中西方龙文化的不同
中西方龙文化的差异作文
中西方龙文化的差异作文
《中西方龙文化的差异》
哎呀呀，说到龙文化呀，那可真是很有意思呢！我记得有一次，我去参加一个动漫展。
展会上有各种动漫角色的展示和表演。
在那里呀，我看到了两种不同风格的龙的形象。
一边呢，是那种西方龙的造型，大大的翅膀，长长的尾巴，还会喷火呢，看起来特别霸气，就像是从魔幻电影里走出来的一样。
人们看到它都忍不住发出惊叹声，觉得好酷好威风啊！好多小朋友都围在那里拍照，眼睛里满是新奇和兴奋。
然后呢，我又在另一边看到了中国龙的展示。
哇，那长长的身子蜿蜒盘旋，五彩的鳞片闪闪发光，那龙须飘荡着，透露着一种神圣的气息。
和西方龙的那种凶猛不同，中国龙更多的是一种威严和祥瑞的感觉。
它仿佛是从天而降的神灵，让人忍不住心生敬畏。
说起来，这中西方的龙差别可真大呀！西方龙常常被描绘成凶猛的怪兽，代表着邪恶和力量的象征；而咱中国的龙呢，那可是高贵、吉祥、权威的代表呀，是能带来福气和好运的呢！就像在咱中国传统文化里，龙总是和一些重大的事情联系在一起，什么皇帝穿龙袍呀，龙能行云布雨呀。
总之呀，那次在动漫展上的经历让我对中西方龙文化的差异有了更深刻的认识呢！这不同的文化塑造出的龙还真是各有各的特点呀，真的是太有趣啦！
这就是我对中西方龙文化差异的一点小小的观察和感受，嘿嘿！。
西方的龙文化揭秘中西方的龙文化对比
西方的龙文化揭秘，中西方的龙文化对比龙在中西方人眼中的文化完全不同，在中国文化中，龙往往指的是一种能够升云起雨，神秘莫测的神兽。
而在西方，dragon被描述为一种巨型怪兽，形似鳄鱼，身披鳞甲，长有巨爪和翅膀，能游水能飞行，还能喷火，凶猛异常，破坏力极大，因此龙在西方属于邪恶的动物。
那么，中西方的龙文化到底存在着哪些差异呢？下面的文章就为您全面阐述。
西方的龙文化西方的龙有着虚幻和事实的两种。
但是西方的文化很大一部分源于现实，那就是说唯物主义比较严重，所以西方的龙是现代恐龙部分的延伸，乃至于意义也是如此。
而且西方圣经中将龙作为了一种怪兽，所以西方很大意义上对圣经的依赖，导致了西方思想对龙的批判。
我看到西方人对中国龙也进行了宣传片，将中国的龙按照我们历史上的描写和他们的想法，做出来了一个纪录片，当然，西方人的描写很现实，把龙描写成了一个真实的怪兽。
中西方的龙文化对比中国的龙和西方的龙长相不一样，文化不一样。
在中国，龙是吉祥的象征；在西方的神话传说中，龙却象征着一种需要靠力量和智慧征服的兽性。
在中国，龙基本上被认为是一种祥瑞之兽。
中国人心中的龙常常是神，或者是神人的坐骑，《礼记·礼运篇》中，龙被称为“龙、麟、凤、龟”四灵之首。
在中国，龙的历史源远流长。
1987年在河南省淄阳发掘了一处距今6000多年的仰韶文化早期的大墓，在男性墓主人身边出土了一条用蚌壳堆塑的龙，人称“中华第一龙”。
内蒙古还出土过一个样子很漂亮的玉龙，它的身体细长，弯曲成C形，龙头很像猪。
这个猪头形玉龙也有5000多年的历史了。
商周时期，龙常常出现在青铜器和骨器上。
那时的甲玉龙（中国西北部的内蒙古出土）骨文中就有“龙”字，“龙”字的写法有100多种。
2000多年前的战国时期，龙多次被生动地描绘在帛画上。
到了汉代，龙的样子就跟我们今天见到的龙差不多了。
以后，经过各个朝代的加工，龙的样子越来越威武神气了。
“角似鹿、头似驼、眼似兔、项似蛇、腹似蜃、鳞似鱼、爪似鹰、掌似虎、形似牛”，龙的样子不同于自然界中的任何一种动物。
中西方龙文化差异对比研究
中西方龙文化差异对比研究A Contrastive Study on the Differences between Chinese andWestern Dragon Culture摘要上下数千年，龙已渗透了中国社会的各个方面，成为一种文化的凝聚和积淀。
现如今，龙文化已是中华民族文化的象征，中国人也因身为“龙的传人”而骄傲。
龙文化在中国传统文化中占有重要的地位，每一个致力于学习和传播中国文化的人都要对中国龙文化有一定的了解。
然而，在西方的文化中，龙却是邪恶的代表，是撒旦的化身。
尤其在二十世纪九十年代，西方人对于龙形象的误解。
但是由于中国的国际地位的提升，中西方文化的交流变得更多，使得西方人对于中国龙的形象有了更加深入的认识。
随着时间的变化，通过对于文学甚至电影中龙形象的了解，对于西方龙的认识也发生了改变。
因此本文从东西方龙的起源、形象及其象征意义入手，对东西方龙文化进行对比。
加强东西方文化的深入了解和探讨。
关键词：龙;起源;形象;象征意义AbstractUp and down for thousands of years, the Chinese dragon which penetrated all aspects of society has become a culture of accumulation and cohesion. And nowadays, dragon culture is a symbol of Chinese culture, what`s more, Chinese around the world, proudly proclaim themselves “the offspring of the dragon”. On the contrary, dragon in western culture is the representative of evil and the incarnation of Satan. What`s worse, westerner thinks that defeating the dragon is their mission. However, due to the promotion of China’s international status, there are more and more communication between Chinese and western culture. These interactions give western people opportunities to deeply understanding images of Chinese dragon. With the time goes by, Chinese people also have new recognition of western dragon through literature and movies. Because of these differences, this thesis tries to make a contrastive study on the differences between Chinese and western dragon culture from their origins, images and symbolic meanings. It also introduces the different recognition of different dragon cultures.Key words: Dragon;Origin;Image;Symbolic MeaningOutlineI. IntroductionII. Origins of DragonA. The DefinitionB. The ImageC. Different Symbolic Meanings of Dragon III. Different symbolize meanings of dragonA. Dragon in Proverbs and idioms1. Chinese dragon2. Western dragonB. Dragon in Myths and Legends1.Chinese dragon2.Western dragonC. Dragon in Movies1.Dragon in Chinese Movies2.Dragon in western MoviesD. The reasons for different dragon cultures Ⅳ. Different recognition of dragon cultureA. The western recognition of Chinese dragonB. The recognition of western dragon in China Ⅳ. ConclusionA Contrastive Study on the Differences between Chinese and WesternDragon CultureI. IntroductionFor thousands of years, the dragon has infiltrated all aspects of Chinese society and become a kind of culture and heritage. Dragon culture as an important part of Chinese traditional culture has deeply roots in Chinese culture. In the entire history of Chinese civilization, Dragon culture has been an integral part of its continuous development and improvement. Dragon, involved in the process of accumulation of