ragginovel Chapter 1485 Dragon
Chapter 1485 Dragon
As a totem in our Chinese hearts, the dragon has existed for thousands of years. As long as there are historical records, the dragon has always existed in our hearts as our spiritual pillar. It can be said that the dragon has now become one with us. So, what exactly is a dragon?What details about dragons?
Next, let's talk about this dragon and related information about the dragon!
The definition of dragon is: a mythical animal in legend, characterized by scales, beards, creatures that can make clouds and rain, and later became a totem symbol of the Chinese nation. ∮Apex∮Point∮Novel∮Novel,
Dragon: A supernatural creature in ancient Chinese legends, and also the head of all beasts.The dragon is a kind of miraculous animal. It has the image of nine different animals combined into one and nine different.
It is said that it can be shown or hidden, thin or large, short or long.The vernal equinox rises to the sky, the autumnal equinox dives into the abyss, and calls the wind and rain, and these are the images of dragons developed in the late stage, which are more complicated than the original dragons.
In the feudal era, the dragon was a symbol of the emperor, and it was also used to refer to the supreme power and the things of the emperor: dragon species, dragon face, dragon court, dragon robe, dragon palace, etc.
The dragon ranks fifth in the traditional Chinese zodiac. Together with the white tiger, red bird, and Xuanwu, it is called the "Four Gods and Beasts". The dragon in Western mythology is also translated into a dragon, but the two are not the same.
From the beginning of this century to the present, more than a hundred treatises and papers on the origin and nature of dragons have been published, with various opinions and no consensus.
Qinglong is one of the four elephants in Chinese traditional culture. According to the theory of five elements, it is a spiritual beast representing the East.Qinglong is both a name and a race, and the direction of Qinglong is east.The left represents spring; the direction of the white tiger is west.Right, represents autumn; Suzaku's orientation is south, up, representing summer; Xuanwu's orientation is north, downward, representing winter.
Among the 28 constellations in China, Qinglong is the general name of the Eastern Seven Stars (Jiao, Kang, Di, Fang, Xin, Wei, Ji).
The dragon and the phoenix are not paired, the phoenix and the phoenix are paired.
"Dragon against Phoenix" is people's misunderstanding of traditional culture, in fact.Feng has always played the role of a male auspicious beast in traditional culture.
During thousands of years of feudal rule, the dragon has always been the representative of the Chinese nation and the symbol of China in a broad sense.
Chinese dragons, in the unique form of oriental mysticism, contain the unique concept of dragons in Chinese and Chinese culture through complex and changeable artistic shapes.From the image of the Chinese dragon, it contains the universe view of the unity of man and nature that Chinese people value; it is the appeal of the benevolent people who love each other; the development view of the intermingling of yin and yang;
The dragon ranks fifth in the traditional Chinese zodiac, and the corresponding earthly branch is Chen.
Together with the phoenix, unicorn and tortoise, the dragon is called the "Four Auspicious Beasts".
Qinglong, Baihu, Suzaku and Xuanwu are the four phenomena of Chinese astronomy.
In a narrow sense, the dragon is the symbol of the emperor during the Chinese imperial system. Only the emperor can use the five-clawed dragon as a mark or embroidery on the yellow robe. Other ministers and royal families can only use the four-clawed dragon, also known as the python.
Ordinary people, that is, the civilian class, are not allowed to own any dragon or dragon-related items or images.Otherwise, it is treason and usurpation, and can be executed directly.
"Dragon" is generally mistranslated as "dragon" in English. The "dragon" in Western culture and the traditional Chinese dragon have some similarities in image, but the background and symbolic meaning are very different.It is not a species in essence, so the dragon should be translated as (and the sound of long in English is wolf).
The "dragon" in the West generally has an evil connotation, which is completely different from the auspicious beast in the East.Letting Westerners who do not understand Chinese culture see the behavior of Chinese worshiping dragons will give Westerners a negative impression that Chinese people like to worship evil things.
To avoid this confusion.Some scholars proposed to change the English translation of "dragon" to "long" whose pronunciation is close to that of Chinese.The combination of "犭" or "飞" with "龙" is a new character to replace the current dragon.But not yet widely recognized.
The Chinese dragon is the primary totem of the Chinese nation, and the totem is the patron saint of a certain nation.The Chinese call themselves the descendants of the dragon.
The dragon totem has a history of about 8000 years. Except for the core culture of Muslims, every ethnic group in the Chinese nation loves dragons. The dragon totem can be regarded as a unified cultural symbol of the Chinese nation.
Longma spirit is the spirit of striving to develop and serve the public.
One biological fossil and one specimen of the Chinese dragon are preserved. The fossil is the beautiful Wayaolong in the "New Chinese Dragon". It has two horns and resembles the legendary dragon.
