Page 214 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A-Z 207
He flirts with He Xian-gu, who thereupon becomes one of the Immortals. He is
seduced by the whore ‘Divine White Peony’, that is to say, he ‘overcomes’ her in a long
love contest. In one of the clashes between the Song Emperor and the foreign Liao
Dynasty which ruled over certain regions in North China, Lü took the part of the Liao,
while Li Tie-guai, another of the eight Immortals, was on the side of the Chinese.
Finally, Lü is regarded as the patron saint of barbers.

Lunar Stations

su

The word su really means ‘to lodge for the night’ (corresponding to our expression ‘to
sleep together’). In the main, however, it refers to the 28 lunar stations – the 28 sections
of the Chinese zodiac which the moon passes through in the course of its 28-day orbit
round the earth. These constellations were known by the 5th century BC. Later tradition
made them out to be the souls of generals slain by the first Emperor of the Later Han
Dynasty (1st century AD). Each of these stations is associated with an animal, as in the
case of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac. The lunar stations are shown on most
compasses as used by geomancers, and they play a cardinal role in ancient
astrology. Each sign (or a group of signs) corresponded to an ancient Chinese feudal
state, and any unusual phenomenon in a sign was regarded as auguring something out of
the ordinary in the corresponding province.

Luo-han

In some ways, the 18 Luo-han (Arhats) of Buddhism correspond to the 8 Immortals
of Taoism. Theoretically, no less than 500 disciples of the Buddha may, in the
fullness of time, become Buddhas themselves, and statues of all these 500 can be found
in certain temples. As a rule, however, the Luo-han are said to be 18 in number: 16 being
of Indian origin, 2 of Chinese. According to the legend they cross the seas; and as in
the case of the 8 Immortals, each of them is associated with a particular attribute.
Thus, the first, Pin-tu-lo, has a book on his knees; the last, Po-lo-to-she, is riding on
a tiger.
Among the non-Han Yao in South China, the word Luo-han means nothing more than
‘young man’.