Taowu: The Oriental Metaphor of Violent Instinct

Introduction

Taowu is the most violent mythical beast in Chinese culture, celebrated for its “incorrigible savagery” symbolizing primitive wildness. Often depicted as a tiger-bodied, human-faced creature with pig tusks and a long tail, it serves as both a Four Fiend from Zuozhuan and an ancient reflection of modern criminal psychology.

Origin

Taowu’s prototype first appeared in Zuozhuan·Wen Gong 18th Year (《左传·文公十八年》), solidified in Shen Yi Jing (《神异经》). Legend states it was a son of Zhuan Xu, exiled for rebellion. Warring States Han Feizi (《韩非子》) detailed its “meat-only diet”, while Han Dynasty Records of the Grand Historian (《史记》) included it in the Four Fiends. Modern criminology views its image as reflecting humanity’s collective unconscious aggressive personality archetype.

Core Plot

1. Wild Origins:

   • Zhuan Xu’s son degenerated into a beast due to anti-social behavior (parallels modern sociopathy)
   • Banished to northwest wilderness, becoming a frontier war symbol

2. Violence Warning:

   • Became a criminal law symbol, forming “Greed-Violence Duo” with Taotie
   • Cross-cultural parallel with Nordic Fenrir wolf

3. Modern Reinterpretation:

   • Criminology uses “Taowu Factor” to explain violent crime roots
   • Sci-fi depictions as genetically engineered soldiers

Relationships

• Zhuan Xu (颛顼): Father, one of the Five Emperors
• Four Fiends (四凶): Fellow beasts: Taotie, Hundun, Qiongqi
• Yellow Emperor (黄帝): Attempted to domesticate it
• Yu the Great (大禹): Flood-controller during its rampage

Literary Sources

1. Zuozhuan·Wen Gong 18th Year (《左传·文公十八年》, Spring and Autumn): Earliest record
2. Shen Yi Jing (《神异经》, Han Dynasty): Adds “tiger-human” imagery
3. Records of the Grand Historian·Five Emperors (《史记·五帝本纪》, Western Han): Four Fiends inclusion

Folk Festivals & Customs

• Taowu Sacrifice (1st day of the 10th lunar month)

  • Gansu Dunhuang holds “Evil-Dispelling” rituals with Taowu-masked dancers
  • Make “Taowu Steamed Buns” (梼杌馍) with black beans symbolizing wildness

• Beast-Taming Festival (5th Wu day after Start of Spring):

  • Inner Mongolia simulates Taowu domestication to warn against violence

Spiritual Significance

Taowu embodies eternal warnings against violence:

• Perpetual struggle between wildness and civilization
• Alienation effects of education deprivation
• Artistic exploration of criminal psychology

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