western civilization, however, formed a distinctive dragon culture.Because of cultural differences, western people are different from Chinese people in understanding and using dragon images. Therefore, this thesis tries to compare and contrast the differences between western and Chinese dragon culture with an aim to allow people to truly understand the meaning of dragon culture in cross-culture communication.What’s more, the dragon culture still influences many aspects of western and Chinese society, such as literature, film and television works, clothing. Therefore, understanding the differences between Chinese and Western dragon culture contributes to understanding the different cultural backgrounds and knowing more implied meaning of the dragon. In addition, it’s better to exchange and communicate in cross-culture communication.II. Origins of DragonAs the most common animal in the legends, dragon does not actually exist, even none ever did exist; it is an imaginary animal. However, few people know the origins of both Chinese and western dragon accurately. This part tries to introduce the different origins of dragon through their different definitions and images.A. The DefinitionA dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that features in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragons and Chinese dragon.The word dragon entered the English language in the early 13th century from Old French dragon, which in turn comes from Latin draconem (nominative draco) meaning “huge serpent, dragon” from the Greek word, drakon (genitive drakontos) “serpent, giant seafish” .Western dragon also means a fiercely vigilant or intractable person or something dangerous.In Chinese culture, the dragon is the combination of many animals, a symbol of the totem worship in the primitive society. In ancient times, people could not have a reasonable explanation of most natural phenomena so they use natural animals as totems. And Chinese dragons traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly control water, rainfall, hurricane, and floods. The dragon is also a symbol of power, strength, and good luck for people who are worthy of it. With this, the Emperor of China usually used the dragon as a symbol of his imperial power and strength.B. The ImageFor Chinese dragons or western dragons, they have varied appearances. The paper will show their most representative images. As for western dragon, a mythical monster traditionally represented as a gigantic reptile having a lion claws and the tail of a serpent, wings, and a scaly skin. The earliest record of western dragon is William Tyndale’s The New Testament. It is a great red dragon with the image as that it has seven heads and ten horns and on its heads seven diadems; and its tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven; and cast them to the earth. It has a strong power that can breathe out fire. However, dragon in the Chinese history is a totem image. In Beijing, Beihai Park, there is a wall called “Nine-dragon Wall”. The dragon has 27 meters long,5 meters high, 1.2 meters thick. The Chinese dragon’s image combine camel’s or horse’s head, deer’s horns, rabbit’s eyes, bull’s ears, snake’s neck, clam’s belly, fish’s scales, hawk’s claws and tiger’s palms together. In addition, its mouth looks like an alligator’s mouth, horse’s manes and fish’s tail. All in all, its image most like a snake but has four claws. Dragon, an omnipotent animal, both in the air and underground can make clouds and bring them rain. The greatest difference between Chinese and western dragon image is that one has wings, but the other does not.III. Differences between Chinese and Western dragon cultureThousands years ago, western and Chinese ancestors respectively gave the dragon different symbolic meanings. The different symbolic meanings caused a lot of misunderstandings. Chinese introduced themselves “the descendants of the dragon”, however, the western dragon has different understanding of Chinese dragon and their own dragon images. Therefore, this part will describe the differences between Chinese and western