Tianlong

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File:Dragon gods - Project Gutenberg eText 15250.jpg
Xian riding dragons[1]

Tianlong (Template:Zh; lit. "heavenly dragon") is a flying dragon in Chinese mythology, a star in Chinese astrology, and a proper name.

Word

The term tianlong combines tian Template:Linktext "heaven" and long Template:Linktext "dragon". Since tian literally means "heaven; the heavens; sky" or figuratively "Heaven; God; gods", tianlong can denote "heavenly dragon; celestial dragon" or "holy dragon; divine dragon".

Tianlong Script error: No such module "Lang". is homophonous with another name in Chinese folklore. Tianlong Script error: No such module "Lang". "Heavenly Deaf" (with the character long Template:Linktext "deaf" combining the "ear radical" Template:Linktext and a long Script error: No such module "Lang". phonetic element) and Diya Script error: No such module "Lang". "Earthly Dumb" are legendary attendants to Wenchang Wang Script error: No such module "Lang"., the patron deity of literature.

Meanings

From originally denoting "heavenly dragon", Tianlong Script error: No such module "Lang". semantically developed meanings as Buddhist "heavenly Nāgas" or "Devas and Nāgas", "centipede", and "proper names" of stars, people, and places.

Dragons

Among Chinese classic texts, tian "heaven" and long "dragon" were first used together in Zhou dynasty (1122 BCE – 256 BCE) writings, but the word tianlong was not recorded until the Han dynasty (207 BCE – 220 CE).

The ancient Yijing "Book of Changes" exemplifies using tian "heaven" and long "dragon" together. Qian Script error: No such module "Lang". "The Creative", the first hexagram, says: Template:Text and translation Commentaries on these explain: Template:Text and translation Template:Text and translation

The earliest usage of tianlong Script error: No such module "Lang". "heavenly dragon", according to the Hanyu Da Cidian, is in the Xinxu Script error: No such module "Lang". "New Prefaces" by Liu Xiang (79–8 BCE). It records a story about Zigao, the Duke of Ye, who professed to love dragons.[2] After he carved and painted dragon images throughout his house, a [Script error: No such module "Lang".] heavenly dragon [or fulong Script error: No such module "Lang". in some editions] came to visit, but Ye was scared and ran away.

The Fangyan Script error: No such module "Lang". dictionary by Yang Xiong (53 BCE – 18 CE) has another early usage of tian and long. It defines panlong Script error: No such module "Lang". "coiled dragon" as Script error: No such module "Lang".,[3] syntactically meaning either "Dragons which do not yet ascend to heaven"[4] or "Heavenly Dragons which do not yet ascend".[5]

Asterisms

Tianlong Heavenly Dragon names both the Western constellation Draco and a star in the Chinese constellation Azure Dragon.

Tianlongza Script error: No such module "Lang". "Heavenly Dragon Seat/Constellation" is the Chinese translation of Draco (from Latin "Dragon"), a constellation near the north celestial pole. The (1578 CE) Bencao Gangmu pharmacopeia's entry for long "dragon" describes "a pearl under its chin",[6] and Read notes,

The constellation Draco has the appearance of guarding and encircling the northern pole which is the centre of the movement of the fixed stars. The Chinese paintings of the Dragon straining after a mystical "Pearl" undoubtedly relate to this relationship to the North Pole Star, though other explanations are given for this.[7]

Tianlong Script error: No such module "Lang". "Heavenly Dragon" is the 3rd star in Fangxiu Script error: No such module "Lang". "Room (Chinese constellation)" and corresponds to the Western constellation Scorpius. "Room" is the 4th of the Twenty-eight mansions in the Azure Dragon, which is one of the celestial Four Symbols. Wolfram Eberhard notes, "When the dragon star appeared in the sky it was customary to make a sacrifice supplicating for rain," and this springtime dragon festival occurs on the 2nd day of the 2nd month.[8]

Centipede

The Bencao Gangmu entry for wugong Script error: No such module "Lang". "centipede" lists tianlong Script error: No such module "Lang". "heavenly dragon" as an alternate name. Li Shizhen's commentary reviews earlier Chinese commentators and texts. The Zhuangzi says, "People eat meat, deer eat grass, [Script error: No such module "Lang".] giant centipedes savor snakes, hawks and crows relish mice."[9] The Huainanzi says, "The [Script error: No such module "Lang".] ascending snake can drift in the mist, yet it is endangered by the [Script error: No such module "Lang".] centipede."[10] The Erya dictionary defines jili Script error: No such module "Lang". "thorns; puncture vine; bramble" as jieju Script error: No such module "Lang". "centipede; cricket";[11] which Guo Pu's commentary says resembles a huang Script error: No such module "Lang". "locust" with a large abdomen, long horns, and which eats snake brains. Although jieju can also mean xishuai Script error: No such module "Lang". "cricket", Li concludes it means the snake-controlling wugong "centipede" that the Fangyan dictionary also calls maxian Script error: No such module "Lang". "horse/giant millipede" or juqu Script error: No such module "Lang"..[12] According to Eberhard, centipedes were snake predators, and "the enmity between snake and centipede occurs in many folktales and customs."[13]

Buddhist usages

In Chinese Buddhist terminology, tianlong means either "heavenly Nāgas (dragon gods)" or "Devas (heavenly gods) and Nāgas".

