The Wǔfāng Shàngdì (五方上帝 "Five Regions' Highest Deities" or "Highest Deities of the Five Regions"[note 1]), or simply Wǔdì (五帝 "Five Deities") or Wǔshén (五神 "Five Gods")[3] are, in Chinese canonical texts and common Chinese religion, the fivefold manifestation of the supreme God of Heaven (天Tiān, or equivalently 上帝 Shàngdì). This theology dates back at least to the Shang dynasty.[4] Described as the "five changeable faces of Heaven",[5] they represent Heaven's cosmic activity which shapes worlds as tán壇, "altars", imitating its order which is visible in the starry vault, the north celestial pole and its spinning constellations.[note 2] The Five Deities themselves represent these constellations.[6] In accordance with the Three Powers (三才 Sāncái) they have a celestial, a terrestrial and a chthonic form. The Han Chinese identify themselves as the descendants of the Red and Yellow Deities.
They are associated with the five colors, the five phases of the continuous creation (Wuxing 五行), the five key planets of the Solar System and the five constellations rotating around the celestial pole, the five sacred mountains and five directions of space (their terrestrial form), and the five Dragon Gods (龙神Lóngshén) who represent their mounts, that is to say the material forces they preside over (their chthonic form).[7][8] They have also been defined simply as five special forms of the worship of the God of Heaven, different "accesses" or perspectives, suitable for different situations, to serve Heaven.[9]
According to Zheng Xuan, the influence of their activity begets different categories of beings on earth. Explaining the ancient theology about the origins of kings from Heaven's impregnation of earthly women, he commented:[10]
王者之先祖, 皆感大微五帝之精以生 — Every ancestor of him who is the king was given birth to as the result of an influential movement [gǎn感] made by the spirits of the Five Deities.
^Sun & Kistemaker (1997), p. 121.
^Pankenier (2013), pp. 112–113.
^Medhurst (1847), p. 260.
^Didier (2009), pp. 143–144, Vol. II.
^Zhong (2014), p. 72.
^Zhong (2014), p. 70.
^Little & Eichman (2000), p. 250. It describes a Ming dynasty painting representing (among other figures) the Wudi: "In the foreground are the gods of the Five Directions, dressed as emperors of high antiquity, holding tablets of rank in front of them. [...] These gods are significant because they reflect the cosmic structure of the world, in which yin, yang and the Five Phases (Elements) are in balance. They predate religious Taoism, and may have originated as chthonic gods of the Neolithic period. Governing all directions (east, south, west, north and center), they correspond not only to the Five Elements, but to the seasons, the Five Sacred Peaks, the Five Planets, and zodiac symbols as well. [...]".
^Sun & Kistemaker (1997), pp. 120–123.
^Zhong (2014), p. 75.
^Zhong (2014), p. 81.
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
The WǔfāngShàngdì (五方上帝 "Five Regions' Highest Deities" or "Highest Deities of the Five Regions"), or simply Wǔdì (五帝 "Five Deities") or Wǔshén (五神 "Five...
(五方上帝 WǔfāngShàngdì). It is also one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations, which are the astral representations of the WufangShangdi. The...
the localised adaptation of the Five Forms of the Highest Deity (五方上帝 WǔfāngShàngdì) of common Chinese theology. In some places of Hebei, the cult comprises...
(221–206 BCE) are credited with an effort to unify the cults of the WǔfāngShàngdì (五方上帝 "Five Forms of the Highest Deity"), which were previously held...
for information on color in Chinese opera face paintings Four Symbols WufangShangdi "Colors in Chinese". maayot. 16 June 2021. Archived from the original...
or part of the Five Regions Highest Deities (Chinese: 五方上帝; pinyin: WǔfāngShàngdì) in Chinese folk religion. Calculated by Jesuit missionaries, who based...
King Shenlong (神龍) Tianlong (天龍) Typhoon Longwang Watatsumi Ryūjin WǔfāngShàngdì - "Highest Deities of the Five Regions" Yinglong In a modern local ritual...
Five Emperors and Three Sovereigns, mythical rulers of ancient China WufangShangdi a set of five Chinese deities called Emperors Five emperor coins, a...
worship of Confucius, the seventy-two disciples, Mencius, Zhu Xi, and Shangdi. Religious Confucianism has had state sponsorship since the Han dynasty...
Hieroglyphica of John Dee Olympian spirits Planetae Worship of heavenly bodies WufangShangdi Goldstein, Bernard R. (2007), "What's New in Ptolemy's Almagest", Nuncius...
Dadi is the father of Huayue Sanniang and Huashan Sanlang. Shaohao WufangShangdi Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors Baidicheng Gongsun Shu Zhao Gongming...
astronomy Tetramorph – Symbolic arrangement of four differing elements WufangShangdi – Traditional Chinese fivefold deity "西水坡遺址里的圖案擺放，預示著古代某種神秘的星象". KK...
Confucian text, the Rites of Zhou, discusses the concept of the so-called "WufangShangdi". The History, quoted in the Kokuyo, refers to the following: Cangdi...
classical theology he manifests in five primary forms (Chinese: 五方上帝 WǔfāngShàngdì, "Five Forms of the Highest Deity"). The qi Chinese: 气 is the breath...
is the eastern one of the Five Manifestations of the Highest Deity (WufangShangdi). Bixia Yuanjun (Chinese: 碧霞元君; pinyin: Bìxiá Yuánjūn), literally the...
incarnation of God as the Yellow Emperor, the central figure of the WufangShangdi. The idea of the incarnation of God was not new, as the Shang also regarded...
every two years from 2002 and continues to this day. Temple of Heaven WufangShangdi Ancestor veneration in China Tian Son of Heaven Jesa Feng Shan Interactions...
constellation named after the Tianhuang Emperor. North Star Myōken WufangShangdi Four heavenly ministers Full title: the Great Heavenly Emperor of the...
the incarnation of God as the Yellow Emperor, the central one of the WufangShangdi. The idea of the incarnation of God was not new, as already the Shang...
discipline Classical planet – Planets visible to the naked eye Navagraha – The 9 planets of vedic astrology WufangShangdi – Traditional Chinese fivefold deity...
a species of dragonfly Cangdi, one of the five forms of the deity WufangShangdi Împăratul Verde, a character in the Romanian tale Harap-Alb This disambiguation...
of Jin (Sima Zhao), grandfather, Emperor Gaozu of Jin (Sima Yi), and WufangShangdi.: 18–33 : 88–94 At the time of the Western Jin Dynasty, the suburban...
of gods of nature and ancestors as parts of Di. Di manifests as the WufangShangdi with the winds (風; fēng) as its cosmic will. With the Zhou dynasty,...
Guinea Qīngdì (青帝 "Blue Emperor"), the east and spring aspect of the WufangShangdi This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Blue...
Global Information
