四し神じん獣じゅう

noun

four divine beasts; guardian deities of the four cardinal points

Refers to the four mythological creatures (Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Black Tortoise) that guard the four cardinal directions in East Asian cosmology.

• 四し神じん獣じゅうは、東ひがしの青せい龍りゅう、南みなみの朱す雀ざく、西にしの白びゃっ虎こ、北きたの玄げん武ぶからなる。

  The four divine beasts consist of the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Tortoise of the North.