Biyiniao

An illustration from Sancai Tuhui (1609).

In Chinese mythology, biyiniao (Chinese: 比翼鳥; variously translated as linked-wing birds,[1] shared-wings birds,[2] and likewing birds[3]), also known as manman (Chinese: 蠻蠻), are birds with one eye and one wing each, that must attach to one another and fly in pairs. According to the ancient dictionary Erya, its proper name is jianjian (Chinese: 鶼鶼).[1]

  1. ^ a b Tsao, Joanne (2020). The City of Ye in the Chinese Literary Landscape. Brill. p. 159. ISBN 978-90-04-42013-7. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  2. ^ Strassberg, Richard E. (2002). A Chinese Bestiary: Strange Creatures from the Guideways Through Mountains and Seas. University of California Press. p. 104. ISBN 0-520-21844-2. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  3. ^ The Classic of Mountains and Seas. Translated by Anne Birrell. Penguin Books. 1999. pp. 235–236.