Which three emperors and five emperors does "Three Emperors and Five Emperors" refer to? (China)

In ancient Chinese books, Fuxi, Nüwa, and Shennong are referred to as the "Three Emperors", while Taifu, Yan, Huang, Shao, and Zhuanxu are referred to as the "Five Emperors". In fact, the "Three Emperors and Five Emperors" are symbolic figures, the leaders of imaginary clan tribes or tribal alliances. Although the Records of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors are some beautiful and moving myths, they can reflect the history of clan tribes in primitive society.

It is said that Fuxi, Nuwa and Shennong were all great saints in ancient times, and each of them had some great achievements.

Fuxi, also known as Bubble Creek. He is said to have been a great inventor who "first made eight seals" and "made ropes and nets". These are two great inventions. Of course, the emergence of this new thing in society is the result of the collective efforts of people, not the gift of the "saints". But this legend tells us that the Fuxi family began to use note symbols and knew how to make fishing nets and fish.

Nuwa's main achievement was to "refine the five-colored stone and fill the sky". It is said that before the collapse of the earth and the continuation of disasters. After your father's work, everything was in order. He also became the legendary god of heaven and earth. The story reflects the uphill struggle between ancient humans and nature.

Shennong is the legendary land god in charge of agriculture. It may refer to the clan name of the primitive society where agriculture began to develop. According to records, people ate raw meat, drank animal blood, and wore animal skins. Shennong believes that it is difficult for people to live like this. Thus, "he tasted the essence of grass, observed the taste of sourness and bitterness, and taught people to eat wheat." In fact, agricultural production knowledge is the accumulation of ancient human practical experience. Shennong has no one. Later, it was thought that Shennong's behavior roughly reflected the social conditions during the prosperous period of clan patriarchy.

According to legend, the records of the five ancient emperors are very inconsistent. The era of their activity may have entered the clan system, or the end of primitive society.

Taihu, also known as Taihao, nicknamed Feng. It is said that his head, snake body, or dragon body may have been a clan leader with a snake or dragon as a totem, living in Chen Di (present-day Huaiyang County, Henan Province). He should be the imaginary ancestor of the clan tribes in the Huai River Valley.

Emperor Yan, nicknamed Jiang. He is said to be a Minotaur, probably the head of a clan that used cattle as a slaughterer. The clan was initially active in the Wei River basin and later entered the middle reaches of the Yellow River, where it clashed with the Jiuli for a long time. The leader of the Nine Mile Clan is called Xuan You. The body of this animal is said to have a copper head and an iron neck. There are horns on the head. The hairs on the ears were as hard as a sword. He can eat sand and stone. It can be a clan with some kind of beast, such as its gills. He had eighty-one brothers, or eighty-one families. It is a mighty tribe, brave and good at fighting. Xuan You expelled Emperor Yan to Zhuolu (涿鹿, in present-day Sangan River Valley, northwestern Hebei). Emperor Yan asked the Yellow Emperor for help. The two sides fought at Zhuolu. XuanYu asked the wind and rain to create wind and rain, and to create thick fog to disorient the Yellow Emperor's soldiers. The Yellow Emperor invited the goddess of drought to clean up the time and built a "drive machine" to determine the direction. As a result of this fierce war, Xuanyu was defeated and killed. The Yellow Emperor won and was chosen as the "Son of Heaven".

The Yellow Emperor's surname is Ji, his name xuanyuan, and his name is Xiong. It is said that the Yellow Emperor originally lived in the northwest, living a nomadic life without settlements. After defeating Xuan You, he fought three world wars with Emperor Yan at Hanquan. The Yellow Emperor ordered the clans with bears, bottoms, goblins, goblins, tigers and other beasts as totems to participate in the battle, defeated the Yandi tribe, and entered the Yellow River Valley. Since then, the Yellow Emperor tribe has settled in the Central Plains and developed rapidly. According to historical records, "the descendants of the Yellow Emperor had 25 clans, of which 14 were surnames, that is, 12 surnames", indicating that these tribes formed a huge tribal alliance. The descendants of the Yellow Emperor merged with other tribes to form the Chinese nation. The Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan family is considered to be the ancestor of the Chinese nation. Later, Chinese claimed to be "a descendant of the Yellow Emperor."

It is for this reason that many inventions and creations were handed down as conquests by the Yellow Emperor. It is said that he used jade as a weapon to make ships, bows and arrows, and dyed colorful clothes. He asked his wife, Lei zu, to teach people to raise silkworms. He ordered the chancellor Cangjie to make writing, make a big fuss to make branches, linglin to make musical instruments, and so on. These legends are unreliable, and we can only understand them as a great advance in the tools of production in the era of the Yellow Emperor.

Shaohe, also known as Shaohao, surname Ji, mingzhi, and poor Sangdi. He is said to be a descendant of the Yellow Emperor and lives in Qufu, Shandong. This tribe uses birds as totems. There are 24 species, including WindBird, Xuanwu and Qingwu. This could be a large tribe of 24 tribes. The Shaohe people were a branch of the Yellow Emperor nation that developed eastward.

Zhuan Xu, whose name is Gao Yang, lives in Puyang County, Henan Province. He is said to be a descendant of Chang Yi, the son of the Yellow Emperor. Ancient texts record that "the Gaoyang family has eight talents", which can be eight clans. Zhuanxu managed the customs of believing in witchcraft and worshipping ghosts and gods among the Jiuli tribe, forcing them to submit to the enlightenment of the Yellow Emperor's people. Later, a leader of the Gonggong tribe was very dissatisfied with Zhuanxu and angrily knocked down Mount Buzhou with his head. Suddenly, the pillar supporting the sky tilted, and the rope that bound the earth broke. Thus the sky tilted to the northwest, and the moon and stars moved; the land was located in the southeast depression, and the river flowed eastward. That means working together to change nature and become heroes of victory.

These ancient myths and legends vividly reflect the glorious tradition of the Chinese nation of industriousness, bravery and wisdom, and profoundly illustrate that the early civilization of human society was created in hard struggle.