monstrous creature of Chinese mythology
Taowu
Taowu is a creature from Chinese mythology, mentioned in the classic texts, and one of the Four Perils alongside Hundun, Qiongqi and Taotie. Over time its name came to mean mythical beasts in general, and also violent, stubborn people.
The myth
According to Sima Qian, Taowu was a rebellious, destructive son of Zhuanxu, ancestor of the Youyu clan. He lacked ability, was stubborn and would not heed instruction. His troublemaking continued through the reign of Emperor Yao of the Taotang clan, until Emperor Shun of the Youyu clan banished him, along with the other three wrongdoers, to the edges of the realm and drove out evil spirits with them.
Other texts place him on Mount Pi during the Shang dynasty, according to the Guoyu and the Shuo Yuan. The Book of Gods and Strange Things describes him as a monster with a human face, tiger's feet, a pig's mouth and teeth, and an eighteen-foot tail. He is also known by the alternative names Aohen and Nanxun.
Legacy
A trans-Neptunian object was named 471325 Taowu, and a machairodont genus is called Taowu liui. The title of a lost history of the state of Chu drew on the creature's name, and the scholar Zhang Tangying imitated it in his Shu Taowu. In the Shin Megami Tensei series, including Persona 4 and Shin Megami Tensei IV, he appears as a demon the player can recruit.
Ancient sources: The Chinese classics, including the histories of Sima Qian, the Guoyu, the Shuo Yuan and the Book of Gods and Strange Things.