麒麟

Qilin the Benevolent Beast Wallpaper

This wallpaper depicts Qilin the Benevolent Beast (麒麟), one of the most beloved figures in Chinese mythology. The composition follows the traditional iconography recorded in classical texts and centuries of temple murals, water-land ritual paintings and New-Year prints — not an invented modern design.

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《春秋》 records the capture of a qilin in the west during Duke Ai's fourteenth year — an omen so heavy with meaning that Confucicus, its recorder, is said to have laid down his brush. 《礼记·礼运》 counts the qilin among the Four Numina, and 《说文解字》 describes it: '麋身牛尾一角' — deer's body, ox's tail, a single horn, the beast of perfect benevolence that treads without crushing even the grass.