玄武 (Xuánwǔ): Black Tortoise (of the North)

Meanings

1 Black Tortoise (of the North)
2 Xuanwu, Daoist deity of the north

Characters

玄

xuán

dark; black; mysterious

武

wǔ

martial; warrior

Examples

玄武是中国古代四象之一，代表北方。

Xuánwǔ shì Zhōngguó gǔdài sìxiàng zhī yī, dàibiǎo běifāng.

Xuanwu is one of the Four Symbols in ancient China, representing the north.

南京的玄武湖非常有名。

Nánjīng de Xuánwǔhú fēicháng yǒumíng.

Nanjing's Xuanwu Lake is very famous.

Tips

culture

玄武 (Black Tortoise) is one of the Four Symbols 四象 of Chinese astronomy — Azure Dragon 青龙 (east), White Tiger 白虎 (west), Vermilion Bird 朱雀 (south), and Black Tortoise 玄武 (north). Depicted as a tortoise entwined with a snake. Later worshipped in Daoism as 真武大帝. The Qing emperor Kangxi's taboo name 玄烨 led to the character 玄 sometimes being written 元.

history

玄武门之变 (Xuanwu Gate Incident, 626 CE) was the palace coup where Li Shimin ambushed and killed his brothers at Chang'an's Xuanwu Gate, forcing his father to abdicate and becoming Emperor Taizong of Tang — one of the most consequential coups in Chinese history.