Meanings
- ChineseliteratureA 2nd-century bc record of Chinese mythology, legend, history, and thought.
1 more example
Several classical texts relate that the mighty god Kung Kung (Common Work) [translating 共工 (Gònggōng)] plays the mythic role of the marplot, that is, one who seeks to destroy the cosmos.⁴¹ Chapter Three of Huai-nan Tzu, for example, narrates how the rebellious Kung Kung fought with the sky god Chuan Hsü [translating 顓頊 /颛顼] for world domination and in his titanic fury Kung Kung broke one of the supports that separated the sky from the earth.⁴²
[2006, Anne Birrell, “Myth as Sacred History”, in Chinese Myth and Culture, Cambridge: McGuinness China Monographs, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 92
Origin
From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 淮南子 (Huáinánzǐ, “Writings of the Masters South of the Huai River”), the usual Chinese name of the work, from its origin among the scholars at the court of Liu An, prince of Huainan.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 淮南子
- 淮南子 (Huáinánzǐ)2nd-century record
Japanese 淮南子
- 淮南子 (Wainanshi)2nd-century record
Korean 회남자
- 회남자 (Hoenamja)2nd-century record
Russian Хуайнань-цзы
- Хуайнань-цзы (Xuajnanʹ-czy)2nd-century record
Vietnamese Hoài Nam Tử
- Hoài Nam Tử2nd-century record
Cite this entry
Huainanzi. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Huainanzi
“Huainanzi.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Huainanzi. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Huainanzi,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Huainanzi.
Source: Huainanzi on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.