The story of the Eight Immortals is a household name and everyone knows it. But what the Eight Immortals represent is not very clear to most people. The Eight Immortals represent male, female, old, young, rich, noble, poor and humble respectively. Why do you say that? This is based on the identity and image of the Eight Immortals.
The Eight Immortals refer to the eight Taoist immortals widely circulated among the people, namely Li Tieguai, Zhong Liquan, Zhang Guolao, Lu Dongbin, He Xiangu, Lan Caihe, Han Xiangzi, and Cao Guojiu. Since the Eight Immortals were all mortals who attained enlightenment, their temperaments are closer to those of common people.
Li Tieguai is the legendary head of the Eight Immortals. According to legend, his surname was Li, his given name was Xuan, and he was also called Li Ningyang, Li Honghong, and Li Kongmu. "The Complete Biography of Immortals" and others say that he was originally good-looking and practiced in a cave in Dangshan Mountain. Because he agreed to attend Laojun's Huashan Fairy Fair, he said to his disciples before leaving: "I want to travel to Huashan Mountain. If the wandering soul does not return in seven days, you will incinerate my body." It is said that his soul is hidden in his liver. The soul is hidden in the lungs. When the soul travels, the soul goes with it, leaving only the soul guarding the corpse. This is the so-called "spring out of the shell". Tieguai Li left his corpse behind, and his soul traveled abroad. Unexpectedly, on the sixth day, someone came from the disciple's home to report that his mother was critically ill. He left the body of his master and went home to fulfill his filial piety. When the disciple returned home, Tieguai Li's spirit returned and he had nowhere to turn to. He was really devastated, like a lonely ghost wandering around. Suddenly he saw a starved corpse in the forest. He had an idea and thought: "That's it!" He immediately entered from his forehead. After standing up, he realized that it was not possible and hurriedly poured out what Lao Jun had left from the gourd. The elixir given as a gift, the gourd suddenly flashed with golden light, reflecting an ugly image, with a black face and unkempt hair, giant eyes with tendrils, and his right foot was still lame. He was surprised when someone suddenly applauded behind him. When he looked back, it was Laojun. Tieguai Li felt that the appearance he had gained after the makeover was really not what he looked like. He was a little unhappy and wanted to jump out of his soul. At this moment, Laojun stopped him and said: "The Taoism does not depend on appearance. If you look like this, as long as you work hard, you will be a true immortal with visions." So he was given a golden hoop to restrain his tangled hair, and an iron crutch. Help the lame. Li Tieguai often carried a gourd on his back, which was said to contain fairy medicine, which was specially used to cure diseases and save people when he came to the world. Therefore, the image of Tieguai Li is that of leaning on an iron crutch and carrying a gourd, traveling around the world and resolving people's crises.
The most famous among the Eight Immortals is second only to Tieguai Li, Zhongli Quan, also known as Han Zhongli. The story about his birth is very vivid. It is said that one day, a giant strode into his mother's inner room and said loudly: "I am the ancient Huang Shen clan, and I will take care of my child here." Suddenly, a strange light appeared. He was as big as a three-year-old child when he was born. He was born with a blessed appearance, with a round top and wide forehead, thick ears and long eyebrows, a square mouth and big cheeks, lips like pills, and round breasts and arms. What's even more strange is that he is silent day and night, neither cries nor eats. On the seventh day, he suddenly said: "I am traveling in Zifu, and I am famous in Yujing." This sentence alarmed his parents, because Zifu and Yujing are the palaces of the Jade Emperor in heaven, so they thought He is the reincarnation of a god. His parents hoped that he would have great power when he grew up, so they named him "Quan". It is said that when Zhongli grew up, he served as an admonishment official in the imperial court, and was later ordered to go to Tufan. After the defeat, he lived in seclusion in Zhongnan Mountain. He met Xuanfu, the Emperor of Donghua, and obtained the secret of immortality, the golden elixir of fire and the Qinglong sword technique. Later, he met Zhenren Huayang and taught him Taiyi Jiugui, Fire Talisman Golden Pill, and the way of Xuanxuan. Finally, he obtained the secret of the jade box at the Zijin Sihaofeng of Kongtong Mountain and became an immortal. He calls himself "the most idle man in the world", that is, he is the most idle person in the world. He is often shown with his breasts exposed, holding a palm fan, big eyes, red face, two buns on his head, and a calm demeanor.
