Talk:Kirin

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[edit] Kirin beast Chinese

I replaced "Japanese" with "Chinese" so that the first line is:

For the mythical beast of Chinese culture see Qilin.

Because the Japanese poop article starts by saying "The Kirin is a Chinese imaginary animal".

— Pekinensis 18:13, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I have to ask about this segment:

and also the word for giraffe in the Ming Dynasty...

Um, maybe it's just me, but why would the Ming Dynasty have a word for giraffe? Isn't the giraffe an African critter?

--Caen 14:28, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Added a while later: Breen's WWWJDIC gives three meanings for "kirin" - giraffe, Chinese unicorn, and a brand of beer. I do not know what a "Chinese unicorn" is -- we need some references and pictures. But "kirin" is an example, like "baku," where a Japanese word means a zoological creature AND a mythical beast ("baku" = tapir and a mythical beast that devours nightmares).

The connection to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) is that Admiral Zheng He took a flotilla ships on a long voyage of exploration in 1405 or so, and reached Africa. He brought back a giraffe and a zebra, and probably other things as well.

You can Google "Ming Dynasty" plus "giraffe" for a number of websites, or visit this one: <http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_651_700/hero_of_the_ming_dynasty.htm>.

Timothy Perper 16:05, 8 September 2007 (UTC)