Feilong
Feilong(simplified Chinese:Phi long;traditional Chinese:Phi long;pinyin:fēilóng;Wade–Giles:fei lung;lit. "flying dragon" ) is alegendary creaturethat flies among clouds inChinese mythology.Feilong is aproper name,and is often used as a title for other ideas and objects.
Word[edit]
TheChinese dragonnamefeilongcombinesfeiPhiorPhi"fly; flying; hover; flutter" andlongLongorLong"dragon". ThisloanwordPhi longis pronounced asJapanesehiryū(Phi long),Koreanbiryong(비룡), andVietnamesephilong.The invertedLongfeiLong phiwas anera name(396–399 CE) during theLater LiangDynasty.[1]
The (121 CE)Shuowen Jiezi,the firstChinese characterdictionary, usesfeilongto defineda龖(written with 2Longdragons) "flying dragon; appearance of a dragon in flight".
Early references[edit]
Chinese classic textsfrequently mentionfeilongPhi long"flying dragons". The examples below are roughly arranged in chronological order, although some heterogeneous texts are of uncertain dates.
Yijing[edit]
The (5th–3rd centuries BCE)Yijing"Book of Changes" first usesfeilongto symbolize adarenĐại nhân"great person; accomplished person".QianCàn"The Creative", the firsthexagram,says,[2]"Nine in the fifth place means: Flying dragons in the heavens. It furthers one to see the great man." The "Commentary on the Decision" (Thoán truyện[3]), explains, "Because the holy man is clear as to the end and the beginning, as to the way in which each of the six stages completes itself in its own time, he mounts on them toward heaven as though on six dragons." And the "Commentary on the Images" (Tượng truyện[4]), says, "'Flying dragon in the heavens.' This shows the great man at work."
Many later texts, such as theZuozhuan,Shiji,andHanshuhistories, quote this "Flying dragons in the heavens" from theYijing.
Hanfeizi[edit]
The (3rd century BCE)Hanfeizi(Nan thế,[5]) quotesShen DaocontrastingfeilongPhi longwithtengsheĐằng xà"ascending/floating snake" to explain theLegalistconcept ofshiThế"political power; strategic advantage".
Shen Tzu said: "The flying dragon mounts the clouds and thet'engsnake wanders in the mists. But when the clouds dissipate and the mists clear, the dragon and the snake become the same as the earthworm and the large-winged black ant because they have lost that on which they ride. Where men of superior character are subjugated by inferior men, it is because their authority is lacking and their position is low. Where the inferior are subjugated by the superior, it is because the authority of the latter is considerable and their position is high.
Ames notes this Shen Dao quotation "is very close both in wording and in substance to" theShenzi(Uy đức) fragment, and "indeed, it could conceivably be an expansion and elaboration on it."
Lüshi Chunqiu[edit]
The (c. 3rd century BCE) encyclopedicLüshi Chunqiu(Cổ nhạc"Music of the Ancients",[6]) uses FeilongPhi long"Flying Dragon" as the name of a music master for the legendary rulerZhuanxu
The Sovereign Zhuanxu was born atRuo Riverand lived at Kongsang. Then he ascended to become a Sovereign who was truly a match for Heaven. When the winds true to the eight directions circulated, they made sounds likehya-hya,tsied-tsied,andtsyang-tsyang.The Sovereign Zhuanxu, being fond of these sounds, ordered Feilong to compose music in imitation of the Eight Winds, naming them "Supporting the Clouds" and using them in the worship of the Supreme Sovereign. He then ordered the [Đà] water-lizard to lead them as singing master, so the water-lizard reclined and, using his tail to beat his belly, made the soundbung-bung.
Zhuangzi[edit]
The (3rd–2nd centuries BC)DaoistZhuangzi(1)[8]describes ashenrenThần nhân"holy person" riding afeilong
He said that there is a Holy Man living on faraway Ku-she Mountain, with skin like ice or snow, and gentle and shy like a young girl. He doesn't eat the five grains, but sucks the wind, drinks the dew, climbs up on the clouds and mist, rides a flying dragon, and wanders beyond theFour Seas.By concentrating his spirit, he can protect creatures from sickness and plague and make the harvest plentiful.
