The story of "Qilin Sending Children" is well-known, and Pixiu is often placed at home to ensure safety and wealth. The unicorn and the pixiu are both mythical beasts in traditional Chinese culture, and they both have dragon heads, antlers, ox hooves, and lion tails, which have auspicious meanings. However, there are also some distinct differences between a unicorn and a pixiu.
Shape differences
Although the appearance of the unicorn and the pixiu are similar, there are some subtle differences. The unicorn has two horns on its head, the horns are spiral-shaped, the tips of the horns are sheep's horns, and there are sarcomas in the horns. Pixiu has only one horn on its head, the horn is erect, the tip of the horn is sword-shaped, and there is no sarcoma in the horn. The four hooves of the unicorn have hoof armor, and the hoof armor is crescent-shaped. Pixiu's four hooves have no hoof, and their claws are in the shape of eagle claws. The tail of the unicorn is long, curly, and hairy at the tip of the tail. Pixiu's tail is short, pointy, and has spikes at the tip of the tail.
Xi differences
The Xi of the unicorn and the pixiu are also different. The unicorn is a benevolent beast, representing benevolence and auspiciousness, and it only eats vegetarian food and does not harm any animal. The food of the unicorn is mainly grass, fruits, etc. Pixiu is a fierce beast, representing evil spirits and towns, it likes to eat gold and silver treasures, but only spits and does not swallow. Pixiu's food is mainly gold, silver, treasure, copper coins, etc.
Symbolic differences
The symbolism of the unicorn and the pixiu are also different. The unicorn symbolizes benevolence, auspiciousness, and peace, and is a symbol of good luck. The appearance of the unicorn symbolizes the peace of the country and the people, and the peace of the world. Pixiu symbolizes evil spirits, town houses, and fortune, and is a symbol of avoiding evil. The appearance of Pixiu symbolizes the exorcism of evil and the avoidance of evil, and the attraction of wealth and treasure.
Both the unicorn and the pixiu are treasures in traditional Chinese culture, and they both carry people's good wishes. The unicorn symbolizes benevolence and auspiciousness, and the pixiu symbolizes evil spirits and town houses. We should understand the difference between them in order to better understand their symbolism.
In folklore, the unicorn and the pixiu also have some of the following differences:
The unicorn is a divine beast, while the pixiu is a rui beast.
The unicorn is hermaphroditic, while the pixiu is a male animal.
The unicorn is a divine beast in the sky, while Pixiu is a divine beast on the earth.
Of course, these distinctions are just folklore and do not fully correspond to historical documents.