China News Service, Beijing, February 9 (Reporter Shangguan Yun) 2024 is the Year of the Dragon in the lunar calendar. What are the records of "dragon" in ancient books? What auspicious meanings does the Chinese dragon have? In an interview with a reporter from China News Service, Meng Dehong, deputy director of the Beijing Sino-foreign Cultural Exchange Research Base, said that probably since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the dragon has been given a special meaning and has been worshiped by people.
Data map: A giant "dragon" sculpture appears in the Taikoo Li commercial district in Chengdu, Sichuan. Photo by China News Service reporter Zhang Lang
In addition, Meng Dehong explained that "Dragon Walking Lulu" is very popular this year. The word "lu" and "lu" are a group of variant characters, both of which represent the appearance of a dragon taking flight. The word "dragon" literally means a group of flying dragons, and it is a metaphor for the vivid situation of hundreds of battles, dragons and tigers leaping.
Where did the image of "dragon" come from?
As for the dragon, "Shuowen Jiezi" explains: "The scale insect can be long, dark or bright, thin or giant, short or long. It ascends to the sky at the spring equinox and dives into the abyss at the autumnal equinox."
Meng Dehong explained that the traditional Chinese character for "龙" is "龙". "Dragon" is a regularized glyph, and its oracle bone glyph has the shape of an animal head and a snake. In the ancient people's perception, dragon is a mysterious creature whose main function is to move clouds and bring rain.
Over the long years, the image of "dragon" gradually became clear. The so-called "dragon is the length of scale insects." Wang Fu said that its shape has nine similarities: the head is like a camel, the horns are like a deer, the eyes are like a rabbit, the ears are like an ox, the neck is like a snake, the belly is like a mirage, the scales are like a fish, and the claws are like an eagle. The palm is like a tiger..."
Meng Dehong said that the mainstream view is that the image of the dragon comes from the snake. "It can be said that the image of the Chinese dragon is the result of the totems of various tribes being continuously superimposed on the snake during the conquest and integration process of the ancient people. To this day, China In many places, the snake in the Chinese zodiac is still called the 'little dragon'."
There is also a view that dragons come from celestial phenomena. The ancients divided the stars near the ecliptic into twenty-eight groups, called the twenty-eight constellations. The seven constellations in the east are called Jiao, Kang, Di, Fang, Xin, Wei, and Ji, which together form the image of a dragon.
Data map: A 200-meter-long water golden dragon cruises upstream on the Hengjiang River in Qiyunshan Town, Qiyunshan Town, Huangshan City, Anhui Province. The dragon lanterns are meandering, complementing the night scenery of the ancient houses on the riverside, welcoming the New Year. Photo by Shi Yalei
Where does the word "Chenlong" come from?
From ancient times to the present, dragons with beautiful meanings have always been popular among people, and dragons are also one of the twelve zodiac signs.
Meng Dehong said that "Chen" is clam, which is the original character of "mirage". In ancient times, people used mirage for farming, so mirage is associated with "morning", which means getting up early for farming. The time for getting up early for plowing is probably between seven and nine o'clock.
"So, 'Chen' has become a noun used to record time. When used as a proper title for the fifth place of the Earthly Branches, Chen corresponds to the zodiac sign dragon, so 'Chen Long' became a word." He said.
What auspicious meanings does "dragon" have?
Probably since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, dragons have been endowed with special meanings and have been worshiped by people. Meng Dehong discovered that the oracle bones of the Shang Dynasty, the bronzes of the Zhou Dynasty, and the classics of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period all contain vivid descriptions and related records of dragons.
Data map: The picture shows the dragon dance. Photo by Lu Jianmin
In the eyes of the ancients, the dragon is an auspicious creature and the master of peace, wind and rain. For example, no matter from the beginning or in the spread, people have long believed that the dragon is the god of rain.
"In ancient times, when there was drought and little rain, people would go to the Dragon King Temple to worship the gods and pray for rain. When the weather was good, people would also sacrifice to the Dragon King to pray for blessings, eliminate disasters, and pray for a good harvest," Meng Dehong said.
As a special cultural symbol, "dragon" is not uncommon among the people. Meng Dehong gave examples, such as people dancing dragon lanterns during the Spring Festival and dragon boat racing during the Dragon Boat Festival. The dragon at this time is actually a mythical image or folk belief.
Things named after dragons can be found in people’s daily lives, such as dragon eyes, dragon beard noodles, dragon boats, dragon beard cakes... There are countless idioms and sayings related to dragons: dragons flying and phoenixes dancing, dragons and phoenixes showing auspiciousness, hidden dragons and crouching tigers, etc. Wait, and so on.
As time goes by, in traditional Chinese culture, "dragon" has been endowed with many rich and beautiful connotations, and the vitality of dragon culture is endless. Meng Dehong said that it can be said that "dragon" has always been deeply admired and loved by the Chinese people. (over)