Fengshen Yanyi (Traditional Chinese: 封神演義; Simplified Chinese: 封神演义) (translated as The Investiture of the Gods or The Creation of the Gods), also known as Fengshen Bang (Traditional Chinese: 封神榜; Simplified Chinese: 封神榜), is one of the major works of classical Chinese literature created in Ming dynasty. The story deals with the decline of the Shang dynasty and rise of the Zhou dynasty, intertwining numerous elements of Chinese mythology, including gods and goddesses, Chinese immortals, and spirits. It is, to an extent, representative and descriptive of life in China at the time, where religion played a major role in everyday life. The authorship of Fengshen Yanyi is attributed to Xu Zhonglin (許仲琳;许仲琳) (d. 1566) or Lu Xixing (陸西星;陆西星) (d. 1601). Traditional Chinese characters are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... Simplified Chinese characters (Simplified Chinese: 简体字; Traditional Chinese: 簡體字; pinyin: jiÇŽntǐzì; also called 简化字/簡化字, jiÇŽnhuàzì) are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... Traditional Chinese characters are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... Simplified Chinese characters (Simplified Chinese: 简体字; Traditional Chinese: 簡體字; pinyin: jiÇŽntǐzì; also called 简化字/簡化字, jiÇŽnhuàzì) are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... // Ancient texts The Four Books (四书, Sì shÅ«) are The Great Learning, (大学, Dà Xué). The Doctrine of the Golden Mean (中庸, Zhōng Yóng). ... The Ming Dynasty was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644. ... Shang Dynasty (Chinese: 商朝) or Yin Dynasty (殷代) (1600 BC - 1046 BC) is the first historic Chinese dynasty and ruled in the northeastern region of China proper. ... The Zhou Dynasty (周朝; Wade-Giles: Chou Dynasty) (late 10th century BC or 9th century BC to 256 BC) followed the Shang (Yin) Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty in China. ... Chinese mythology is the mythology of Chinese civilization. ... The Eight Immortals crossing the sea, from Myths and Legends of China, 1922 by E. T. C. Werner. ... Xu Zhonglin (許仲琳;许仲琳) (dates of birth and death unknown) was born in Nanjing, which was called Ying Tianfu (應天府;应天府) in his time, the Ming dynasty. ... Events January 7 - Pius V becomes Pope Selim II succeeds Suleiman I as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Religious rioting in the Netherlands signifies the beginning of the Eighty Years War in the Netherlands. ... Lu Xixing (陸西星;陆西星) (dates of birth and death unknown) was born in Jiangsu, which was called Xinhua (興化;兴化) in his time, the Ming dynasty. ... Bold textItalic textLink titlelink title // Headline text Media:Example. ...

Summary

This epic novel (Yanyi refers to the Chinese equivalent of the Western epic) is a fantastic retelling of the overthrow of unscrupulous and merciless ruler Di Xin (帝辛;帝辛, also known as Zhòu (紂; 纣)) of the Shang dynasty (商;商) by King Wu of Zhou (周武王;周武王). The story integrates oral and written tales of the many Daoist heroes and immortals, and various spirits (usually represented in avatar form as foxes, chickens, and sometimes even inanimate objects like Pipa) that take part in the struggle. Enchanted by his concubine Daji (妲己;妲己), who is actually a fox spirit in disguise, Di Xin murders loyal ministers with draconian punishments like incineration on a red-hot pillar of brass or being fed to a pit of snakes. He even attempts to kill his own sons. After the fall of the Shang dynasty and exorcism of Daji by Jiang Ziya (姜子牙;姜子牙), King Wu of Zhou builds his own dynasty, creating the Zhou feudal system. The slain heroes, even those on the "enemy" side, are endowed with heavenly ranking, being essentially elevated to the position of gods, hence the title. EPIC might be an acronym or abbreviation for: Electronic Privacy Information Center Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing Enhanced Programmable ircII Client El Paso Intelligence Center End Poverty In California European Privatisation and Investment Corporation Sometimes it is also used to refer to Epic Games game development company. ... Dì Xīn (帝辛) was the last king of the Shang Dynasty. ... Shang Dynasty (Chinese: 商朝) or Yin Dynasty (殷代) (1600 BC - 1046 BC) is the first historic Chinese dynasty and ruled in the northeastern region of China proper. ... King Wu of Zhou (Chinese: 周武王; pinyin: ) or King Wu of Chou was the first sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. ... For other uses of the words tao and dao, see Dao (disambiguation). ... The pipa(琵琶, pinyin pípá) is a traditional Chinese musical instrument. ... Fox spirits are the fox type of spirits that are akin to the European faeries, like demons, or the Japanese yōkai known as kitsune. ... Dì Xīn (帝辛) was the last king of the Shang Dynasty. ... Shang Dynasty (Chinese: 商朝) or Yin Dynasty (殷代) (1600 BC - 1046 BC) is the first historic Chinese dynasty and ruled in the northeastern region of China proper. ... Jiang Ziya was fishing claimly. ... King Wu of Zhou (Chinese: 周武王; pinyin: ) or King Wu of Chou was the first sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. ... Feudalism comes from the Late Latin word feudum, itself borrowed from a Germanic root *fehu, a commonly used term in the Middle Ages which means fief, or land held under certain obligations by feodati. ...