It is worth noting that fossils and specimens have no fetish nature, but are just rare ordinary creatures. Because they are rare, they are mythologized, just like cows are also fetishes in Hinduism.
It is worth knowing that Chinese dragons are sometimes called true dragons to distinguish them from dinosaurs and European ones."
According to the origin of dragons, there are many kinds, the most representative ones are the following ones.
1. Mythical animal theory
This is the most common point of view represented by "Ci Yuan" and "Ci Hai": the former said that "the dragon is a kind of magical animal in ancient legends that is good at changing, can prosper and benefit all things, and is the head of scale insects"; The latter said that "the dragon is a miraculous animal with scales and beards that can make clouds and rain in ancient legends."
There are similar sayings: "The dragon is a mysterious animal god with many divinities", "It is an animal imagined by the ancient Chinese," and "The dragon is a long body, a big mouth, a large number of animals that appeared in Chinese culture. A divine animal with horns and feet that has unpredictable changes, "," and "miraculous animal" are based on "animal magic".
The former comes from the latter. Regarding which animals become "dragons" through "miracle", "Ci Yuan" and "Ci Hai" did not make it clear, and scholars have explored it in various ways.
2. Totem merger theory
This theory is represented by Wen Yiduo's viewpoint in "Fu Xi Kao".Wen believes that the dragon "is a kind of totem dragon culture, and it is a virtual creature that only exists in the totem but not in the biological world, because it is a composite of many different totems" ; It is "the result of the merger and assimilation of many weak and small units by the snake totem".
He-Xing-Liang also thinks, "Dragon is originally a kind of totem. But it is different from other totems.
It may have been a tribal totem at first, and later evolved into a super-tribal and more ethnic god.It has become the longest-lasting totem god commonly worshiped by the Chinese nation. "
3. Astronomical tree gods say
Long-He-Xin once believed that "the truth and entity of the dragon is the cloud" and "the dragon is the life form of the cloud god"; "the original dragon shape was just an abstract spiral cloud pattern. Later, it gradually became concrete , biological, and unfolded close to the images of amphibians and reptiles in the real biological world."
Zhu Da-shun pointed out, "The opportunity or starting point of fantasizing about dragons as animal gods may not be caused by the ancients seeing animals similar to dragons, but by seeing the phenomenon of lightning in the sky. Because, if lightning is regarded as If you try to imagine it as an animal, it can easily be imagined as a slender, four-legged animal."
Zhao Tianli believed that the thunder and lightning dragon was "the trinity", and the dragon was the image of thunder and lightning.
Hu Chang-jian said, "The prototype of the dragon comes from the natural landscape in spring - the curved shape of the thunder and lightning, the wriggling winter insects, the sprouting grass and trees, the rainbow after the rain in March. And so on... ...Among them, the rainbow is the most direct archetype of the dragon, because the rainbow has a beautiful, concrete visual image."
Yin-Rong-Fang has a more unique view. He believes that "the dragon in the Chinese legend was originally the incarnation of the tree god. The Chinese worship of the dragon is a tortuous reflection of the worship of the tree god. The dragon is the tree god and the plant. God.
The prototype of the dragon is the evergreen pine and cypress (mainly pine) trees. "
"Pine and dragon are not only surprisingly similar in appearance, but also other attributes of dragon. They are also surprisingly similar to pine."
4. The memory of dinosaurs
Ye-Yu-Sen, Xu-Zhi-Bai, and American scholar Hai-Si advocated that the concept of dragon should be the ancient ancestors' memories of the huge reptile dinosaurs, or advocated that the ancestors worshiped dragons because of their fear of dinosaurs. Wang Dayou said, "Dragon. The most primitive ancestor recognized by the ancients may still be a dinosaur.
The ancients regarded reptiles with four legs, thin necks, long tails, and heads resembling snakes, cattle, and tigers as dragons.This may be some kind of dinosaur image that the ancients saw and described at that time... Maybe the dragons that the ancients saw were really dinosaurs.Later, they gradually disappeared, and they regarded it as the same kind as the sea crocodile, alligator or alligator.worship. "
It is said that the dragon-shaped petroglyphs unearthed in China are 1 years old, the Inner-Mongolia-ancient dragon-shaped pile sculptures are 8 years old, the dragon-shaped painted pottery unearthed in Bao-Ji-city is 7-8 thousand years old, and Ba-bi- Lun has a history of 5000 years and should be a descendant of the Chinese dragon!
The history of the Chinese dragon is earlier than the history of the Yellow Emperor. Those of you who recognize foreign ancestors by rote, at least get some evidence, okay?so funny!