Zhang Guolao is the oldest immortal among the eight immortals, named "Zhang Guolao". Because he is the oldest among the eight immortals, people respectfully call him "Zhang Guolao". Zhang Guolao, known as Guolao Immortal Master in Taoism, evolved from Zhang Guo, a Taoist priest in the Tang Dynasty. It is said that Tang Taizong and Tang Gaozong sent envoys to summon him to the palace, but he refused. During the period of Wu Zetian, he had no choice but to leave the mountain under the imperial edict. He pretended to die halfway but failed to go. During the period of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong finally sent an envoy to invite him to the palace and named him "Doctor Yinqing Guanglu" and "Tong Tong". Mr. Xuan". Later, when Xuanzong was about to betroth his daughter to him, he sang: "A daughter-in-law must be fair, and she will be born in a prince's palace on a plain land. People are pleased with her, but I am feared." In the end, he did not agree to the marriage, so he resigned and walked to Halfway through, he died in Puwu County, Hengshan.
His disciples said that he transformed into an immortal, and Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty ordered the construction of Qixia Temple in the local area for worship. According to folklore, he often carries a Taoist canister on his back, rides on a white donkey backwards, and travels around, preaching Taoist sentiments and persuading and saving people. Later, the folk saying "riding on a donkey to read the songbook" originated from this. The white donkey he rides on travels thousands of miles by day, and is folded like paper at night and placed in a box. When riding during the day, spray water in your mouth and it will return to a real donkey. Later generations wrote a poem: "There are so many people in the world who are not as good as this old man. If you don't ride a donkey backwards, you can look back on everything."
Lu Dongbin, surnamed Lu Mingyan, in Taoism, Quanzhen Taoism regards him as "Pure Yang" "The Patriarch" is one of the Five Northern Patriarchs, also known as "Lu Zu". Before Lu Dongbin became an immortal, he was originally a scholar.
One of his friends was a fellow countryman named Gou Yao. Gou Yao's parents died and his family was poor, but he was an honest gentleman and diligent in studying. Lu Dongbin admired him very much and swore sworn brothers with him as Jin Lan. He also invited him to live in his home, hoping that he would study hard. I can have a future in the future. One day, a guest named Lin came to Lu Dongbin's house. Seeing that Gou Yao was a talented person and studied hard, he told Lu Dongbin that he wanted to betroth his sister to Gou Yao. Lu Dongbin was deeply afraid that Gou Yao's greed for bed pleasure would ruin his bright future, so he quickly excused himself. Unexpectedly, Gou Yao himself heard that Miss Lin was beautiful and insisted on agreeing to the marriage.
Lu Dongbin thought for a long time and agreed, and said to Gou Yao: "Since my brother has made up his mind, I will not stop him. However, after we get married, I will first sleep with the bride for three nights." Gou Yao was shocked when he heard this. , but how can you not bow your head if you are dependent on someone else? Besides, all the expenses for the wedding have to be relied on by the Lu family. Who can let yourself be so poor? After thinking about it, he gritted his teeth and agreed. On Gou Yao's wedding day, Lu Dongbin was beaming with joy and ran around to organize everything, but Gou Yao was too embarrassed to see anyone and simply hid aside. In the evening, after sending away the guests, Lu Dongbin entered the bridal chamber and saw the bride, her head covered with red gauze, sitting on the bed. Lu Dongbin did not lift the red hijab, nor spoke. He just sat under the lamp and immersed himself in reading. Ms. Lin waited until midnight, but her husband still didn't go to bed, so she had to go to bed with her clothes on.
When I woke up in the morning, my husband was already gone. It was like this for three nights in a row, and Coco was miserable to Miss Lin. Let's talk about Gou Yao later. After three days, he finally got through it. When he entered the bridal chamber, he saw his wife was crying sadly. He lowered his head and cried and said, "Why did you not go to bed with me for three nights in a row? You only read by the lamp. It was dark." Come and leave at dawn?" Gou Yao was stunned by this question. The bride raised her head and looked even more surprised: Why did her husband change? After a long time, the couple suddenly realized.
