Vermilion Bird

Zhuque is one of the Four Celestial Symbols, formed by the alignment of the seven southern lunar mansions—Jing, Gui, Liu, Xing, Zhang, Yi, and Zhen. It governs summer, corresponds to the element Fire, and is associated with the colour red. Resembling a fenghuang (Chinese phoenix) yet appearing in the heavens, Zhuque possesses a vermilion beak and crimson plumage and soars through the scorching southern skies. In Han-dynasty roof tiles adorned with the Four Auspicious Beasts and in tomb murals, Zhuque is commonly depicted holding langgan (a mythical jade-like fruit) in its beak and spreading its wings toward the sun, standing alongside Qinglong (Azure Dragon), Baihu (White Tiger), and Xuanwu (Black Tortoise) to guard the four cardinal directions. As the southern quadrant corresponds to Fire, Zhuque symbolises light, ritual music and harmony, and renewal. Ancient Chinese astronomers and cosmologists venerated Zhuque as the celestial guardian of the southern firmament, invoking its presence to safeguard the people’s peace and prosperity—an essential deity in both Chinese astronomical tradition and auspicious symbolism.