View source for Qianlima

{{Short description|Mythical horse in Chinese mythology}}
{{redirect|Chollima}}
{{Infobox Chinese
|pic=Chollima statue 05.JPG
|picsize=
|piccap=The [[Chollima Statue]] in [[Pyongyang]]
|s={{linktext|千里马}}
|t={{linktext|千里馬}}
|p=qiānlǐmǎ
|w=chʻien{{sup|1}}-li{{sup|3}}-ma{{sup|3}}
|l=thousand [[li (unit)|li]] horse
|mi={{IPAc-cmn|q|ian|1|l|i|2|m|a|3}}
|kanji=千里馬
|kana=せんりま{{-}}チョンリマ
|romaji=senrima{{-}}chonrima
|hangul=천리마
|hanja=千里馬
|rr=cheollima
|mr=ch'ŏllima
|qn=thiên lý mã
|hn=千里馬
|northkorea=yes
}}
The '''qianlima''' ({{IPAc-cmn|q|ian|1|l|i|2|m|a|3}}; also '''chollima''' or '''''cheollima''''' in Korean, and '''senrima''' in Japanese; {{literally|thousand-li horse}}) is a mythical horse that originates from the [[Chinese classics]] and is commonly portrayed in East Asian mythology. The winged horse is said to be too swift and elegant to be mounted by any mortal man and is named after its ability to travel one thousand [[li (unit)|li]] in a single day.

Since the 3rd century BCE, the qianlima was used as a metaphor for exceptionally talented people and animals, such as [[Red Hare]]. The chollima is an important symbol in [[North Korea]] and is the namesake of the [[Chollima Movement]]. 

==China==
Beginning around the 3rd century BCE, [[Chinese classics]] mention [[Bole (mythology)|Bole]], a mythological horse-tamer, as an [[wikt:exemplar|exemplar]] of horse judging. Bole is frequently associated with the fabled qianlima ({{zh|t=千里馬}}) "thousand-miles horse", which was supposedly able to gallop one thousand [[Li (unit)|li]] (approximately 400&nbsp;km) in a single day (e.g. [[Red Hare]], [[Ferghana horse|sweats blood horse]]). Qianlima was a [[Classical Chinese|literary Chinese]] word for people with latent talent and ability; and Spring (1988:180) suggests, "For centuries of Chinese history, horses had been considered animals capable of performing feats requiring exceptional strength and endurance.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Fabulous Horses and Worthy Scholars in Ninth-Century China|first=Madeline K.|last=Spring|year=1988|journal=T'oung Pao|volume=74 |issue=74.4/5|pages=173–210|doi=10.1163/156853288X00013 }}</ref> Possibly it is for this reason that from early times horses have been used allegorically to represent extraordinary people." Bole recognizing a qianlima was a metaphor for a wise ruler selecting talented shi "[[scholar-officials]]". Thus, (Henry 1987:28) "Geniuses in obscurity were called thousand li horses who had not yet met their [Bole]".<ref>{{Cite journal|first=Eric|last=Henry|title=The Motif of Recognition in Early China|journal=Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies|volume=47 | issue = 1|year=1987|pages=5–30 [28]|doi=10.2307/2719156|jstor=2719156 }}</ref>

==Japan==
[[Keitoku Senrima]] (Kim Ge-dok), a professional [[middleweight]] boxer in Japan, uses the [[stage name]] "Senrima" (the Japanese form of Qianlima/Chollima) to reference North Korea's Chollima campaigns and thereby express his [[Zainichi Korean]] heritage.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Endless Punchers: Body, Narrative, and Performance in the World of Japanese Boxing|first=Lauren Seth|last=Goodman|author-link=Loren Goodman|year=2006|page=442}}</ref>

==North Korea==
The ''chollima'' is an important national symbol of [[North Korea]]. It is used as the nickname of [[North Korea national football team|its national association football team]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Montague |first=James |title=Inside the Secret World of Football in North Korea |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2746418-inside-the-secret-world-of-football-in-north-korea |access-date=2025-06-27 |website=bleacherreport.com |language=en}}</ref> The state also gave the name to the [[Chollima Movement]], which promoted fast economic development, modeled the Chinese [[Great Leap Forward]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-27 |title=North Korea - Economy, Resources, Trade |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/North-Korea/Economy |access-date=2025-06-27 |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |language=en}}</ref> After the [[Korean War]], the country required rebuilding to function again. In order to expedite the construction, [[Kim Il Sung]] devised the slogan "rush at the speed of chollima".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-03-22 |title=Chollima & North Korea |url=https://koryogroup.com/blog/chollima-north-korea |access-date=2025-06-27 |website=[[Koryo Tours]] |language=en}}</ref> The [[Cinema of North Korea|North Korean film industry]] is sometimes referred to as "Chollywood", a portmanteau of "chollima" and "[[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-28 |title=Korean Art Film Studio |url=https://koryogroup.com/blog/north-korea-guide-korean-art-film-studio |access-date=2025-06-16 |website=[[Koryo Tours]] |language=en}}</ref> In [[Pyongyang]], the 46-meter-tall [[Chollima Statue]] stands next to the [[Mansu Hill Grand Monument]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-29 |title=The Chollima Statue |url=https://koryogroup.com/blog/north-korea-guide-chollima-statue |access-date=2025-06-27 |website=[[Koryo Tours]] |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Horse in Chinese mythology]]
* [[Buraq]]
* [[Longma]]
* [[Pegasus]]
* [[Tianma]]
* [[Tulpar]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Heraldic creatures}}
{{National symbols of North Korea}}

[[Category:Chinese legendary creatures]]
[[Category:East Asian mythology]]
[[Category:Korean legendary creatures]]
[[Category:Mythological horses]]
[[Category:Winged horses]]
[[Category:Horses in Chinese mythology]]