These four creatures are also referred to by a variety of other names, including 'Four Guardians', 'Four Gods', and 'Four Auspicious Beasts'.Įach of the creatures is most closely associated with a cardinal direction and a color, but also additionally represents other aspects, including a season of the year, a virtue, and one of the Chinese 'five components' (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water). The Four Symbols (Chinese: 四象 pinyin: Sì Xiàng, literally meaning 'four images'), are four mythological creatures appearing among the Chinese constellations along the ecliptic, and viewed as the guardians of the four cardinal directions.
