There are several kinds of dragons in China ancient mythology. What's their difference?

A poisonous snake can fly without feet (see Xunzi's "Persuasion"); Those who have scales are called dragons, those who have no horns are called dragons, and those who have horns are called dragons (Hong Bu quoted Sao and Guangya). The one with wings is called (Wang Note). Xiaolong, Keelung, Qiu, are not dragons, and dragons are called black dragons. We can see these different kinds of dragons on the bronzes of Shang, Zhou and Warring States in China. Lun Heng said: "The image of a dragon is the tail of a horse." It is also said that the shape of the dragon is the horn of a deer, the ears of a cow, the head of a camel, the eyes of a rabbit, the neck of a snake, the belly of a slug, the scales of a fish, the soles of a deer's feet and the claws of an eagle. Compendium of Materia Medica says that "dragons have nine similarities", which is a heterogeneous animal with the advantages of all kinds of animals. Legend has it that it can be hidden, detailed and huge, short and long. The vernal equinox ascends to the sky, and the autumnal equinox dives into the deep, omnipotent. After the later development, the images of these dragons are more and more complex than the original dragons, and more and more totems are incorporated, which shows that they are constantly enriching and developing.

Classification by claw

Before the Yuan Dynasty, the dragon spine had three claws, sometimes the first two feet had three claws, and the last two feet had four claws. Examples can be found in porcelain ornamentation in Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties. Four-claw dragon was popular in Ming dynasty, and five-claw dragon was the most popular in Qing dynasty. The folk saying of "Emperor with Five Claws, Emperor with Four Claws, and Doctor with Three Claws" in Zhou Dynasty was formed in Qing Dynasty, mainly because of the differences between emperors and ministers in dress decoration. The emperor wears the "dragon robe", while other royal families and ministers wear the "embroidered robe", but this is only the difference in name. From the shape of dragons, dragons and pythons are quadrupeds, and there is no difference in appearance.

The dragon didn't have five claws at first, but developed from three claws and four claws to five claws. The evolution of dragon modeling in the history of China can be roughly divided into four periods:

1. The Solanum nigrum period started from Yangshao culture, Daxi culture, Qujialing culture, Dawenkou culture and Longshan culture, and continued to Qin and Han dynasties, with Solanum nigrum in Shang and Zhou Dynasties as its representative. The prototype of Solanum nigrum is a Gulf crocodile or monitor lizard, which has a bird (phoenix) foot and four claws. It has one foot, two or four claws. In the middle and late Shang Dynasty, dragons and winds met, resulting in six symbols of dragons and winds, indicating that they are the same ancestor. The Western Zhou Dynasty continued to be used, and the dragon was integrated into a new form. At this time, one foot is full, and most of them are crescent-shaped claws.

Second, the concept of Ying Long in Ying Long period was very early, which was first seen in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Ying Long, as an art stage, may have started in the Qin Dynasty, flourished in the Han Dynasty and continued into the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

Third, the Huanglong period began in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and the Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties laid an image foundation and flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In Song Dynasty, Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties, it was mostly three-toed, and in Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was mostly four-toed and five-toed. Since the Yuan Dynasty, only the royal family can use the dragon with five claws, and the folk can only use the dragon with three claws or four claws.

Fourth, the modern and contemporary after the reunification. Because dragons are divorced from feudal rulers, they can be painted or shaped into three toes, four toes and five toes according to people's preferences. Of course, the five-claw dragon has a special position in history, so people generally prefer the five-claw shape. During the Tang Dynasty, Japan had frequent contacts with China. At that time, dragons in China were all three-clawed dragons, so the Japanese could only introduce three-clawed dragons from China. After the four-claw dragon appeared in China, it had already closed its doors and cut off its ties with Japan. Korea was called Koryo in ancient times, and it was a dependency of China until the end of Qing Dynasty. When the rulers of China began to use the dragon pattern with five claws, the subordinate country could not be equal to itself, so the Korean dragon could only have four claws. In the final analysis, dragons in Japan and South Korea reflect the development and evolution of dragons.

Classification by function

Tianlong, Shenlong, and Lumbricus, Long Fu's Yuan Jian Han Lei, Volume 438, quoted Neidian: "There are four kinds of dragons: one is Tianlong, and the palace keeper keeps the order; 2. Dragon, who pushes clouds and brings rain to benefit the world; Three earthworms, who decide to talk; Four volts hides the dragon, guarding the Tibetans in Wang Dafu. "

Classification by birth form

Divided into four categories: fetal egg wetting. "Yuan Jian Han Lei" Volume 438 quotes the classic: "Dragons have four kinds of wet eggs."

