Taowu

One of the Four Perils

Stubborn, violent beast counted among the Four Perils and banished by the sage ruler Shun.

Taowu is the stubborn and violent beast counted among the Four Perils. The Shenyijing pictures it with a tiger’s body, dog’s hair, pig’s tusks and a man’s face, running wild in the western wastes. Because the legendary ruler Zhuanxu was said to have a son of this untamable nature, “Taowu” also became an ancient byword for the incorrigibly cruel.