Taotie
/taʊˈtiː/noun
A mythical Chinese gluttonous creature, especially represented by a powerful symmetrical mask motif on ancient ritual bronzes.
Did you know?Although modern scholars call the bronze-mask motif taotie, ancient Chinese inscriptions do not clearly prove that every such mask represented the creature described in later texts.
Etymological Timeline
Shang Dynasty, c. 1600–1046 BCE
Old Chinese
饕餮 motif
“A recurring symmetrical monster-like face appears on ritual bronze vessels; its original name and meaning remain uncertain.”
6th Century BCE
Classical Chinese
饕餮 (tāotiè)
“A legendary creature associated in early texts with greed, gluttony, and voracious appetite.”
4th–3rd Century BCE
Classical Chinese
饕餮
“The term is used in writings such as the Zuo Zhuan and Lüshi Chunqiu for a rapacious or monstrous being.”
Song Dynasty, 11th–13th Century
Chinese
饕餮纹 (tāotiè wén)
“Collectors and antiquarians increasingly identify the ancient bronze-mask design as the taotie pattern.”
20th Century
English
taotie
“The Chinese term enters English-language scholarship as the conventional name for the monster and its bronze-mask motif.”
Modern English
English
taotie
“A mythical Chinese glutton or the stylized animal mask associated with ancient Chinese ritual bronzes.”