Cover News Reporter Wen Kanglin
There is a folk saying in our country that "the dragon gives birth to nine sons, all of whom are different." When did the "Nine Sons of the Dragon" arose? There are different opinions on which dragons there are and what their names are.
Where did the Nine Dragon Sons come from?
The origin of the saying "nine sons born from a dragon" cannot be verified. During the two Song dynasties, scholars Zeng Zhen included the entry "Nine Sons of a Dragon" in "Lei Shuo": ""Nine Sons of a Dragon": In the first battle of the gourd, there is a dragon following, and the nine sons self-determine and the mouth goes up, splashing and flowing. Several miles away." However, "Leishuo" does not record the names and temperaments of the Nine Sons. It seems that the legend of the Nine Sons has not yet been enriched.
Yang Shen (1488-1559) of the Ming Dynasty said in "Cipin" that he had seen Lu Wenliang's (1436-1497) "Shuyuan Miscellaneous Notes" record: ""Natural History·Yipian" said that Long Nine sons are born, but they all have their own interests..." "Natural History" is a collection of novels about strange things written by Zhang Hua (232-300 AD), a naturalist in the Western Jin Dynasty. The content is all-encompassing. If what Lu Rong said is true, there was a saying that "the dragon gave birth to nine sons" as early as the Western Jin Dynasty.
The earliest works that have completely included the "Nine Sons of the Dragon" are "Huailutang Collection" by Li Dongyang (1447-1516) in the Ming Dynasty and "Sheng'an Collection" by Yang Shen. In Li Dongyang's time, few people knew what the "Nine Sons of Dragon Born" specifically meant. When Li Dongyang was asked about the names of the Nine Sons, he didn't know it himself. He only remembered seeing it in a miscellaneous book when he was young. Li Dongyang was smart and eager to learn, and he was not ashamed to ask questions. He asked the editor Luo Qi for advice. Luo Qi didn't know, so he asked his own teacher for advice, and then he recorded five or six of the nine sons. Li Dongyang also consulted Liu Ji, a member of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and Foreign Affairs. Liu Ji found some entries from his own notes, but he did not write down the specific sources. Li Dongyang compared and sorted out the records of Luo and Liu, and finally got the number of nine sons.
From the small incident of Li Dongyang organizing "Nine Sons of a Dragon", we can also see that our cultural inheritance is not easy. If no one records and organizes it, the culture will be lost. However, deviations and differences may occur during the process of cultural organization and inheritance. Yang Shen's "Sheng'an Collection" also records that the dragon gave birth to nine sons. He said that Li Dongyang told him, but the nine sons he recorded are different from Li Dongyang's record.
Nine sons born in a dragon cannot become a dragon
According to Li Dongyang, nine sons born in a dragon are the following nine sons:
Prisoner Niu
The eldest prisoner cow is shaped like a yellow dragon with scales and horns. He likes music and is usually engraved on musical instruments. .
睚禦
睚禦(yá zì), the second child, is in the shape of a dragon body and a jackal's head, with a sword in its mouth and an angry look. It has a strong personality, is murderous and aggressive. The so-called "睚禦will retaliate" is usually engraved on the sword ring and the swallowing part of the sword hilt.
Chaofeng and Chiki, Chiki, Chiki, etc. are sometimes considered to be the same kind of dragon
Laosan Chaofeng, which is a terrifying bird in shape, like an angry phoenix. It likes to live in dangerous heights. It is usually engraved on In the corner of the palace or on the roof.
Pulao
Laosi Pulao, also known as "Yi Lao", is shaped like a dragon but is very small and likes to chirp loudly. It is usually the animal button on the top of the bell that is used to carry the beam. Legend has it that Pulao lives on the seaside and is afraid of whales. He will chirp when he encounters a whale. Therefore, the big bell with the image of Pulao is usually struck with a bell depicting the image of a whale to make the bell sound louder.
Suān ní, also known as "Golden Ni" and "Suan Ni", is the ancient name of the lion. It is said to be one of the nine sons of the dragon. It is usually engraved on Buddha seats, incense burners, bronze mirrors and Up the spine beast.
Lao Liubaxia, also known as "turtle", "fill" and "dragon turtle", is shaped like a turtle with teeth, likes to carry heavy loads, and is strong enough to carry three mountains and five mountains. It is usually engraved on the bottom of stone tablets and pillars.
狴犴
老七狴犴 (bì àn), also called "charter", is shaped like a tiger or lion head, majestic and litigious, and is usually carved on the prison door.
Baxia, Bixi, and Negative Xi sometimes refer to the same kind of dragon
Laoba Bixi (bì xì), sometimes called "Baxia", sometimes called "Negative Xi", elegant and elegant, shaped like a dragon, generally coiled On top or on the sides of stone tablets with text.
