Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms, Birds and Beasts, Volume Two

The Suanni

original: "狻猊" (suanni). While the Suanni is known in broader mythology as one of the "Nine Sons of the Dragon," this text uses the term as a historical synonym for the lion.

The Suanni resembles a tiger or a cat and is said to eat tigers and leopards; it is, in fact, the lion original: "即獅子也" (ji shizi ye). Generally, those with tiger-like markings are called Pimiao original: "貔貓" (pimiao); an ancient term for a predatory feline or leopard-like cat.

Furthermore, the commentaries in the Records of the Western Regions original: "西域傳註" (Xiyu Chuan Zhu); historical accounts of Central and Western Asia, the regions through which lions were first introduced to China as tribute describe the lion as resembling a tiger, being pure yellow in color, and having a smooth tail. The hair at the tip of the tail is said to be as large as a bushel original: "大如斗" (da ru dou); a "dou" is a traditional Chinese measuring bucket, emphasizing the lion's bushy tail tuft.

The Classic of Poetry original: "詩" (Shi/Shijing) also mentions that the joys of the land of Han original: "韓土" (Hantu); an ancient state during the Zhou Dynasty include both "cats" and "tigers." The Book of Zhou original: "周書" (Zhou Shu) records that during a royal hunt, King Wu captured twenty-two tigers. Based on these accounts, the Suanni is classified as being of the same kind as the tiger.