Dragons are listed as animal paths. Why did the emperor call himself a dragon?

The relationship between Emperor Yan and the dragon is mainly as described in Historical Records: "The dragon is the first sheep, and it feels like the first sheep in Chi Di." , Shennong, Fu. "("On the Five Virtues ")" The mother of Shennong is any one, and there is a daughter of Gao, whose name is Deng. For the little princess. "You Huayang has the first feeling of the dragon, and the woman climbs Changyang and gives birth to Emperor Yan." (Imperial Century) These statements link the birth of Emperor Yan with dragons, that is, they think that Emperor Yan is a "dragon species" or a "quasi-dragon species".

Besides, according to folklore, Emperor Yan was born in the shape of a dragon. His mother, Deng, once bathed Emperor Yan in Jiulongquan on the east coast of Jiang Shui, Baoji. After the bath, she rode a dragonfly to Yu Meng Cave for seclusion. It is also because of the birth and appearance of Emperor Yan that nine little dragons appeared in its spring. It is also said that when Emperor Yan was three years old, he visited the Dragon King and let him have even rainfall. By the time he died of old age, the dragon kings everywhere were scrambling to bury the body of Emperor Yan in their own jurisdiction. Finally, the dragon in Lingxian County, Hunan Province got his wish, leaving the remains of Borneolite, Dragon Claw Stone and so on at the lower tailrace of Yanling Mountain.

There are more records about the relationship between the Yellow Emperor and the Dragon: "Chiyou fought with the Yellow Emperor, and the Yellow Emperor made Ying Long attack the wild land of Jizhou" (Shan Hai Jing Huang Da Bei Jing); Yellow Emperor's Black Dragon Distinguishing East (Guan Zi Wu Xing); The Yellow Emperor "Lapras" ("Dai Wudi"); "The Yellow Emperor rules the world ... Qinglong enters the driving" ("Ming Lan Xun of Huainanzi"); "The Yellow Emperor collected bronze wares from the first mountain and cast a tripod at the foot of Jingshan Mountain. When the tripod was finished, a dragon hung a beard to welcome the Yellow Emperor. The Yellow Emperor rode a horse, and there were more than 70 dragons in the minister's harem ... Yu Xiaochen was not allowed to ride, but he knew that he had to pull out a dragon and fall into the bow of the Yellow Emperor ("Historical Records of Xiao Wu"); "Huangdi has the virtue of land, Huanglong has earthworms" (Historical Records of Amenorrhea); "Yesterday, the Yellow Emperor merged with ghosts and gods in Xishan Mountain to drive away the six dragons" ("Lun Heng Yao Ji"); Yellow Emperor's Eight Pterosaurs (Sun Chuozi); Huangdi's Long Qie Dragon Clothes (Xuanyuan Huangdi Biography); "The dragon figure goes out of the river, the turtle book goes out of the river, and the scarlet letter is given to Xuanyuan" (Chronology of Bamboo Books).

If, in the above description, the dragon thought that the Yellow Emperor was subdued, then it is further said that the Yellow Emperor became a dragon. Such as "Xuanyuan Huanglong Style" ("Historical Records Tianguanshu"); The Long Face of the Yellow Emperor (on Heng Gu Xiang); The Yellow Emperor "thought he was the cloud master in the shape of a dragon (Fairy Biography); The Yellow Emperor's Sun Jiao Long Yan (History of Taoism) and so on.

There are various explanations and interpretations of the above statement in academic circles. I think, at least, we can get the information that Emperor Yanhuang and Dragon are close relatives. When they are the leaders of tribal alliances, dragons have become the objects of worship, application, comparison and symbol. Archaeological findings provide evidence for this judgment: Emperor Yanhuang existed about 5,000 years ago, and many dragons were discovered more than 5,000 years ago. For example, the 8000-year-old stone dragon unearthed in Chahai, Fuxin, Liaoning, the 7000-year-old pottery dragon unearthed in Zhaobaogou, Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, the 7000-year-old painted pottery dragon unearthed in Beishouling, Baoji, Shaanxi, the 6400-year-old clam carving dragon unearthed in Xishuipo, Puyang, Henan, the 6000-year-old loess rammed dragon unearthed in Chahekou, Qingshuihe, Inner Mongolia, and the 6000-year-