Other classifications

Hu (?): The early dragons were imagined based on the reptile-snake model, often in the water. "It takes five hundred years to become a jiaozi, and it takes a thousand years to become a dragon." It is the embryonic form of the dragon, which once appeared on the bronze decoration in the late Western Zhou Dynasty, but not much. Qiu: Generally speaking, a little dragon without horns is called Qiu Long, which is a growing dragon. Therefore, ancient literature records: "Those without horns are called autumn, and those with horns are called dragons." The other is that the young dragon is called autumn after it has horns. Although there are differences between the two statements. But everyone is called the growing Longqiu. Others call the dragon of Panqu the dragon, and Du Mu, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, has a sentence of "A thousand plays play a sheep's intestines" in his poem "Talking about Qingyun". Panguo: It is a snake-shaped monster of the genus Dragon, an early dragon with no horns. There is a description of "killing dragons without horns" in Guangya. There are also two views on dragons, one refers to the yellow horned dragon and the other refers to the female dragon. There is a note in Han Zhuan that "the red dragon is also a female dragon", so the unearthed Warring States period is decorated with dragons and dragons, which means that men and women mate. From the Spring and Autumn Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties, bronzes, jade carvings, bronze mirrors or buildings were often decorated in the shape of flat flies, including single flies, double flies, three flies, five flies and even swarms of flies. Or as a title card, or as a ring, or as a book. In addition, there are Bo Gu beetles, ring beetles and other changes.

Jiao: Generally speaking, it refers to a scaly dragon that can cause floods. According to legend, the water of the dragon can make clouds and fog and soar in space. In ancient Chinese, it is often used to mean that talented people get the opportunity to display their talents. There are different opinions about the origin and shape of jiaozi in classical literature, some say that "dragons have no horns and are called jiaozi", while others say that "scales are called Xiaolong". The third volume of Mo Ke Dao Rhinoceros is more specific: Jiao is shaped like a snake, with a head like a tiger and an elder of dozens of feet. Most of them live under the caves in Xitan, and their voices are like cattle. There is a story in Liu Yiqing's Shi Shuo Xin Yu in the Southern Song Dynasty, saying that he went into the water for three days and three nights at the beginning of the week to chop jiaozi back. People often say "dragon", but in fact "jiao" and "dragon" are the names of 1 mythical creatures of different ages: jiao when he was young and dragon when he grew up. Although they all have great power, they are different in essence. There are two prototypes of Xiaolong: one is crocodile, and the English name is Alligator. There are only a few species in the world, such as the Chinese alligator in China; The other is the saltwater crocodile, the scientific name of which is Bay Crocodile. Han Yu in the Tang Dynasty wrote an article offering sacrifices to crocodiles in order to drive away the bay crocodiles that endangered the people in Chaozhou, Guangdong at that time. At present, this crocodile is the largest crocodile in existence, with a maximum length of seven meters.

Ceratosaurus: refers to a horned dragon. According to Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio, "A Thousand-year-old Dragon, a Hundred-year-old dragon five Horned Dragon", Horned Dragon is an old man among dragons.

Ying Long: The winged dragon is called Ying Long. According to Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio, "dragon five has been a Ceratosaurus for a hundred years, and Ying Long for a thousand years", Ying Long is the essence of the dragon, so he has wings. According to legend, Ying Long was the dragon of the ancient Yellow Emperor. It was ordered by the Yellow Emperor to crusade against Chiyou and kill Chiyou to become a hero. In Yu's flood control, the dragon swept the floor with its tail and diverted the flood. This dragon is also called Huanglong, and Huanglong is it, so it is the hero of Yu. Ying Long is characterized by wings, prickly scales, long head, small nose, eyes and ears, big eyes, high eyebrow arch, sharp teeth, protruding forehead, thin neck, long tail tip and strong limbs, just like a winged Yang Zihao. The image of Ying Long often appears in jade carvings, stone carvings, silk paintings and lacquerware in the Han Dynasty during the Warring States Period.

Fire dragon: It is a dragon threatened by fire. The whole body is purple fire, and wherever the fire dragon passes, it is all burnt.

Panlong: refers to the dragon that crouches on the ground and does not ascend to heaven. The shape of a dragon is coiled. In ancient buildings in China, dragons coiled on pillars and dragons on decorative beams and ceilings are customarily called Panlong. There is another explanation for Panlong in "Taiping Magnolia": "Panlong is four feet long, blue-black, with a brocade-like red belt, and often goes down with the water and into the sea. Toxic, it hurts. " I mix dragons with jiaozi, snakes and things like that.

