Four Perils

In the Book of Documents, they are defined as the "Four Criminals" ({{zhi|t={{linktext|四罪}}|s={{linktext|四罪}}|p=Sì Zuì}}):Book of Documents [https://ctext.org/shang-shu/canon-of-shun "Canon of Shun"] quote: {{lang|zh|“流共工于幽洲，放驩兜于崇山，竄三苗于三危，殛鯀于羽山，四罪而天下咸服。”}}Shiji [https://ctext.org/shiji/wu-di-ben-ji "Annals of the Five Emperors"] {{lang|zh|"請流共工於幽陵，以變北狄；放讙兜於崇山，以變南蠻；遷三苗於三危，以變西戎；殛鯀於羽山，以變東夷：四罪而天下咸服。"}}

• Gonggong ({{zh|t={{linktext|共工}}|p=Gònggōng|l=join(t) works}}), the disastrous god;
• Huandou ({{zhi|t={{linktext|驩兜}}|p=Huāndōu|l=happy helmet}}, a.k.a. {{zhi|t={{linktext|驩頭}}}}, {{zhi|t={{linktext|讙頭}}|p=Huāntóu|l=happy head}}Shanhaijing [https://ctext.org/shan-hai-jing/hai-wai-nan-jing "Classic of the Regions Outsides the Seas: South"] & [https://ctext.org/shan-hai-jing/da-huang-nan-jing "Classic of the Great Wildernesses: South"]"), a chimeric minister and/or nation from the south who conspired with Gonggong against Emperor Yao[http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Myth/personshuandou.html Persons: Huandou]
• Gun ({{zh|labels=no|t={{linktext|鯀}}|p=Gǔn|l=big fish}}),{{efn|According to Schuessler (2009), {{lang|zh|鯀}} (standard Chinese gǔn < Old Chinese *kwə̂nʔ) is the same word as {{lang|zh|鮌}} (gǔn < OC *kwə̂nʔ) and {{lang|zh|鯤}} (kūn < OC *kûn), the latter being a mythical giant fish mentioned in Zhuangzi.Schuessler, Axel. (2009) Minimal Old Chinese and Later Han Chinese. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i. p. 317, 333-4Zhuangzi, [https://ctext.org/zhuangzi/enjoyment-in-untroubled-ease?searchu=%E9%AF%A4&searchmode=showall#result "Enjoyment in Untroubled Ease"] quote: {{lang|zh|"北冥有魚，其名為鯤。鯤之大，不知其幾千里也。"}} translation: "In the Northern Ocean there is a fish, the name of which is Kun - I do not know how many li in size."}}Kangxi Dictionary, [https://ctext.org/kangxi-zidian/195/7/zh#n359028 "魚 radical 7"] quote: {{lang|zh|"鯀：《唐韻》《集韻》《正韻》𠀤古本切，音袞。《說文》魚也。《玉篇》大魚也。又《書·堯典》於，鯀哉。《傳》鯀，崇伯之名。《釋文》禹父也。《廣韻》亦作鮌。"}} whose poorly built dam released a destructive flood and disrupted the Wuxing, and whose son was Yu the Great;
• Sanmiao ({{zh|labels=no|t={{linktext|三苗}}|p=Sān Miáo|l=Three Miao}}), the tribes that attacked Emperor Yao's tribe.

In Zuo Zhuan,Shiji [https://ctext.org/shiji/wu-di-ben-ji "Annals of the Five Emperors"] quote: {{lang|zh|"昔帝鴻氏有不才子，掩義隱賊，好行凶慝，天下謂之渾沌。少暤氏有不才子，毀信惡忠，崇飾惡言，天下謂之窮奇。顓頊氏有不才子，不可教訓，不知話言，天下謂之梼杌。此三族世憂之。至于堯，堯未能去。縉云氏有不才子，貪于飲食，冒于貨賄，天下謂之饕餮。天下惡之，比之三凶。舜賓於四門，乃流四凶族，遷于四裔，以御螭魅，於是四門辟，言毋凶人也。"}}Zuo zhuan [http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/saxon/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=xwomen/texts/chunqiu.xml&style=xwomen/xsl/dynaxml.xsl&chunk.id=d2.12&toc.depth=1&toc.id=0&doc.lang=bilingual "Duke Wen"] quote: {{lang|zh|"舜臣堯，賓于四門，流四凶族，渾敦，窮奇，檮杌，饕餮， 投諸四裔，以禦魑魅，"}}. translation: "When Shun became Yao's minister, he received the nobles from the four quarters of the empire, and banished these four wicked ones, Chaos (Hundun {{lang|zh|渾敦}}), Monster (Qiongqi {{lang|zh|窮奇}}), Block (Taowu {{lang|zh|檮杌}}), and Glutton (Taotie {{lang|zh|饕餮}}), casting them out into the four distant regions, to meet the spite of the sprites and evil things (Chimei {{lang|zh|魑魅}})." Shanhaijing, and Shenyijing, the Four Perils ({{zhi|四凶|p=Sì Xiōng}}) are defined as:

