Chapter 40: Chi You — 蚩尤 — The God of War
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A RECORD OF ALL THINGS UNDER HEAVEN
As gathered from the oldest accounts that remain
PROLOGUE — CHAPTER FORTY
On the Matter of Chi You — 蚩尤 — The God of War
His name is Chi You — 蚩尤.
Chi — 蚩 — means ignorant. Stupid. Foolish. The character shows a person — 㞢 — zhi — and an insect — 虫 — chong — together. A person crawling like an insect. A person who has not yet risen to humanity.
You — 尤 — means outstanding. Remarkable. Extreme. The character shows a hand — 又 — you — with a mark indicating something beyond the ordinary.
Together — 蚩尤 — the outstanding fool. The remarkable savage. The one who is both monstrous and magnificent.
He is also called the God of War — 戰神 — Zhan Shen.
He is also called the Bronze-Headed One — 銅頭 — Tong Tou.
He is also called the Iron-Foreheaded One — 鐵額 — Tie E.
He is also called the Master of Weapons — 兵器之神 — Bingqi zhi Shen.
He is the enemy of the Yellow Emperor — 黃帝 — Huang Di. He is the opponent who nearly defeated the founder of Chinese civilization. He is the antagonist who became a god. He is the monster who became a hero.
The texts do not agree on what he was. Some call him a demon — 妖魔 — yao mo. Some call him a tribal chieftain — 部落首領 — buluo shouling. Some call him a god — 神 — shen. Some call him a giant — 巨人 — juren. Some call him a mythical beast — 神獸 — shen shou. All accounts agree that he was powerful. All accounts agree that he was terrifying. All accounts agree that he fought the Yellow Emperor to a standstill before being defeated.
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On the oldest records of Chi You.
The name Chi You appears in the earliest Chinese texts.
The Shiji — 史記 — Records of the Grand Historian — by Sima Qian — 司馬遷 — written approximately 100 before the common era — contains the most complete account of Chi You.
Sima Qian states: Chi You was a chieftain of the eastern tribes. He was the lord of the Jiuli — 九黎 — Nine Li. He had eighty-one brothers. Each was a chieftain under his command. Each was a warrior. Each was fierce. They were the most powerful force in the land.
Chi You made weapons. He made swords. He made spears. He made bows. He made arrows. He made armor. He taught his people to fight. He taught his people to make war. He was the first to forge metal into weapons.
He fought the Yellow Emperor for control of the Central Plain — 中原 — Zhongyuan. The battle was at Zhuolu — 涿鹿 — Zhuolu. The battle lasted many years. The Yellow Emperor was nearly defeated. Chi You created a great fog. The Yellow Emperor could not see. He invented the South-Pointing Chariot — 指南車 — Zhi Nan Che — to navigate through the fog. He summoned the drought demon — 旱魃 — Han Ba — to dry the fog. He summoned the dragon Ying Long — 應龍 — to flood Chi You's army.
Chi You was captured. He was executed. His body was buried. His head was buried separately. The places where his head and body were buried became mountains.
The Shiji does not call Chi You a demon. It calls him a chieftain. It calls him a warrior. It calls him a rival. It records his defeat without celebrating it. Sima Qian was a historian. He recorded what was known. He did not add judgment.
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On the second record. The Shanhaijing — 山海經 — the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
The Shanhaijing — 山海經 — compiled during the Warring States period — 戰國時代 — Zhanguo Shidai — contains a different account of Chi You.
It states: Chi You had the body of a human. He had the head of a bull — 牛頭 — niu tou. He had four eyes — 四目 — si mu. He had six arms — 六臂 — liu bi. He was covered in bronze. His head was copper. His forehead was iron. He ate sand. He ate stone. He was the god of war.
The Shanhaijing records: Chi You fought the Yellow Emperor. The Yellow Emperor commanded the dragon Ying Long to attack Chi You. Ying Long brought water. He flooded Chi You's army. Chi You commanded the wind and rain spirits — 風伯雨師 — Feng Bo Yu Shi — to attack the Yellow Emperor. They brought a great storm. The Yellow Emperor was nearly defeated. He summoned the drought demon Han Ba. She dried the storm. She defeated the wind and rain. Chi You was captured. He was executed.
The Shanhaijing also records: Chi You's weapons were made of bronze. He was the first to forge metal. He taught his people to make swords and spears. He taught them to make armor. He taught them to make war.
This account presents Chi You as a supernatural being. He is not a human chieftain. He is a god. He has the head of a bull. He has six arms. He is covered in bronze. He commands the wind and rain. He is a force of nature. He is the enemy of civilization.
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On the third record. The Huainanzi — 淮南子.
The Huainanzi — 淮南子 — compiled under Liu An — 劉安 — around 139 before the common era — records Chi You as the first maker of weapons.
It states: Chi You made weapons. He forged swords. He forged spears. He forged armor. He taught the people to fight. He taught the people to make war. Before Chi You, there was no metal. Before Chi You, there were no weapons. Before Chi You, there was no war. He was the first to use metal. He was the first to make weapons. He was the first to wage war.
