Year of the Dragon: the symbolism of the dragon

Dragon, as a unique Chinese culture of cohesion and accumulation, has been rooted and hidden in the subconscious of each of us, not only the people's daily life, life, death and old age are almost all branded with the dragon culture, but also the perspective of the dragon culture, dragon culture, the aesthetic sense has penetrated into the social and cultural aspects of the country in all areas, in all aspects.

The dragon, in China, is associated with everything in the world.

In traditional Chinese culture, the dragon is a symbol of power, nobility and honor, as well as a sign of luck and success.

The reason why the dragon has this cultural symbolism, is with the legend and the myth of the dragon in the sky is flying clouds and fog, the sea is chasing waves, on earth is calling the wind and rain of the incomparable magic, but more importantly, because the dragon thousands of years often become China's slaves, the feudal society, the highest rulers of the "exclusive patents", is synonymous with the imperial power, therefore, the emperor compared to the "real dragon son of God", the whole body called "dragon", "dragon", "dragon", "dragon", "dragon", "dragon", "dragon", "dragon", "dragon", "dragon", "dragon", "dragon", "dragon", "dragon" and "dragon". The whole body called "dragon body", "wearing clothes called" dragon robe ", sitting in a chair called" dragon chair ", ride the car, boat called" dragon carriage "," dragon boat " ...... In short, all the things related to their life and living are crowned with" dragon "word to show that the privilege of the high above.

The history of the dragon linked to imperial power is also very long, from the time of the Yellow Emperor began.

In the age of legend, the Yellow Emperor, who had dragon blood, traveled around to see how people were feeling. He asked people to mine the same of the first mountain, and then transported to the foot of Jing Mountain to cast tripods to commemorate his glorious victory in the battle against Thunderbolt. After a period of time, the tripod finally finished casting, the Yellow Emperor held a special ceremony on Jing Mountain to celebrate the casting of the giant tripod. Invited to the ceremony were not only the gods and goddesses, but also the people of the eight directions, all of whom wanted to see what the tripod cast by the Yellow Emperor really looked like. The hour came, probably still the emperor himself unveiled, only to see a high over three, mouth as big as a tank of copper tripod glittering with dazzling golden light presented in the gods, before the people, all the people slurping envy, go up to see, tripod body carved with a sturdy swimming dragon in an auspicious clouds, around the four sides of the ghosts and all kinds of birds and beasts, can be said to be a thousand forms, but also very good.

Just when the crowd of gods with a reverent mood to appreciate the giant tripod and the above pattern, suddenly the sky thick clouds, blocking the sun, the sky quickly darkened, everyone thought it was going to rain, cognitively a golden light penetrated the thick clouds, a divine dragon clad in gold armor broke the clouds and came, its tail and the lower half of the body to support the cloud, the head leaning on the tripod, the long dragon whiskers down the tripod feet hanging to the ground. Huang Di understood that this was the completion of his mission on earth, heaven sent the divine dragon to take him to heaven, he leaped, straddled the dragon's back, flew back to heaven. The people of the earth could not let go of the Yellow Emperor, such a virtuous and wise monarch back, they pulled the dragon's beard to prevent it from leaving, and as a result, a lot of dragon whiskers were pulled down, the Yellow Emperor and the dragon still left. It is said that the dragon's whiskers fell to the ground, then gave birth to a lot of small slender grass, people later called this grass "dragon grass".

Legend has it that most of the famous monarchs in the era of legends had an unspoken and unspoken relationship with the dragon. When Yao was on the throne, there was a big flood in the world, everywhere was flooded, in order to save the people, he ordered Jiu Ji replied, "Jiu Ji is son. Jiu Ji replied, "Jiu Ji" stole the resting soil from the emperor, and used the method of "blocking" to cure the water, but he failed to do so, and was killed by the angry emperor in Feishan Mountain, where Candlewick Dragon is the guardian god. Since the sunlight can't shine in the Feather Mountain, Jiu Ji replied that he is always relying on the candle in the mouth of Candle Dragon to light up the water, thus, Jiu Ji's body is not rotten for three years. Jiu Ji replies, "Father is father, father is son", the real son is father, father is son. Jiu Ji replies, "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son", "Father is son". Jiu Ji is the son of Yu. Jiu Ji replied, "Father is son, father is son. Father is son, father is son." Jiu Ji is son, father is son.

