The relationship between dragons and China people

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

The reason why the dragon has this cultural symbolic significance is closely related to the unparalleled magical power of the legends and myths that the dragon flies in the sky, chases waves in the sea and calls for rain on the ground, but more importantly, it often becomes the "exclusive patent" of slaves in China and the supreme ruler of feudal society for thousands of years, and is synonymous with imperial power.

Therefore, the emperor calls himself "the real dragon emperor", his body is called "dragon body", his clothes are called "dragon robe", his chair is called "dragon chair", and his cars and boats are called "dragon boat" ... In short, everything related to their daily life is labeled as "dragon" to show their privileges.

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The legend of the dragon

In the legendary era, the Yellow Emperor, who is related to the dragon, traveled around and observed the people's feelings. He had Tong Tong mined in Shoushan, and then transported it to the foot of Jingshan to cast a tripod to commemorate his brilliant victory in the war. After a while, the tripod was finally cast, and the Yellow Emperor held a ceremony in Jingshan to celebrate the casting of the tripod.

Not only immortals from all walks of life were invited to the ceremony, but also people from all directions were invited. Everyone wants to see what the tripod cast by the Yellow Emperor looks like. When the time came, the emperor probably opened it himself and saw a bronze tripod as big as a jar shining with dazzling golden light in front of the man of God.

Everyone looked up and saw a vigorous Youlong carved on the tripod shuttling through a piece of auspicious clouds, surrounded by ghosts and gods and various rare birds and animals, which was very vivid.

When all the gods were admiring the cauldron and the patterns on it with reverence, suddenly the sky was covered with thick clouds, blocking the sun, and soon it was dark. Everyone thought it was going to rain. They realized that a golden light penetrated the thick clouds and a dragon in shining armor broke through the clouds. Its tail and lower body are supported in the clouds and its head rests on a tripod. The dragon had to hang down to the ground along its feet.

The Yellow Emperor understood that he had completed his mission on earth, and God sent a dragon to take him to heaven. He jumped on the dragon's back and flew back to heaven. Everyone on earth is unwilling to let a wise monarch like the Yellow Emperor go back, and everyone is clinging to the dragon beard.

As a result, many dragons were torn off, and the Yellow Emperor and the dragon left anyway. It is said that this kind of Gracilaria lemaneiformis gave birth to many slender grasses when it landed, and people later called it "Gracilaria lemaneiformis".

Legend has it that most famous monarchs in the era have an unclear relationship with dragons. When Yao was in power, there was a big flood, and there were floods everywhere. In order to save the people, he ordered guns to control the water. Gun stole the fallow soil of the Emperor of Heaven and used the method of "blocking" to control water, but in vain, he was killed by the angry Emperor of Heaven in Yushan, and Candle dragon happened to be the patron saint here.

The landlord, Yushan, doesn't bask in the sun, and is illuminated by candles in Candle dragon's mouth all the year round, so the gun's body won't rot for three years. The Emperor of Heaven was afraid of the resurrection of Gun, so he took revenge on himself and wrangled with himself. The truth never stopped. He sent a god named "Wudao", probably the "knife and axe hand" in the sky, with a treasure knife to cut the body of the gun. When Enlightenment cut open Gun's belly, he suddenly blamed a dragon from the inside.

With a pair of sharp horns, he jumped a few times on the nearby hillside and suddenly became a big dragon, which was Yu, the son of Gun. Strange to say, after Yu was born, Gun's body rolled down the feather depth and turned into a dragon, always "crossing the waves".

Yu inherited his father's legacy and finally surrendered to the flood, winning the admiration of everyone. Later, he surrendered the throne to Yu in obedience to public opinion, and Yu became the founding monarch of the Xia Dynasty, which may also be one of the historical basis of "the emperor is the real dragon emperor".

Another cultural symbol of the dragon is that it is different from others and ordinary people. Dragons are sacred, and extraordinary people are comparable. Therefore, people often call those who are ambitious, virtuous, capable, promising and successful as "dragons". When Zhuge Liang and Ge worked hard in Nanyang for a long time, they compared themselves to Guan Zhong, who was called Mr. Wolong, meaning that they failed to display their talents without ambition.

