避邪 in English?

[count_zero]

What is the English term for these objects:

http://9wh.net/UploadPhotos/200881018630543.jpg

http://www.51shs.com/images/200906/goods_img/178_P_1244178619028.jpg

Also, you know how some Chinese doorways have a three inch plank of wood running along to the bottom to keep out evil spirits?

What's the Chinese term for that?

Is there an English word?

[muyongshi]

I'd say something like talimens to ward of evil spirit's. I think that is as close as you might get to it.

But both of those objects in my understanding are about good fortune (even though they do have kind of the ward of evil spirits thing too). I can't fully tell from the pictures but are they 貔貅?

Also the whole door thing- I thought that was just to keep the chickens from escaping.

[heifeng]

yeah, as the link says I think these are 瑞兽 or auspicious lil' critters. I think the first one may be a qilin and the other of foo dogs/guardian lions/lions of fo and 门槛 is a threshold*, right? There may be a fancier way to say it though:mrgreen:

(*I thought they are from keeping other crawly things out too, but here's a discussion)

Edited September 21, 2009 at 06:22 AM by heifeng

[renzhe]

I thought the threshold was to keep the water out?

[muyongshi]

I thought the threshold was to keep the water out?

Well... at least you and I are on somewhat of the same page on this on.

[Jim]

If you want a super technical word that most English readers won't understand either for 避邪 you can use apotrope; I'd say good-luck talisman informally or talisman for averting evil slightly more formally, then pulll out the apotrope big guns if you want to really show off I think amulet would be technically correct too but I tend to think of something worn on the person with that word.

[count_zero]

Thanks for everyone's comments and suggestions. All interesting.

In fact, it looks like what I was thinking of is 貔貅.

From nciku.com

----

民间传说佩戴貔貅玉佩可以辟邪、招财。

The legend says that wearing jade articles carved in the shape of a pixiu (a fabulous wild beast) can ward off evil spirits and let riches come into your house.

----

So it seems the image of a 貔貅 is commonly used as a type of 避邪.

In fact, I think I'm going to go with "gargoyle". I know that's not a direct translation but then the 凤凰 is not the same as the phoenix.

In fact, I had looked up "threshold" in the dictionary and got 门槛. But then a baidu image search of 门槛 doesn't look right. I'll probably go with "raised threshold".

Apotrope is an interesting word and tempting to use at some point ...

[889]

A book on 四合院 siheyuan architecture seems to identify that item as the 下槛 xiakan, which a large dictionary defines as "mud sill."