The appearance of the dragon is very obvious, with horns like a deer, head like a camel, mouth like a donkey, eyes like a turtle, ears like a cow, scales like a fish, whiskers like a shrimp, belly like a snake, and feet like an eagle.
The embryonic form of the dragon had sprouted in the late Neolithic Age. The image of the dragon was recorded in various ancient books, and the ancients had various explanations for it.
It is said that the snake can fly without feet (see "Xunzi? Encouraging Learning"); the one with scales is called Jiaolong, the one with horns is called Qiu [qiu prisoner] dragon, and the one without horns is called Chi [chi eat] dragon. (All see Warring States? Qu Yuan's "Li Sao" Hong Bu cited "Guang Ya") The winged one is called Yinglong (Warring States? Qu Yuan's "Heavenly Questions" Wang Note).
We can see these different kinds of dragons on Chinese Shang and Zhou Warring States bronzes.
It is said that the dragon is like a dog like a cow, and "Lunheng" says: "The image of a dragon is like a horse with a head and a snake tail." Others say that the shape of a dragon is the horns of a deer, the ears of a cow, the head of a camel, the eyes of a rabbit, and the tail of a snake. The neck of a mirage, the belly of a mirage, the scales of a fish, the soles of a tiger, and the claws of an eagle.There are crocodile theory, lizard theory, horse theory and so on.
"Lunheng" said: "The image of a dragon has the head of a horse and the tail of a snake."
Dragons with the head of a horse and a dragon with a scaled body or a dragon with two wings are common in stone reliefs of the Han Dynasty. Dragons have various meanings in the Han Dynasty.It plays the role of warding off evil spirits; "Bai Hu Tong" says: When virtue reaches birds and beasts, the white tiger arrives.Here it shows the favor of the ruler to the people.
"Compendium of Materia Medica" says that "dragons have nine similarities", which are heterogeneous with the strengths of various animals.The smaller one is called jiao, and the bigger one is called dragon.It is said that it can be shown or hidden, thin or large, short or long.The vernal equinox reaches the sky, and the autumnal equinox dives into the abyss.Call the wind and call the rain, omnipotent.
These are already late-developed images of dragons.It is more and more complex than the original dragon, and more and more totems are integrated.It shows that it is constantly enriching and developing.
"Er Ya Yi" says: The dragon is the length of the scale insect.Wang Fu said that its shape has nine similarities: the head is like a cow, the horns are like a deer, the eyes are like a shrimp, the ears are like an elephant, the neck is like a snake, the belly is like a snake, the scales are like a fish, the claws are like a phoenix, and the palms are like a tiger.It is also.There are 81 scales on its back, with a number of nine to nine.
Its sound is like a copper plate.There is a beard beside the mouth, a bright pearl under the chin, and reverse scales under the throat.There is Boshan on the head, also known as Chimu, and a dragon without Chimu cannot ascend to heaven.Breathing into clouds can change both water and fire.
Another said: "The mouth is like a horse, the eyes are like a crab, the beard is like a sheep, the horns are like a deer, the ears are like an ox, the mane is like a lion, the scales are like a carp, the body is like a snake, and the claws are like an eagle..."; there is another saying: " It has a head like a camel, eyes like a ghost, ears like a cow, horns like a deer, a neck like a snake, a belly like a mirage, scales like a carp, claws like an eagle, and palms like a tiger."
There are many types of dragons, which are classified according to their nature.Dragons can be divided into Tianlong, Shenlong, Xianlong, Demon Dragon and Folong.
According to the classification of claws, it can be divided into three-clawed dragons, four-clawed dragons, and five-clawed dragons.
The dragons before the Yuan Dynasty basically had three claws, and sometimes the front two legs had three claws.The hind legs are four-clawed.Examples can be found in the porcelain decorations of Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties.Four-clawed dragons were popular in the Ming Dynasty, while five-clawed dragons were more popular in the Qing Dynasty.
"Five-clawed emperor, four-clawed princes, three-clawed doctor" in the Zhou Dynasty
The folk saying "five claws are dragons and four claws are pythons" was formed in the Qing Dynasty.Mainly as the difference between the decorations on the clothes of the emperor and his ministers, the emperor wears a "dragon robe".Other royal families and subordinates wear "boa robes", but this is only a difference in name.In terms of the form of dragons, both dragons and pythons are quadruped snakes, and there is no difference in shape.
Chinese dragons did not have five claws at the beginning, but developed from three claws, four claws to five claws. The evolution of dragon shapes in Chinese history can be roughly divided into four periods:
[-]. Kuilong Period
The dragon started from the Yangshao Culture, Daxi Culture, Qujialing Culture, Dawenkou Culture, and Longshan Culture Period, and continued to the Qin and Han Dynasties through the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, represented by Kuilong in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties.
