Qilin

beast · China · East Asia and Pacific

Qilin (麒麟) is the benevolent composite beast of Chinese tradition, with a dragon's head, deer's body, ox's tail, and fish-scale skin, sometimes bearing a single horn. It is said to appear only to mark the birth or reign of a sage and never to tread on living things, symbolizing peace, virtue, and good omens. It passed into Japan as the kirin and appears in Chinese New Year dances.

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