Obviously, dragon worship appeared before Emperor Yanhuang. When Yan Huangdi was the leader of the tribal alliance, the dragon worship of primitive ancestors had a long history and was quite universal-the above archaeological findings can show that it was distributed in pre-Hongshan Culture, Yangshao culture, Hongshan Culture, Longshan culture and other cultural circles. This enabled Emperor Yanhuang to choose the dragon as the object of worship, use, comparison and symbol. Then, why did Emperor Yanhuang choose the dragon as the object of worship, use, comparison and symbol? There are at least two reasons:

First, as the original ancestors of fish, crocodiles, snakes, pigs, horses, cows, deer and other natural phenomena such as clouds, thunder and lightning, rainbows and tornadoes. The dragon is endowed with such gods as hydrophilicity, flying, flying, fickleness, auspiciousness, ominous, demonstration, etc., and these gods are integrated into one, and the dragon's divine power is enormous and unparalleled. Yanhuang people also worship other animals, such as cattle, sheep, bears, snakes, turtles and so on. But these realistic individual animals can't compare with the dragon. The dragon is a collection, which not only gathers all kinds of realistic animals, but also gathers all kinds of natural phenomena. Of course, a powerful Yanhuang tribe should choose a powerful object of worship. Therefore, it is natural for the dragon to become a symbol of the Chinese nation and then the whole nation.

Second, the spiritual character embodied and contained in the process of gathering dragons is essentially consistent with the cause of Yan Huangdi. The spirit of the dragon can be summarized by multiple compatibility, pioneering and innovating, benefiting mankind and integrating nature with man. These four spirits were also embodied in the two emperors of Yan Huang. For example, the image of the dragon from scratch, from simple to exquisite, is the result of continuous innovation. Yan Di started agriculture, invented medicine, and Huangdi's "breaking wood into a pestle, digging the ground into a mortar", making pottery and making cars, dividing soil to build a country and so on. It is also pioneering and innovative; The dragon is a water god, and it is the bounden duty of the dragon to spread clouds and rain, manage water and control water, and benefit mankind. The life of Emperor Yanhuang is also a life of benefiting mankind. Dragon is a multi-compatible god, and the great cause of the Yellow Emperor's reunification is also a multi-compatible cause. Dragon is the product of ancestors' reverence for heaven and respect for the unity of man and nature. Yan Di tasted a hundred herbs, the Yellow Emperor distinguished yin and yang, and so on. Undoubtedly, they were all pursuing harmony with heaven and nature.

Therefore, it can be said that the dragon spirit is the spirit of China people; The spirit of China people is also the spirit of dragons. Obviously, in the 2 1 century, it is undoubtedly of great practical significance to inherit and carry forward these spirits for the survival, development and prosperity of the Chinese nation.

Dragon is a miraculous animal in China mythology. It is good at changing, arousing sexual desire and benefiting all things. It is said that it can be hidden and visible, reaching the sky at the vernal equinox and diving at the autumnal equinox. It can also cause clouds and rain. It is the leader of many scales, the head of the four spirits (dragon, phoenix, white tiger and Xuanwu turtle), and later became a symbol of imperial power. Emperors all claimed to be dragons, and their vessels were decorated with dragons. According to Shan Hai Jing, Xia Houqi, Ru Shou and Ju Mang all "rode the rain dragon". There are other secretaries, "zhuān xū Lapras is everywhere" and "Di ku (Ku) Lapras in spring and summer". Predecessors divided dragons into four types: the scaly ones were called Jiao (jiāo) dragons; The winged one is called Ying Long; The horn is called autumn, and the horn is called pool (ch and). For thousands of years, dragons have penetrated into the culture of China society. In addition to spreading the inheritance in China, it has also been brought to all parts of the world by overseas Chinese. In residential areas of China or China, dragons are still the most eye-catching decorations. Therefore, "Descendants of the Dragon" and "Dragon Country" have also been recognized by the world. Dragon is the representative of the Chinese nation! This is the symbol of China!