The text also records: Chi You had the head of a bull. He had the horns of a bull. He used his horns to fight. He gored his enemies. He could not be stopped.
The Huainanzi also records the death of Chi You. It states: Chi You was executed. His body was dismembered. His head was buried in Shouzhang — 壽張. His body was buried in Juye — 鉅野. The places where his limbs were buried became mountains. The mountains are still there. The blood that fell from his body became a lake. The lake is still there.
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On his appearance.
The accounts of Chi You's appearance differ across texts. All accounts agree that he was terrifying.
He had the body of a human — 人身 — ren shen.
He had the head of a bull — 牛頭 — niu tou.
He had four eyes — 四目 — si mu.
He had six arms — 六臂 — liu bi.
He had eight legs — 八足 — ba zu — in some accounts.
He had the hooves of a bull — 牛蹄 — niu ti — in some accounts.
He was covered in bronze — 銅身 — tong shen. His skin was bronze. His body was metal. Weapons could not pierce him.
His head was copper — 銅頭 — tong tou. His forehead was iron — 鐵額 — tie e. His head was harder than any weapon.
He ate sand — 沙 — sha. He ate stone — 石 — shi. He did not need grain. He did not need water. He was sustained by the earth itself.
He had wings — 翅膀 — chi bang — in some accounts. He could fly. He could move through the air. He could attack from above.
He had the ability to create fog — 霧 — wu. He could cover the battlefield with darkness. His enemies could not see. They could not fight. They were lost.
He had the ability to command the wind — 風 — feng — and the rain — 雨 — yu. The wind and rain spirits were his allies. They fought for him. They attacked his enemies with storms.
He had eighty-one brothers — 八十一個兄弟 — ba shi yi ge xiong di — in some accounts. In other accounts he had eighty-one chieftains under his command. Each was a giant. Each was a warrior. Each was fierce. They wore bronze armor. They carried bronze weapons. They were the most powerful army in the land.
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On the eighty-one brothers.
The eighty-one brothers of Chi You are recorded in multiple texts.
The Shiji states: Chi You had eighty-one brothers. Each had the body of a human. Each had the head of an animal. Some had the head of a bull. Some had the head of a tiger. Some had the head of a dragon. Each was a chieftain of a tribe. Each commanded his own army. Together they were the most powerful force in the land.
The Huainanzi states: Chi You's brothers were the leaders of the Jiuli — 九黎 — Nine Li. The Nine Li were nine tribes. Each tribe had nine chieftains. Together they were eighty-one chieftains. Each was a warrior. Each was fierce. Each was loyal to Chi You.
The eighty-one brothers made weapons. They forged bronze. They made swords. They made spears. They made armor. They taught their people to fight. They created the first army. They were the first to wage war on a large scale.
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On the Battle of Zhuolu — 涿鹿之戰 — Zhuolu Zhi Zhan.
The Battle of Zhuolu is the central event of Chi You's story. It is recorded in the Shiji, the Huainanzi, and the Shanhaijing.
The battle took place at Zhuolu — 涿鹿 — in present-day Hebei province — 河北省 — Hebei Sheng.
The Yellow Emperor's army was the army of civilization. His soldiers were the farmers. His soldiers were the herders. His soldiers were the craftsmen. They fought to protect their land. They fought to protect their people.
Chi You's army was the army of war. His soldiers were the warriors. His soldiers were the hunters. His soldiers were the metalworkers. They fought to conquer. They fought to dominate. They fought to take what belonged to others.
The battle lasted many years. The accounts differ on the length. Some say three years. Some say ten years. Some say Chi You attacked the Yellow Emperor nine times — 九戰 — jiu zhan — and was repelled nine times. The ninth time, he was defeated.
Chi You created a great fog — 大霧 — da wu. It covered the battlefield. The Yellow Emperor's army could not see. They could not fight. They were lost. The fog lasted for three days. The Yellow Emperor's army was trapped. They could not find their way. They could not find their enemy. They could not escape.
The Yellow Emperor invented the South-Pointing Chariot — 指南車 — Zhi Nan Che. The chariot had a wooden figure mounted on it. The figure's arm always pointed south. No matter how the chariot turned, the arm pointed south. The Yellow Emperor's army used it to navigate through the fog. They found their way. They found Chi You's army.
Chi You summoned the wind and rain spirits — 風伯雨師 — Feng Bo Yu Shi. They brought a great storm. Rain flooded the battlefield. Wind scattered the Yellow Emperor's army. They could not fight. They could not advance. They were pushed back.
The Yellow Emperor summoned his daughter Ba — 魃 — the drought demon. She had the power to stop rain. She had the power to dry water. She appeared on the battlefield. The rain stopped. The wind stopped. The fog cleared. The sun appeared. Chi You's army was exposed. The Yellow Emperor's army advanced.
The Yellow Emperor summoned the dragon Ying Long — 應龍 — the Responsive Dragon. Ying Long brought water. He flooded Chi You's army. Chi You's army was scattered. The warriors could not fight. The chieftains could not command. The army broke.
