登陆注册
2414000000012

第12章 Introduction of China介绍中国(11)

From primitive times people have regarded the Long as an auspicious creature with the power to bless and influence their lives。 As tribes fought for domination and came to be united under a common banner the Long was adopted as a national icon。 Such was the mysterious creature’s power it was regarded as the god of rain, thunder, the rainbow, and the stars。 In a society that was founded upon agriculture and animal husbandry totally reliant upon its natural environment and in particular the climate, the dragon was worshipped as the source of all that was beneficial to communal well being。 This concept has been sustained for thousands of years as more and more deification was bestowed upon the dragon ranging from being a bringer of joy to prophecy and miracles。 With the establishment of a feudal society, emperors compared themselves to the Long thereby making it the exclusive symbol of imperial majesty。 Anyone who subsequently used the Long as a symbol either intentionally or erroneously could be regarded as offending their ruler and condemned to death。

The image of the Long has undergone a series of changes over the centuries becoming more and more mighty and beautiful。 The original illustration on primitive bronze ware portrays it as ferocious and mysterious; in the Han Dynasty (206BC–220), it became magnificent and unrestrained; while during the Tang Dynasty (618–907), it was personalized as gentle, tamed and graceful。 From the Song Dynasty onwards (960–1279), the design became delicate and flowery。

There are several different kinds of Long according to color, which may be yellow, blue, black, white or red。 Of these the most highly revered was the yellow Long and so each emperor wore a gown decorated with a yellow Long pattern。

Although there are differences in appearance, the basics are similar。 This is because it is a combination of the features of animals with which people were familiar。 A Long has a protruding forehead indicating wisdom and antlers。 Its ox’s ears denote success in the imperial examination; it has tiger’s eyes as a sign of power; eagle’s claws showing bravery; while a fish’s tail implies flexibility and the horse’s teeth are a mark of diligence and so on。

2龙的分类及意义

(1)龙的分类

Jiao Long蛟龙

Chi Long螭龙

Qiu Long虬龙

Ying Long应龙

(2)有关龙的说法

Many Chinese people often use the term “Descendants of the Long” as a sign of ethnic identity, as part of a trend started in the 1970s when different Asian nationalities were looking for animal symbols for representations。 The wolf was used among the Mongols, the monkey among Tibetans。

A number of Chinese proverbs and idioms also feature references to the Long, for example: “hoping one’s son will become a Long ”。

龙,作为我们中国人的一种独特文化的凝聚和积淀,已扎根和深藏于我们每个人的潜意识里头,不但人们的日常生活、生老病死几乎都打上了龙文化的烙印,而且龙文化的视角、龙文化的审美意识已渗透了我国社会文化的各个领域、各个方面。龙在中国传统文化中是权势、高贵、尊荣的象征,又是幸运和成功的标志。

Key words & Sentences

关键词句全知道

Long is a symbol of the Chinese nation。 Long is China in the world。

龙象征中华民族,国际上龙就是中国。

Long, phoenix, unicorn, and tortoise are called the “four auspicious”。

龙与凤凰、麒麟、龟并称“四瑞兽”。

In western myth, dragon is a winged animal。

西方神话中龙是带翼的动物。

The Long appears in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar。

龙是中国传统十二生肖之一。

The Long is a very auspicious animal。

龙是一个很吉祥的动物。

Long has been linked with the imperial power for very long time, since the Yellow Emperor’s age。

龙与皇权挂钩的历史也很久远,从黄帝时就开始了。

The Year of the Long is associated with the earthly branch symbol。 Honest, sensitive, and brave, these individuals are compatible with Rats, Snakes, Monkeys and Roosters too。

龙年也有世俗的象征——诚实、敏感、勇敢,这些也符合老鼠、蛇、猴子、公鸡的特征。

Malevolent dragons also occur in the mythology of Persia and other places。

在波斯和其他的一些国家的神话传说中,龙也有代表邪恶的意思。

The saying, Chinese people are the offspring of the Long came from the ancient totem and tales。

俗话说,中国人是龙的传人,它来自古老的图腾与故事。

After unification of the tribes, Huang Di decided to use a new form of totem。 It is called Long。

统一部落后,黄帝决定使用一种新形式的图腾,也就是龙。

It is said that the head of the original bear and the body of a snake form the Long。

据说是熊的头和蛇的身体组成了龙的样子。

Long is the symbol of the emperor in the feudal age, and also used to refer to the imperial and imperial’s things, such as imperial crowns, palace, etc。