In Chinese, dragons and insects are relative, and snakes are insects. Snakes, also known as long worms, can be seen everywhere, with many kinds, common, not surprising and not expensive. "Mixed dragons and snakes" means that good things and bad things are mixed together and it is difficult to distinguish. This is a phenomenon that cannot be explained by biology-the prototype of the dragon, or the basic physiological animal of the dragon is the snake, and the dragon and the snake are not brothers.

At least they belong to the same clan (snakes are also called "dragons"), but once the dragon is separated from the snake, it doesn't care about the snake and even "kills" the snake to show that it is different from the snake. The most typical story is that Liu Bang, the Emperor Gaozu, beheaded a white snake, saying that Liu Bang's mother Liu Wei dreamed of having sex with a dragon and was pregnant and gave birth to Liu Bang. He has no ambition.

On a field trip, when a python got in the way, he immediately cut off the snake with his sword and took courage out of his stomach. It is said that this is a beautiful speech, but people think it is very good. There was chaos in the world at the end of Qin Dynasty, and Liu Bang took the opportunity to dispatch troops in Peixian County to pacify the heroes and establish the Han Empire, which made Liu's four hundred years of Jiangshan inheritance in the Han Dynasty.

The dragon is not only a symbol of getting ahead, but also an extraordinary symbol. In ancient times, those sages were also called "dragons". According to legend, Confucius went to see Laozi, the founder of Taoism, and didn't say a word for three days after he came back, which surprised his disciples.

Ask him: "How did Teacher Kun Li teach him when he met him?" Confucius said, "What I see is a dragon that changes endlessly along Yin and Yang. I am tongue-tied, where can I teach him? " This means that all words are superfluous, and Lao Dan is a rare saint.

In addition, Zhu Gekongming was called "Mr. Wolong" before his debut, and Cai Yong, a doctor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, drank a few hundred Jin by the roadside, and everyone called him "Drunken Dragon". Therefore, anyone who has moral character, talent, or exquisite writing, or is incorruptible for an official, or has outstanding behavior can be compared to a "dragon".

As the saying goes, "I want my children to be dragons", not because I want my children to be monsters with scales on their heads, but because I hope my children can make a difference and make a career in the future. One of the popular new children's songs in recent years is "100 is a dragon", which also means this.

In addition, we often hear news about the "Dragon and Tiger List" on radio, TV, newspapers and magazines. What is the "Dragon and Tiger List"? In The Biography of Ouyang Zhan in the New Tang Dynasty, it is said that Ouyang Zhan was among the world celebrities such as Han Yu, Li Guan, Wang Ya and Cui Qun when he was studying, which means that celebrities and superstars gather here, and the "dragon" here reflects the winners.

The pattern of "dragon and phoenix match" was widely circulated after the Tang Dynasty. It not only symbolizes the authority of the emperor and queen, but also symbolizes the happy combination of all human couples. It can also symbolize the harmony of Yin and Yang of all spiritual and material things in the world. It can be said that the dragon and phoenix pattern is the most representative image symbol of the Chinese nation and a wonderful artistic image.

Although the dragon and phoenix in Oracle Bone Inscriptions are amorphous, how can we tell that the dragon is a spirit bug that bends and stretches with time, and the phoenix is a spirit bird with a gorgeous long tail? In ancient bronzes, the image of dragon presents a ferocious, mysterious and dignified overall effect. In the Han Dynasty, it broke through the shackles of mysterious and strange atmosphere by grasping the big plane, bold and unrestrained arc and exquisite points, and formed the main theme of big structure and great momentum.

In the Tang Dynasty, it was endowed with a gentle and honest character, and formed a rich and graceful and youthful style. From the Song and Yuan Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the exquisite style was emphasized, from exquisite workmanship to complicated piling. But the dragon and phoenix pattern in the middle is still simple and clear, concise and vivid, and has a strong flavor of life.

Reference source? Baidu Encyclopedia-Symbolic Meaning of Dragon