Yu inherited his father's will, and finally subdued the flood, gained the admiration of all the people, and then, the old Shun obeyed the people's will, and gave the throne to Yu, who became the founding monarch of the Xia Dynasty, which is probably one of the historical bases for "Emperor is the true son of the dragon".

Another cultural symbolism of the dragon is to be outstanding, different from the ordinary. The dragon is a god, non-mundane comparable, so people often and those with high aspirations, behavior is not common, very capable, and achievements of the people called "dragon". When Zhuge Liang Ge Kongming in Nanyang plowing Longmu has not yet out of the hut, compared to Guanzhong Le Yi, No. Mr. Wolong, meaning that the empty swan's three aspirations and talent.

In the Chinese language, the dragon, the worm is relative, what is the worm, the snake is also. Snakes, also known as long insects, can be found everywhere, a variety of species, rare, not surprising, not expensive." Dragons and snakes are mixed together" means that good things and bad things are mixed together and it is difficult to recognize them. This is a phenomenon from the biological explanation of the phenomenon - the prototype of the dragon, or the dragon's basic physiological livestock is a snake, the dragon and the snake is not to say that the brothers, at least is the same clan (the snake's name is also "dragon"), but once the dragon and the snake separated from the snake, then the snake is not quiet, and even in order to show that they can not be compared to the snake, but also to the snake, "chopped up" a little bit. The most typical is the story of Liu Bang, the Han emperor, said Liu Bang's mother, Liu Old Woman, dreamed of intercourse with the dragon, pregnant and gave birth to Liu Bang, who had little ambition, a wild walk on the road, encountered a python blocking the way, and immediately wielded the sword to chop the snake, belly to take the bile, which is rumored to be a beautiful story, and the people of the time thought it was not bad. At the end of the Qin Dynasty, the world was in turmoil, and Liu Bang took the opportunity to raise his troops in Peixian County, flattening the group, establishing the Han Empire, and accomplishing 400 years of the two Han Liu's kingdom.

The dragon does not also symbolize the outstanding, extraordinary, the ancient sage also known as the "dragon". Legend has it that Confucius went to see Li Dan, the founder of Taoism, and went back without speaking a word for three days. His disciples were very surprised and asked him, "How did you teach Li Dan when you saw him?" Confucius said, "What I saw was a dragon that followed the endless changes of yin and yang, and with my mouth open, how could I teach him!" It means that all words are superfluous, and Laozi is this dragon among men, a rare and great sage.

In addition, Zhuge Kongming was called "Mr. Wolong" when he was not yet a scholar, and Cai Yong, a doctor in the Eastern Han Dynasty, drank hundreds of pounds of wine and fell down by the roadside, so people called him "Drunken Dragon". So all of the character, talent, or fine calligraphy, or clean, or behavior outstanding people, can be compared to the "dragon".

As the saying goes, "hope your son will be a dragon" does not mean that you want your child to become a monster with a long head and scales on it, but rather that you want your child to be successful and make a name for himself or herself in the future. One of the new children's songs that have become popular in recent years is 〈〈100 points is a dragon〉〉, which has the same meaning. In addition, we often hear the radio, television, newspapers and magazines have what "singing world dragon tiger list" and other news, what is "dragon tiger list"? The new Tang Dynasty book - Ouyang Zhan biography 〉〉 said Ouyang Zhan in the scholar, and Han Yu, Li Guan, Wang Ya, Cui Qun, and other world celebrities with a list, then called the "dragon tiger list", meaning that the celebrities, superstars gathered here, here "dragon" reflects the success of the person.

The "dragon and phoenix" pattern in the Tang Dynasty later, widely spread. It not only symbolizes the authority of the emperor and the empress, but also symbolizes the beautiful union between all human couples, and also symbolizes all the world's spiritual and material yin and yang polarity and harmony. It can be said that the dragon and phoenix pattern is the most representative image symbol of the Chinese nation, is a wonderful artistic image.