Chuci[edit]
The (3rd–2nd centuries BCE)Chuciusesfeilongin two poems. TheLi SaoLy tao"On Encountering Trouble"[9]says,
Harness winged dragons to be my coursers; Let my chariot be of fine work of jade and ivory! How can I live with men whose hearts are strangers to me? I am going a far journey to be away from them.
The "Goddess of the Xiang"Tương quân[10]mentionsfeilongtwice.
North I go, drawn by my flying dragon, Steering my course to the Dong-ting lake: My sail is of fig-leaves, melilotus my rigging, An iris my flag-pole, my banner of orchids. Gazing at the distant Cen-yang mooring, I waft my magic across the Great River.... The stream runs fast through the stony shallow, And my flying dragon wings swiftly above it. The pain is more lasting if loving is faithless: She broke her tryst; she told me she had not time.
Huainanzi[edit]
The (2nd century BCE)Huainanziusesfeilongin two chapters.
"Evolution of Animals and Plants" (Địa hình huấn,[11]) mentionsfeilongwithyujiaVũ gia"winged excellence",fenghuangPhượng hoàng"phoenix", andluanLoan"a legendary phoenix-like bird; simurgh".
Winged Excellence gave birth to Flying Dragon. Flying Dragon gave birth to the phoenix (fenghuang). The phoenix gave birth to the simurgh (luan). The simurgh gave birth to ordinary birds. Feathered creatures in general are born from ordinary birds.
Edward H. Schaferfirst translatedluanassimurgh"a giant winged creature inPersian mythology".[12]
"Generalship and the Prevention of Anarchy" (Binh lược huấn,[13]) describes Daoist movement with the animal metaphors ofluan,qilin(instead ofyujia),fenghuang,andfeilong.
The movements of the Tao-inspired are like a spirit's emergence and a demon's action, unexpected and sudden, like the sudden shining of the stars and their sinking into darkness again; like the rising of the fabulous birdLuan,and the excitation of theLin,like the flight of the phoenix or the ascension of the dragon.
Baopuzi[edit]
The (c. 320 CE) DaoistBaopuzibyGe HongmentionsFeilongPhi long"flying dragon" and uses it as a graphic variant for the draconic mountain spiritFeifeiPhi phi"fly fly".[14]
Feilongoccurs describing a DaoistxianTiên"transcendent; immortal" (6),[15]"When my eyes have square pupils and my ears grow from the top of my head; when, driving a flying dragon and riding a cloud of good fortune, I shall mount above the darted lightning and reach Lighted-from-below, how will you be able to interrogate me? If you see me, you will then cry out that it is a heaven or an earth deity, or a strange sort of man. It will never occur to you to say that I am something produced by mere study!"
Feifeioccurs withkuiQuỳ"a one-legged demon" in a list ofshanxiaoSơn tiêu"mountain spirits" (l7),[16]"Another is like a dragon, variegated in color and with red horns, the name being Fei-fei. Whenever one of these appears, shout its name, and it will not dare harm you."
Other texts[edit]
Feilongoccurs in many additional contexts. Carr cites two examples.[17]TheXijingfuTây kinh phú"Western Metropolis Rhapsody", byZhang Heng(78–139 CE), usedfeilongas an alternate name for the mythical bird calledlongqueLong tước"dragon sparrow".BichengBút thừa"Collection of Notes", by Jiao HongTiêu hồng(1540–1620 CE), described thefeilongas having "a dragon's head, phoenix's tail, and multicolored patterns", and equated it with thewind godFeilianPhi liêm.
Proper names[edit]
Feilong,Hiryū,andFlying Dragoncommonly occur in names.
