【往期回忆】

中国龙文化4：都说龙生九子，你知道是哪九子吗？

【本期内容】

What on earth does a Chinese dragon look like?

中国龙到底长啥样？

There is no consensus on the origin of the Chinese dragon. Some have suggested that the Chinese dragon came from totems of different tribes in China, its shape the combination of totems as the result of the merging of tribes. Scholars report that the first legendary Emperor of China Huang Di (Yellow Emperor) used a snake for his coat of arms. Every time he conquered another tribe, he incorporated his defeated enemy's emblem into his own, which may explain why the dragon appears to have features of various animals.

It has also been suggested that it comes from a stylized depiction of existing animals, such as snakes, fish, or crocodiles. The association with the crocodile is also supported by the view in ancient times that large crocodiles are a variety of dragon. For example, in the Story of Zhou Chu, about the life of a Jin Dynasty warrior, he is said to have killed a "dragon" that infested the waters of his home village. The dragon appears to have been a crocodile.

Archaeologist Zhou Chongfa has suggested that the initial inspiration for the dragon was lightening, and the Chinese pronunciation of dragon—long—resembles the natural sound of thunder. Thus, the dragon represented the coming of rain that early farmers depended on. Zhou argues that "As farming and animal husbandry began to take the place of hunting and fishing to be the main source of food, human beings prayed for good weather for crops, and the imaginative figure of dragon has been gradually created as an agriculture numen."

The Chinese dragon (spelled Long, Loong, or Lung in transliteration), is a Chinese mythical creature that also appears in other East Asian cultures, and thus is also sometimes called the Oriental (or Eastern) dragon. Unlike the Western dragon of Europe that is representative of evil, the many eastern versions of the dragon are powerful spiritual symbols, representing seasonal cycles and supernatural forces.

中国龙（音译为Long、Loong或Lung）是一种中国神话生物，也出现在其他东亚文化中，因此有时也被称为东方龙。与代表邪恶的欧洲西方龙不同，许多东方版本的龙都是强大的精神象征，代表着季节循环和超自然力量。

The Chinese dragon is easily recognizable for its long serpentine body that is generally wingless, and its anthropomorphic face, complete with beard. In some eastern cultures, the dragon plays an integral part in creation mythology. Generally, the oriental dragon is benevolent and powerful, bringer of good fortune. Its image was often adopted by emperors as a sacred symbol of power. Thus, the oriental dragon is generally considered a supernatural or spiritual symbol of heavenly power.

中国龙因其细长的蛇形身体和拟人化的面部而很容易辨认，通常没有翅膀，脸上还留着胡子。在一些东方文化中，龙在创世神话中扮演着不可或缺的角色。一般来说，东方龙是仁慈和强大的，会带来好运。它的形象经常被皇帝们视为权力的神圣象征。因此，东方龙通常被认为是一种超自然的或精神上的神力象征。

The first depictions of the dragon in Eastern culture come in the form of totems, stylized depiction of natural creatures. One such early form was the "pig dragon." It is a coiled, elongated creature with a head resembling a boar. The character for "dragon" in the earliest Chinese writing has a similar coiled form, as do later jade dragon amulets from the Shang period. Often they appeared as conglomerates of other animals, combinations that over time may have contributed to the creation of the dragon as a single, unified creature.

东方文化中对龙的最初描述是以图腾的形式出现的，这是对自然生物的艺术（非写实）描述。其中一种早期的形态是“猪龙”。它是一种盘绕的细长生物，头部酷似野猪。中国最早文字中的“龙”字有着类似的盘绕形式，后来商代的玉龙符也是如此。它们经常以其他动物的集群形式出现，随着时间的推移，这些组合可能有助于龙成为一种单一、统一的生物。

The general appearance of the dragon can actually be seen as a composite of real animals: The trunk of a snake, scales of a carp, tail of a whale, antlers of a stag, face of a camel, talons of eagles, ears of a bull, feet of a tiger, and the eyes of a lobster. Sometimes it has a flaming pearl under its chin. Chinese dragons are occasionally depicted with bat-like wings growing out of the front limbs. Even though most do not have wings, they are still capable of taking flight. This description accords with the artistic depictions of the dragon down to the present day.

龙的总体外观实际上可以被视为真实动物的组合：蛇的躯干、鲤鱼的鳞片、鲸鱼的尾巴、鹿的角、骆驼的脸、鹰的爪子、公牛的耳朵、老虎的脚和龙虾的眼睛。有时它的下巴下有一颗燃烧的珍珠。中国龙的前肢间或会长出蝙蝠般的翅膀。即使大多数没有翅膀，它们仍旧能够飞行。这一描述与迄今为止对龙的艺术描述是一致的。

The dragon has also acquired an almost unlimited range of supernatural powers. It is said to be able to disguise itself as a silkworm, or become as large as the entire universe. It can fly among the clouds, hide in or turn into water or fire, can become invisible, or glow in the dark.

龙还获得了几乎无限的超自然力量。据说它可以假装成一只蚕，或者变得和整个宇宙一样大。它可以在云层中飞行，隐藏在水中或变成火，可以隐形，也可以在黑暗中发光。

【注】本系列文章选译自：www.newworldencyclopedia.org