HSK 5 · Article · 637 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-does-the-chinese-dragon-mean

中国的龙为什么不喷火？

What does the Chinese dragon mean?

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我wǒ的de英国yīngguó朋友péngyǒu汤姆tāngmǔ第一次dìyīcì在zài中国zhōngguó过guò春节chūnjié。他tā在zài街jiē上shàng看见kànjiàn很hěn多duō人rén在zài舞龙wǔlóng，大家dàjiā都dōu很hěn高兴gāoxìng，他tā却què有点儿yóudiǎnr紧张jǐnzhāng。“在zài我们wǒmen的de故事gùshi里，龙lóng是shì坏东西huàidōngxi。它tā会huì喷火pēnhuǒ，会huì把bǎ公主gōngzhǔ带走dàizǒu，最后zuìhòu被bèi一个yígè勇敢yónggǎn的de人rén杀死shāsǐ。你们nǐmen为什么wèishénme这么zhème喜欢xǐhuān它tā？”

其实qíshí，中国zhōngguó的de龙lóng和hé西方xīfāng的de龙lóng，几乎jīhū是shì两liǎng种zhǒng完全wánquán不同bùtóng的de动物dòngwù。西方xīfāng的de龙lóng一般yìbān有yǒu翅膀chìbǎng，住zhù在zài山洞shāndòng里，守shǒu着zhe一yì堆duī金子jīnzi。中国zhōngguó的de龙lóng没有méiyǒu翅膀chìbǎng，却què能néng飞fēi上天shàngtiān。它tā的de身体shēntǐ很hěn长cháng，像xiàng一yì条tiáo蛇shé，而且érqiě它tā大多dàduō住zhù在zài水shuǐ里，比如bǐrú河hé、湖hú和hé大海dàhǎi。

这zhè一点yìdiǎn非常fēicháng重要zhòngyào。在zài古代gǔdài，大部分dàbùfen中国zhōngguó人rén靠kào种地zhòngdì生活shēnghuó，下不下雨xiàbu-xiàyǔ，决定juédìng了le这zhè一yì年nián有没有yǒuméiyǒu饭fàn吃chī。人们rénmen相信xiāngxìn，是shì龙lóng在zài管guǎn着zhe雨yǔ和hé水shuǐ。天tiān太tài干gān的de时候shíhou，大家dàjiā就jiù去qù龙王庙lóngwángmiào，请qǐng龙王lóngwáng下雨xiàyǔ。所以suóyǐ对duì中国zhōngguó人rén来lái说shuō，龙lóng不是búshì要yào打败dǎbài的de敌人dírén，而是érshì能néng带来dàilái好日子hǎorìzi的de力量lìliang。

那nà龙lóng到底dàodǐ长zhǎng什么shénme样子yàngzi？汉朝hàncháo有yǒu一yí位wèi学者xuézhě叫jiào王符，他tā说shuō龙lóng身上shēnshang有yǒu九jiǔ种zhǒng动物dòngwù的de样子yàngzi：鹿角lùjiǎo、骆驼luòtuo的de头tóu、蛇shé的de脖子bózi、鱼yú的de鳞lín、鹰yīng的de爪子zhuǎzi……也就是说yějiùshìshuō，世界shìjiè上shàng并bìng没有méiyǒu真的zhēnde龙lóng，是shì人们rénmen把bǎ很hěn多duō动物dòngwù的de样子yàngzi放fàng在zài一起yìqǐ，才cái有yǒu了le龙lóng。

龙lóng的de历史lìshǐ也yě很hěn长cháng。一九八七年yījiǔbāqīnián，考古学家káogǔxuéjiā在zài河南hénán濮阳púyáng发现fāxiàn了le一yí座zuò六千多liùqiānduō年nián前qián的de墓mù。墓mù里有人yǒurén用yòng很hěn多duō贝壳bèiké摆bǎi成chéng了le龙lóng的de样子yàngzi，差不多chàbuduō有yǒu两liǎng米mǐ长cháng。后来hòulái，龙lóng慢慢mànmàn成chéng了le皇帝huángdì的de标志biāozhì。皇帝huángdì说shuō自己zìjǐ是shì“真龙天子zhēnlóng-tiānzǐ”，衣服yīfu上shàng、椅子yǐzi上shàng都dōu有yǒu龙lóng。到dào了le明朝míngcháo和hé清朝qīngcháo，五wǔ个gè爪子zhuǎzi的de龙lóng只有zhíyǒu皇帝huángdì能néng用yòng，别人biéren用yòng了le，可能kěnéng会huì被bèi杀头shātóu。