The prototype of Kuilong is a crocodile or monitor lizard, with one bird of prey (phoenix) and four claws.Shang Kui Chi has one foot of prey and two or four claws.In the middle and late Shang Dynasty, Kuilong, Kuichi, Kuifeng and Kui met together, resulting in six kinds of emblems, mainly Kui dragon, Kui dragon, Kui Chi, Kui and phoenix, indicating the same ancestors.The Western Zhou Dynasty continued to use it, and integrated the Kuilong and Kuichi into a new form. At this time, one foot of prey is mostly crescent-shaped and two claws.
[-]. Yinglong period
The concept of Yinglong is very early. It was first seen in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. However, Yinglong, as an art stage, may have begun in Qin Dynasty, flourished in Han Dynasty, and continued to Sui and Tang Dynasties. Most of the feet have three toes.
[-]. Huanglong period
Beginning in Tang and Song Dynasties, Liao, Jin, and Yuan laid the image foundation, and flourished in Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Song, Liao, Jin and Yuan mostly had three toes, Ming and Qing mostly had four and five toes.
Since the Yuan Dynasty, only the royal family can use the five-clawed dragon shape, and the folk can only use the three-clawed or four-clawed dragon pattern.
[-]. Return period
The modern and contemporary period after the Qing Dynasty.Since the dragon is separated from the feudal rulers, it can be drawn or shaped into three, four, or five toes according to people's preferences.Of course, the five-clawed dragon had a special status in history, so people still generally prefer the five-clawed shape.
Japan had frequent exchanges with China during the Tang Dynasty.At that time, Chinese dragons were all three-clawed, and Japan could only import three-clawed dragons from China.
After the appearance of the four-clawed dragon in China, it has begun to close the country and cut off contact with Japan. The Bangzi Kingdom was called Koryo in ancient times, and it was a subsidiary country of China until the end of the Qing Dynasty. When the Chinese rulers began to use the pattern of the five-clawed dragon, Naturally, it is impossible to allow the subordinate country to sit on an equal footing with oneself, so the dragon of the Bangzi country can only have four claws.
In the final analysis, Japanese-Korean dragons reflect the development and evolution of Chinese dragons.
According to the classification of functions, dragons can also be divided into Tianlong, Shenlong, Dilong and Fulong.
Volume [-] of "Yuan Jian Lei Han" quotes "Nei Dian": "There are four kinds of dragons: one day dragon, who keeps the order of the palace and never falls; The one who opened the river; the four hidden dragons, the one who guards the wheel and the great blessing."
The wheel king is also called "the king of the wheel", "the holy king of the wheel" and so on.
Ancient India—myths and legends, the king obtained the treasure of the wheel from heaven, and the treasure of the wheel subdued the Quartet.
Buddhism inherits this theory, saying that there are four wheel kings of gold, silver, copper, and iron, and the four wheel kings all have various treasures.
In addition to appealing to the classification of the three types of dragons, there are other classifications of dragons, which are classified according to the species of dragons, specifically:
1).Hui (hui): It is an early dragon, imagined with a reptile-snake as a model, often in water. "The dragon turns into a jiao in 500 years. The dragon turns into a dragon in a thousand years." It is the infancy of the dragon, which once appeared on the bronze decoration of the Western Zhou Dynasty.But not much.
2). Qiu: Generally, a small dragon without horns is called a dragon, which is a growing dragon.
Therefore, the ancient literature notes: "Without horns, it is called a qiu. With horns, it is called a dragon." The other says that a young dragon is called a qiu after it has horns.Although there are discrepancies between the two statements.Du Mu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, had the sentence "a qiu pan and a thousand ren play sheep's intestines" in his poem "Ti Qing Yun Shuo".
3). Panchi: It is a snake-like monster of the dragon genus, and it is an early dragon without horns. There is a description of "hornless Chilong" in the collection of "Guang Ya".
There are also two versions of the panchi, one refers to the yellow hornless dragon, and the other refers to the female dragon. In the "Hanshu? Sima Xiangru Biography", there is a note of "Red Chi, the female dragon" , so the unearthed Warring States jade pendant is decorated with the shape of a dragon and chi, which means male and female mating.
From the Spring and Autumn Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties.Bronze wares, jade carvings, bronze mirrors, or buildings are often decorated in the shape of Pan Chi, which can be in the form of single Chi, double Chi, triple Chi, five Chi, or even groups of Chi.Either in the shape of a title card, or in the shape of a piercing ring, or in the shape of a scroll.In addition, there are various changes such as Bogu Chi and Huan Shen Chi.
4). Jiao: generally refers to a scaly dragon that can cause floods.According to legend, when a dragon gets water, it can make clouds and fog, and soar into space.In ancient Chinese, it is often used as a metaphor for a talented person getting the opportunity to display it.