Chi You was captured.
He was executed.
His body was dismembered.
His head was buried in one place.
His body was buried in another.
His limbs were buried in four directions.
The places where his body was buried became mountains. The mountains are still there.
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On the execution of Chi You.
The method of Chi You's execution is recorded in multiple texts.
He was bound with chains — 桎梏 — zhigu. The chains were placed on his hands and feet. He was held for three days. He did not die. He did not weaken. He did not yield.
He was beheaded — 斬首 — zhan shou. His head was separated from his body. He did not die. His head continued to speak. His eyes continued to move. He was still alive.
His body was dismembered — 肢解 — zhi jie. His arms were removed. His legs were removed. His torso was cut into pieces. Each piece was buried in a different location. Only then did he die.
The places where his body was buried became mountains. The place where his head was buried is called Shouzhang — 壽張 — in present-day Shandong province — 山東省 — Shandong Sheng. The mountain is called the Mountain of Chi You's Head — 蚩尤頭山 — Chi You Tou Shan.
The chains that bound him were thrown to the ground. They became a grove of trees. The trees are called the Chi You Trees — 蚩尤樹 — Chi You Shu. They are still there. They are still bound. They do not grow straight. They twist. They coil. They are the chains of Chi You turned to wood.
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On Chi You after death.
After his death, Chi You was not forgotten. He was honored. He became a god.
The Yellow Emperor honored him. He placed Chi You's image on his banners. He used the image to intimidate his enemies. The enemies saw Chi You's face. They surrendered. They did not want to fight the one who had defeated Chi You. They did not want to face the image of the God of War.
Qin Shi Huang — 秦始皇 — the First Emperor — worshipped Chi You. He made offerings to him before battles. He asked for Chi You's blessing. He asked for Chi You's power. He asked to be as fierce as Chi You.
Han dynasty — 漢朝 — Han Chao — emperors worshipped Chi You. They included him in the official sacrifices. He was recognized as a god of war. He was recognized as a protector of the state.
In some regions, Chi You is worshipped to this day. The Miao people — 苗族 — Miao Zu — claim descent from Chi You. They honor him as their ancestor. They tell stories of his battles. They tell stories of his strength. They tell stories of his defeat. They do not see him as a monster. They see him as a hero. They see him as the one who fought the Yellow Emperor and almost won.
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On Chi You as the inventor of war.
The texts agree on one thing. Chi You invented war.
Before Chi You, there was no metal. There were no weapons. There were no armies. There were no large-scale battles. People fought with sticks. People fought with stones. People fought with their hands. They did not make war. They fought in small skirmishes.
Chi You discovered bronze. He learned to smelt ore. He learned to forge metal. He made the first swords. He made the first spears. He made the first armor. He taught his people to use them.
He organized his people into armies. He trained them to fight. He trained them to follow commands. He trained them to move as one. He created the first military.
He attacked the Yellow Emperor. He was the first to wage war on a large scale. He was the first to conquer territory. He was the first to seek domination over others.
He lost.
But he changed the world. After Chi You, there was war. After Chi You, there were weapons. After Chi You, there were armies. After Chi You, civilization had to learn to fight to survive.
He is the inventor of war. He is the first warrior. He is the God of War.
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On the Miao people and Chi You.
The Miao people — 苗族 — Miao Zu — are one of the largest ethnic minority groups in China. They live in the mountains of Guizhou — 貴州 — Hunan — 湖南 — and Yunnan — 雲南.
They claim descent from Chi You.
Their oral traditions tell the story of Chi You. They say he was their ancestor. They say he was a great leader. They say he was a great warrior. They say he fought the Yellow Emperor and was betrayed. They say he was defeated by trickery, not by strength.
They honor him as their founding ancestor. They perform rituals in his honor. They tell his stories. They sing his songs. They remember his defeat. They remember his strength. They remember that he almost won.
The Miao are the descendants of Chi You. They are the Jiuli — 九黎 — the Nine Li — who fought the Yellow Emperor. They are the ones who did not surrender. They are the ones who fled to the mountains. They are the ones who kept their traditions. They are the ones who remembered.
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On what Chi You represents.
He represents the wild. The untamed. The force that civilization must overcome.
He is not evil. The texts do not call him evil. He is powerful. He is fierce. He is the enemy of order. He is the enemy of civilization. He is the force that must be defeated for order to be established.
He is also the source of strength. The Yellow Emperor used his image. Qin Shi Huang worshipped him. Han emperors honored him. He is the enemy who becomes a god. He is the defeated who becomes a protector.
He is the one who taught humanity to fight. Without him, humanity would not know war. Without him, humanity would not know how to defend itself. Without him, civilization would not have learned to protect itself from those who would destroy it.
He is the monster who made civilization possible. He is the enemy who taught humanity to be strong. He is the one who lost so that order could be established. He is the one who is remembered so that strength is never forgotten.
He is Chi You. He is the God of War.
END OF CHAPTER FORTY