Gou Yao stamped his feet and looked up to the sky with a big laugh: "It turns out that my brother was afraid that I would be greedy for pleasure and forget to study, so he used this method to motivate me!" Miss Lin was also happy in her heart and was full of respect for Lu Dongbin. . The couple both said: Brother Lu must repay this kindness in the future. A few years later, Gou Yao was indeed named on the gold medal list and became a high official. The couple bid farewell to Lu Dongbin's family in tears and left for their appointments. Eight years passed in a flash. In the summer of this year, the Lu family accidentally caught fire, and so much of the family property was reduced to ashes. Lu Dongbin, his wife and children had to live in a hut made of broken bricks and tiles. Life was difficult enough.
Lu Dongbin had no choice but to go out to find Gou Yao for help. After going through many hardships along the way, he finally found Gou Yao's mansion. Gou Yao was very sympathetic to the fire that occurred in Lu Dongbin's house and received him warmly, but he did not mention helping him. Lu Dongbin stayed for several months without getting any money. Lu Dongbin looked up to the sky and sighed: "Human feelings are as thin as paper, and their faces change as soon as they are broad, and they are eloquent all over the world!" In a fit of anger, he left without saying goodbye. When he returned to his hometown, Lu Dongbin saw that his dilapidated thatched hut had been replaced by a new tile-roofed house. He was very surprised: How could he carry out large-scale construction projects when he was far away and had young children and a weak wife? Even as I approached the door, I was even more shocked: there were white papers on both sides of the door. Someone died in the family? He hurriedly entered the house and saw a coffin parked in the house. His wife was wrapped in sackcloth and mourning, and was crying loudly.
Lu Dongbin was stunned for a long time: Who is she wearing mourning for? He called out softly: "Madam." The lady looked back, horrified, and shouted tremblingly: "You, are you a human or a ghost?" Lu Dongbin was even more surprised: "Why do you say this, madam? I came back fine. "How could it be a ghost?" After looking at it for a long time, the lady finally believed that Lu Dongbin was back and said, "Oh! It really scared me to death!"
It turned out that Lu Dongbin was here. Not long after he left home, a group of people came to help him build a house. After building the house, they left. At noon the day before yesterday, another group of people brought a coffin, saying that Lu Dongbin died of illness at Gou Yao's house. When the wife heard this, the sky fell and the earth fell, and she cried to death. I was crying today, but I didn’t expect Lu Dongbin to come back.
Lu Dongbin understood in his heart: it was all Gou Yao's trick. He picked up a sharp ax and chopped the coffin hard. With a "click", the coffin split open. It was filled with gold and silver treasures and a letter. Lu Dongbin opened the letter and read: "Gou Yao is not a heartless man. He helped the gold and silver family build a house on the way. You let my wife guard the empty house, and I will make your wife cry heartbroken."
Lü Dongbin felt like waking up from a dream, and gave a bitter smile: "My dear brother, you and your gang have done so much to help me!" From then on, the Lu and Gou families became even more affectionate. This is what the saying goes, "Gou Yao and Lu Dongbin don't know good people's hearts." Because "gouyao" and "dog bite" have the same pronunciation, from time to time it became "dog bites Lu Dongbin, but it doesn't recognize a good heart." Later, Lu Dongbin was turned into an immortal by Zhong Liquan. He was the most humane among the eight immortals. He was chic and funny, and he was good at eliminating violence and evil for the people. He was also a good drinker and a womanizer. Folks portray him as a knight-errant holding a sword and relieving suffering in the world.
He Xiangu, the only female immortal among the Eight Immortals. It is said that her original name was He Xiugu, who was born during the period of Wu Zetian of Tang Dynasty. When she was born, purple clouds surrounded her room and there were six rays of light above her head. He has been quick and smart since he was a child. When she was fifteen years old, she dreamed that a god taught her to eat mica powder, and she became as light as flying. He traveled between the tops of the mountains and went out every morning to pick mountain fruits to honor his mother. Later, his speech became abnormal. After Wu Zetian heard about it, she sent an envoy to summon him, but he disappeared on the way. Some people said that during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty, he flew into the sky on the eighth day of the eighth lunar month. There is also a saying that He Xiangu went into the mountains when she was thirteen years old and met the immortal Lu Dongbin. Lu gave her a peach. After eating it, she felt neither hungry nor hungry, and could predict good and bad things, which was quite efficacious. The people in the village regarded her as a god and built a building specifically for her to live in. Later, Lu Dongbin made her a fairy.