Regarding the origin and shape of Jiao, there are different opinions in classical literature, and some say that "Dragon without horns is called Jiao".Some say, "There are scales called Jiaolong".
The third volume of "Mo Ke Wielding the Rhinoceros" is more specific: Jiao's shape is like a snake, its head is like a tiger, and the elders are several feet long, mostly living under the rock caves in Xitan.The sound is like a cow.In Liu Yiqing's "Shi Shuo Xin Yu" in the Song Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties, there is a story about Zhou Chu entering the water for three days and three nights and beheading the Jiao Jiao before returning.
People often say "Jiaolong", but in fact "Jiao" and "Dragon" are the names of a legendary deified creature at different ages: "Jiao" when it is young, and "Dragon" when it grows up.
Although both have great power.But one good and one evil are fundamentally different.Jiaolong has two prototypes: one is an alligator.The English name is alligator.There are only a few species in the world, such as the Chinese alligator;
The other is the saltwater crocodile.The scientific name of the crocodile, Han Yu of the Tang Dynasty wrote a crocodile sacrifice article, just to drive away the crocodile that harmed the people in Chaozhou, Guangdong at that time.Now this kind of crocodile is the largest one among the existing crocodiles, up to seven meters long.
5). Horned dragon: refers to a dragon with horns.According to "Shu Yi Ji": "Jiaolong turned into a dragon in a thousand years, and the dragon became a horned dragon in 500 years." The horned dragon is the old man among dragons.
6). Yinglong: The winged dragon is called Yinglong.According to "Shu Yi Ji": "The dragon has been a horned dragon for 500 years, and it has been a dragon for a thousand years." Yinglong can be called the essence of dragons, so it has grown wings.
According to legend, Yinglong was the divine dragon of the Yellow Emperor in ancient times. It once attacked Chiyou under the order of the Yellow Emperor, and killed Chiyou and became a hero.When Yu controlled the flood, the dragon made great contributions by sweeping the ground with its tail and dredging the flood. This dragon was also called Huanglong, and Huanglong was Yinglong, so Yinglong was Yu's hero.
Yinglong is characterized by double wings, scaly body and ridges, large and long head, pointed snout, small nose, eyes and ears, large eye sockets, high eyebrow arch, sharp teeth, protruding forehead, thin neck and large belly, and pointed tail. Long, with strong limbs, like a winged alligator.
In the jade carvings of the Warring States period, the stone carvings, silk paintings and lacquerware of the Han Dynasty, the image of Yinglong often appears.
7).Fire dragon: The fire dragon appeared at the beginning of the world, and its whole body was surrounded by red flames.The fire dragon in the records brought light and flames for human survival to the chaotic world.
8). Panlong: Refers to the dragon that is dormant on the ground but has not ascended to the sky. The shape of the dragon is coiled and circled.In ancient Chinese architecture, the dragon coiled on the pillars and the dragons on the decorative beams and ceilings are commonly called panlongs.
In "Taiping Yulan", there is another explanation for the Panlong: "The Panlong is four feet long, blue and black, with a red belt like a brocade, and often falls with the water and enters the sea. It is poisonous and kills people immediately. "Mixed Panlong with Jiao, snake and so on.
9). Qinglong: one of the "Four Spirits" or "Four Gods", also known as Canglong.
Ancient Chinese astronomers divided the stars in the sky into 28 star regions, namely 28 constellations, to observe the movement of the moon and divide the seasons, and divided the 28 constellations into four groups, each with seven constellations, respectively east and south. Four directions, west and north, four colors of blue, red, white and black, and four animals of dragon, bird, tiger and basalt (tortoise and snake intersect) match each other, which are called "four elephants" or "four palaces".
Dragon represents the east, blue.Therefore, it is called "Donggong Qinglong".In the Qin and Han Dynasties, the "four elephants" became the "four spirits" or "four gods" (dragon, phoenix, tortoise, and lin).The mysterious color is also getting stronger.
The stone relief of the "Donggong Canglong Constellation" of the Han Dynasty, which is now in the Nanyang Han Painting Museum, is composed of a dragon, eighteen stars, and the moon engraved with Yumian and toad.This dragon is the symbol of the entire Canglong constellation.
Among the portrait bricks, stones and tiles of the Han Dynasty, there are a large number of "four spirits" images.Qinglong belongs to the east, and the five elements belong to wood.The oriental green dragon is the spirit of spring.
10). Canglong: Dragon name. "Chu Ci? Xi Oath": "The blue dragon larva is on the left side, and the white tiger is on the right side."
11). Mirage: Mirage lives on the coast or at the mouth of a big river. It looks like a jiao, and it may be one of them.
