The Chinese dragon (龙)

What does the Chinese dragon mean?

The dragon, 龙 (lóng), stands for power, strength and good fortune, and for the emperor, who was called 真龙天子 (zhēnlóng tiānzǐ), the true dragon, Son of Heaven. Dragons rule water and bring rain, so the Dragon Kings, 龙王 (Lóngwáng), were prayed to in droughts. Chinese people call themselves 龙的传人 (lóng de chuánrén), descendants of the dragon, and parents 望子成龙 (wàng zǐ chéng lóng), hope their son becomes a dragon.

How is a Chinese dragon different from a Western dragon?

A Chinese 龙 is wise and lucky, flies without wings and lives in water and clouds; a Western dragon breathes fire, guards treasure and is usually evil. The Chinese dragon is long like a snake and, by an old description, has nine resemblances: the antlers of a stag, the head of a camel, the eyes of a demon, the neck of a snake, the belly of a clam, the scales of a carp, the claws of an eagle, the soles of a tiger and the ears of a cow. Some now write it loong in English to keep the two apart.

What do the colours of Chinese dragons mean?

The 青龙 (Qīnglóng), the azure dragon, guards the east and spring. Yellow and gold, 黄龙 (huánglóng) and 金龙 (jīnlóng), were the emperor’s colours and the most honoured. A red dragon, 红龙 (hónglóng), is for luck and celebration, and the black dragon, 黑龙 (hēilóng), is linked to water and the north. The colours follow the five elements.

Why do imperial dragons have five claws?

From the Yuan dynasty on, the five-clawed dragon was kept for the emperor alone, and princes and nobles used four claws. In the Ming and Qing it was a crime for anyone else to wear one: the emperor’s robe is a 龙袍 (lóngpáo), a dragon robe.

What are the nine sons of the dragon?

龙生九子 (lóng shēng jiǔ zǐ), the dragon has nine sons, each different, which is why the phrase also means that siblings can differ completely. Ming writers listed them by what they love and where they guard: 囚牛 on instruments, 睚眦 on swords, 蒲牢 on bells, 狻猊 under Buddhas, 赑屃 carrying stone tablets and 螭吻 on roof ridges.

How do you say dragon in Chinese?

龙 (lóng), in the second, rising tone; traditional 龍. You hear it in 龙年 (lóngnián), the Year of the Dragon, 舞龙 (wǔlóng), the dragon dance, and 龙舟 (lóngzhōu), dragon boats, but also in everyday words: a lobster is 龙虾 (lóngxiā), a dragon shrimp, a tornado 龙卷风 (lóngjuǎnfēng), and a tap 水龙头 (shuǐlóngtóu), a water dragon’s head.

Can’t hear it?

Play uses your device’s Mandarin voice. Edge, Chrome and Safari have one; a browser with none plays each character in our recorded voice instead.

More Chinese myth

• Names from Chinese mythology
• The Chinese zodiac
• Chinese good luck charms
• Chinese legends to read