The Ru River 汝水

Sand Mermaid

The Classic of Mountains and Seas (山海经) says:”又东南二十五里，曰【上艹下咸】山，视水出焉，东南流注于汝水，其中多人鱼，多蛟，多颉。 , “ meaning something the the effect that “the Ru River emerges from the Shangcao Xiaxian mountain and in it, there are large numbers of mermaids, flood dragons” and another creature of which I am unsure how to translate. It goes on to say that, 汝水出天息山，在梁勉乡西南，入淮极西北。 , ”the Ru River emerges from the Tianxi Mountains. These are located in the Liangmian countryside in the Southwest. It enters the Huai River at it’s extremity in the Northwest.”
The Kidney is associated with water, and of course, the depths and unknown that go with it. It is symbolic that this river was believed to be filled with mythical creatures. The mystery that goes with the mermaid and dragon, and their elusiveness can be related to the physiology that can be found in a healthy ability to look at the wonders in the world. However, this becomes a pathology when fear overrides the sense of mystery that is found here.

Comments

6 Responses to “The Ru River 汝水”

Solyommadar
February 1st, 2009 @ 11:29 am

Hello!

Based on the contract with my Chinese medicine master I am working on to transate “Huang Di Nei Jing, Ling Shu” into Hungarian.

I was trying to find something if there is really a river called “Ru” that was referred to in the texts - and bumped into your blog.
And found this above text on the kidnesy and the River Ru very interesting.

I was wondering if you have the stories on the other rivers as well… I would very much appreciate if you could e-mail them to me.

Good luck with your studies.

Regards from Hungary

Solyommadar
Bex
February 1st, 2009 @ 12:57 pm

Hi Solyommadar,
I would check in the Shan Hai Jing - I specifically found passages about the Ru River in chapter 5 here:

http://www.tianyabook.com/shanhaijing/shan-5.htm

I am still working on my classical Chinese and learning how to translate these things, so if you come up with anything good, lemme know!
Solyommadar
February 1st, 2009 @ 1:57 pm

Hi!
I left one important point out… I am translating it from English.
The only Chinese I have is those few words I picked up during a 3-1-2 meridian exercise course in Beijing, in 2007.
Anyway… Thank you very much. Still if I find something will let you know.
By
Solyommadar
Eric Serejski
January 25th, 2010 @ 6:38 am

Twenty-five li further southeast is found Mount Jiān (葴山). The river Qìn (視水) emerges from this mountain, flows southwest, and pours into the river Rǔ (汝水) . Its bed (river Qìn) has lots of salamanders (人魚), flood dragons (蛟) and jiá (頡). — Shan Jing 5.11.22
The river Rǔ emerges from Mt Tiānxī (天息山). — Hai Jing 8.11

Notes: 頡 jiá. According to Guopu it is like a blue-green dog. Its fur is blue-green and some interpretations suggest the otter 水獭 shuǐtǎ.
Bex
January 25th, 2010 @ 11:58 am

Thanks Eric!
I was puzzling over that one for a while.
Eric Serejski
May 27th, 2010 @ 9:27 pm

You are welcome. I came across the question as I was finishing translating volume one of the book of mountains and seas.