The dragon and phoenix of the oracle, although no fixed shape, why to see the dragon is the time to flex the spirit of the insect, the phoenix is a beautiful long-tailed spirit of the bird. In the ancient bronze, the image of the dragon shows a hideous, mysterious and dignified overall effect. To the Han Dynasty, it took the heavy large surface, unrestrained and powerful arcs, delicate points, constituting a large structure, the main theme of the momentum, breaking through the boundaries of the mysterious and bizarre atmosphere. In Tang Dynasty, it was given a calm and gentle humanized character, forming a rich and graceful, vibrant style of Yang. Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, pay attention to the wind of the beautiful, by the fine craftsmanship to the tedious pile, between the dragon and phoenix pattern but always maintain a simple, bright, concise, vivid style, with a strong sense of life.

In practice, the dragon traditionally represents a kind of authority or power, divinity is increasing.

Each part of the dragon has a specific symbolism: the protruding forehead indicates intelligence and wisdom; the antlers indicate that the countryside and longevity; the ears of the ox mean that it is ranked first; the tiger's eyes show majesty; the devil's claw shows bravery; the sword eyebrow symbolizes heroism; the lion's nose symbolizes the preciousness of the compound; the tail symbolizes the flexibility of the goldfish; and the horse's teeth symbolize diligence and goodness, and so on. Tiananmen Square in front of the stone Huabiao cloud dragon, Shandong Qufu Confucius Temple of the disk cloud dragon stone pillar, the Forbidden City dragon bed are the historical mark of imperial power. The phoenix bird, on the other hand, is more secular and humanistic and less divine. As the old saying goes, "the phoenix comes to life" and "the phoenix flies", this ideal spirit bird has always been regarded as the embodiment of good fortune and happiness, and it also symbolizes the beauty of love. The theme of "dragon and phoenix" is more common in court art, with the dragon representing the emperor and the phoenix serving as a symbol of the female consort. Today, the motifs of dragon and phoenix have been reunited with the enthusiasm of millions of people for artistic creation, and have gained unlimited artistic life in the fields of architecture, sculpture, painting and arts and crafts.

Drawing dragon pattern is the prominent manifestation of the emperor's "dragon robe". Its color bright yellow, the leader of the club stone green piece of gold embroidery, embroidery text gold dragon nine, between the five-color cloud, before and after the collar is a dragon, left and right and lapel at the line of dragons each one, the sleeve end of the positive dragon each one, the lower part of the eight treasures of the Lishui Train left and right open. Dragon robe for the supreme service, the production of fine, workmanship inspection. Such as the Qing dynasty dragon robe production, by the Qing dynasty at that time, such as the first stream of the Palace Museum craftsmen precision design, make drawings, after the emperor personally recognized after the finalization of the emperor, before sending ZhiChi sent to nanjing or suzhou and hangzhou fine craftsmen to supervise the manufacture of. Sometimes a robe material that costs 190 days. Its special robes, but also with peacock tail hair twisted line, full of flat, another fine line across the border, and then above the rice material with large pearl strings, embroidered with dragons and phoenixes or group of flowers. The cost of labor, the material of luxury, are appalling.

In ancient times, there are also painted dragon dragon flag. Dragon flag from the Zhou Dynasty began to have, to the Song Dynasty dragon flag has 12 kinds of more, such as yellow dragon flag, green dragon flag. Although more types of dragon flag, but all the dragon flag pattern is generally similar, all for the green yellow appendage, red flame between the colorful footsteps, and then painted on a variety of different forms of the dragon's image. Such as coiled dragon playing beads flag is a kind of dragon flag, above the painting of the yellow dragon carrying Hetu pattern, so it is also known as the "yellow dragon negative map flag".

Sui Emperor Yang for his own extravagant and pompous play needs, but also built a "dragon boat" and "dragon boat fleet". Its "dragon boat" construction and furnishings extremely luxurious study. To "dragon" named "dragon tail inkstone", is the gem in she inkstone, because of wuyuan's dragon tail stone made, so named. Its ink stone quality just and soft, moist YingJie, caressing like skin, mo not sound, color blue like jade, texture rosy, for inkstone workers according to the material to provide a wide range of room for the art. Inkstone workers according to the shape of the stone, color, pattern of the different, carefully designed, deliberately carved, and made of figure and decorative symmetry, the knife method is quite straight, translucent and exquisite square inkstone, round inkstone.

