The Legend of Pan Gu Creating the World

Pan Gu is a pivotal figure in Chinese mythology, revered as the ancestral creator of the world and humanity. According to legend, before the formation of heaven, earth, and all things, the universe existed in a state of chaos, likened to a round egg. In this chaotic world, a giant named Pan Gu incubated in the darkness and chaos for 18,000 years. One day, he suddenly awakened and found himself surrounded by pitch-blackness. Using his massive axe, he split open the chaotic world, causing the darkness to disperse. Light and clear things gradually rose and became the sky, while heavy and turbid things sank and formed the earth. After separating heaven and earth, Pan Gu feared that they would come back together, so he stood between them, holding up the sky with his head and standing on the earth with his feet, changing with them as they transformed. Every day, the sky rose one zhang (about 3.3 meters), the earth thickened one zhang, and Pan Gu's body grew taller. Eventually, after many years, the sky and earth took shape, and Pan Gu grew exhaust- ed and fell to the ground. Pan Gu's massive body lay on the ground, creating a vibrant world. His breath became cold air and heat, blowing out as the winds of the four seasons and drifting clouds. The sound he made became the thunder, and his eyes became the sun and moon. His hair and beard transformed into the stars in the sky, while his skin became the vast earth. His limbs and trunk became the four poles of the earth and great mountains. His hair became flowers, plants, and trees, and his bones became gold and silver while his teeth turned into precious stones. His sweat became the rain and dew that nourished all things, and his blood became flowing rivers and seas. As a result, the world has sunshine and rain, rivers and lakes; everything grows; and humanity thrives.

Just as many countries and cultures, whether in the East or the West, have their own myths of how the world came into existence, this Chinese mythology details the ancient people's imaginative and romantic notion of how the universe was formed, while also embodying the Chinese people's yearning for enlightenment and their celebration of a selfless spirit.

盤古開天

盤古是中國神話里開天辟地創(chuàng)造人類世界的始祖，傳說天地及萬物都由其身軀和器官轉(zhuǎn)化而成。相傳很久以前， 天、地沒有形成，宇宙混沌一片，就像一個渾圓的雞蛋。 有個叫盤古的巨人，在這片黑暗和混沌中孕育了一萬八千年。有一天，盤古突然醒來，見周圍一片漆黑，就掄起大斧 頭劈開了混沌的世界。黑暗漸漸散開，輕而清的東西，緩緩 上升，變成了天；重而濁的東西，慢慢下降，變成了地。天 地分開后，盤古怕它們還會合在一起，便頭頂著天，腳蹬著 地，站在天地當(dāng)中，隨著它們的變化而變化。天每天升高一 丈，地每天增厚一丈，盤古的身體也跟著長高。又過了許多 年，天和地逐漸成形，盤古也精疲力竭，累得倒下了。他龐 大的身軀倒在大地上，創(chuàng)造出一個充滿生機的世界：他的呼 吸變?yōu)楹?，吹出的氣息變成了四季的風(fēng)和飄動的云；他發(fā) 出的聲音化作了隆隆的雷聲；他的雙眼變成了太陽和月亮， 頭發(fā)、胡須變成滿天星辰；他的肌膚變成了遼闊的大地； 他的四肢和軀干化作大地的四極和五方的名山，汗毛化為 花草樹木，骨骼化為金銀，牙齒變成玉石；他的汗水化為滋潤萬物的雨露，血液化作奔流不息的江海……從此人世間便有了陽光雨露，大地上有了江河湖海，萬物滋長，人類繁衍生息。

無論東方還是西方，很多國家和民族都有自己的創(chuàng)世紀(jì)傳說。中國神話盤古開辟天地，反映出中國古人對于宇宙形成的浪漫想象，體現(xiàn)出中華民族向往光明、無私奉獻(xiàn)的精神。