Mirage has an incredible ability, that is, it can see all kinds of phantoms with the breath from its mouth.Most of these phantoms are pavilions.No one has ever seen the luxury, from the window you can see gorgeously dressed nobles in action.This is what is often called a mirage.
12). Yunlong: A dragon surrounded by clouds and mist.
13). Wanglong: A dragon whose head is on the side.
When it comes to dragons, we have to talk about the matter of the dragon giving birth to nine sons. I believe that many people are familiar with these four words, and they can tell some related things. However, if you want to talk about the dragon giving birth to nine sons in detail The specific origin of these four characters, and what is the meaning of "Longsheng Nine Sons"?I believe that most people can't say anything.
Longsheng Jiuzi means that the dragon had nine sons, and none of the nine sons became dragons.Each is different.
The so-called "a dragon has nine sons" does not mean that a dragon happens to have nine sons.In traditional Chinese culture, the number nine represents a great number and has a supreme status.Nine is an imaginary number and also an expensive number, so it is used to describe Longzi.
The saying that the dragon has nine sons has a long history.However, there has been no theory about which nine animals are there, and various theories did not appear until the Ming Dynasty.
The dragon son is the same as the dragon.It is also a continuous development and evolution.Although there are different opinions about Longzi, there is one point.There is a consensus on the number of sons and daughters of the dragon, that is, the dragon has nine sons, and the dragon inherits the nine sons, but the sons are different.
This has been known since ancient times, but there is a little-known story about how they stayed in the world and performed their duties, and it starts with Liu Bowen.
According to legend, Liu Bowen was originally a god in front of the Jade Emperor. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the world was in chaos, wars continued, and famine was everywhere.
The Jade Emperor ordered Liu Bowen to be reincarnated to assist Ming Jun to rule the world and benefit the common people. He also gave him the Sword of Cutting Immortals and commanded the Dragon King of the Four Seas. However, the Dragon King was old and weak and had many affairs, so he sent his nine sons.All the dragon nine sons have boundless magic power and great supernatural powers.
They fought with Liu Bowen for many years, helped Zhu Yuanzhang win the Ming Dynasty, and helped Zhu Di win the throne. When they were successful and ready to return to the Heavenly Court, Ming Chengzu Zhu Di, the ambitious emperor, wanted to keep them forever. By his side, Anbang stabilizes the country and dominates the world.
So he used the name of building the Forbidden City and took Liu Bowen's Immortal Slaying Sword to order the nine sons, but the nine sons were still divine beasts, and immediately called the wind and rain and became furious.
Zhu Di saw that the sword of cutting immortals could not shake the nine sons, so he decided to use tricks. He said to Bixi among the nine sons: "You are so powerful that you can carry ten thousand catties. If you can carry away the sacred skills and virtues of this ancestor Monument, I will let you go."
Bi Xi saw that it was a small stone tablet, so he carried it on his body without hesitation, but he couldn't move even with all his mana.It turns out that the Stele of Divine Merit and Virtue is used to record the merits (good deeds) done by the "True Dragon Emperor" in his previous life (the merits are immeasurable), and there are also the jade seals of two generations of emperors, which can suppress gods and ghosts in all directions.
Seeing that the sixth brother was crushed under the stele, Bazi couldn't bear to leave, so he decided to stay in the world together, but vowed never to show his real body.
Although Zhu Di kept the nine sons, what he got was only nine statue-like beasts.After Liu Bowen learned of this, he also abandoned Zhu Di and left his body to return to the Heavenly Court.
Zhu Di regretted it too much. In order to warn future generations not to repeat the same mistakes, he let the nine sons each have their own duties and passed down through the ages.
What are the nine sons of the dragon? There are many theories in it. Some scholars in the Ming Dynasty wrote notes, such as Lu Rong's "Shu Garden Miscellaneous Notes", Yang Shen's "Sheng'an Collection", Li Dongyang's "Huailutang Collection", Xu Yingqiu "Yuzhitang Tanyun" by Li Xu, "Jie'an Old Man Essays" by Li Xu, etc., there are many editions and different versions, which are summarized as: Prisoner Niu, Yazi, Xiaofeng, Chiki, Taotie, Qilin, Pulao, Suanni , Bixi, Juan, Jiaotu, Chongzhu, etc.
Prison cattle
Prisoner Niu is the eldest of the nine sons of the dragon. He loves music all his life and is the most docile among the many sons of the dragon.It is neither bloodthirsty nor ruthless, and specializes in rhythm.
legend.The prison cow with the dragon head and the snake body has a very good ear and can distinguish the sounds of all things.It often squats on the head of the piano to enjoy the music of plucked strings, so its portrait is engraved on the head of the piano.
