四象

sìxiàng
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 the Four Symbols (Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise)
  2. 2 the four images (of the Book of Changes)

Examples

HSK 5
Qīnglóng, Báihǔ, Zhūquè hé Xuánwǔ héchēng sìxiàng.
The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise are together called the Four Symbols.
HSK 7-9
Zài 《 Yìjīng 》 de tǐxì lǐ, liǎngyí shēngchū sìxiàng, sìxiàng yòu shēngchū bāguà.
In the Book of Changes, the two modes give rise to the four images, and the four images in turn give rise to the eight trigrams.

Tips

culture
Each of the 四象 guards one quarter of the sky and rules seven of the 二十八宿: 青龙 the east, 白虎 the west, 朱雀 the south and 玄武 the north. They also stand for the four seasons, and appear on Han roof tiles and bronze mirrors.

Stroke Order

四 sì
象 xiàng