Qinglong is one of the "four spirits" or "four gods", also known as the black dragon. Ancient astronomers in China divided some stars in the sky into twenty-eight star zones, that is, twenty-eight nights, to observe the movement of the moon and divide the seasons, and divided the twenty-eight nights into four groups, with seven nights in each group, four colors of blue, red, white and black, and four animals, namely dragons, birds, tigers and basalts (where turtles and snakes intersect), called "four elephants". Dragon means the east, blue, the so-called "East Palace Qinglong". In the Qin and Han dynasties, these four images became "four spirits" or "four gods" (dragon, phoenix, turtle and forest), and their mystery became more and more intense. The existing stone relief of the Eastern Palace Black Dragon Constellation in Nanyang Han Painting Museum consists of a dragon, eighteen stars and the moon, with jade toad engraved on it. This dragon is the symbol of the whole black dragon constellation. In the bricks, stones and tiles of the Han Dynasty, there are many images of "four spirits".

Black Dragon: ① The name of the dragon. "Songs of Chu Xi Poetry": "The larva of the black dragon is on the left and the white tiger is on the right." 2 horse names. The Book of Rites and the Moon Order: "Meng Chunzhi, ... took a trip to the black dragon." Note: "A horse over eight feet is a dragon." (3) the ecliptic Oriental seven nights collectively, namely, tsing lung. Book Yao Dian: "The sun always has sparks, so it is midsummer." Legend: "Fire is the star of the Black Dragon. If you lift it, you will see seven stars." (4) refers to the Tai Sui star. In ancient times, ancient astrologers regarded Tai Sui as a fierce side, so they also referred to ferocious people.

Dragon: The dragon lives on the coast or in the estuary. It looks like jiaozi, or it may be one of them. Storks have an incredible ability to see all kinds of visions from the air exhaled by their mouths. Most of these phantoms are pavilions, luxury goods that no one has ever seen. From the window, you can see the well-dressed nobles walking around. This is often called a mirage.

Yunlong: A dragon entangled in clouds.

Wang Long: A dragon with a side head.

The dragon has nine sons, each with his own unique temperament ―― brothers and sisters may be different in many ways.

The eldest son of the dragon is named Bi and looks like a turtle. He is good at carrying heavy objects, likes writing and being famous. Therefore, let him recite the stone tablet.

Dragon's second son, named Qin Qin, likes to climb high, see far, spray waves and rain, so it is usually decorated on the roofs of buildings to prevent fires.

The third son of the dragon, named Bulao, loves to roar and music, so he is often used to decorate the big clock and make the top knob.

The fourth son of the dragon, named Bi 'an, looks like a tiger and is a symbol of power, so it is decorated on the prison gate to deter criminals.

Dragon's fifth son, named tāo Tie, is gluttonous by nature, so people decorate it on tableware.

The dragon six sons, named Baxia, like water most on weekdays, so they are often decorated at the bridgehead, bridge opening and the bridge fence. Masako, the seventh son of the dragon, is said to be cruel and love fighting, so he decorated it on the hilt. The eighth son of the dragon, named Jin Xian, looks like a lion and likes fireworks. Generally decorated with incense burners.

The nine sons of the dragon, the famous pepper map (jiāotu) looks like a snail frog. It is good at closing and protecting itself, so people decorate it on the gate and use it as a gatekeeper.

Nine sons give birth to dragons, that is, nine sons give birth to dragons, and none of them are Jackie Chan, so they are different. The so-called "dragon gave birth to nine children" does not mean that the dragon just gave birth to nine children. In the traditional culture of China, nine represents a lot and has a supreme position. Nine is an imaginary number and an expensive number, so it is used to describe the dragon son. There is a long-standing saying that dragons have nine sons, but there has been no saying about which nine animals are, and it was not until the Ming Dynasty that there were various opinions. In the Ming Dynasty, some scholars' notes, such as Lu Rong's Miscellaneous Notes on the Garden, Li Dongyang's Collection of Huailu Hall, Yang Shen's Collection of Climbing the Temple, Xu Li's Essay on the Old Man in the Temple, and Xu Yingqiu's Talking about Yun Yun in Tang Yuzhi, all recorded the dragon's situation, but they were not unified.

One of the sayings of "Nine Children Born in a Dragon" comes from Huailu Tangji written by Li Dongyang in the Ming Dynasty. Dragon's nine sons are: the eldest prisoner (Qiu Niu), the second prisoner (Yazi), the third prisoner (Feng Dechao), the fourth prisoner (Pulao), the fifth prisoner (Su Yuni), the sixth prisoner (tourmaline) and the seventh prisoner. Another way to say chw (ci) is: eldest brother (tourmaline), second son, pro/tail (chw (ci) n/chw (ci), third son, Pulao, fourth son, armadillo (bian) and fifth son. According to legend, dragons are lewd. Have sex with cows and give birth to Kirin. Have sex with Kun and eat jiaozi.