Bai Ze
白泽
The all-knowing beast who taught the Yellow Emperor about every supernatural creature.
Origin Story
What Is Bai Ze?
Bai Ze is one of the most unique creatures in Chinese mythology — not a fighter or a trickster, but a scholar. It has the body of a lion, nine eyes spread across its body, six horns, and a human-like face. Its defining trait is omniscience: it knows every supernatural creature in existence, including their names, forms, and how to defeat them.
Bai Ze is essentially a living encyclopedia of the supernatural, making it the ultimate protective creature — not through force, but through knowledge.
Bai Ze is a mystical beast from Chinese mythology that knows the true name, appearance, and weakness of every supernatural creature in existence. It appeared to the [Yellow Emperor](/gods/yellow-emperor) and shared its knowledge, creating the first bestiary of the supernatural.
Powers & Symbols
Attributes & Artefacts
Click each card to reveal the details behind Bai Ze's divine attributes.
Historical & Cultural Meaning
Beyond the Myth
Bai Ze and the Yellow Emperor
According to legend, the [Yellow Emperor](/folklore/yellow-emperor) (Huangdi) was traveling in the East China Sea when he encountered Bai Ze on the shore of a great sea. The creature shared its complete knowledge of all 11,520 types of supernatural beings with the emperor, explaining each one's appearance, habits, and vulnerabilities.
The [Yellow Emperor](/gods/yellow-emperor) ordered this information recorded in a book called the Baize Tu (Diagram of Bai Ze). This book became a vital reference for exorcists, Taoist priests, and travelers — anyone who might encounter demons, spirits, or monsters could consult it to learn how to protect themselves.
Though the original Baize Tu has been lost to history, its influence persisted for centuries. Having an image of Bai Ze was believed to provide the same protection as knowing all the information it contained — the creature's image itself warded off evil.
Bai Ze in Chinese Culture
Bai Ze represents the Chinese belief that knowledge is the ultimate weapon against evil. [Rat](/zodiac/zodiac-rat)her than fighting demons with force, the proper approach is to know them — their names, their natures, their weaknesses. This reflects the broader Chinese scholarly tradition, where study and understanding are valued above brute strength.
In modern Japanese culture, [Bai Ze](/creatures/bai-ze) (known as Hakutaku) remains a popular figure, appearing in anime and manga as a wise, all-knowing creature. The concept of a being who catalogs all supernatural creatures continues to inspire fantasy worldbuilding.
Sources & References
Primary classical texts: Shanhaijing (山海经, Classic of Mountains and Seas, c. 4th-2nd century BCE) · Fengshen Yanyi (封神演义, Investiture of the Gods, c. 16th century) · Journey to the West (西游记, Xiyouji, c. 16th century) · Records of the Grand Historian (史记, Shiji, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE) · Classic of Mountains and Seas commentary (郭璞注 Shanhaijing, c. 4th century) · Bamboo Annals (竹书纪年, c. 4th century BCE onwards)
Classical translations: Legge, James (trans.). The Sacred Books of the East (1879-1910, 50 volumes covering Chinese classics) · Girardot, Norman J. Myth and Meaning in Early Taoism (University of California Press, 1983) · Werner, E.T.C. A Dictionary of Chinese Mythology (Shanghai: Kelly & Walsh, 1932)
Modern academic references: Birrell, Anne. Chinese Mythology: An Introduction (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993) · Yang, Lihui, and Deming An. Handbook of Chinese Mythology (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005) · Strassberg, Richard E. A Chinese Bestiary: Strange Creatures from the Guideways Through Mountains and Seas (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002)
Digital encyclopedias and online resources: Wikipedia — Chinese mythology portal (continuously updated, citations to primary sources) · Encyclopedia Britannica — Mythology and Religion section
Mythology Network
Connections & Relationships
Bai Ze is woven into a larger web of gods, creatures, and legends. Explore the connections below.
Bai Ze
白泽
📱 Wallpaper · $2.99
Take 白泽 with you
High-resolution phone wallpaper of Bai Ze the Wisdom Beast (白泽) — iconography drawn from classical Chinese sources, painted in traditional style.
📜 Iconography sources
The 《云笈七签》 (Seven Slips of the Bookcase of the Clouds) tells how the Yellow Emperor, touring the east, met at Mount Huan the divine beast Bai Ze — speaker of human tongues, knower of all things under heaven and all their wards against the 11,520 kinds of spirits. The emperor's scribes wrote down the knowledge as the 《白泽图》 (Charts of Bai Ze), a lost classic of demon-lore known today through Dunhuang fragments.
Buy & download
Explore the Topic
Bai Ze in the Mythology Network
Go deeper — read the topic guides that gather every creature like Bai Ze.