This decoration has been used all the time, and the heads of some valuable huqins are still engraved with the image of a dragon head, which is called "dragon head huqin".
This musically gifted dragon son not only appears on the huqin of the Han nationality, but also on the Yueqin with the dragon head of the Yi nationality, the three-stringed qin of the Bai nationality, and some qins of the Tibetan and Mongolian nationalities. .
Yazi
Yazi is the second child.Legend has it that he was born with the head of a dragon and the body of a jackal, with a strong personality, aggressive and fond of killing all his life, and he is the god of war of the dragon son.
The ferocious eyes that Yazi stared at when he was angry were also used by the ancients to describe "glaring". Sima Qian's evaluation of the section "Fan Ju's Revenge" in "Historical Records" is that "a meal of virtue must be repaid, and Yazi's resentment must be repaid", so , the idiom "Jia Zi must be repaid" was born.
Yazi likes to kill.Therefore, the ancients often engraved it on the mouth of the sword where the blade body and the handle join, which adds to the intimidating power.It is not only decorated on the weapons of famous generals on the battlefield, but also used in a large number on the weapons of guards of honor and palace guards, so that it looks more majestic and solemn.Because the emperors all believed that Jai Zi could overcome all evil.
mock wind
Xiaofeng, who looks like a beast, is the third child.Life is dangerous and hopeful, and the beast on the corner of the altar is its portrait.
These beasts lined up in a single file.Standing upright at the front of the vertical ridge, the leader of the beast is a "fairy" riding a bird.The following are in order: dragon, phoenix, lion, Tianma, seahorse, 狻猊, yuyu, Xiezhi, bullfighting, and Xingshi, and Xiaofeng is the second.
There is a strict hierarchy for their placement. Only the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Imperial Palace in Beiping can have all ten items. These 10 beasts mean "perfect", and the number of secondary halls should be reduced accordingly.
Ridiculous wind not only symbolizes auspiciousness, beauty and majesty, but also has the meaning of deterring demons and eliminating disasters.
The placement of the mocking wind makes the shape of the whole palace both strict and varied, achieving the harmony of solemnity and vividness, the unity of grandeur and exquisiteness, and it adds a layer of mystery to the towering hall.
But the mocking wind itself is a collection of disasters. Earthquakes, tsunamis, and Tianyan are all the power of mocking wind.
Legend has it that the mocking wind is Pangu's heart, and its shape is often used as a decoration on the corner of the temple.
The placement of the mocking wind makes the shape of the whole palace both strict and varied, achieving the harmony of solemnity and vividness, the unity of grandeur and exquisiteness, and it adds a layer of mystery to the towering hall. "
Yuanjian Leihan? Linjie? Dragon" four quotations (Ming Chen Renxi) "Qianque (House) Leishu": "The dragon gave birth to nine sons,... the mocking wind is so dangerous, and it is in the corner of the palace."
Pu Lao
Pulao, shaped like a twisted dragon, is ranked fourth. He was fond of singing and roaring all his life. The dragon-shaped beast button on Hongzhong is his portrait.
It turned out that Pu Lao lived by the sea. Although he was a son of a dragon, he was always afraid of huge whales.When the whale attacked, it roared in fright, trying to drive the whale away.
According to its characteristics of "good sex", "every bell wants to make a loud sound", that is, the Pu Lao is cast as a bell button, and the wooden pestle for ringing the bell is made into the shape of a whale.When ringing the bell, let the whale hit Pu Lao again and again, making it "ring into the sky" and "singing alone and far away".
Today, in the whole country, almost every ancient clock has a figure of Pu Lao.
Suanni
Suan Ni, the nine sons of Longsheng, also known as Jin Ni and Ling Ni, looks like a lion and ranks fifth. Although he looks fierce, he likes to be quiet and does not like to move all his life. He is good at sitting and likes fireworks. The interior decoration is its portrait.
According to legend, the suanni decorated on this kind of Buddha seat was introduced into China from the Indians in the Han Dynasty with Buddhism. By the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it had been widely used in Chinese Buddhist art. This shape was created by Chinese folk artists. It has the traditional Chinese style, and later became the fifth son of the dragon. It is mostly placed in front of the statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas sitting in lotus or cross-legged.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the dragon-shaped ornament in the middle of the collar of the stone lion or copper lion's neck is also the image of suanni, which makes the traditional Chinese door lion guarding the gate more open and mighty.Suan Ni is also used as the mount of Manjusri Bodhisattva.Today, in Mount Wutai, the dojo of Manjusri Bodhisattva, there are still temples dedicated to Suan Ni by the ancients. Because Suan Ni ranks fifth, this temple is also called "Wuye Temple".