Among the Eight Immortals, there is a cynical, crazy and begging Taoist immortal named Lan Caihe. Lan Caihe was originally a man, but in statues or operas he often dressed up as a woman and carried a flower basket. It is said that he was originally born as a barefooted immortal with a wooden belt more than three inches wide, wearing boots on one foot and walking barefoot on the other. Wearing cotton clothes in summer, lying in the snow in winter, the breath comes out like steam. He often holds a large recordboard more than three feet long and sings while walking around the city. He sings drunkenly, seemingly crazy but not crazy. Men, women, old and young follow him. People gave him copper coins, but he tied them up with a long rope and mopped them on the ground. If they were lost, he would not look back. Sometimes when I see poor people, I give them copper coins.
Later, he was singing and getting drunk in a Haoliang restaurant. The sound of clouds, cranes, and flutes suddenly rose into the clouds. He threw down his boots, shirt, belt, and paddle board, and walked away slowly. His most famous tap song is: The tap song Lan Caihe, how big can the world be? Beauty is like a spring tree, and time is like a shuttle. The ancient people wandered away and never returned, but today more and more people are coming. In the morning I rode a phoenix to the blue sky, and in the evening I saw white waves in the mulberry fields. The bright light shines in the sky, and the Gold and Silver Palace towers high!
Han Xiangzi, the gentle son among the Eight Immortals, is a handsome young man holding a flute. Han Xiangzi, whose real name is Han Xiang, is the nephew of Han Yu, a great writer in the Tang Dynasty and minister of the Ministry of Punishment. Han Xiang was born as Bai He in his previous life. Bai He was enlightened by Zhong Liquan and Lu Dongbin, and was reincarnated as the son of Han Hui in Changli County. His nickname was Xiangzi. He lost his father when he was young and was raised by his uncle Han Yu. When he grew up, he was taught the cultivation techniques by Zhong and Lu Erxian. Han Yu Strongly objected and reprimanded him.
Han Xiangzi became a monk because of this and lived in seclusion in Zhongnan Mountain to practice Taoism. He achieved Zhengguo and was listed as one of the Eight Immortals. Han Xiangzi transformed into another form many times to save his uncle Han Yu, but Han Yu failed to realize it many times. Later, Han Yu was demoted and sent to Chaoyang. He passed through Languan and was buried in the snow. Xiangzi came to rescue him and gave him guidance. Han Yu finally gained enlightenment and became an immortal by cultivating Taoism.
The image of Cao Guojiu is wearing a gauze hat, a red robe and official uniform, holding a yin and yang board (jade board), which is very different from the dress of other immortals. Legend has it that he was the eldest brother of Emperor Song Renzong and Empress Cao of the Song Dynasty, named Jingxiu. He has a pure and good nature, aspires to be pure and virtuous, does not admire vanity, and does not like wealth.
Later, Cao Guojiu felt deeply ashamed because his younger brother was indulgent and disobedient and violated the law, so he hid in the mountains and rocks, wore civilian clothes, and carefully pondered the mysterious and profound truths. One day, he met two immortals, Zhong Liquan and Lu Dongbin. They asked: "I heard that you are cultivating, what are you cultivating?" He replied: "Cultivation of the Tao." The immortal asked again: "Where is the Tao?" Uncle Cao Guo raised his finger to the sky. The two immortals asked again: "Where is the sky?" Cao Guojiu pointed at his heart. The two immortals smiled and said: "The heart is heaven, and heaven is Tao. You have suddenly understood the true meaning of Tao."
So they taught him the secret technique of restoring the true nature, and guided him to become an immortal. team. There is also a saying that when he became a monk, the emperor gave him a gold medal. Later, when he crossed the Yellow River without boat fare, he used it as a mortgage. He happened to meet Lu Dongbin and traveled with him, so he became enlightened and became one of the "Eight Immortals"