Five Poisons (五毒, wǔ dú)

The Five Poisons is not an origin-story of a single being but a ritual/folk classification: in premodern popular cosmology the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (Duanwu, the 'Double 5 day') marked the coming of summer heat, a time when heat-related illness and noxious animals were believed to increase. To meet this seasonal hazard people bundled several locally dangerous animals under the label 'five poisons' (wǔ dú) and developed household prophylactic and talismanic practices to protect family members, especially children. The phrase was later repurposed in modern political discourse as a metaphorical list of perceived threats to state stability.

Because the Five Poisons are a set rather than a single creature, appearance is given as lists of species commonly counted among them: snakes, scorpions, centipedes, toads, and spiders. Variant lists exist in which a Jin Chan (money toad) or even a tiger may substitute for the toad in some traditions; the tiger substitution is reported as arising from associative/phonetic and symbolic logic in some accounts. The emphasis in sources is that 'poison' here names dangerous animals rather than chemical toxins.

Described attributes are the natural harms associated with the listed animals: venomous bites and stings, ability to inflict bodily injury, and association with disease and nuisance. Folk belief emphasizes a seasonal increase in their appearance and activity around the start of summer heat (Duanwu), creating an elevated risk environment that calls for talismanic and prophylactic responses rather than narratives of a single supernatural agency.