The name is sometimes reserved for males, while female luan are called Jīnjī (金雞; lit.

[citation needed] The luan is sometimes referred as simurgh by western sinologists when they translate the Chinese term luan; however, they do not refer to the same bird creature[2][3] and is therefore an inappropriate translation of the term.

[3] Chapters 7 and 16 of the Classic of Mountains and Seas describes the luan as inhabiting paradisiacal areas where it sings spontaneously.

It sings in the five standard pitches and appears when hymns of praise are sung to rulers.

The Japanese Wakan Sansai Zue of the Edo period further states that due to the viscosity of the luan's blood, it could be used as an adhesive for attaching strings to musical instruments.