中国龙 Chinese Dragon

在中国人的节日和日常生活中，到处都能看到这个神采奕奕的形象。
During holidays, and in everyday-life of the Chinese people, there is a certain mythical figure that is present everywher.

这就是中国龙。
This figure is called a “sinosaurus”, or a Chinese dragon.

与西方文化中龙的形象不同。
This dragon differs from the dragons in the Western tales.

作为一种现实中并不存在的神物，龙在华夏民族的心里占据着不可替代的位置。
As an idol，that is nonexistent in science and reality, the dragon has a position in the hearts of the Chinese people that is irreplaceable.

龙这种形象大约起源于新石器时代早期。
The image of the dragon probably originated from the early Neolithic period.

传说中，华夏民族的祖先伏羲和女娲都是人面蛇身的。
The fable is that the Chinese ancestors Fu Xi and Nv Wa both had human faces with a snake-like body.

当华夏民族的祖先统一中原各部落后，揉合各氏族的图腾形成了龙的形象。
The dragon was formed when the Chinese ancestors united the various tribes along the Yellow River,and wove together the totem images of all the clans.

因此在龙的身上可以看到许多动物的影子。
This is why the images of many animals can be found in the dragon.

在中国的神话与传说中，龙的形象具有蛇身、蜥脚、鹰爪、蛇尾、鹿角和鱼鳞。
In the Chinese folklore, the dragon has a snake’s body, a lizard’s legs, an eagle’s claws, a snake’s tail,a deer’s antler, and a fish’s scales.

在中国人心目中，龙是一种具有超凡力量的神异动物，被中国先民作为祖神敬奉。
For the Chinese, it has long been a potent symbol of auspicious power, and is therefore worshipped religiously.

龙还能控制天气，能兴云雨，利万物。
It is also associated with the weather, as the bringer of rain and water.

中国人常常自称为“龙的传人”。
Many Chinese people often use the term “Descendants of the Dragon” as a sign of ethnic identity.

在封建社会里，龙的形象一直是皇帝和皇权的象征。
During the feudal period, the dragon served as the symbol of the emperors and imperial authority.

历代帝王都自称是龙的化身。
The rulers of every dynasty referred to themselves as the incarnation of the dragon.

因此他们使用的物品大多都装饰有龙的图案。
This is why everything in the imperial palace was decorated with dragon designs.

据说，在清朝皇宫的主殿“太和殿”里，就装饰有大大小小12654条龙。
It is said that there were 12,654 dragon decorations in the “Taihe Palace” alone, the main lobby of the Qing Dynasty imperial palace.

而整个皇宫里的龙，就更是不计其数了。
Considering this, the total number of dragons in the entire palace must be countless.

中国的民俗节日中，有不少是与龙有关的。
Many of China’s folk celebrations are dragon-related.

如农历的二月二，是汉族的“龙抬头节”。
For example, February 2nd of the Lunar Calendar is the “Dragon Awakening Holiday” for the Hans.

这时正值惊蛰、春分时节，民俗认为蛰伏一冬的龙，在这一天开始抬头活动，从这以后雨水也就多起来了。
This occurs during the spring equinox season, and people believe this is when the dragon wakes up from its winter hibernation.

人们庆祝这个节日，祈求一年风调雨顺好收成。
They celebrate this holiday in hopes of fair weather and a good crop yield in the coming year.

进入现代社会后，龙逐渐由神物演变为吉祥物。
In modern society, the dragon has gradually shed its role as an idol, and has become a mascot figure.

它以盘旋、飞腾等各种形式，在社会生活的各个方面占据着醒目的位置。
It prances as well as soars, occupying the center of attention in many social events.

作为一种吉祥物，龙含有腾飞、成功、开拓、创造等寓意。
As the mascot figure of China, the dragon signifies success, hard work, and creativity.

被认为是美丽而友好的，并且充满了智慧。
It is considered not only beautiful and friendly, but also filled with wisdom.

它给老百姓带来好运，给国家带来繁荣昌盛。
It brings good luck to common people, and an expanding economy to the country.

象征着人类社会与大自然的和谐相处。
It symbolizes the harmony that exists between civilization and nature.

卧虎藏龙
Crouching tiger, hidden dragon.