FUM

fum, or funj hwang, one of the four symbolical creatures which in chinese mythology are believed to keep watch and ward over the celestial empire. it was begotten by fire, was born in the hill of the sun's halo, and its body bears inscribed on it the five cardinal virtues. it has the breast of a goose, the hindquarters of a stag, a snake's neck, a fish's tail, a fowl's forehead, a duck's down, the marks of a dragon, the back of a tortoise, the face of a swallow, the beak of a cock, is about six cubits high, and perches only on the woo-tung tree. the appearance of fum heralds an age of universal virtue. its figure is that which is embroidered on the dresses of some mandarins.