xian (仙, à«Õ¹)
Chinese-Thai for an
‘Immortal’. The character for xian is composed of the side-radical ren (亻) which derives from the radical ren (人) and means ‘man’, and the phonetic part shan (山) which means
‘mountain’. The name initially referred to men who retired from
the world to live as a hermit in the mountains. By means of
bodily exercises, dieting, use of herbal medicines, regulation of the breath,
meditation and mental cultivation, they often succeeded in prolonging their life
far beyond the ordinary lifespan, thus contributing to the conviction that they
were immortal. The term xian is comparable to
luohan,
a Chinese word for
arahat and used for those who are free from the cycle of
rebirth known as
samsara, and as such also in
a way immortal. A recluse is in Thai called
reusi, a word derived from
the Indian word
rishi. Also transcribed hsien.
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xiang cao rou (香草肉)
Chinese.
‘Fragrant straw meat’. Name of a true street snack, one that can be found in
almost every stall in
China.
It uses a meat, such as chicken or beef, which is formed into a ball and wrapped
in a thin layer of bean curd, then a layer of a fragrant local grass is added,
in order to give the meatballs a fine fragrance and aroma, after which the whole
is steamed. The snack is sometimes translated as
‘vanilla meat’, though xiang cao is probably better translated as
‘aromatic herb’, as not vanilla, but a fragrant local grass is used.
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xiang qi (象棋)
Chinese. ‘Image chess’ or
‘elephant chess’. Name of a Chinese board game for two players
(fig.), which in English is known as Chinese chess. The first character of the Chinese
name means ‘appearance’, ‘form’ or ‘image’, but also ‘elephant’ and refers to
the fact that the chess pieces all have images of Chinese characters on them.
The board has nine vertical and ten horizontal lines and the pieces are
played on the intersections of those lines. On each side of the board, centreed
at the first through third ranks, is a square zone demarcated by two diagonal
lines that connect the opposite corners and cross at the centre, like a large X.
This area is known as the palace. Dividing the two opposing sides is
an area called the ‘river’. Soldiers that cross the river are promoted, but it
cannot be crossed by elephants or ministers. The game is played with
draught-like pieces that have Chinese characters representing their rank on
them, usually printed or painted in red for one side and in black for the other. The
pieces and their movements are, beginning at the centre of the first horizontal
line and then going outward (red is mentioned first/second is black): one
marshal/general (may move one point either vertically or horizontally, but not
diagonally and cannot leave the palace), two advisors/guards (may move one point
diagonally and cannot leave the palace), two ministers/elephants (may move two
points diagonally and cannot jump over intervening pieces or cross the river),
two horses/horses (may move one point vertically or horizontally and then one
point diagonally away from its former position) and two chariots/chariots in
both corners (may move vertically and horizontally over any distance); two
canons/catapults start from the intersections of the third horizontal with the
second and eight vertical line (may move horizontally and vertically, but
capture by jumping exactly one piece over to its target); five privates/soldiers
placed on alternating points, one row back from the edge of the river, before
the canons/catapults (may move and capture by advancing one point - once they
have crossed the river, they may also move and capture one point horizontally,
but they cannot move backward, though may move sideways at the enemy's edge).
The game ends when one player successfully takes the marshal/general or
checkmates the other player. The
two sides of the
chess board are referred to
as Chu and Han, after the Chu–Han War, which goes back to the historical events
that followed after the death of China's first Emperor,
Qin Shi Huang Ti,
in the contention for the supremacy of China between Xiang Yu of Chu State and
Liu Bang
of Han State. Also transcribed hsiang chi.
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Xian Tao (仙桃)
Chinese. ‘Immortal Peach’. See
Peach of Immortality.
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Xiao Leiyin Si (小雷音寺)
Chinese.
‘Little Thunder-clap Monastery’.
Name of a temple mentioned in the
story
Journey to the West
(fig.).
In the story, the pilgrims encounter the Little Thunder-Clap Monastery where
Tripitaka
(fig.)
insists on worshipping the
Buddha image inside,
despite Monkey King's
(fig.)
warning of a potential trap. Inside,
Sun Wukong
identifies the Buddha statue as a
demon, leading to a confrontation with the demon king named Huangmei Laofo
(黄眉老佛), i.e.
‘Aged
Buddha Yellow-Brows’.