ChineseFeilong(flying dragon) is also used to name:
- Feilong, a jumpingkickinmartial arts
- Fei Lung,a British-built gunboat in theGuangdong Fleet
- Fei Long (FL), a family ofSilkworm missiles(e.g., theC-101)
- Fei-Long,avideo game characterin theStreet Fighterseries
- Fei Long, a tribe inSurvivor: Chinatelevision series
- FEILONG, call sign ofChina Flying Dragon Aviation
- Fei lung maang jeung (Phi long mãnh tương) orDragons Forever,aHong Kong action cinema
- Yang Feilong (Dương phi long), a 3rd-century ruler ofChouchi
- Fu Feilong (Phù phi long), a 4th-century deputy ofFu Pi
- Ling Fei-long (Lĩnh phi long), a character in theDragon Fistmanga
- Liu Fei Long (Lưu phi long), a character inTarget in the Findermanga
JapaneseHiryū(flying dragon) names:
- Hiryū,a Japaneseaircraft carrier
- Hiryū, a type ofMitsubishi Ki-67medium bomber
- Hiryū, a chess piece inDai shogi
- Hiryū no ken (Phi long の quyền)Flying Dragon,a video game
- Hiryū002, a train inThe Galaxy Railwaysanime series
- Strider Hiryu,a video game character
- There is a minor My Hero Academia (a manga and anime) character named Hiryu Rin. He is from China and his Chinese name is Feilong Lin.
English has additional Feilong "Flying Dragon" names.
- Feilongus,a genus ofpterosaurs
- Feilongshania,a genus oftrilobites
- Flying dragon orDraco volans,a species ofAgaminaegliding lizards
- Flying Dragon,a sculpture by Alexander Calder
References[edit]
- The Songs of the South: An Anthology of Ancient Chinese Poems by Qu Yuan and Other Poets.Translated by Hawkes, David. Penguin. 1985.
- Alchemy, Medicine and Religion in the China of A.D. 320: The 'Nei Pien' of Ko Hung.Translated by Ware, James R.MIT Press.1966.
- Wilhelm, Richard;Baynes, Cary F.(1967).The I Ching or Book of Changes.Bollingen Series XIX. Princeton University Press.
Footnotes
- ^Ingersoll,Ernest, et al., (2013).The Illustrated Book of Dragons and Dragon Lore.Chiang Mai:Cognoscenti Books.
- ^Tr.Wilhelm & Baynes 1967,p. 9.
- ^Tr.Wilhelm & Baynes 1967,p. 371.
- ^Tr.Wilhelm & Baynes 1967,p. 371.
- ^Tr.Ames, Roger T.1983.The Art of Rulership: A Study of Ancient Chinese Political Thought.University of Hawaii Press. p. 74.
- ^Tr. Knoblock, John and Jeffrey Riegel, trs. 2000.The Annals of Lü Buwei: A Complete Translation and Study.Stanford: Stanford University Press. p. 148.
- ^Werner, E.T.C.(1922).Myths & Legends of China.New York City: George G. Harrap & Co.Available onlineatProject Gutenberg.
- ^Watson, Burton, tr. 1968.The Complete Works of Chuang-Tzu.Columbia University Press. p. 33.ISBN9780231031479.
- ^Hawkes 1985,p. 77.
- ^Hawkes 1985,p. 107.
- ^Tr. Major, John S. 1993.Heaven and Earth in Early Han Thought: Chapters Three, Four, and Five of the Huainanzi.SUNY Press. p. 209. Cf. Visser, Marinus Willern de. 1913.The Dragon in China and Japan.J. Müller. p. 65.
- ^Schafer, Edward H.1963.The Golden Peaches of Samarkand, a Study of T'ang Exotics.University of California Press. pp. 38, 288.
- ^Tr. Morgan 1933:196.[full citation needed]
- ^Eberhard, Wolfram. 1968.The Local Cultures of South and East China.E. J. Brill. p. 58.
- ^Ware 1966,p. 111.
- ^Ware 1966,p. 287.
- ^Carr, Michael. 1990."Chinese Dragon Names",Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area13.2:87-189. p. 115.