The Da Peng Niao - where "Da" (大) means "big" or "great", and “Niao" (鸟) means "bird" - is the largest bird in Chinese mythology. It was first recorded in the Taoist classic, Zhuang Zi (庄子 zhuāng zi), an ancient text from the late Warring States period (战国时期 zhàn guó shí qí) (476–221 BCE), where it states the Da Peng Niao can transform into a massive sea creature named Kun (鲲 kūn) - and vice versa.

"“北冥有鱼，其名为鲲。鲲之大，不知其几千里也；化而为鸟，其名为鹏。鹏之背，不知其几千里也；怒而飞，其翼若垂天之云。是鸟也，海运则将徙于南冥。南冥者，天池也。“

"In the dark¹ northern sea there is a fish, its name is Kun. The Kun is huge, I have no idea how many thousand leagues² [it measures]; It transforms into a bird whose name is Peng. Its wingspan, I have no idea how many thousand leagues [it measures]; When it lifts up and flies off, its wings cover the sky like clouds. It is a bird, it uses the turbulent waters to migrate to the dark southern sea. [For] the Tian Chi (天池  tiān chí)³ is located in the southern sea."

¹ the sea is described as "dark", meaning "deep".

² a Li (里 lǐ) is a measurement of length that has been used in China for thousands of years. However, the exact length is unknown and is believed to have changed multiple times over the years - which is why I translate it to "league". The modern day definition is 500m.

³ Tian Chi is often referred to in English, literally, as the the Pond/Lake of Heaven. 

Do you have any questions or feedback regarding this content? Get in touch and let me know, I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE 

All images shown on this website are watermarked for a reason, they are original art work created by the artist shown at the bottom of each image, and are the property of www.chinabeastsandlegends.com. All right reserved. Should you wish to use these images, commerically or otherwise, please contact me.

In addition, all content shown on this website was painstakingly researched and though much of this information is already in the public domain, all of it has been translated and/or interperated by myself and has taken countless hours to create. If you wish to re-use any content, please contact me first and request persmission. Please do not steal.

Home > Collection > Da Peng Niao

In another ancient book, named Qi Xie (齐谐 qí xié) - often translated to as "Universal Harmony" in English - the Da Peng Niao's massive size is referred to again:

“鹏之徙于南冥也，水击三千里，抟扶摇而上者九万里，去以六月息者也。”

"When Peng flies to the southern sea, it hits the water [with its wings causing waves] three thousand leagues [high], as it sores to an altitude of ninety thousand leagues in the sky, using the winds of June to migrate."