Xiezhi

Xiezhi
A xiezhi in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	獬豸, 獬豸
Simplified Chinese	獬豸
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin xiezhi (xièzhì) Wade–Giles hsieh-chih IPA [ɕjê.ʈʂî]
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet	giải trãi
Chữ Hán	獬豸
Korean name
Hangul	해태
Hanja	獬豸
Transcriptions Revised Romanization Haetae
Japanese name
Kanji	獬豸
Hiragana	かいち
Transcriptions Romanization kaichi

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The xiezhi (獬豸^[a]; xièzhì < Eastern Han Chinese *gɛʔ-ḍɛʔ^[1]: 620) is a mythical creature of Chinese origin found throughout Sinospheric legends. It resembles an ox or goat, with thick dark fur covering its body, bright eyes, and a single long horn on its forehead. It has great intellect and understands human speech. The xiezhi possesses the innate ability to distinguish right from wrong, and when it finds corrupt officials, it will ram them with its horn and devour them. It is known as a symbol of justice.

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