封建时代龙作为帝王的象征,也用来指帝王和帝王的东西,如龙袍、龙宫等。

Winged dragon is called Ying Dragon with a history about seven thousand years。

有翼的龙称为应龙,至今约有7000年的历史。

The prototype of Long has been burgeoning in the late Neolithic Age。

龙的雏形在新石器时代晚期已萌芽。

The Long King faith is produced by the rise of the Buddhism。

龙王信仰是随着佛教的兴起而产生的。

Long has five fingers。

龙有五根手指。

Long types varied, but basically close to reptiles。

龙的种类多种多样,但基本上接近爬行动物。

Most Longs have hard scales covering themselves with strange colors, mostly red, green, black and gold, etc。

绝大多数的龙都有坚硬的鳞片覆盖,它们的颜色也千奇百怪,多数是红、绿、黑和金色等。

All of the Longs will get more ability and more power because of the age increasing。

所有的龙都会随着年龄增长而获得更多的能力与更强的力量。

They live to be more than thousands of years, and maybe at birth they are only a few feet dragon, but they can achieve100 feet when they are Taigu Long。

它们的寿命超过千年,在出生时也许只有几英尺,但长到太古龙时则达到100英尺。

The primitive dragon’s appearance is like a huge winged serpent, some with legs and some do not。

最原始的龙则是庞大的有翅膀的巨蛇模样,有的长着脚,有的则没有。

China is the hometown of Long。

中华大地是龙的故乡。

In traditional auspicious patterns in China, the “Long and Phoenix” is a good pattern。

在中国传统的吉祥图案中,“龙凤呈祥”是很好看的一种。

Let’s Talk!

开始交流吧!

Li Mei: Do you know this animal?

李梅:你知道这是什么动物吗?

Mike: It looks like a snake, but with a little bigger head, but also a bit likes a lizard, what on earth is it?

迈克:看起来像蛇,可头好像大了点,又有点像蜥蜴,到底是什么啊?

Li Mei: Have you ever heard a song called Long’s offspring?

李梅:你听过一首歌叫“龙的传人”吗?

Mike: Yeah, it is singed by Lee Hom。

迈克:听过,王力宏唱的。

Li Mei: This is the Long。

李梅:这就是龙。

Mike: Ah, why do you called yourselves the successor?

迈克:啊,为什么说你们是它的传人啊?

Li Mei: This is the Chinese Long culture。 The Long has always been a part of our lives, but whether it is real or just a kind of totem, no one can say it clearly。

李梅:这是我们中国人的龙文化啊。龙一直存在于我们的生活中,但它到底是真实存在还是只是一种图腾,到现在也没人能说得清楚啊。

Mike: What does the Long represent?

迈克:龙代表什么呢?

Li Mei: The Long is a symbol of good fortune, power and elegance。

李梅:龙是一种吉祥的象征,是权势与高贵的象征。

Mike: No wonder then, in short, it is the symbol of a good side。

同类推荐
  • 高考英语词汇考点手册

    高考英语词汇考点手册

    词汇是语言学习的重要组成部分。听、说、读、写、译诸项技能的培养与提高,都离不开扎实的词汇基础。《高考英语词汇考点手册》堪称一本多功能的英语工具书。相信《高考英语词汇考点手册》给你提供的是一条学习和记忆单词的有效算途径,能让你收入到意想不到的效果。
  • 用耳朵听最优美的名著

    用耳朵听最优美的名著

    系列图书精选的各类故事、散文、演讲、时文及名著片段,均用词精准简洁,语句流畅优美,将引领你进入趣、情、爱与理的博大世界,使你更加充满信心地去追求梦想。这里有嘻嘻哈哈的幽默故事,有体会幸福与生活的感悟故事,有帮你战胜挫折给你勇气的故事,有闪烁着人性光辉的美德故事,有发人深省的智慧故事,也有在成长路上给你动力的哲理故事。相信本系列图书能为你展现一个美丽新世界并使您的英语学习更上一层楼。
  • 商务英语公关900句典

    商务英语公关900句典

    本书分为办公室篇和商务公关篇两大部分。办公室篇主要介绍在办公室内的公关交际活动,包括电话业务、礼仪接待、求职面试、统筹安排等内容。商务公关篇主要围绕“做买卖”这主题,从联系业务、参观访问、会议商谈、签订合同等各方面详细地地介绍在公关方面的礼仪和技巧。
  • 罗马帝国衰亡史