The demon captures Monkey King in golden cymbals and ties up Tripitaka,
Pigsy (fig.),
and
Friar Sandy (fig.).
With the help of Ershiba Xingxiu (二十八星宿), i.e. the 28 Constellations
who dwell in the
Twenty-eight Lunar Mansions, Monkey
escapes but is later captured by Yellow Brows using a Human-Seed Bag, known as Renzhong Dai (人种袋). Seeking help from celestial forces, Monkey King is able to
enlist the assistance of
Maitreya. Maitreya reveals Yellow
Brows' deceitful past as his former servant turned demon. Monkey King outsmarts
Yellow Brows by turning into a
watermelon
and, once swallowed, causes
him pain from within. Subsequently, Yellow Brows surrenders and submits to
Maitreya. See also
Lui Im Yi.
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Xia Yuan Jie (下元节)
Chinese. Name of the Spirit Festival, a festival that falls on the
15th lunar day of the 10th lunar month and refers to the last period
of the year. This day is the birthday of the Water Officer, who has
the power to rescue people in trouble.
People also give food offerings to deceased, whose wandering spirits
may return at night to visit, a tradition normally associated with
Gui Yue,
but it seems that traditions of many a festivals are often mixed. At
sundown of this day, people set
lotus-shaped lanterns adrift on the water,
reminiscent to the Thai festival of
Loi Krathong (fig.),
and the festival is hence also known as Water Lantern Festival (fig.).
Often shortened to simply Xia Yuan (下元).
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Xiengkhouang (ຊຽງຂວາງ)
An ancient kingdom in present-day
Laos, formerly called Phuan and situated near the
‘field of jars’. Its population is considered to be the ancestors of the Siamese from Central
Thailand. In 1830 it was briefly occupied by the Vietnamese but recaptured in 1834 by Luang Phrabang in collaboration with
Siam. Also
Siang Khwang.
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Xi Ling Shi (西陵氏)
Chinese. ‘West Mountain clan’. Name of a family branch of the Shu
Shan clan, which was related to the tribe of
Huang Di (fig.),
the
Yellow Emperor (fig.),
by marriage. It is the tribe to whom
Leizu, the Chinese goddess of
silk,
belonged. Also transcribed Si Ling-chi or Hsi Ling Shih.
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Xin Nian (新年)
Chinese for
‘New Year’. The name derives from a Chinese mythical monster, called
Nian, which once a year, at the
beginning of spring, terrorized the people of a certain Chinese village.
Also
Guo Nian, literally ‘pass the year’ and
Chun Jie,
‘Spring
Festival’. In Thai
Trut Jihn.
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Xi Shu (喜树)
Chinese. Literally, ‘Love Tree’. Common name
for a deciduous tree, with the botanical name Camptotheca acuminata.
READ ON.
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Xishuangbanna (ສິບສວງພັນນາ)
Lao. Another spelling
for
Sipsongpannah.
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Xi Wangmu (西王母)
Chinese. ‘Queen Mother
of the West’. Name of an ancient Chinese goddess whose origin actually predates
organized
Taoism.
She is the mother of the
Jade Emperor and
lives in a palace on Mount Kunlun, believed to be a perfect paradise and
used as a meeting place for the gods. Her palace garden has a special orchard
with a magical tree, that bears
Peaches of Immortality.
Whoever eats from them will attain everlasting
life. As the guardian of this tree and
serving its fruits to
her guests to make them immortal,
Xi Wangmu
is seen as
the dispenser of longevity (fig.). She is usually portrayed with a
dragon staff and
holding a peach, and sometimes
wearing a flat-topped imperial headdress,
with beads hanging from the front and back. Also Wangmu Niangniang (王母娘娘), i.e.
‘Queen Mother’ (fig.).
She is the consort of
Yu Huang
(fig.), the
Jade Emperor.
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Xiyouji (西游记)
Chinese. ‘Record of travel to the West’, usually referred to as
‘Journey to the West’, a
classical Chinese story based on real events.
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xoi chien phong (xôi chiên phồng)
Vietnamese.
‘Fried
sticky rice
puff’.
Name of a
dish from southern
Vietnam, that consists of ground glutinous rice,
that has been deep-fried and has inflated to form a large, balloon-like patty in
the form of a hollow, fried,
sticky rice ball.
