獙獙

The Classic of Eastern Mountains: three hundred li south is Mount Gufeng — no grass, no trees, only gold and jade. A bare stone mountain. Bibi lives there: a fox's body with wings, a wild goose's cry. When it appears, the world suffers drought. Look at the mountain first. No plants — why? No water. So "Mount Gufeng has no grass or trees" and "when Bibi appears, the world suffers drought" are saying the same thing: this is dry country. A beast that lives on a dry mountain gets treated as a drought forecaster. The logic is simple: it comes from dry places, so wherever it shows up will dry out. Then the wings. A fox with wings has a near-perfect real-world match: the flying squirrel. In northern China it is called feishu, "flying rat." A membrane between fore and hind limbs, good for gliding tens of meters. Cat-sized, fox-faced, bushy-tailed. At night it launches from a branch, and the spread membrane in moonlight is a pair of wings. What would you call that, if not "a fox with wings"? "Shaped like a fox and has wings" is an accurate description of a flying squirrel. The goose-like call fits too: flying squirrels make sharp calls that carry at night and sound like waterfowl. So Bibi is very likely an enlarged, mythologized flying squirrel. And the drought connection may come from something else: flying squirrels live in trees, and trees need water. When a forest starts to dry, the trees die, and the squirrels move out — into villages. People see them and know: drought is coming. So "when it appears, the world suffers drought" is not prophecy. It is observation. It has no magic. It simply knows before people do. A gliding fox launches out of a dying forest, calling, lands in the village. An old man looks up and says: it will be dry. Three days later, the well is empty.

เขากูเฟิงไม่มีต้นไม้ มีแต่หินและทอง มีสัตว์รูปร่างเหมือนจิ้งจอกแต่มีปีก เสียงเหมือนห่านป่า ชื่อปี้ปี้ เห็นเมื่อไรแล้งหนัก จิ้งจอกมีปีก = กระรอกบิน พังผืดระหว่างขาหน้าและหลัง กางออกแล้วร่อนได้ไกล พอป่าเริ่มแล้ง กระรอกบินอพยพเข้าหมู่บ้าน คนเห็นก็รู้ว่าหน้าแล้งจะมา — ไม่ใช่พลังวิเศษ แต่คือการสังเกต

Gunung Gufeng tiada pokok, hanya batu dan jed. Ada binatang macam musang tapi bersayap, bunyinya macam angsa liar. Namanya Bibi. Muncul, kemarau. Musang bersayap = tupai terbang. Selaput antara kaki depan dan belakang, boleh meluncur jauh. Bila hutan mula kering, tupai terbang pindah ke kampung. Orang nampak, tahu kemarau akan datang — bukan kuasa ajaib, cuma pemerhatian.

Núi Cô Phùng không cây, chỉ đá và ngọc. Có thú hình cáo mà có cánh, tiếng như ngỗng trời. Tên Tệ Tệ. Xuất hiện thì đại hạn. Cáo có cánh = sóc bay. Màng giữa chân trước và sau, lượn xa được. Khi rừng khô, sóc bay di cư vào làng. Người thấy thì biết hạn sắp tới — không phải phép thuật, chỉ là quan sát.

Gunung Gufeng tanpa pohon, hanya batu dan giok. Ada binatang mirip rubah tapi bersayap, suaranya seperti angsa liar. Namanya Bibi. Muncul, kekeringan. Rubah bersayap = tupai terbang. Selaput antara kaki depan dan belakang, bisa meluncur jauh. Saat hutan mengering, tupai terbang pindah ke kampung. Orang melihat, tahu kekeringan akan datang — bukan sihir, hanya pengamatan.