Fenghuang

Fenghuang

Fenghuang sculpture in Nanning, Guangxi
Grouping	Mythical creature
Sub grouping	Phoenix
Folklore	Chinese mythology
Other name(s)	Chinese phoenix
Country	China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam

Fenghuang are mythological birds featuring in traditions throughout the Sinosphere. Fenghuang are understood to reign over all other birds: males and females were originally termed feng and huang respectively, but a gender distinction is typically no longer made, and fenghuang are generally considered a feminine entity to be paired with the traditionally masculine Chinese dragon.

Fenghuang are known under similar names in various other languages (Japanese: hō-ō; Vietnamese: phượng hoàng or phụng hoàng; Korean: bonghwang). In the West, they are commonly called Chinese phoenixes or simply phoenixes, although mythological similarities with the Western phoenix are superficial.^{[citation needed]}