Introduction on Spiritual Animal Qi Lin (神獸麒麟簡介)

Qi Lin (麒麟), one of the 10 Spiritual Animals that Chinese or the Folks favor and like.

Qi Lin aka Chinese Unicorn, in Japan known as Kirin. Due to the influences by the Chinese, Qi Lin is very well known and like by the Japanese and also the Korean.

The earliest record of Qi Lin was found to be written in Zhou Dynasty.

So what is Qi Lin?

To be more exact, the term Qi Lin refers to 2 Chinese Unicorns, Qi as the Male (麒為公性) & Lin as the Female (麟為母性).

Today, due to the calling and no-much-detailed explanations given, a lot of folks thought that Qi Lin refers to only one Unicorn, some even thought that Qi Lin got no gender.

According to the Ancient Records on Spiritual Animals, Qi Lin is being recorded as having the following features:

1 – Body of a Deer (麋鹿之身)
2 – Tail of an Ox (黃牛之尾)
3 – Head of a Dragon (祥龍之首)
4 – Scales of Fish (洋魚之鱗)
5 – Leg of Horse (駿馬之足)

But over the Eras, in-order to satisfy the folks, the features changed quite a lot.

So why is Qi Lin being associated with Giving Child?

This will have to trace back to the myth of the born of Kong Zi aka Confucius (孔子).

According to the Records of the Spring Autumn Period, Kong Zi’s mother dreamt of a Special Animal carrying a baby to her front. After the Animal approached her, the Animal showed her a baby, soon after she looked at the baby, she woke-up. After that day, she was pregnant.

And after the finding out of the history of the Special Animal, she knew that it was Qi Lin.

Soon, Kong Zi was born. In-order to show the gratitude to the Qi Lin, Kong Zi was being called as Qi Lin Zi (麒麟子) at a young age.

After the story being spread to the commoners, in-order to get a child that could be like Kong Zi, born with Great Wisdom & Knowledge, the folks dedicate drawings to Qi Lin with a Baby Boy sitting on it or Qi Lin biting on to a bag holding babies.

And this is how Qi Lin Song Zi (麒麟送子) came about, translated as Qi Lin sending Babies to the Mortals.

So why in some contexts, Qi Lin is closely associated with Career Luck?

This will have to trace back to the Imperial Court System.

Due to the myth that Qi Lin has, Emperors believed that Qi Lin is the son (some said relative) of Dragon. And so, during the Ancient Era, Emperors will use items that have Dragon motif on it and Princes or High-position Officers will use items with Qi Lin motif.

Until Ming & Qing Dynasty (明清兩朝), the First Ranking Officers will have robes sewed with Qi Lin motif.

Due to all these myth and practices from the Ancient Era, today, the Geomancy Masters (堪輿師) will use Qi Lin as one of the Auspicious items for the enhancing of one’s Career Luck or Baby-bearing Luck.