• the Hundun ({{zhi|t={{linktext|渾敦}}}}, {{zhi|t={{linktext|混沌}}|p=Hùndùn|l=chaotic torrent}}{{efn|a.k.a. {{zhi|t={{linktext|帝江}}|p=Dìjiāng|l=Emperor River, Thearch River}}, {{zhi|t={{linktext|帝鴻}}|p=Dìhóng|l=Emperor Swan, Thearch Swan}}}}), a yellow winged creature of chaos with six legs and no face;Shanhaijing [https://ctext.org/shan-hai-jing/xi-shan-jing "Classic of the West Mountains"] quote: {{lang|zh|"有神焉，其狀如黃囊，赤如丹火，六足四翼，渾敦無面目，是識歌舞，實惟帝江也。"}}Shenyijing [https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E7%A5%9E%E7%95%B0%E7%B6%93#%E8%A5%BF%E8%8D%92%E7%B6%93%E5%8D%81%E5%89%87 "Classic of the West Wilderness: Ten Examples"] quote: {{lang|zh|"崑崙西有獸焉，其狀如犬，長毛四足，似羆而無爪，有目而不見，行不開。有兩耳而不聞，有人知往。有腹無五臟，有腸直而不旋，食物徑過。人有德行而往牴觸之。有凶德則往依憑之。天使其然，名為渾沌。《春秋》云：渾沌，帝鴻氏不才子也。空居無為，常咋其尾，回轉仰天而笑。"}}
• the Qiongqi ({{zhi|t={{linktext|窮奇}}|p=Qióngqí|l=distressingly strange, thoroughly odd}}), a monstrous creature that eats people,Shanhaijing [https://ctext.org/shan-hai-jing/xi-shan-jing "Classic of the West Mountains"] quote: {{lang|zh|"其上有獸焉，其狀如牛，蝟毛，名曰窮奇，音如獋狗，是食人。"}}Shenyijing [https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E7%A5%9E%E7%95%B0%E7%B6%93#%E8%A5%BF%E5%8C%97%E8%8D%92%E7%B6%93%E5%85%AD%E5%89%87 "Classic of the Northwest WIlderness: Six Examples"] quote: {{lang|zh|"西北有獸焉，狀似虎，有翼能飛，便剿食人。知人言語，聞人鬥，輒食直者；聞人忠信，輒食其鼻；聞人惡逆不善，輒殺獸往饋之。名曰窮奇，亦食諸禽獸也。"}}
• the Taowu ({{zh|labels=no|t={{linktext|檮杌}}|p=Táowù|l=block stump}}), a reckless, stubborn creature;Shenyijing, [https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E7%A5%9E%E7%95%B0%E7%B6%93#%E8%A5%BF%E8%8D%92%E7%B6%93%E5%8D%81%E5%89%87 "Classic of the West Wilderness: Ten Examples"] quote: {{lang|zh|"西方荒中有獸焉，其狀如虎而犬毛，長二尺，人面虎足，豬口牙，尾長一丈八尺，攪亂荒中，名檮杌，一名傲狠，一名難訓。《春秋》雲顓頊氏有不才子名檮杌是也。"}} The Taowu is said to appear with "a human face, a tiger's feet, a pig's tusks and a tail 18 feet long."
• the Taotie ({{zh|labels=no|t={{linktext|饕餮}}|p=Tāotiè|l=greedy glutton}}), a gluttonous beast.Shenyijing, [https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E7%A5%9E%E7%95%B0%E7%B6%93#%E8%A5%BF%E5%8D%97%E8%8D%92%E7%B6%93%E4%B8%89%E5%89%87 "Classic of the Southwest Wilderness: Three Examples"] quote: {{lang|zh|"西方荒中有獸焉，其狀如虎而犬毛，長二尺，人面虎足，豬口牙，尾長一丈八尺，攪亂荒中，名檮杌，一名傲狠，一名難訓。《春秋》雲顓頊氏有不才子名檮杌是也。"}}

Zhang Shoujie's Correct Meanings of the Record of the Grand Historian ({{zhi|c=史記正義|p=Shǐjì Zhèngyì}}) identifies {{zhp|p=Huandou|c=讙兠}} with {{zhp|p=Hundun|c=渾沌}}, Gonggong with {{zhp|p=Qiongqi|c=窮竒}}, Gun with {{zhp|p=Taowu|c=檮杌}}, and the {{zhp|p=Sanmiao|l=Three Miao|c=三苗}} with {{zhp|p=Taotie|c=饕餮}}.Shiji Zhengyi "Volume 1" Siku Quanshu version, Zhejiang university's copy [https://ctext.org/library.pl?if=en&file=96079&by_title=%E5%8F%B2%E8%A8%98%E6%AD%A3%E7%BE%A9&page=133 p. 133] pf 156

• Four Barbarians
• Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

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