The short answer
There is no single canonical set of nine. There are two Ming lists, and they disagree.
Both surviving lists were written within a few decades of each other in the Ming dynasty, and both trace back to the same event: the Hongzhi emperor asked what the nine sons were called, and the grand secretary Li Dongyang had to answer.
Li's own note records how the answer was assembled. He could not recall them all, did not know their source, got five or six from one colleague, and copied the rest from an old booklet borrowed from another—whose origin was also unknown. Yang Shen later wrote down a different nine, opening with the words “it is popularly transmitted.” Neither man claimed to be reporting an ancient canon.
Key facts
- Earliest surviving lists
- Ming dynasty — Li Dongyang's Huailutang Ji and Yang Shen's Shengan Ji
- Distinct names across both
- 12
- Names present in both
- 6
- Stated source
- None. Li Dongyang writes that he did not know where the names came from.
- A tenth creature
- Yang Shen adds Jinwu immediately after the nine, outside the set.
Every name that appears in either list
What each source actually says, quoted rather than summarised.
- 01
Li Dongyang only
Qiuniu
囚牛Huailutang Ji (Li Dongyang)“Loves music all his life; the beast carved on the head of the huqin is his likeness.”
Shengan Ji (Yang Shen)Not in this list
Where you see himCarved at the scroll of a stringed instrument.
- 02
In both lists
Yazi
睚眦Huailutang Ji (Li Dongyang)“Loves killing; the dragon-mouth on a sword hilt is his likeness.”
Shengan Ji (Yang Shen)“By nature loves killing, and so stands at the sword ring.”
Where you see himSword hilts and guards. The two lists agree completely about him.
- 03
Li Dongyang only
Chaofeng
嘲风Huailutang Ji (Li Dongyang)“Loves heights and danger; the running beasts at the hall's eave corners are his likeness.”
Shengan Ji (Yang Shen)Not in this list
Where you see himThe line of ridge beasts along a palace eave.
- 04
In both lists
Pulao
蒲牢Huailutang Ji (Li Dongyang)“Loves to cry out; the beast knob on a bell is his likeness.”
Shengan Ji (Yang Shen)“Shaped like a dragon but smaller, loves roaring; he is the knob on a bell.”
Where you see himThe suspension knob on a large bell. Both lists agree.
- 05
In both lists
Suanni (Jinni)
狻猊（金猊）Huailutang Ji (Li Dongyang)“Loves to sit; the lion at the Buddha's seat is his likeness.”
Shengan Ji (Yang Shen)Listed as Jinni: “Shaped like a lion, loves smoke, and so stands on the incense burner.”
Where you see himBuddha thrones and incense burners. The two lists use a different name and a different object.
- 06
Li Dongyang only
Bashang (Baxia)
霸上（霸下）Huailutang Ji (Li Dongyang)“Loves bearing weight; the beast at the base of a stele is his likeness.”
Shengan Ji (Yang Shen)Not in this list
Where you see himStele bases. In Yang Shen's list this duty belongs to Bixi instead.
- 07
In both lists
Bi'an
狴犴Huailutang Ji (Li Dongyang)“Loves litigation; the lion head over a prison gate is his likeness.”
Shengan Ji (Yang Shen)“Shaped like a tiger and full of authority, and so stands at the prison gate.”
Where you see himPrison and courtroom gates. Both lists agree.
- 08
In both lists
Bixi
赑屃Huailutang Ji (Li Dongyang)“Loves writing; the dragons along the two sides of a stele are his likeness.”
Shengan Ji (Yang Shen)“Shaped like a tortoise, loves bearing weight; he is the tortoise plinth beneath a stone stele.”
Where you see himThis is the sharpest conflict between the lists: one name, described once as a lover of writing beside the stele and once as the weight-bearer beneath it.
- 09
In both lists
Chiwen
螭吻（蚩吻）Huailutang Ji (Li Dongyang)“Loves swallowing; the beast head on a hall's roof ridge is his likeness.”
Shengan Ji (Yang Shen)“Shaped like a beast, loves gazing out; he is the beast head on the roof.”
Where you see himThe finials at each end of a roof ridge. Same object, different explanation: swallowing in one list, watching in the other.
- 10
Yang Shen only
Taotie
饕餮Huailutang Ji (Li Dongyang)Not in this list
Shengan Ji (Yang Shen)“Loves food and drink, and so stands on the lid of the ding vessel.”
Where you see himBronze vessel lids and surface patterns. Taotie has its own history long predating the Ming; its inclusion among the nine sons is a later move.