Fog
Baxia, also known as Bixi, is shaped like a turtle and is the sixth child. He was good at carrying heavy loads all his life and had great strength. The tortoise under the stele is his portrait.The first kind of legend is that Baxia often carried three mountains and five mountains on his back in ancient times, making waves in rivers, lakes and seas.Later, Dayu subdued it when he was controlling the water. It obeyed Dayu's command, pushed mountains and dug ditches, dredged the river, and made contributions to water control.
When the flood was subdued, Dayu worried that Baxia would run wild again, so he moved to a huge stone tablet piercing the sky.
Tyrants and turtles are very similar, but there are differences when you look closely. Tyrants have a row of teeth, but turtles do not. Tyrants and turtles also have differences in the number and shape of the carapace.
Baxia, also known as stone turtle, is a symbol of longevity and auspiciousness.It always struggles to move forward with its head held high, its four feet are desperately propped up, and it struggles to move forward, but it can't move.
The pedestals of some prominent stone steles in our country are all carried by Baxia, which can be seen in the forest of steles and some historic sites.
The second kind of legend says that the sons of dragons once went down to earth to help Zhu Yuanzhang take down the Ming Dynasty, but when they were about to return to heaven, Zhu Di, the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, later Ming Chengzu, did not want to let them go, so he said to Baxia: "You If you can carry the monument of merit and virtue of Emperor Taizu, I will let you go back."
Ba Xia didn't know it was a trick, so he agreed to come down, but he didn't know that he couldn't move after he was put on it-because his merits were immeasurable, Ba Xia was suppressed under the monument of merit.
Qu An
Bi An, also known as Charter, looks like a tiger and is the seventh child.It was litigious all its life, but powerful, and the tiger-shaped decoration on the upper part of the prison gate is its portrait.
It is said that Bi An is not only eager for justice and justice, but also able to distinguish right from wrong and make decisions impartially. In addition, it has a majestic image. Therefore, in addition to adorning the prison gate, it also prostrates on both sides of the hall of the government office, fighting against traitors. Offenders are extremely deterrent.
Whenever the chief executive of the yamen sits in the hall, the chief executive's title card and the upper end of the quiet avoidance card have its image. It looks around and looks around to maintain the solemnity and integrity of the court.In ancient times, the gate of the prison was engraved with the head of Bi An, so the prison was also commonly known as "Tiger Head Prison" by the people.
Negative
Negative Chi, with a body like a dragon and a head like a lion, ranks eighth, and is good at writing all his life. He is another one of the dragons who is very elegant-he loves calligraphy.Wenlong on both sides of the stele is his portrait.Steles in our country have a long history and rich content. Some of them are simple in shape, smooth and bright, and can be used as a guide to others; some are exquisitely carved, with graceful characters and vivid pens; , known through the ages.
And Luo Xi is very fond of this kind of inscriptions shining with artistic brilliance, and he is willing to turn them into patterned dragons to set off these literary treasures handed down from generation to generation, and to decorate the stele seat more elegantly and beautifully.
They are coiled around each other, seeming to be wriggling slowly, and matching with the tyrants of the base makes it even more spectacular.
Chi kiss
Chiwen, also known as Chiwei, is said to have the head of a dragon and the body of a fish. Its shape first appeared on the "Bailiang Palace" built by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.At that time, a minister suggested that there is a fish in the sea with a tail like an owl, that is, an owl, which can spray waves and rain. You might as well put its image on the hall to protect the hall from fire.
Emperor Wu agreed.When the main hall was built, all the ministers scrambled to ask what was on the ridge of the hall. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty didn't know how to answer, so he named it "Owl tail" after its tail that looked like an owl, which gradually evolved into the homophonic "Chi kiss". ".
It is also said that around the time of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the "Maga fish" from India was introduced along with Buddhism.It is the thing under the seat of the rain god in the Buddhist scriptures, which can extinguish fire.Therefore, the chi kiss is transformed from this, so it is mostly placed on both ends of the roof ridge to eliminate disasters and fires.
The dragon-shaped spine-swallowing beast is the old nine, with a wide mouth and a thick mouth, and was fond of swallowing all his life. The curly-tailed dragon heads at both ends of the hall ridge are his portraits. "Taiping Yulan" has the following description: "Tang Hui Yaomu, after the Han Xiang Liang Dian disaster, Yue Wu said, 'There are fish in the sea, tails are like owls, and the waves are raining', so I made the image on the tail, to hate the fire. .”
The "witch" mentioned in the article refers to alchemists and the like, and "yuqiu" is the predecessor of chi kiss.
Chi kiss is water-based, and it is used as an anti-evil thing to avoid fire. (To be continued..)
ps: Note: Thank you Zhixiu for your support, thank you!