Some famous anecdotes

In Fengshen Yanyi, there are many stories (altogether 100 stories) in which many gods, goddesses and immortals came to the Earth and changed the fate of everything with their magical power. Here are some famous ones: {{spoiler

Nüwa and Di Xin

When Di Xin came to a temple of Nüwa (女媧;女娲), an ancient Chinese goddess, and perform his worship, he noticed that the Nüwa statue was very tempting. Then the lewd emperor cried indecent words like “it would be good if I could marry Her” before the statue, and wrote lustful poems on the walls to show his immense adoration likewise. Nüwa got furious with the insult. Foretelling that Di Xin would be the last emperor of the Shang dynasty, she sent a one-thousand-year-old fox spirit, a nine-headed pheasant, and a jade-made Pipa spirit to lure Di Xin and render him unaware of his people, which indirectly resulted in the uprising of Zhou and made the decline of Shang more reasonable. Image File history File links Nuwatemple. ... Dì Xīn (帝辛) was the last king of the Shang Dynasty. ... In Chinese mythology, Nüwa (Traditional Chinese: 女媧 Simplified Chinese: 女娲 Pinyin: nÇšwā) is mythological character best known for reproducing people after a great calamity. ... In Chinese mythology, Nüwa (Traditional Chinese: 女媧 Simplified Chinese: 女娲 Pinyin: nÇšwā) is mythological character best known for reproducing people after a great calamity. ... In Chinese mythology, Nüwa (Traditional Chinese: 女媧 Simplified Chinese: 女娲 Pinyin: nÇšwā) is mythological character best known for reproducing people after a great calamity. ... Dì Xīn (帝辛) was the last king of the Shang Dynasty. ... Shang Dynasty (Chinese: 商朝) or Yin Dynasty (殷代) (1600 BC - 1046 BC) is the first historic Chinese dynasty and ruled in the northeastern region of China proper. ... Fox spirits are the fox type of spirits that are akin to the European faeries, like demons, or the Japanese yōkai known as kitsune. ... The pipa(琵琶, pinyin pípá) is a traditional Chinese musical instrument. ... Dì Xīn (帝辛) was the last king of the Shang Dynasty. ... Zhou refers to Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC - 256 BC) Zhou Dynasty (690 AD - 705 AD) Zhou (political division) — Zhou is the name of a type of political division of China. ... Shang Dynasty (Chinese: 商朝) or Yin Dynasty (殷代) (1600 BC - 1046 BC) followed the legendary Xia Dynasty and preceded the Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC - 256 BC) in China. ...

Daji was a kind-hearted beauty originally, and was ordered to enter the palace to be Di Xin’s concubine. The wicked fox spirit murdered Daji on the way to the palace, embodying the exact same appearance of the killed girl and attending the palace’s invitation. Dì Xīn (帝辛) was the last king of the Shang Dynasty. ... Concubinage is either the state of a couple living together as lovers with no obligation created by vows, legal marriage, or religious ceremony, or the state of a woman supported by a male lover who is married to, and usually living with, someone else. ... Fox spirits are the fox type of spirits that are akin to the European faeries, like demons, or the Japanese yōkai known as kitsune. ...

