Phoenix at the Guimet Museum, Paris

A phoenix or phenix is a long-lived bird that is cyclically regenerated or reborn. Associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor. The phoenix was subsequently adopted as a symbol in early Christianity. In some versions of the legend, the phoenix dies in a show of flames and combustion, although there are other versions in which the legendary bird dies and simply decomposes before being born again. According to some legends, the phoenix could live over 1,400 years before rebirth. Herodotus, Lucan,Pliny the Elder, Pope Clement I, Lactantius, Ovid, and Isidore of Seville are among those who have contributed to the retelling and transmission of the phoenix motif. In the historical record, the phoenix could symbolize renewal in general as well as the sun, time, the Empire, metempsychosis, consecration,resurrection, life in the heavenly Paradise, Christ, Mary, virginity, the exceptional man, and certain aspects of Christian life. Images of an ancient bird have appeared in China for over 8000 years, as earliest as the Hongshan neolithic period,[citation needed] on jade and pottery motifs, then appearing decorating bronze as well as jade figurines. Some believe they may have been a good-luck totem among eastern tribes of ancient China. During the Han Dynasty (2,200 years ago) two phoenixes, one a male (feng, 鳳) and the other a female (huang, 凰) were often shown together facing one other. Later, during the Yuan Dynasty the two terms were merged to become fenghuang, but the King of Birds came to symbolize the empress when paired with a dragon as a dragon represented the emperor. From the period of the Jiajing Emperor (1522–66) on, a pair of phoenixes was differentiated by the tail feathers of the two birds, typically together forming a closed circle pattern—the male identified by five long serrated tail feathers or filaments (five being an odd, masculine, or yang number) and the female by what sometimes appears to be one but is in fact usually two curling or tendrilled tail feathers (two being an even, feminine, or yinnumber). Also during this period, the fenghuang was used as a symbol representing the direction south. This was portrayed through a male and female facing each other. Their feathers were of the five fundamental colors: black, white, red, green, and yellow. These colors are said to represent Confucius' five virtues: Ren: the virtue of benevolence, charity, and humanity; Yi: honesty and uprightness; Yì may be broken down into zhong, doing one's best, conscientiousness, loyalty and shù: the virtue of reciprocity, altruism, consideration for others Zhi: knowledge Xin: faithfulness and integrity; Li: correct behavior, propriety, good manners, politeness, ceremony, worship. The phoenix represented power sent from the heavens to the Empress. If a phoenix was used to decorate a house it symbolized that loyalty and honesty were in the people that lived there. Or alternatively, a phoenix only stays when the ruler is without darkness and corruption (政治清明). It is a symbol of the Chinese Empress, this bird is one of the four principal mythological beasts. Red coloured, it embodies the South. This object is part of Scan The World. Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email [e-mail] to find out how you can help.凤凰（phoenix）是一种长寿神鸟，可周期性地重生复苏。与太阳意象相关联的凤凰，会从前代躯体的灰烬中升腾而起，以此获得新生。这一形象随后被早期基督教吸纳为象征符号。在部分传说版本中，凤凰会在烈焰与燃烧中殒命；而另有版本称，神鸟死去后仅需自然腐化，便可再度降生。部分传说提及，凤凰可在重生前存活超1400年。希罗多德、卢坎、老普林尼、圣克雷门特一世、拉克坦提乌斯、奥维德以及塞维利亚的伊西多尔等人，均参与了凤凰意象的复述与传播。 在历史记载中，凤凰可作为多重意象的象征：既指代普遍意义上的新生，也可代表太阳、时间、帝国、灵魂轮回（metempsychosis）、祝圣（consecration）、复活（resurrection）、天国乐园中的生命、基督、圣母马利亚、贞洁、卓越之士，以及基督教生活的若干面向。 早在八千余年前的新石器时代红山文化时期（出处待考），中国境内便已出现这类神鸟形象，最初见于玉器与陶器纹饰，后续又出现在青铜器及玉制造像的装饰中。部分学者认为，这类形象曾是中国古代东部部落的吉祥图腾。 汉代（距今约2200年）常将一对凤凰一同呈现，其中雄性为「凤（鳳）」，雌性为「凰（凰）」，二者相向而立。至元代，「凤」与「凰」二词合并为「凤凰（fenghuang）」，而这一「百鸟之王」的形象，在与象征帝王的龙配对时，逐渐成为皇后的象征。自嘉靖帝统治时期（1522–1566年）起，一对凤凰可通过尾羽加以区分：二者通常构成闭合圆形图案，雄性凤凰拥有五根修长带锯齿状的尾羽或羽丝（五为奇数，对应阳性与阳（yang））；雌性凤凰看似仅有一根尾羽，实则通常为两根卷曲或呈纤丝状的尾羽（二为偶数，对应阴性与阴（yin））。 此时期，凤凰亦被用作南方方位的象征，通过雌雄相向的形象加以呈现。其羽毛涵盖五色：黑、白、红、绿、黄。这些色彩对应孔子提出的五种德行： - 仁（Ren）：仁爱、慈善与博爱的德行； - 义（Yi）：诚实与正直，可细分为忠（尽心尽责、恪尽职守、忠诚）与恕（互惠、利他、体谅他人的德行）； - 智（Zhi）：学识与智慧； - 信（Xin）：忠诚与守信； - 礼（Li）：合宜的行为举止、礼仪规范、谦恭态度与祭祀仪式。 凤凰象征着上天赐予皇后的权力。若以凤凰纹饰装饰宅邸，则寓意居所主人恪守忠诚与正直之道。另有说法称，唯有当统治者为政清明、无黑暗与腐败之时，凤凰才会降临栖息。作为中国皇后的象征，凤凰亦是四大神话瑞兽之一，通体赤色，对应南方方位。 本展品隶属于「扫描世界（Scan The World）」项目。该项目由MyMiniFactory发起，为非盈利公益计划，旨在打造全球范围内可3D打印的雕塑、艺术品与地标建筑的数字档案库，供公众免费获取。「扫描世界」是一项开源的社区共建项目，若您身边有有趣的藏品并希望参与贡献，可发送邮件至[e-mail]了解参与方式。