佛祖歷代通載 2.22

2.22

(11 Dinghai) The Yellow Emperor Youxiong Shi (surnamed Gongsun, named Xuanyuan. The second son of Shaodian. He was divine and intelligent at birth, capable of speaking while yet an infant, compliant and neat in childhood, sincere and clever in youth, and astute and perceptive in adulthood. In the late years of Yugang, the feudal lords attacked one another; the Emperor made bows and arrows to campaign against them, and the whole realm submitted. He subdued tigers, pixiu, chul, and xiong at the slope of Banquan. There was Chiyou, whose eighty-one brothers had bronze heads and iron brows, who devoured sand and swallowed stones; they were the spirits of mountains and seas who brought disorder to the realm. He battled them in the wilds of Zhuolu, and Chiyou was beheaded by the Central Emperor. Having cast a tripod, he attained flying transcendence, grasping the dragon's whiskers to ascend. His lifespan was 210 years; his cap and robes were buried at Mount Qiao). He reigned for 100 years. His minister Zuo Che (carved wood into his likeness to act as minister, leading the feudal lords to court for ten years to administer the government). He built the Hall of Harmony, fashioned garments, and ordered Lu Ban to build boats and carts (zhou means to travel, capable of crossing waters; che means a conveyance, capable of traveling and residing). He erected buildings and chambers, and crafted inner and outer coffins to send off the dead; funeral rites began with him (the Classic of Rites says: 'The Son of Heaven is encoffined in seven days and buried in seven months; feudal lords are encoffined in five days and buried in five months; grand masters, servicemen, and commoners are encoffined in three days and buried in three months. The mound of the Son of Heaven is three ren high, planted with pines; that of feudal lords is half of that, planted with cypresses; grand masters, eight chi, planted with chestnuts; principal servicemen, four chi, planted with scholar trees; commoners have no mound, planted with willows'). He composed the music of Xianchi, and employed Tianlao, Limu, and Taishan Ji as his ministers.