It is savory in taste, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and is
eaten with small chunks of meat or poultry, and vegetables, as well as with some
dipping sauces.
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xoi
gac (xôi gấc)
Vietnamese. Name of a
dish that consists of
sticky rice,
which in Vietnamese is called xoi (xôi), prepared with the dark
red
aril that surrounds the seeds (fig.) of the
Spiny Bitter Gourd (fig.),
which in Vietnamese is known as
gac (gấc), and literally means
‘fruit’.
Once mixed, the glutinous
rice becomes orange in colour.
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Xuanwu (玄武)
1. Chinese.
‘Mysterious Warrior’ or ‘Black Warrior’. Nickname of
Zhenwu, the
Taoist
protector god of the North (fig.),
who had two generals serving under him, i.e. a Tortoise
General (fig.)
and a
Snake
General (fig.),
names of spiritual creatures symbolizing longevity. However, the name is also sometimes translated as ‘Black
Tortoise’, and as such refers to one of the
four symbols of the Chinese constellations. Despite
the translation ‘black tortoise’, it actually refers to the entire entity of
both the tortoise and the
snake, and not just the tortoise itself. See also
Bac De Tran Vo
and
tortoise-snake.
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2. Chinese.
‘Mysterious Warrior’ or ‘Black Warrior’. Name of a
king of the North in the classic story
Xiyouji,
Journey to the West (fig.), who had two generals serving under him, i.e. Gui Jiang
(龟将), a Tortoise
General (fig.),
and She Jiang (蛇将), a
Snake
General (fig.), names of spiritual creatures symbolizing
longevity. Another legend tells the story that
to
redeem his sins, Xuanwu dug out his own intestines, and washed them in a river.
Moved by this gesture the
Jade Emperor made
him an Immortal. However, afterwards his intestines were transformed into a
demonic turtle and
snake which harmed the people, until they
were subdued by Xuanwu. Hence, he is usually portrayed stepping with his one
foot on a snake and with the other on a turtle. In addition, he is also depicted
holding a magical sword, which he borrowed from
Lu Tong-pin (fig.),
one of the
Eight Immortals (fig.),
in order to ward off a powerful
devil. After he was successful, he refused to return the sword back to Lu
Tong-Pin, yet if he opens the palm of his hand, it is said that the sword will
automatically fly back to Lu Tong-Pin. Therefore he always hold this sword
tightly. His left hand is in a
mudra,
known as the Three Mountains, making a circle with the middle finger and thumb,
the index finger pointing upward, and the ring finger pointing downward, whilst
the little finger touches the middle finger with the tip. In Thai, he is known as
Chao Pho Seua and
shrines devoted to this deity are found nationwide in Thailand (fig.).
In
Thai-Chinese temples he is usually referred to by the
Tae Chew name
Tua Lao Hia.
Also transcribed Xuan Wu. See also
Bac De Tran Vo
and
tortoise-snake.
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Xuanzang (玄奘)
Chinese. Name a
Buddhist monk, who was born as Chen I (陈祎) in
602
AD in
present-day Henan Province, and who traveled to India on a
pilgrimage in order to obtain a copy
of the
sutras, which
he
translated into Chinese (fig.).
READ ON.
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xun (埙)
Chinese. A Chinese egg-shaped flute, i.e. a
globular wind instrument consisting of a chamber with holes. It is
made of clay or ceramic (fig.) and somewhat similar to an ocarina, but
without a fipple mouthpiece. It has a blowing hole on top and eight
smaller finger holes, i.e. six at the front and two on the backside,
for the thumbs. It is reportedly one of the oldest Chinese musical
instruments.
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Xyleutes persona
Latin. Scientific name for a species of wood moth, found throughout
Southeast Asia and northern Australia, and also known by the
synonyms Strigoides leucolophus and Xyleutes leuconotus. Adult moths
of this species have brown wings with black spots and speckles, as
well as irregular white patches along the margins. It belongs to the
family Cossidae, which members are commonly known as carpenter moths
or goat moths. The first designation refers to the fact that the
caterpillars or larvae of most species are tree borers that infest
wood, in some species taking up to three years to mature, whereas
the latter name refers to the fact that they often have an
unpleasant smell. Apart from these generic common names and the
above mentioned specific Latin names, it has no explicit common
name. In Thai it is known only by the generic name
phi seua
non jo mai. See also
Leopard Moth.
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