Xiezhi
The xiezhi () is a mythical ancient creature found in various East Asian legends. It resembles an ox or goat, with thick dark fur covering its body, bright eyes, and a single long horn on its forehead. It has great intellect and understands human speech. The "xiezhi" possesses the innate ability to distinguish right from wrong and when it finds corrupt officials, it will ram them with its horn and devour them. It is known as a symbol of justice. History. According to legend, the "xiezhi", was a single-horned sheep or goat which had power to divine the guilt  or innocence of a person. Gao Yao, the minister of justice for the legendary Emperor Shun employed the beast during criminal proceedings, and he would command the sheep to ram (head-butt) the accused. The beast would ram the guilty, but spare the innocent. The account appears in Wang Chong, "Lunheng" (80 AD). In the same work ("Lunheng"), the legend is prefaced the remark that public offices are painted with the images of the beast and the minister. As a symbol of traditional Chinese law, "xiezhi" has been promoted by the Chinese Dynasties. The judicial hat () was also referred to  as the "xiezhi" after the mythical sheep/ox. The "xiezhi" hat was part of the attire of censors () into the 8th century during the Tang period, especially for an impeachment trial. Legend has it that during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, King Wen of Chu once obtained a "xiezhi" and put its image on his head, and then the "xiezhi" crown became a fashion in the State of Chu. Law enforcement officials in the Qin Dynasty also wore such crowns, as did the Han Dynasty, which inherited the Qin system. By the Eastern Han Dynasty , images of the xiezhi became an indispensable ornament in the Xie Men, and the XieZhi crown was titled on the law. Therefore, law enforcement officials were called "xiezhi". Mentions of the "xiezhi" in Chinese literature can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. "Rhapsody on the Imperial Park" (), Sima Xiangru mentions the "xiezhi" "sagacious stag" among the preys in the year-end barricade hunt staged by the Son of Heaven. Scholar Yáng Fú (杨孚) described the xiezhi in his treatise Yiwu Zhi as a "righteous beast, which rams the wrongful party when it sees a fight and bites the wrongful  party when it hears an argument". It is described in the Shuowen Jiezi as being "a cattle-like beast with one horn; in ancient times. It settled disputes by ramming the party at fault". As an inherently just beast, the xiezhi was used as a symbol of justice and law. The Censorate of the Ming and Qing eras, who were responsible for the monitoring of the civil service, wore the xiezhi as a badge of office. Among the common folk, the image of the xiezhi was believed to dispel evil spirits; a xiezhi might be carved on a lock to  frighten off evil spirits. Similarly, military policemen of the Republic of China wear badges bearing the xiezhi and it is engraved on the gavels in the law courts of the People's Republic of China. In other places. Japan. In Japan, it is known as , also sometimes referred to as a . The kaichi is described as similar to a lion with one horn on the top of its head. Korea. The "xiezhi" is known as "haetae" () in Korea. According to Korean records, the "haetae" has a muscular leonine body covered with sharp scales, a bell in its neck, and a  horn on its forehead. It lives in the frontier areas of Manchuria. In Joseon-dynasty Korea, the "haetae" was believed to protect against fire disasters. Sculptures of "haetae" were used in architecture (for example, at Gyeongbok Palace) to ward off fire. A cartoon "haetae" named is the city mascot of Seoul. In English, the "haetae" may be called "the unicorn-lion." Vietnam. The Vietnamese equivalent of the "xiezhi" is known as "giải trãi".