The use of dragons on the dress to decorate a long time ago, but for a long time only the special products of the royal relatives, and mostly for the emperor, the dragon son, the dragon grandson of the monopoly. Legend has it that the yellow emperor thought the dragon's infinite changes, magical powers, very much like the appearance of the dragon, let his minister Shi Huang in his clothes painted on the image of the dragon, painted with five colors, which is the first in Chinese history "dragon robe". Because the emperor claimed or was considered to be the "true dragon son of heaven", so in his family, the dragon is indispensable logo: the emperor wore a dragon crown - a hat with double-dragon motifs inlaid; dressed in a dragon robe - the front and back of the chest there is a fierce dragon coiled into a ball, mingled with the clouds; the waist to tie the Dragon Belt - the main motifs of the Dragon Belt, wearing a dragon, phoenix jade pendant ... ...These we have seen with our own eyes in museums, in the imperial tombs, in folk art. As for the emperor with things, but also more related to the dragon: dragon case, dragon chair, dragon bed, dragon boat, dragon carriage, etc., the emperor is not comfortable called "dragon body insecure", the emperor is angry called "dragon face anger", even the emperor straight step is also a unique wound, called "dragon tiger step".

Since it is the patent of the royal family, other people naturally can not easily get their hands on it. The reign of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty presented such an interesting event, so that later there is a dragon robe, python robe points. Zhengde years, the king of Annam to Beijing tribute, Ming Yingzong see points sincere and commendable, a happy said to give a dragon robe to him, dragon robe symbolizes the mountains, can not be easily given away? But the king's land without drama, said the words, splashing out of the water, and can not collect Shun back to support, how to do it? Ministers discussed a long time sex, only to come up with a best-of-both-worlds workaround - the dragon on the dragon robe minus a claw, into four claws, three claws forward, a claw fou after the surface of the culm and the dragon robe a few different resignation, in fact, has not been a dragon, five claws for the dragon, four claws for the python. Annan led an "impostor", happy to go back to the country.

Later, the emperor gave the python robe to the closest and most capable ministers as a reward, wearing the python robe of the important ministers are not proud of; and then, even the palace lackeys, guards also wore a python robe, python robes have been looked down on, so the audience on the stage to play miscellaneous, playing the flag, yell the person commonly known as the "dragon set", which means that there is no real skill, but just to fill a baked only. Interestingly, in the "Water Margin" there is a hero of the Greenwood named Shi Jin, the nickname "nine dragons", rumor has it that his body with ink lines tattooed with nine dragons. Most people who collate have the subconscious to show off this part of the show, so "dragon tattoo" is also part of the "clothes".

In the ancient Chinese myths and legends, the Yellow Emperor and the Emperor of Yan Di are both "dragon children". The descendants of the Yellow Emperor are naturally the "descendants of the dragon". Minority myths and legends, there are also a lot of ancestor is the content of the dragon, the most typical is the Han Dynasty after the prevalence of the mourning people's ancestor story:

Once upon a time, in the mourning of the mountains living under the name of the sand a young girl, a time to the river to wash the clothes, saw a fish swimming around, he was a moment of playfulness, flow into the river to catch it, accidentally floated downstream of the son of a piece of wood bumped, go back to the river, and soon after the pregnancy. She became pregnant soon afterward, and later gave birth to 10 sons in one birth. The children gradually grew up in her upbringing, this day good to take the children to the river to play in the water, suddenly saw a dragon jumped out of the water and asked her: "The children you gave birth to for me are they?" Shah One nodded and told the children to come over and meet their father. The children were frightened by the dragon's strange appearance, but only the youngest child was not only not afraid of it, but also curiously touched its horns and pulled its whiskers, and finally sat on the dragon's back, which liked him very much and stuck out its tongue to lick it. Sha Yi mistakenly think that the dragon wants to eat him, anxious to call the child on the back of the dragon, mournful Jinyuan language back sound close to nine, sitting sound close to the dragon, the dragon thought it was the child's name, called him nine Lung. Later, nine Lung ten brothers married ten sisters in the back of the mountain as a wife, reproduction, since a clan, *** push nine Lung did the patriarch.