Are there really dragons in the world?

Dragon is a miraculous animal in the legend of China. It is fickle, promotes sex and benefits all things. It is the first of many scales and the first of four spirits (dragon, phoenix, unicorn and turtle). There are many different images in ancient books. Speaking of slender, it has four feet, anticlimactic. Speaking of piercing scales, there are whiskers on the head and five claws.

Compendium of Materia Medica says that "dragons have nine similarities", and it is a heterogeneous animal with the advantages of various animals. It has many names. Those with scales are called dragons, those with wings are called dragons, those with horns are called [multi-tower] dragons, and those without horns are called autumn. The little one is called Jiao, and the big one is called Dragon.

Legend has it that it can be hidden, detailed and huge, short and long. The vernal equinox ascends to the sky, and the autumnal equinox dives into the deep, omnipotent. In mythology, it is the master of the underwater world (the Dragon King), a symbol of good fortune among the people, and the embodiment of ancient imperial power.

Dragon is one of the four gods in ancient China mythology. There are "Dragon King Products" in Taishang Cave's Divine Mantra Classic, which lists "Five Emperors Dragon King" by orientation, "Four Seas Dragon King" by ocean, and lists the names of 54 dragon kings and 62 dragon kings by everything in the world. In Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, an altar official was set up to offer sacrifices to the Dragon King.

Song Taizu followed the Five Dragon Sacrifice System in Tang Dynasty. In the second year of Song Huizong Daguan (1 108), all the five dragons in the world were crowned kings. Seal Qinglong God as King of Ren Guang, Red Dragon God as King Jiaze, Huanglong God as King Fu Ying, White Dragon God as King Yiji, and Black Dragon God as King Lingze.

In the second year of Tongzhi in Qing Dynasty (1863), the dragon god of the canal was named "the dragon god who should divide the water", which made the river chief sacrifice in time. The dragon kings in The Journey to the West are Ao Guang in the East China Sea, Aoqin in the South China Sea, Aorun in the West Sea and Aoshun in the North Sea, which are collectively called the Four Seas Dragon Kings.

Therefore, the duty of the dragon king is to spread clouds and rain to relieve people's summer heat and troubles, and the dragon king's water control has become a common belief among the people. The "Dragon King's Product" in Taoism's "The Mantra Sutra of Taishang East Shen Yuan" says that "the land is dry, the grain is not harvested, and the time is unknown in twos and threes." At the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, the Buddha came to the land by five-color clouds, and together with the Dragon King and other heavenly kings, he preached dharma to save all beings and get timely nourishment.

Regarding the birthday of the Dragon King, there are differences between various literature records and local folklore. In the past, temples dedicated to the dragon king were almost as common as temples in the city god. Whenever the wind and rain are unbalanced, it doesn't rain for a long time, or it rains for a long time, the people will go to the Longwang Temple to burn incense and pray for the Dragon King to control the water and the good weather.

Archaeologists believe that the early dragons were snakes with horns on their heads and were pure reptiles; Some people think that dragons were originally formed. The dragon's head is like a pig, while the dragon's body is the same as that of a snake.

Others pointed out that dragons were transformed from crocodiles; Mr Wen Yiduo, a famous scholar, has a unique view on dragons. Mr Wen thinks that dragons are formed by snakes and many other animals. Taking the snake as the prototype, it combines horsehair, oxtail, antlers, dog claws, fish scales, whiskers and so on.

Since entering the modern society, many experts and scholars have deeply explored the origin of dragons. From the analysis of many unearthed cultural relics about dragons, the formation of dragons has experienced a long history. Among them, the mussel dragon unearthed in Puyang, Henan Province has a history of 6,000 years. On the one hand, it embodies the context of Yangshao culture, on the other hand, it proves the initial formation of dragons.

With regard to the origin of the dragon, after long-term research and textual research, people finally reached a relatively consistent understanding: the dragon is a synthesis of various animals and a symbol of totem worship formed in primitive society.

The dragon is great because it is respected by all people in China. The dragon is nothing, because it is only a spirit, not a substance.

In China's myths and legends, it is a magical animal, with the image of snake body, lizard legs, talons, snake tail, antlers, fish scales, whiskers in the mouth and beads under the forehead. According to Shan Hai Jing, Xia Houqi, Ru Shou and Ju Mang all "rode the rain dragon". There are other secretaries, Zhuan Xu, Lapras and the Four Seas, Di Ku, Spring and Summer, Lapras.

The predecessors divided dragons into four types: those with scales, those with wings, Ying Long, those with horns and those without horns. Some people think that this is the image formed by the totem of each clan after the ancient Yanhuang unified the tribes in the Central Plains. Legend has it that you can hide and show, climb the sky in the spring breeze and dive into the deep sea in the autumn wind. It also brought clouds and rain, and later became a symbol of imperial power. Emperors of past dynasties used dragons as costumes, and their utensils were also decorated with dragons. Dragon was worshipped by Chinese ancestors as the ancestor god, and was generally called "dragon". People in China often call themselves "descendants of dragons".

Dragon ranks fifth among the traditional Chinese zodiac animals in China. Dragon, phoenix, unicorn and tortoise are also called "four great beasts". (There are also many ancient books and history books that refer to the "four auspicious beasts" as: caring for each other, nurturing, caring for each other and caring for each other. ) Qinglong and Baihu, Suzaku and Xuanwu are the four astronomical phenomena in China.

The dragon in Buddhism is one of the eight parts of heaven and man, that is, the dragon part of eight parts. In Buddhism, Tianlong Babu is the protector of Buddhism, especially all living beings in Longbu take the oath to defend King Kong, the French king, to ensure that Buddhism will not be harmed in the three realms. When some people really practice Buddhism, some dragon people are sent down to protect the practitioners, in order to protect the law.

Although "dragon" is generally translated as "dragon" in English, the image of "dragon" in western culture is similar to the traditional dragon image in China, but the background and symbolic meaning are quite different. The "dragon" in the west is generally evil, which is completely different from the Swiss beast in the east.

Nine sons give birth to dragons, that is, nine sons give birth to dragons, and none of them are Jackie Chan, so they are different. The so-called "dragon gave birth to nine children" does not mean that the dragon just gave birth to nine children. In the traditional culture of China, nine represents a lot and has a supreme position. Nine is an imaginary number and an expensive number, so it is used to describe the dragon son. There is a long-standing saying that dragons have nine sons, but there has been no saying about which nine animals are, and it was not until the Ming Dynasty that there were various opinions.