The western dragon and the Chinese dragon are different in images and species, why are they all called DRAGON when translated into English?

In Western movies and books, we often see the dark and powerful evil dragon in The Lord of the Rings, the compassionate and intelligent Night Fury in How to Train Your Dragon, and the fire-spitting & warrior-fighting fire dragon in Harry Potter.

When comparing dragons in our culture, it is obvious that Chinese dragons and Western dragons are so different that they seem to have no relation, but why are they both called dragons?

The Western dragons we remember are usually huge, with feathery bat wings. It has a large body, four thick claws, scales all over, dark skin, and be good at breathing fire. Most importantly, they embody evil and have strong magical powers.

On the other hand, the Chinese dragon has a crocodile-head & snake-body, horns on the head, lion hair on the back, four claws, meandering body, and fish scales all over the body. The classic image of the dragon is the Dragon King who summons wind and rain to keep good harvest.

Impression of Chinese and Western dragons:

Although the Chinese dragon and the Western dragon do not belong to the same species in appearance, they share common characteristics. They can all fly, and fly fas. Although the Western dragon has wings, the Ying Long (one of Chinese Dragon) also has wings. Both are huge and strong.

They all have sharp claws and can catch their prey in the sky like eagles. They are covered with scales and have strong magical powers. In both China and the West, the dragon is a symbol of powerand great strength, and a mysterious and dangerous creature.

In the West, dragons are often portrayed as evil, but also powerful and fierce national guardians; In China, they are mostly portrayed as positive, but also evil dragons who do floods to harm people.

The image of the Chinese dragon has a long history:

The Chinese dragon originally appeared as a totem and a collection of different animals. According to legend, it was the Yellow Emperor’s tribe eliminating and merging many of the tribes, added the body of snake and the horns of deer, and later the head of horse, claws of eagle, fish scales to the tribe’s totem. After a long evolution, it has formed the familiar image of the dragon.

In the Shang Dynasty of ancient China, the dragon became an official symbol of power and status. The “Son of Heaven” depicted the dragon on flags and robes, the dragon pattern appeared on bronzes. Because the dragon had great power, it became an ideal object for rulers.

As we all know, Chinese civilization is an ancient agricultural civilization, and the image of dragon is adapted to it at all times. The tribe that created the Dragon Totem was originally the strongest in hunting.

With the development of agriculture, the dragon gradually revealed the image of Dragon King, able to bring wind and rain. For agricultural civilization, rain and wind are the most important wishes of farmers. It is based on these wishes that the rituals of asking for rain or building temples to worship the dragon King spontaneously arose. Both rulers and common people, and are still practiced in some places to this day.

Translation in history:

As early as 1299, in the Travels of Marco Polo, the Chinese Long was referred to as the dragon. In the Qing Dynasty, missionaries Bai Jin and Zeng Dezhao translated the Long from the Book of Changes into Latin and called it Draco.

Foreigners who came to China and saw that the image of the Chinese Dragon was similar to their own image, then they made this translation. The ranslation was adopted or used by later generations for various reasons and has been passed down to this day.

Foreigners coming to China not only have to overcome language problems, but also have a certain understanding of traditional culture, so that they can translate confidently and gracefully.

An accurate translation of the Chinese Dragon requires not only understanding mythology, but also familiarity with folklore; not only appreciating masculinity, but also seeing the people beneath it.

Of course, foreigners like Marco Polo, who had a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and had a significant impact on Sino-foreign cultural exchanges, would also have ambiguities in translation.

Origin of mythology:

Whether Chinese or Western dragons, their images have become indispensable to mythological stories. Thousands of years later, according to different legends and stories, their images and attributes may be different, but they may have some commonalities that leave a constant impression on people.

In Greek mythology, dragons appear in the form of Typhon, Ladon Hydra and Python. Typhon is a huge dragon with a hundred snakeheads, was defeated by Zeus in a battle for domination of the universe. Ladon is a serpentine dragon with a hundred heads, guarded the golden apples in the garden of Hesperides and was killed by Hercules. Hydra is a huge water snake with poisonous blood and many heads, one of which is immortal, and it is killed by Hercules with sword and fire. Dragons also appear in English mythology. In the English legend St. George and the Dragon, dragon lives in ponds and poison the countryside, and then villagers offer sheep and people as sacrifices. One day, a princess becomes a sacrifice, and St. George saves her by killing the dragon. The myth above tells us that the dragon is a symbol of evil, the darkness of human nature, it is fierce, cruel, violent and greedy.

Chinese dragon is also depicted in Chinese mythology, which has the dragon king as the highest class of existence. Dragon species include Ying Long, Jiao Long, Xiao Long, River Dragon, Well Dragon and so on. In the Book of Mountains and Seas, a collection of Chinese myths, there is a description of Ying Long: Ying Long was a divine creature living in the sky who helped the Yellow Emperor defeat Chiyou who was the God of War. After the war between the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou, Ying Long was unable to return to heaven due to his injuries, took a rest in southern China. Moreover, there is a saying that in the time of ancient Great Yu, when there was a great flood, Ying Long helped Yu to obtain a divine ruler to measure the water depth of the world. The Jiao lLong and Xiao Long in Chinese mythology can be said to be not the real “dragon”, but the class that is still in practice toward the “dragon”. They usually swim in the deep sea, known as the symbol of windstorm and shipwreck. With the continuous evolution of later generations, the Chinese dragon can command the wind and rain to ensure the prosperity of the world’s agriculture, and the seas are calm, and gradually become a symbol of “imperial power”. Ancient Chinese emperors called themselves as “the true dragon and the son of Heaven.”

Images in religious and literary works:

The Western dragon is portrayed as an evil in the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments. In the Book of Revelation, the dragon is a serpent called the Devil Satan, which is red, large, has ten horns and seven heads, and has seven crowns on it. It wants to eat babies. Dragons are liars of the biblical world. Dragons are also enemies of mankind and should be defeated.

The image of the dragon in the West and China has had different symbolic meanings from the beginning and has not changed for thousands of years. The dragon in the West is more of a negative character, a heinous monster, which makes the heroes brave and famous, they defeat and kill the evil dragon.

The Chinese dragon is a positive being in religion and acts of salvation for humans. In Taoism, the Chinese dragon is evolved from the ancient totem, its main work is to control the climates, protect the more senior immortal, etc., and is also a manifestation of the prosperity of dynasty. Higher-level deities can summon dragons to help solve intractable problems and people’s suffering. With the introduction of Buddhism into China, the Dragon King belief also emerged in Taoism and spread among its adherents. Others say that where there is water, there is a dragon king, who controls the rainfall, affects the agricultural harvest, and then the temple of the dragon King snowballs across the land of China.

Among the fantastic things described in literary works/novels, dragons are not neglected and forgotten by writers (there is a lot of description and compilation). In the English poem Beowulf, the dragon is depicted as a treasure keeper who breathes fire. It flew into a rage upon discovering that the Golden Cup had been stolen and engaged in a battle with Beowulf, but was eventually killed by him. Beowulf also died due to its poisoned blood. In the Chinese novel Journey to the West, the dragon is a clever helper. It can help carry out weather changes when Monkey King needs them. It controls the oceans, lakes and rivers. It controls the tides and rainfall. When he makes omissions or mistakes in his work, he may be punished by the Jade Emperor.

Q: Can you make Chinese dragons and Western dragons?

There’s no question about that. Don’t forget, dinosaurs are the most popular models we make, but we also make a lot of mythical animals. Only animatronic dragon models, we have made at least ten. And they are well displayed in various theme parks, scenic spots, leisure and entertainment places.

Do you want your Dragon Pet now?