First, tianlong Script error: No such module "Lang". means "heavenly dragon/nāga" as the first of four nāga classes in Mahayana tradition.[14]

  1. Heavenly Nāgas (Script error: No such module "Lang".), who guard the Heavenly Palace and carry it so that it does not fall.
  2. Divine Nāgas (Script error: No such module "Lang".), who benefit mankind by causing the clouds to rise and the rain to fall.
  3. Earthly Nāgas (Script error: No such module "Lang".) who drain off rivers (remove the obstructions) and open sluices (outlets).
  4. Nāgas who are lying hidden (Script error: No such module "Lang".) who guard the treasures of the "Cakravartin" (Script error: No such module "Lang".) and blesses mankind.

Hangzhou Tianlong Script error: No such module "Lang". "Heavenly Dragon from Hangzhou" was a 9th-century Chan Buddhist master who enlightened Juzhi Yizhi by holding up one finger. The Blue Cliff Record (tr. Cleary 1977:123-8) calls this "Chu Ti's One-Finger Ch'an" kōan.

Second, tianlong Script error: No such module "Lang". translates Sanskrit deva-nāga "Devas and Nāgas", the 2 highest categories of the Tianlong Babu Script error: No such module "Lang". "8 kinds of beings that protect the Dharma". The lower 6 categories are yecha Script error: No such module "Lang". "Yaksha; cannibalistic devils; nature spirits", gantapo Script error: No such module "Lang". "Gandharva; half-ghost music masters", axiuluo Script error: No such module "Lang". "Asura; evil and violent demigods", jialouluo Script error: No such module "Lang". "Garuda; golden bird-like demons that eat dragons", jinnaluo Script error: No such module "Lang". "Kinnara; half-human half-bird celestial music masters", and maholuluojia Script error: No such module "Lang". "Mahoraga; earthly snake spirits".

Tianlong Babu Script error: No such module "Lang". is also the title of a 1963 wuxia novel by Jin Yong, translated as English Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. This Chinese title is further used by movies, television series, and a Massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

Proper names

Tianlong is a common name in Standard Chinese. Tianlongshan Script error: No such module "Lang". "Heavenly Dragon Mountain", which is located near Taiyuan in Shanxi, is famous for the Tianlongshan Shiku Grottoes (Script error: No such module "Lang".). The commercial name Tianlong "Heavenly Dragon" is used by companies, hotels, and gungfu schools.

File:Tenryu-Ji Garden.jpg
Tenryū-ji garden

Japanese Tenryū Script error: No such module "Lang". or Script error: No such module "Lang"., a loanword from Chinese Tianlong, is a comparable proper name. A famous example is Tenryū-ji Script error: No such module "Lang". "Heavenly Dragon Temple" in Kyoto, which is headquarters of the Tenryū-ji Branch of the Rinzai sect. Tenryū place names include a waterway (Tenryū River Script error: No such module "Lang".), a city (Tenryū, Shizuoka Script error: No such module "Lang".), and a village (Tenryū, Nagano Script error: No such module "Lang".). Further examples include Imperial Japanese Navy names (Japanese cruiser Tenryū Script error: No such module "Lang".), and personal names (Genichiro Tenryu Script error: No such module "Lang"., a wrestler).

References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". (Project Gutenberg eText 15250)
  2. ↑ (Yuan 2006:213)
  3. ↑ Fangyan ch. 12
  4. ↑ Visser 1913:73
  5. ↑ (Carr 1990:113)
  6. ↑ (Read 1934:301)
  7. ↑ (Read 1934:306-7)
  8. ↑ (Eberhard 1968:243)
  9. ↑ (2, tr. Mair 1994:20–21)
  10. ↑ (17, tr. Carr 1990:111)
  11. ↑ Erya dictionary, ch. 15
  12. ↑ Fangyan, ch. 11
  13. ↑ (Eberhard 1968:159)
  14. ↑ (tr. Visser 1913:21-2)

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  • Carr, Michael. 1990. "Chinese Dragon Names", Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area 13.2:87–189.
  • Cleary, Thomas and J. C. Cleary. 1977. The Blue Cliff Record. Shambhala.
  • Eberhard, Wolfram. 1968. The Local Cultures of South and East China. E. J. Brill.
  • Mair, Victor H. 1990. Tao Te Ching: The Classic Book of Integrity and the Way, by Lao Tzu; an entirely new translation based on the recently discovered Ma-wang-tui manuscripts. Bantam Books.
  • Read, Bernard E. 1934. "Chinese Materia Medica VII; Dragons and Snakes," Peking Natural History Bulletin 8.4:279–362.
  • Visser, Marinus Willern de. 1913. The Dragon in China and Japan Template:Webarchive. J. Müller.
  • Wilhelm, Richard and Cary F. Baynes. 1967. The I Ching or Book of Changes. Bollingen Series XIX, Princeton University Press.
  • Yuan, Haiwang. 2006. The Magic Lotus Lantern and Other Tales from the Han Chinese. Libraries Unlimited.
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