The [timing of] the calls does not agree with the meanings found in the Book of Rites original: 禮記, Liji. One of the five classics of the Confucian canon., which states "In the fifth month, the Shrike begins to call," nor with the "Odes of Bin" A section of the Classic of Poetry (Shijing) describing rural life., which states "In the seventh month, the Shrike calls." There are eight such differing accounts; in essence, one should take Guo’s Guo Pu (276–324 CE), a famous commentator and polymath who annotated the Erya. explanation as the standard. According to the Erya The oldest surviving Chinese dictionary, dating to the 3rd century BCE., the Ju bird original: 鶪, Ju., also called the Juan-ju original: 鵑之鵙, Juan-zhi-ju., flies in a "sour" original: 酸, suan. This refers to a specific, heavy-set rowing motion of the wings. manner, which describes how it flaps its wings widely after drinking its fill.

Since the Ju and the Juan A term often associated with Cuckoos. are mentioned together, [consider] the "Cuckoo-crow" of today. It is as large as a dove and black in color. It begins calling in the fourth month, and its cry sounds like "Ku-ku" meaning "bitter, bitter" in Chinese.. It is also called the "Cruel Mother-in-Law" original: 姑惡, Gu'e.. Many people loathe it. Folklore holds that the bird is the transformation of a daughter-in-law who was tormented to death by her mother-in-law. This is quite similar to the legend of Bo Qi A tragic figure from the Zhou Dynasty who supposedly turned into a Shrike after being wrongly exiled and dying., though it is unknown if this bird can likewise subdue snakes. The Huainanzi A 2nd-century BCE philosophical text. states: "If the blood of a Shrike is smeared upon gold, [the gold] will not dare to..." The text likely intended to say the gold would become soft or break, a common alchemical belief regarding Shrike blood.

Appendix: The Ju-jiu

Li Shizhen states: Regarding the Ju-jiu, the Erya gives it the name Pi-ji pronounced pi-ji, and also calls it the Ju-jiu pronounced pi-ji; it is the Crested Bird original: 戴勝, Daisheng. Usually identified as the Hoopoe, though the following description matches the Black Drongo.. Another name is the "Duck-Dove," which is sometimes mistakenly written as the "Pi-ju bird."

Luo Yuan A Song Dynasty scholar known for his works on natural history. says: This is the Zhu-jiu. In the region east of the Yangtze River, it is called the Zhou bird pronounced zhou, or the Ju-jiu. It is smaller than a crow, but it is capable of chasing crows away. It begins to call in the third month. Today, the common folk call it the "Plough-Driver," and farmers use its appearance as a seasonal marker. At the fifth watch Between 3:00 and 5:00 AM., it suddenly begins to cry "Jia-jia-ge-ge" until dawn.

For this reason, the people of Yunnan call it the "Oil-Pressing Lad." It is also called the "Iron Cuckoo." The Ju is able to peck at hawks; the Cuckoo-crow is actually a relative of the falcon. Southerners call it the "Phoenix's Groom" Suggesting it acts as a lowly servant or herald to the mythical phoenix.. People from Kaifeng original: 汴, Bian. The Northern Song capital. call it the "Summer Chicken." In antiquity, there were mentions of "dawn-hastening birds" and "awakeners"; these likely refer to this species. This bird is as large as a swallow and black in color, with a long, forked tail and a crest upon its head where...