    罗马帝国衰亡史

    罗马帝国衰亡史(套装1—6册)》以堂皇宏阔的篇幅,叙述了罗马帝国从公元2世纪安东尼时代的赫赫盛极,到1453年君士坦丁堡陷落时黯然谢幕的1300多年的历史风貌。作者在近400万的洋洋文字中,既发怀古之幽思,悲怆叹惋千年帝国的无奈衰颓乃至烟灭;又阐思辨之深彻,诠释剖析盛衰兴替的永恒历史命题。
  • 世界500强企业都在用的国际英文合同大全集

    世界500强企业都在用的国际英文合同大全集

    《世界500强企业都在用的国际英文合同大全集》在介绍英语合同基础知识的基础上,分析英语合同的语言特点和常用词汇及句型,并为读者提供了各类合同实例并加以注释和翻译以方便大家学习。本书最后还提供了国际法规与惯例相关条款及合同术语中英文对照辅助资料,内容从易到难,循序渐进,让您一步一步掌握商务英语合同。
热门推荐
  • 缠绵宠婚:冷少,坏

    缠绵宠婚:冷少,坏

    她是最为出名的基地的王,拥有自己的帝国担负着比其他人更为沉重的责任。她的身份神秘、高贵、无人能及,但却被父赶出家门。在外人面前她是女王,可在自家人面前她活的犹如仆人。他是龙家最骄傲的儿子、是天之娇子,从小到大见到他的人都会对他另眼相看可却还有人对他不屑一顾。初次见面他们不欢而散,却不想两人接二连三凑到一起,他不知道何时起她住进了他心里,却一直不去承认,直到她出事躺在病床上昏睡不醒……
  • 太宰治小说经典套装(全三册)

    太宰治小说经典套装(全三册)

    日本无赖派文学大师太宰治小说集;以别出心裁的独特视角和纤细优美的文笔,书写其对人生的哀叹与嘲弄。无奈与讽刺,愤懑与惆怅,交织出对阴郁颓废的毁灭美学的悲情演绎。
  • 守物语

    守物语

    守物语,一个怪里怪气的书名将为大家展开一系列的守护之战
  • 故事会(2015年3月上)

    故事会(2015年3月上)

    朋友告诉我,她最近新认识一个男人,双方趣味相投,有点想继续发展的意思。但问题是,男人双鱼座,她是白羊座,别人都说这俩星座不搭,问我怎么办。我想了想,给朋友讲了个故事:有个女孩,她曾经读过一篇关于睡姿的文章,说专家经调查分析,得出以下结论—向左睡的人自私,向右睡的人大度,仰面睡的人稳重,趴着睡的人粗心。女孩上了大学,一个宿舍四个人,搬进去第一天,大家都熟睡了,女孩忽然想起那篇文章,就好奇地悄悄起身观察,发现三人中只有阿宝是朝左睡的。那天之后,女孩总忘不了“向左睡的人自私”,开始和阿宝保持距离。
  • IT人在路上

    IT人在路上

    上海交通大学的校友,从学校毕业后,走上社会,其中有不少人走上了创业之路,其中的一些人创业已经基本成功。我们挑选了11个创业有所成绩的公司作为案例,编写了这本《IT人在路上》,叙述了这些创业者在创业过程中的心路历程,并从就学、家庭教育、爱好等方面剖析一个创业者成功的奥秘。此书可供IT行业从业者、商界人士,以及准备创业的年轻人阅读,从中获取创业的经验。
  • 月若云,忆永世

    月若云,忆永世

    一边为了家族,一边为了自己所爱......如果是你,你会如何选择呢?
  • 帝妃绝恋:慕蝶情缘

    帝妃绝恋:慕蝶情缘

    原本他以为帝位于他只是不相干的东西,谁想要都可以拿去,自己的生命也是可以随便失去的,遇见她,才明白自己想要活下去,想要和她一起活下去……
  • 六道众生姻缘记

    六道众生姻缘记

    在阴间,有一本记事簿,乃生死簿的子簿,名曰:灵婚簿。上面写着在尘世间的每一个人的姻缘,配偶个头高矮,性情如何,长相美丑,身体是否健康,财富程度几多,等等一切都早已记录在册!喜欢的朋友请加QQ交流群:258157211
  • 通玄真经缵义释音

    通玄真经缵义释音

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 七十二候考

    七十二候考

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。