Daji and Bo Yikou

Di Xin obliged King Wu of Zhou to stay in You (i.e. today’s Henan) for almost seven years, during which King Wu of Zhou’s eldest son, Bo Yikou, came to the capital of Shang, Zhaoge (i.e. today’s ???) and ask for Di Xin’s mercy. The fox spirit fell in love with the handsome young man, and requested Di Xin to permit Bo to teach her play guqin. Taking advantage of the guqin lessons, Daji ensnared Bo with her splendour. Bo, however, refused Daji for any liaisons, and called her a shameless woman. The irate Daji made a complaint to her husband that Bo had bullied her. Gnashing his teeth, Di Xin killed Bo and minced him into paste, cooked into congee and served to King Wen of Zhou. King Wen of Zhou knew divination, and, by means of the Eight Diagrams, he realised the congee was made from his beloved son. Suppressing the great pain and sadness in his heart, King Wen of Zhou ate up the congee and determined to revenge his dead son. Dì Xīn (帝辛) was the last king of the Shang Dynasty. ... King Wu of Zhou (Chinese: 周武王; pinyin: ) or King Wu of Chou was the first sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. ... Henan (Chinese: 河南; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ho-nan), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. ... King Wu of Zhou (Chinese: 周武王; pinyin: ) or King Wu of Chou was the first sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. ... Dì Xīn (帝辛) was the last king of the Shang Dynasty. ... The guqin (古琴), also traditionally referred to simply as qin (qin is a generic term for stringed instruments, but by the 20th century, with many instruments using the word qin in their names, gu, meaning ancient, was added to distinguish it from others), is a traditional Chinese musical instrument. ... The guqin (古琴), also traditionally referred to simply as qin (qin is a generic term for stringed instruments, but by the 20th century, with many instruments using the word qin in their names, gu, meaning ancient, was added to distinguish it from others), is a traditional Chinese musical instrument. ... Dì Xīn (帝辛) was the last king of the Shang Dynasty. ... This man in Rhumsiki, Cameroon, tells the future by interpreting the changes in position of various objects as caused by a fresh-water crab. ...

King Wu of Zhou and Jiang Ziya

Jiang Ziya (or Jiang Taigong, a.k.a. Nu Shang) was an apprentice of an immortal living deep inside an unvisited mountain, and he left his master at the age of 72. He loved fishing, but, strangely enough, he only used a straight fishhook, without bait, three feet above the water, for angling. His neighbours felt odd at his strange fishing skills, and, out of curiosity, asked the old man for the reason of it. “What I’m angling is not a single fish,” smiled Jiang, “but the emperor and the great many vassals. Only those who really wish to be fished would be finally fished by me.” Jiang meant he was waiting for a man who could recognise and need his talent. Jiang Ziya was fishing claimly. ... A vassal, in European medieval feudalism terminology, is one who through a commendation ceremony (composed of homage and fealty) enters into mutual obligations with a lord, usually military conscription and mutual protection, in exchange for a fief. ...

Some people told King Wen of Zhou about the weird old man, and the aggressive vassal had a looming interest in Jiang Ziya. One day, King Wen of Zhou paid a visit to Jiang. Jiang did nothing but demanded King Wen of Zhou to help him pull his cart. King Wen of Zhou did so and stopped pulling after he moved eight hundred steps forwards. Jiang told the vassal that his future kingdom (i.e. the Zhou Dynasty) should exist for eight hundred years. King Wen of Zhou wished to pull the cart for more few steps, but he was too exhausted to move forwards. Jiang became the prime minister of Zhou afterward. King Wen was succeeded by King Wu. Jiang Ziya was fishing claimly. ... A vassal or liege, in the terminology that both preceded and accompanied the feudalism of medieval Europe, is one who enters into mutual obligations with a lord, usually of military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain guarantees, which came to include the terrain held as a fief. ... The Zhou Dynasty (周朝; Wade-Giles: Chou Dynasty) (late 10th century BC or 9th century BC to 256 BC) followed the Shang (Yin) Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty in China. ... Zhou refers to Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC - 256 BC) Zhou Dynasty (690 AD - 705 AD) Zhou (political division) — Zhou is the name of a type of political division of China. ...

