Jingwei

The bird jingwei 精衛 or bird of the resentment (1) appears in a passage of the Livre of the mounts and seas (1), geographical encyclopedia and collection of myths of the Royaumes combatants. This passage inspired a legend still told with the modern Chinese schoolboys for his moral value of encouragement to perseverance. Jingwei is mentioned by some poets, like CAT Yuanming and Li Bai.

(1) yuanqin 冤禽

Version of origin

In north on the tree Shisang (1) in the mountain Fajiu (2). a bird saw. It is Nüwa (3), more the young girl of the emperor Yandi. It with the mottled head, the white nozzle and the red legs, jingwei is its cry, also the call-tone bird jingwei ; it is named also the bird of the resentment . It makes the return ticket between the mountain of the west and the sea where it throws stones and the brushwood taken in the mountain like filling the ocean.

(1) 柘桑樹 (2) 發鳩山 (3) 女娃

Developed version

Yandi had several girls. Young person liked like its elder farder, but differed from his/her sisters by her taste for the Eastern Sea (3) close which she lived. One day that it only sailed, the waves absorbed it. A few days after, appeared a bird hitherto unknown in trimmings. Its colors, pointing out the make-up of the young girl, persuaded each one which it was the new form of Nüwa. As he shouted “jingwei”, him this name was given. It transported each day in its nozzle of the small stones or the brushwood which it dropped in the sea in the hope to fill it to avoid other drownings. Including/understanding its intention, the sea was not long in being annoyed by raising immense waves: “Which are you to think that you can do anything against me? ” it howls. “A million years would not be enough to fill me”. But the bird retorted: “A million years, million billion years, until the extinction of the universe, I will continue! ”

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