原文
吾粤多真武宫，以南海佛山镇之祠为大，称曰祖庙。其像被发不冠，服帝服而建玄旗，一金剑竖前，一龟一蛇，蟠结左右，盖天官书所称，北宫黑帝，其精玄武者也，或即汉高之所始祠者也。粤人祀赤帝，并祀黑帝，盖以黑帝位居北极而司命南溟。南溟之水生于北极，北极为源而南溟为委，祀赤帝者以其治水之委，祀黑帝者以其司水之源也。吾粤固水国也，民生于咸潮，长于淡汐，所不与鼋鼍蛟蜃同变化，人知为赤帝之功，不知为黑帝之德。家尸而户祝之，礼虽不合，亦粤人之所以报本者也。或曰真武亦称上帝，昔汉武伐南越，告祷于太乙，为太乙鏠旗，太史奉以指所伐国，太乙即上帝也。汉武邀灵于上帝而南越平，故今越人多祀上帝。
白话
中文
我们广东有很多真武庙，其中以南海郡佛山镇的祠庙规模最大，被称为“祖庙”。庙中真武神的造像披散着头发，不戴冠帽，穿着帝王的服饰，树立着黑色的旗帜，前方竖立着一柄金剑，左右两旁各盘绕着一只龟和一条蛇。这大概就是天文星官书中所说的北方黑帝，他的精华（或星宿代表）就是玄武。或许汉高祖最早祭祀的就是这位神。广东人祭祀赤帝（祝融），同时也祭祀黑帝（真武），大概是因为黑帝位居北方（北极），却掌管着南方大海（南溟）的命运。南海的水源于北方，北方是源头，南海是水的归宿。祭祀赤帝是因为他治理着水的下游（归宿），祭祀黑帝是因为他掌管着水的源头。我们广东本来就是水乡泽国，民众生活在咸淡水交替的潮汐环境中，之所以没有像鼋、鼍、蛟、蜃那样随着水环境而变化（保持人的形态），人们只知道是赤帝的功劳，却不知道这也是黑帝的恩德。家家户户都供奉他、祭祀他，这种做法虽然不完全符合（古代）礼制，但也体现了广东人报答本源的心意。也有人说，真武也被称为上帝。从前汉武帝征伐南越国时，曾向太乙神祈祷，制作了太乙神旗，由太史官举着指向要征伐的国家，太乙神也就是上帝。汉武帝得到了上帝的神助，因而平定了南越，所以如今广东人很多都祭祀上帝（真武）。
英文
There are many Zhenwu Temples in our Guangdong, with the one in Foshan Town, Nanhai Commandery, being the largest and known as the "Ancestral Temple" (Zumiao). The statue of the Zhenwu deity therein has dishevelled hair, wears no crown, is dressed in imperial robes, holds a black banner, has a golden sword standing upright in front, and is flanked by a coiled tortoise and snake on the left and right. This likely corresponds to what astronomical texts refer to as the Black Emperor (Heidi) of the Northern Palace, whose essence (or astral representative) is Xuanwu (the Dark Warrior). Perhaps Emperor Gaozu of Han was the first to worship this deity. The people of Guangdong worship the Red Emperor (Chidi, i.e., Zhurong) and also worship the Black Emperor (Heidi, i.e., Zhenwu). This is likely because the Black Emperor resides in the North (North Pole) but commands the fate of the Southern Sea (Nanming). The waters of the South Sea originate from the North; the North is the source, and the South Sea is the destination. Worshipping the Red Emperor is because he governs the downstream (destination) of the waters, while worshipping the Black Emperor is because he controls the source of the waters. Our Guangdong is inherently a land of waters; its people live amidst the ebb and flow of salt and fresh water tides. The reason they do not transform like turtles, alligators, flood dragons, and sea monsters (i.e., remain human) is attributed by people only to the merit of the Red Emperor, unaware that it is also due to the virtue of the Black Emperor. Every household enshrines and prays to him. Although this practice may not fully conform to ancient rites, it reflects the Guangdong people's sentiment of repaying their origins. Alternatively, it is said that Zhenwu is also called Shangdi (Supreme Emperor). In the past, when Emperor Wu of Han campaigned against the Nanyue kingdom, he prayed to the deity Taiyi, made a Taiyi banner which the Grand Historian held pointing towards the country to be conquered – Taiyi is Shangdi. Emperor Wu received divine assistance from Shangdi and thus pacified Nanyue. Therefore, many people in Guangdong (Yue) today worship Shangdi (Zhenwu).
文化解读/分析
此条目探讨了真武大帝（玄天上帝）在广东地区的信仰状况，特别是佛山祖庙的核心地位及其信仰的文化根源。
- 信仰的普及与中心：明确指出真武信仰在广东（粤）的普遍性，并以佛山祖庙作为最重要的祭祀中心，突显其在区域信仰网络中的“祖庭”地位。
- 神祇形象与象征：详细描述了真武“被发不冠”、“服帝服”、“建玄旗”、“金剑”、“龟蛇”的经典形象，这些元素融合了道教神仙体系（北方黑帝、玄武）和帝王威仪，龟蛇合体更是玄武的标志性象征，代表北方、水、阴。
- 南北合祀的宇宙观：屈大均创造性地解释了地处南方的广东为何崇拜北方水神真武。他将真武（黑帝）与祝融（赤帝）并列，提出“北极为源，南溟为委”的理论，认为真武掌管水的源头，祝融治理水的末端。这种解释巧妙地将南北两位大神纳入同一信仰体系，并赋予真武信仰以地方合理性，反映了岭南文化对中原文化元素的吸纳与本土化改造。
- 水乡环境与感恩意识：将真武信仰与广东“水国”的地理环境联系起来，认为民众能在水泽环境中安居乐业，既有赖于赤帝之功，也离不开黑帝（真武）掌管水源之德。这种“报本”思想体现了民众对掌控自然力量神祇的敬畏与感恩，是水乡地区民俗信仰的重要特征。
- 多源流的历史叙事：条目提及真武信仰可能源于汉高祖，又引述汉武帝伐南越时祷祀太乙（上帝）并获胜的传说，暗示真武（上帝）信仰在岭南的传播与汉朝对该地区的经略有关。这反映了民间信仰形成过程中，常融合不同时代的历史传说和神话元素。
- 民间信仰的活力：“家尸而户祝之，礼虽不合”点明了真武信仰深入民间、成为家户日常祭拜对象的普遍现象，即使不完全符合官方礼制，也显示了其强大的生命力和在基层社会中的重要性。
综上，该条目不仅记录了真武信仰在广东，尤其是在佛山的盛行状况和独特形象，更深刻揭示了其背后融合的道教宇宙观、地方环境因素、历史记忆以及岭南民众“报本思源”的文化心理，是研究岭南道教信仰、民间神祇崇拜及其与地域文化互动的重要文本。
关键词
真武, 玄天上帝, 北帝, 黑帝, 佛山祖庙, 广东, 岭南, 民俗, 信仰, 道教, 玄武, 龟蛇, 赤帝, 水神, 北极, 南溟, 水国, 报本, 上帝, 太乙, 汉武帝, 南越, 屈大均, 广东新语