai held counting rods in his right hand and, with his left, pointed north toward Qingqiu. Another version says it was Yu who ordered Shuhai. Another gives the figure as five hundred and one million nine thousand eight hundred steps.

黑hēi齒chǐ國guó在zài其qí北běi, 為wèi人rén黑hēi, 食shí稻dào啖dàn蛇shé, 一yī赤chì一yī青qīng在zài其qí旁páng. 一yī曰yuē在zài豎shù亥hài北běi, 為wèi人rén黑hēi手shǒu, 食shí稻dào使shǐ蛇shé, 其qí一yī蛇shé赤chì。

The Land of the Black Teeth (黑齒國) is in the north; its people are black, eat rice, and devour snakes, with a red and a green snake at their sides. Another version places it north of Shuhai, where the people have black hands, eat rice, and handle snakes, one of which is red.

下xià有yǒu湯tāng谷gǔ. 湯tāng谷gǔ上shàng有yǒu扶fú桑sāng, 十shí日rì所suǒ浴yù, 在zài黑hēi齒chǐ北běi. 居jū水shuǐ中zhōng, 有yǒu大dà木mù, 九jiù日rì居jū下xià枝zhī, 一yī日rì居jū上shàng枝zhī。

Below lies the Boiling Valley (湯谷). Above it grows the cosmic mulberry tree Fusang (扶桑), where the ten suns bathe; it is north of the Black Teeth. In the middle of the waters stands a great tree: nine suns dwell on the lower branches, one on the upper branch.

雨yǔ師shī妾qiè在zài其qí北běi, 其qí為wèi人rén黑hēi, 兩liǎng手shǒu各gè操cāo一yī蛇shé, 左zuǒ耳ěr有yǒu青qīng蛇shé, 右yòu耳ěr有yǒu赤chì蛇shé. 一yī曰yuē在zài十shí日rì北běi, 為wèi人rén黑hēi身shēn人rén面miàn, 各gè操cāo一yī龜guī。

The Concubine of the Rain Master (雨師妾) is in the north; she is black, holding a snake in each hand, a green snake at her left ear and a red one at her right. Another version places her north of the ten suns, with a black body, human face, and holding a tortoise in each hand.

玄xuán股gǔ之zhī國guó在zài其qí北běi, 其qí為wèi人rén衣yī魚yú食shí䳼yì, 使shǐ兩liǎng鳥niǎo夾jiā之zhī. 一yī曰yuē在zài雨yǔ師shī妾qiè北běi。

The Land of the Black Thighs (玄股國) is in the north; its people wear fish skins and eat Yi (䳼, a type of waterfowl), flanked by two birds. Another version places it north of the Concubine of the Rain Master.

毛máo民mín之zhī國guó在zài其qí北běi, 為wèi人rén身shēn生shēng毛máo. 一yī曰yuē在zài玄xuán股gǔ北běi。

The Land of the Hairy Folk (毛民國) is in the north; its people have hairy bodies. Another version places it north of the Black Thighs.

勞láo民mín國guó在zài其qí北běi, 其qí為wèi人rén黑hēi. 或huò曰yuē教jiào民mín. 一yī曰yuē在zài毛máo民mín北běi, 為wèi人rén面miàn目mù手shǒu足zú盡jǐn黑hēi。

The Land of Laomin (勞民國) is in the north; its people are black. Some call it Jiaomin (教民). Another version places it north of the Hairy Folk, with people having entirely black faces, eyes, hands, and feet.

東dōng方fāng勾gōu芒máng, 鳥niǎo身shēn人rén面miàn, 乘chéng兩liǎng龍lóng。

In the east reigns Goumang (勾芒): he has a bird's body and a human face, and rides two dragons.

建jiàn平píng元yuán年nián四sì月yuè丙bǒng戌xū, 待dài詔zhào太tài常cháng屬shǔ臣chén望wàng校xiào治zhì, 侍shì中zhōng光guāng祿lù勳xūn臣chén龔gōng, 侍shì中zhōng奉fèng車chē都dū尉wèi光guāng祿lù大dà夫fū臣chén秀xiù領lǐng主zhǔ省shěng。

In the fourth month of the first year of the Jianping era (建平, 6 BCE), on the day bingxu, the subject Wang, an attendant awaiting an audience in the Taichang, collated this text; the subject Gong, a Palace Attendant and Guanglu-xun, and the subject Xiu, a Palace Attendant, Prefect of the Chariots, and Grandee of the Guanglu, oversaw the final compilation.

Notes

Reading the book. Like the other "Classics Beyond the Seas," this text is read in a cardinal direction—here from the southeast (東南陬) to the northeast (東北陬). The phrase "一曰" ("one version says") indicates variants from ancient recensions.

The mulberry tree Fusang and the ten suns (扶桑 / 十日). At the farthest east, the Boiling Valley (湯谷) contains the cosmic mulberry tree Fusang, where the ten suns bathe; each day, one ascends to the sky. This eastern solar myth, linked to the legend of the archer Yi shooting down nine suns, makes the Eastern Book the abode of dawn.

Shuhai (豎亥), the world's surveyor. By order of the Emperor (or Yu), Shuhai paced out the earth from east to west: the text gives a fabulous figure, reflecting a cosmography where the mythical empire spans the entire world.

Tianwu (天吳) and Goumang (勾芒). Tianwu, the Earl of Waters—a monster with eight heads—and Goumang, the god of the East and spring (with a bird's body, riding two dragons, who concludes the book), embody the powers of the eastern direction.

The Han colophon. The final paragraph does not belong to the myth: it is the collation note of the Han court scholars, dated 6 BCE (Jianping era), attesting to the imperial revision of the text—Liu Xiang and his son Liu Xin (here named Xiu) having directed the edition.

Uncertain identifications. Many names of peoples, animals (𧈫, 䳼…), and places lack secure equivalents; they are transcribed in pinyin with characters, with French renderings following traditional glosses (Guo Pu, Hao Yixing).

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