- 11
Yang Shen only
Gongfu
蚣蝮Huailutang Ji (Li Dongyang)Not in this list
Shengan Ji (Yang Shen)“By nature loves water, and so stands on the bridge pillar.”
Where you see himBridge pillars and drainage spouts. The characters used for the name are not stable across printed editions.
- 12
Yang Shen only
Jiaotu
椒图Huailutang Ji (Li Dongyang)Not in this list
Shengan Ji (Yang Shen)“Shaped like a snail or clam, loves being shut, and so stands on the door knocker plate.”
Where you see himDoor knocker plates and ring mounts.
What the comparison shows
Six points that most retellings leave out.
None of this makes the tradition less real. Bell knobs, stele plinths, roof finials, and door plates were genuinely made in these shapes. What is uncertain is the roster, not the craft.
The two lists share only six names
Yazi, Pulao, Bi'an, Bixi, Chiwen, and the lion-like son that Li Dongyang calls Suanni and Yang Shen calls Jinni. The other six are split evenly: Qiuniu, Chaofeng, and Bashang appear only in Li; Taotie, Gongfu, and Jiaotu appear only in Yang.
The same name can carry a different duty
Li Dongyang's Bixi loves writing and stands beside the stele. Yang Shen's Bixi loves bearing weight and is the tortoise plinth beneath it. Modern retellings usually follow the second, but it is not the only record.
The man who wrote the famous list said he did not know its source
Li Dongyang ends his note by explaining that he was answering an imperial question in haste, “could not supply them all, and did not know where they came from.” He asked one colleague, who could recall only five or six, then copied the rest from an old booklet borrowed from another—also of unknown origin. The most-quoted list is a hurried memorandum.
Yang Shen labelled it as popular lore
The Shengan Ji entry opens with “it is popularly transmitted that the dragon bore nine sons who did not become dragons,” and notes that Li Dongyang told him this in person, recorded afterwards from memory. Neither author presented it as authoritative.
There is a tenth
Immediately after the nine, Yang Shen adds Jinwu: shaped like a beautiful person, fish-like at head and tail, two-winged, never sleeping, and therefore used for night patrol. Placing it outside the nine shows the list was never a closed set.
Nine often just means many
In Chinese, nine frequently marks abundance rather than an exact count—as in the nine heavens, nine springs, and nine provinces. Reading the phrase as a roster that must be filled to exactly nine is itself a later habit.
Frequently asked questions
Which nine are the nine sons of the dragon?
There is no single answer. The two most-quoted lists are both Ming-dynasty. Li Dongyang's Huailutang Ji names Qiuniu, Yazi, Chaofeng, Pulao, Suanni, Bashang, Bi'an, Bixi, and Chiwen. Yang Shen's Shengan Ji names Bixi, Chiwen, Pulao, Bi'an, Taotie, Gongfu, Yazi, Jinni, and Jiaotu. Together they contain twelve distinct names and overlap on only six.
Is Bixi the one who carries the stele?
In Yang Shen's account, yes: shaped like a tortoise, loving weight, and identified with the plinth beneath a stone stele. Li Dongyang gives that duty to Bashang and says Bixi loves writing and stands beside the stele instead. Modern usage follows Yang Shen.
Does this come from the Classic of Mountains and Seas or another ancient text?
There is no evidence for that. Both surviving lists are Ming-dynasty notes, and Li Dongyang states outright that he did not know where the names came from. Treating the set as a fixed pre-Qin genealogy is a modern addition.
Why is Taotie sometimes one of the nine and sometimes not?
Because it appears only in Yang Shen's list. Taotie has a much older independent life as a bronze-vessel motif and an emblem of gluttony; its place among the dragon's sons is a later editorial arrangement rather than its original identity.
If the lists disagree, can they still be used?
Yes, provided you say which one you are using. Studies of architecture and objects normally quote the Ming text directly and name the edition. Creative work can choose freely—it should simply not present one list as an ancient settled fact.
Primary-text evidence
Both lists are quoted from the Siku Quanshu editions rather than from later summaries.
English renderings of each entry are this guide's own working translations, kept close to the wording of the Chinese so that the disagreements between the two sources stay visible.
- Li Dongyang · Huailutang Ji, scroll 72 · “A note on the dragon's nine sons”
- Yang Shen · Shengan Ji, scroll 81 · “The dragon's nine sons”
- Chinese Text Project · Classic of Mountains and Seas, for comparison with genuinely early creature records
Published and source-checked: July 2026.