Nine sons of the dragon

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Pulao in Changchun Temple, Wuhan
bixi near Marco Polo Bridge
, Beijing

The nine sons of the dragon are Chinese dragons who are the mythological sons of the Dragon King. There are many variations in the different descriptions of the nine sons, including in basic facts like their names, but all versions state that there are nine.

History

bì'àn at jail entrance, in Neixiang County Yamen Museum, Henan

The oldest known attestation of the children of the dragon list is found in the Shuyuan Zaji (菽園雜記, Miscellaneous records from the bean garden) by Lu Rong (1436–1494); however, he noted that the list enumerates mere synonyms of various antiques, not children of a dragon.[1]

Several

Ming Dynasty texts list what were claimed as the Nine Offspring of the Dragon (Chinese: 龍生九子; pinyin: Lóng shēng jiǔzǐ), and subsequently these feature prominently in popular Chinese stories and writings. de Visser (1913
, pp. 101–102), quoting Xie Zhaozhe (謝肇淛, 1567–1624) in his work Wuzazu (五雜俎, c. 1592) gives the following listing in order of oldest to youngest:

A well-known work of the end of the sixteenth century, the Wuzazu, informs us about the nine different young of the dragon, whose shapes are used as ornaments according to their nature.

  • The qiúniú 囚牛, (Form of dragon) a creature that likes music, are used to adorn musical instruments.
  • The yázì 睚眦, (Hybrid of dhole and dragon) a creature that likes to fight, is aggressive and is normally found on cross-guards on sword as ornaments.
  • The cháofēng 嘲風, (Resemble a Phoenix and dragon) a creature that likes to adventure. They are typically placed on the four corners of roofs.
  • The púláo 蒲牢, (Four leg small form dragon class) a creature that likes to roar, and are represented on the tops of bells, used as handles.
  • The suānní 狻猊, (Hybrid of lion and dragon) a creature that likes to sit down, are represented upon the bases of Buddhist idols (under the Buddhas' or Bodhisattvas' feet).
  • The
    bìxì
     贔屭, also known as bàxià 霸下 (Hybrid of turtle and dragon) a creature with a large shell able to carry heavy objects, and are normally found on under grave-monuments.
  • The bì'àn 狴犴, (Hybrid of
    tiger
    and dragon) a creature that likes litigation, are placed over prison gates (in order to keep guard).
  • The bāxià 霸下, (Hybrid of reptilia animal and dragon) a creature that likes to drink water, and is typically used on bridge structures.
  • The chīwěn 蚩吻, (Hybrid of fish and dragon) a creature that likes swallowing, are placed on both ends of the ridgepoles of roofs (to swallow all evil influences).

Further, the same author enumerates nine other kinds of dragons, which used as ornamental decoration or as part of classical Chinese architecture. These examples can be found architecture throughout Asia used for adorning key-holes, on roofing, incense burners, door knockers, bridges, etc.

The Sheng'an waiji (升庵外集) collection by the poet Yang Shen (楊慎, 1488–1559) gives different 5th and 9th names for the dragon's nine children: the tāo tiè (饕餮), form of beasts, which loves to eat and is found on food-related wares, and the jiāo tú (椒圖), which looks like a conch or clam, does not like to be disturbed, and is used on the front door or the doorstep. Yang's list is bìxì, chīwěn or cháofēng, púláo, bì'àn, tāotiè, qiúniú, yázì, suānní, and jiāotú. In addition, there are some sayings including xìxì (屓屭); which have the shape of the chīhǔ (螭虎 One kind small form dragon), and are fond of literature, are represented on the sides of grave-monuments.[2]

Modern names

The nine sons of the dragon were recognized by the Chinese government's official

NGC
with the following names:

Number nine

The number

spirit wall with images of nine different dragons, and is found in imperial Chinese palaces and gardens. Because nine was considered the number of the emperor, only the most senior officials were allowed to wear nine dragons on their robes—and then only with the robe completely covered with surcoats. Lower-ranking officials had eight or five dragons on their robes, again covered with surcoats; even the emperor himself wore his dragon robe with one of its nine dragons hidden from view.[citation needed
]

There are many places in China with the phrase "Nine Dragons" in their name, the most famous being Kowloon (in Cantonese) in Hong Kong. The part of the Mekong in Vietnam is known as Cửu Long, with the same meaning.

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ Yang Jingrong & Liu Zhixiong (2008), quoting Lu Rong. 菽園雜記 [Miscellaneous Records from the Bean Garden].
  2. ISBN 962-07-1846-1
  3. ^ CCT3564: 2012 7.5 oz silver lunar dragon 9 sons of the dragon 9 coin set
  4. ^ CCT4055: 2012 brass lunar dragon 9 sons of the dragon 9 coin set
  5. ^ CCT3563: 2012 600 g silver lunar dragon 9 sons of the dragon father dragon
  6. ^ CCT3610: 2012 brass lunar dragon 9 sons of the dragon father dragon
  7. ^ CCT4243: 2012 lunar dragon 9 sons of the dragon 20 coin set Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ CCT3606: 2012 7.5 oz silver lunar dragon 9 sons of the dragon Bi An
  9. ^ CCT3607: 2012 7.5 oz silver lunar dragon 9 sons of the dragon Bi Xi
  10. ^ CCT3603: 2012 7.5 oz silver lunar dragon 9 sons of the dragon Chao Feng
  11. ^ CCT3609: 2012 7.5 oz silver lunar dragon 9 sons of the dragon Chi Wen
  12. ^ CCT3608: 2012 7.5 oz silver lunar dragon 9 sons of the dragon Fu Xi (Xi Xi)
  13. ^ CCT3602: 2012 7.5 oz silver lunar dragon 9 sons of the dragon Pu Lao
  14. ^ CCT3598: 2012 7.5 oz silver lunar dragon 9 sons of the dragon Qiu Niu
  15. ^ CCT3604: 2012 7.5 oz silver lunar dragon 9 sons of the dragon Suan Ni
  16. ^ CCT3605: 2012 7.5 oz silver lunar dragon 9 sons of the dragon Ya Zi

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nine dragons.
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