"鸱kiss" (鸱tail) is also considered to be the evolution of "鸱风", and some also call it Chi kiss, Chi kiss, etc.
老九詩 Kiss (chī wěn), also called "Chi (chī) kiss" "Chī" kiss, "鸱tail", "鸱甍(méng)", "Haowang", "Aoyu", "water unicorn", etc., are shaped like dragon heads and fish bodies, and also like tailless lizards. They like to eat fire and like to swim in the water. Looking east and west at a high place, it is usually installed on the ridge or roof of the palace.
Among them, sometimes the folk combine Baxia and Bixi together with the stone stele into one, commonly known as Bixi, which is responsible for carrying heavy loads. Sometimes "Chiki" and "Chaofeng" on the ridge or roof of the temple are also considered to be the same kind of dragon son. "Owl kiss" (Owl tail) is also considered to have evolved from "Mocking the Wind", both of which are bird images.
According to Yang Shen, the eldest child is Bixi, who likes to bear heavy loads; the second child is Chiqi; the third child is Pulao; the fourth child is Bifan; the fifth child is Taotie (tāo tiè), with the shape of a sheep body and a human face, eyes. Under the armpits, tiger-toothed hands are very greedy; Lao Liu is (worm eight) (worm summer) (bā xià), often mistaken for "earth viper", loves water, and is usually carved on bridge pillars, bridge heads or bridge bottoms , also used as the mythical beast that drips water from the roof; the seventh child is the 睚禜; the eighth child is the golden zodiac rabbit; the ninth child is the pepper picture (jiāo tú), which is shaped like a snail and a clam. It is often closed and likes to be secluded. The ring on the door is paved. It is the first beast.
pepper picture
the dragon gave birth to nine sons
Yang Shen also recorded a Kingo, who looked like a mermaid, had a pair of wings, was psychic, did not sleep, and was generally responsible for vigilance and patrolling.
Didn’t it say that the dragon gave birth to nine sons? Why did Yang Shen also record ten sons? In our country's traditional culture, nine is extremely noble among numbers and is the ultimate yang number. If three, it can mean more, and nine can be considered the ultimate number, endless.
The dragon gave birth to nine sons, which is actually not a specific number. It can be regarded as the dragon having endless descendants. Xie Zhaozhe (1567-1624) recorded in the "Wu Za Group" that in addition to "Pulao is good at singing, prison cattle are good at sound, Chi kisses are good at swallowing, mocking the wind is good at danger, Jizhi is good at killing, negative pigeons are good at writing, Biuan is good at litigation, Suan is good at lawsuits, In addition to "the leopard is good for sitting, the bully is good for carrying heavy loads", there are also "the charter is good for prisoners, the glutton is good for water, the cricket is good for fish, the oyster (kē líng) is good for wind and rain, the chi tiger is good for literary talent, the golden leopard is good for smoke, and the pepper picture is good Keep your mouth shut, the tiger likes to take risks, the turtle likes to be angry, and King Wu doesn't sleep." Some just have different names, and some are new mythical beasts added during evolution. Why are there so many dragon species? Is it because there is really a throne to be inherited? Xie Zhaozhe believes that "dragons are sexually promiscuous and have intercourse with everything, so they only have many ears." He also listed some dragon species: "When a dragon intercourses with an ox, it will produce a lin; if it intercourses with a hog, it will produce an elephant; if it intercourse with a horse, it will produce an elephant." , then a dragon and a horse will be born." In the ancient people's concept, the dragon not only gave birth to nine sons, it can be said that the dragon gave birth to all things. "Huainanzi" says: "All things with feathers and scales are all descended from the dragon."
The legend of "nine sons from a dragon" can give us three levels of enlightenment. First, nine sons from a dragon cannot become a dragon, which means that the son of a dragon may not be able to become a dragon. To become a dragon, "dragon begets dragon, phoenix begets phoenix, mouse's son can dig holes" and other theories of blood and origin are not enough. Secondly, none of the nine sons born to dragons will become dragons. Why do you parents have to be "chicken babies" and insist on hoping that your children will become dragons? The third is that "a dragon gives birth to nine sons who do not become a dragon, and each has his own good." The nine sons did not become a dragon because they each have their own good. As long as they use their own expertise, they can also show their magical powers. Although they are not as majestic as their fathers, they still have their own talents. Each child is an independent individual. After becoming themselves, they can still frighten demons and drive away disasters like their parents.
(picture taken from Sichuan Museum's "Dragon Walking in China" New Year Special Exhibition)
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