今天jīntiān，龙lóng早就zǎojiù不bù只zhǐ属于shǔyú皇帝huángdì了le。中国zhōngguó人rén常cháng说shuō自己zìjǐ是shì“龙的传人lóngde-chuánrén”。父母fùmǔ希望xīwàng孩子háizi将来jiānglái有yǒu出息chūxi，叫jiào“望子成龙wàngzǐ-chénglóng”。很hěn多duō人rén还hái相信xiāngxìn，龙年lóngnián出生chūshēng的de孩子háizi运气yùnqi好hǎo，所以suóyǐ在zài中国zhōngguó和hé不少bùshǎo华人huárén地区dìqū，龙年lóngnián出生chūshēng的de孩子háizi常常chángcháng比bǐ别的biéde年份niánfèn多duō。

因为yīnwèi这些zhèxiē不同bùtóng，有人yǒurén觉得juéde，把bǎ中国zhōngguó的de龙lóng翻译fānyì成chéng英文yīngwén里那个nàge喷火pēnhuǒ的de词cí，很hěn容易róngyì让ràng人rén误会wùhuì，所以suóyǐ建议jiànyì给gěi它tā起qǐ一个yígè新xīn的de英文yīngwén名字míngzi。

汤姆tāngmǔ听tīng完wán，点diǎn了le点头diǎntóu，说shuō：“我wǒ明白míngbai了le。我们wǒmen的de龙lóng喷火pēnhuǒ，你们nǐmen的de龙lóng下雨xiàyǔ。”我wǒ说shuō：“对duì。所以suóyǐ在zài中国zhōngguó，看见kànjiàn龙lóng，不用búyòng害怕hàipà，跟着gēnzhe它tā走zǒu就jiù行xíng了le。”

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
紧张jǐnzhāngnervous; tense
勇敢yónggǎnbrave; courageous
完全wánquáncompletely; entirely; totally; complete; whole
管guǎnto manage; to run
打败dǎbàito defeat; to beat
样子yàngziappearance; look
座zuòconstellation; zodiac sign (as in 巨蟹座)
父母fùmǔparents; father and mother
龙lóngdragon
翅膀chìbǎngwing
堆duīto pile up; to heap up; pile; heap; stack
蛇shésnake

English (for the teacher)

My English friend Tom was spending Spring Festival in China for the first time. He saw crowds dancing a dragon in the street, everyone delighted, and he was a little nervous. “In our stories the dragon is the bad guy. It breathes fire, it carries off princesses, and in the end a brave hero kills it. Why do you love it so much?”

In fact, the Chinese dragon and the western dragon are almost two completely different animals. A western dragon usually has wings, lives in a cave and guards a pile of gold. A Chinese dragon has no wings, yet it can fly up into the sky. Its body is long, like a snake, and it mostly lives in water: rivers, lakes and the sea.

That matters a great deal. In ancient times most Chinese people lived off the land, and whether it rained or not decided whether there would be food that year. People believed it was the dragon who looked after rain and water. When the weather was too dry, everyone went to the Dragon King's temple and asked him for rain. So for Chinese people the dragon wasn't an enemy to defeat but a power that could bring good times.

So what does a dragon actually look like? A Han dynasty scholar called Wang Fu said the dragon's body has the look of nine animals: a deer's antlers, a camel's head, a snake's neck, a fish's scales, an eagle's claws… In other words, there's no such thing as a real dragon: people put the looks of lots of animals together, and that gave them the dragon.

The dragon's history is long, too. In 1987 archaeologists in Puyang, Henan found a tomb more than six thousand years old. Inside, someone had laid out the shape of a dragon in shells, almost two metres long. Later the dragon slowly became the emperor's symbol. The emperor called himself the “true dragon, son of heaven”, and there were dragons on his clothes and on his throne. By the Ming and Qing dynasties only the emperor could use a dragon with five claws; anyone else who did could lose his head.

Today the dragon has long stopped belonging only to the emperor. Chinese people often call themselves “descendants of the dragon”. Parents hoping their child will make something of themselves is called “hoping your son becomes a dragon”. Many people also believe children born in a Year of the Dragon are lucky, so in China and many Chinese communities more babies are often born in dragon years than in others.

Because of all these differences, some people feel that translating the Chinese dragon with the English word for the fire-breathing one invites misunderstanding, so they suggest giving it a new English name.

Tom listened, nodded, and said: “I get it. Our dragons breathe fire; yours bring rain.” I said: “Right. So in China, when you see a dragon, don't be scared: just follow it.”