Bi Gan lost his heart

From the prophecy revealed by the oracle bones, Jiang Ziya predicted that Di Xin’s loyal and benevolent courtier, Bi Gan(比干;比干), would die soon, thereby giving a charm to Bi. Before long, Daji, the evil vixen told her husband that she had a heart attack and only a “delicate seven-aperture heart” (Qiqiao Linglong Xin) could relieve her agony. No-one in the palace had that kind of heart — except Bi, who was given a heart by the goddess Nüwa, when he drowned once during his childhood. Bi, loyal as he is, swallowed the charm given by Jiang, grabbed his heart and pulled it out of his body to be given to Di Xin. Bi did not lose his life, nor shed a single drop of blood. Instead, he walked out of the palace and did what Jiang instructed: went straight to home immediately without looking back. If he succeeded in doing this, he would recovered after one day. Jiang Ziya was fishing claimly. ... Dì Xīn (帝辛) was the last king of the Shang Dynasty. ... Bi Gan or as he can be known as Cai Shen is the god of wealth or fortune. ... Look up Charm in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Charm can have the following meanings: In the world of paranormal magic, a charm can mean either: An amulet or talisman, or A spell. ... The heart and lungs (from an older edition of Grays Anatomy) The heart (Latin cor) is a hollow, muscular organ that pumps blood through the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions. ... The heart and lungs (from an older edition of Grays Anatomy) The heart (Latin cor) is a hollow, muscular organ that pumps blood through the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions. ... In Chinese mythology, Nüwa (Traditional Chinese: 女媧 Simplified Chinese: 女娲 Pinyin: nÇšwā) is mythological character best known for reproducing people after a great calamity. ... Dì Xīn (帝辛) was the last king of the Shang Dynasty. ...

Yet upon the last few steps on reachin ghome a female huckster yelled from behind Bi, “Hey! Cheap cabbages without stems (xin)!” *Baoxin Cai, literally means a vegetable with a stem covered inside; xin, heart, rhetorically refers to the stem in this case.* Bi, curious and unsuspicious, turned back and asked the huckster, “ how can there be cabbages without stems? ” The old lady donned an evil grin and replied, “ You’re right, sir. Cabbages cannot live without stems as men cannot live without hearts (xin). ” Bi shouted in his loud voice, fell to the ground and died without knowing that the lady hawker was a disguise made by the jade-made Pipa spirit. Thus, Jiang who was able to foretell Bi’s death, could not avoid the tragedy from happening. Cultivar Group Brassica oleracea Capitata Group The cabbage (Brassica oleracea Capitata Group) is an edible plant of the Family Brassicaceae (or Cruciferae). ... In common parlance, a stem is any elongated, usually narrow, extension or supporting structure of an object. ... In common parlance, a stem is any elongated, usually narrow, extension or supporting structure of an object. ... In common parlance, a stem is any elongated, usually narrow, extension or supporting structure of an object. ... Cultivar Group Brassica oleracea Capitata Group The cabbage (Brassica oleracea Capitata Group) is an edible plant of the Family Brassicaceae (or Cruciferae). ... In common parlance, a stem is any elongated, usually narrow, extension or supporting structure of an object. ... Cultivar Group Brassica oleracea Capitata Group The cabbage (Brassica oleracea Capitata Group) is an edible plant of the Family Brassicaceae (or Cruciferae). ... In common parlance, a stem is any elongated, usually narrow, extension or supporting structure of an object. ... Hearts could be: Hearts, a four-player card game. ... The pipa(琵琶, pinyin pípá) is a traditional Chinese musical instrument. ...

Fengshen Yanyi in Modern Culture

The novel has maintained a strong presence in modern Chinese culture. There has also been an effect on Japanese culture, though markedly smaller. It has been the subject of numerous television series and video games, including several recently translated for the Western Market, such as Battle Houshin (houshin is the Japanese reading of Fengshen) and Fengshen Yanyi: Legends of Gods and Heroes. It has also been substantially adapted for the manga Houshin Engi. The most marked and lasting effect, though, is the use of the name - as Fengshen Bang - as a term in modern Chinese meaning "hit list" (as in a top 10 list or similar, such as music charts.) Rurouni Kenshin manga, volume 1 (English version) Manga (漫画) is the Japanese word for comics; outside of Japan, it usually refers specifically to Japanese comics. ... Houshin Engi (封神演義) is a Japanese manga and anime series, loosely based on an ancient Chinese novel Fengshen Yanyi. ...

See also

• Chinese mythology
• Religion in China
• Zhou Dynasty
• Shang Dynasty