dragon culture from proverbs, idioms, myths and legends and movies. Also, I will analysis the causes of different dragon cultures.A. Dragon in Proverbs and Idioms1.Chinese dragonThere are varied proverbs and idioms about Chinese dragon and western dragon. In China, most of dragon`s meanings are positive and inspiring. If a couple get married, Chinese will say “lóngfèngchéngxiáng (龙凤呈祥)” to bless them. Lóngfèngchéngxiáng is a phrase which means dragon and phoenix could bring bliss and auspiciousness. It can also be used as an adjective to describe the love between couples. If they have baby, people would like to bless the baby “shēnglónghuóhǔ (生龙活虎)” and “lóngmǎjīngshén (龙马精神)”. These two phrases exhibit that baby will be like the dragon and tiger full of energy and vigor. Also, in our country, most parents look forward their children to having successful career and life. This situationshould be called “wàngzǐchénglóng (望子成龙)”. What`s more, if their children find a good job or pass in university entrance examination, people call this situation “lǐyǘtiàolóngmén (鲤鱼跳龙门)”. It means a carp could finally be a dragon after its insistent efforts of leaping into the dragon gate. After their daughter grows up, they hope to find a son-in-law of high rank. To describe a respectable son-in-law, people usually use “chénglóngkuaìxǜ (乘龙快婿)” whose literal meaning is that a well-content son-in-law is just like riding a dragon and bringing happiness. If the son-in-law has an elegant handwriting, then the elegant handwriting can be called “Lóngfēifèngwǔ (龙飞凤舞)”. This phrase also means the generous mountains. Although the dragon always means auspicious and blissful things in Chinese culture, sometimes it is still not amiable and approachable to civilians. For example, when people encounter a hazardous places or situation, they often use the phrase “lóngtánhǔxuè (龙潭虎穴)” which means the deep pond and cave where a dragon and a tiger live can be easily used to describe.2.Western dragonOn the contrary, western dragon is regarded as evil, and its symbolic meaning are all derogative and negative. For example, if someone has got the “dragon”, he needs to brush his teeth, because here “dragon” just means bad breath. In another case, when you find a man wearing a pink skirt and blue heels with purple highs, you may want to “dragon” his outfit, or say, “That guy’s outfit is so ‘dragon’.” which means the outfit makes you feel sick. It is so disgusting. Dragon can refer to those impenetrable women vividly. For instance, “She is a real dragon. You`d better keep away from her.” “Dragon” in this sentence has a metaphor meaning of shrew. If you call a woman “dragon”, you mean that she is unpleasant and fierce. For example, “She is a bit of dragon around this place.” A “dragon lady” can be paraphrased as a woman behind the ruler. It means a woman whose identity is the wife of the ruler, and she has much great power just like a female dictator. In Chinese history, there are many descriptions of the “dragon lady”. And it would be really funny if someone takes its translation forgranted as “xiǎolóngnǚ (小龙女)” because they are completely different. In English slang, the phrase “chasing the dragon” means smoking heroin and inhaling the fumes. This slang derives from the description about dragon of ancient legends. Since a dragon can breathe out fire and smoke, someone taking the heroin is like chasing the dragon. Another phrase “dragon teeth” originated from the Greek tale of hero Cadmus. Cadmus killed a fierce dragon and sowed its teeth into a land. Soon after, the dragon`s teeth became some warriors and jumped out from the land to attack Cadmus. Cadmus cast a huge rock among the warriors and these warriors began to kill each other. Therefore, “dragon’s teeth” has a connotation of killing each other and “sowing dragon’s teeth” has a metaphor of disharmony or conflicts .B.Dragon in Myths and Legends1. In Chinese mythologyIn Chinese mythology, dragon is a magical animal which is changeable, and specializes in control over water, rainfall, hurricane, and floods and benefits the crops. According to Dadailiji(大戴礼记), the body of dragon can be changeable, either short or long, slim or huge, dark or bright. In spring, dragon flies in the sky; in autumn, dragon swims in the deep. In Ciyuan(Etymology), there are four patron saints---dragon, phoenix, kylin, tortoise. Dragon is the head of the scale insects. Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns (三皇五帝) in the legend and Shennong（神农）, Nvwa, according to ancient records are related with the dragon. Therefore, dragon became the symbol of the imperial power. Emperors always regard themselves as son of dragon and their clothes is decorated with dragons which are called dragon robe. In the book of Chuqiuhechengtu(春秋合诚图), it was recorded that Rao(Chinese emperor) was born by his mother QingDou with his father “a dragon”. What’s more, the Yu(禹)’s father was said to be Huang Dragon. And the dragon helped him to dredge river, so that he could be an emperor. In Han Dynasty, Liu Bang(刘邦) in order to strength his regime and imperial power, coined a legend “His mother dreamed a dragon when she gave birth to LiuBang”, putting himself on the sacred aura. In ourfamous traditional novel Journey to the West to, there are four dragons to make seasonable weather for crop raising. When Sun Wukong(孙悟空), the monkey who protect his master Tang Seng(唐僧) needed water to put out a fire, he asked the king of dragon who control rain to help. So, the dragon also means the kind-hearted and upright which is positive.2. In western mythologyIn western mythology, dragon is the incarnation of evil and its symbolic meaning is negative and ugly. Dragon is sexual and has a hundred sons. But in China, dragon can only give birth to nine sons. In Western culture, dragon always lives in caves and likes collecting treasures especially the gold coins or diamonds so that dragon sometimes symbolize greedy. In Beowulf, dragon is burner and the treasure guard. Once a person stole a gold cup, the dragon breathed out fire to burnout the houses and crops. Finally, Beowulf duelled with dragon and perished together. In Bible, there is a red dragon made flood to pushing away the woman in order to eat her baby. It even agitated other monsters to conquer human and custody. Dragon can breathe out the fire and has a strong body and invulnerability. In German mythology, Siegfried killed a dragon named Fafnir. He took a shower with the dragon’s blood. He ate the dragon`s heart and after that he could understand the birds’ language. So the dragon symbolizes war and strong power. If the king publicize them as the dragon, they are always considered as a king who is bad and not respected. However, in England, dragon can be kind. In the story of King Arthur, the white dragon means Uther Pen-dragon, it is charity and kindness. The red dragon symbolizes V ortigern, it is evil and sinful. Fortunately, the white dragon killed the red dragon and appeared a baby named King Arthur. So, there are two dragons on the hat of English King.C.Dragon in Movies1. Dragon in Chinese MoviesDragons are often used in movies, especially in Chinese. Although dragon is notthe protagonist, its name and figure is widely used in the movies. Chinese directors like using the word dragon to name videos, such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon(卧虎藏龙)、Enter the Dragon(龙争虎斗)、Dragon Travels around the World(龙游天下). Actually, these videos are not talking about the dragon, but why the directors named that? The name of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a Chinese idiom referring to hidden or unsuspected forces or powers. While traditional Chinese martial arts films usually place female characters in secondary roles. In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, there are three powerful women as highlights, each of whom plays a distinct gender role. Traditionally given to men, the most intense fighting scenes are all performed by women, with one exception. Lee uses combat scenes not only to showcase the intricate martial arts but also to emphasize the will, agility, and physical strength of the female leads. It tells people that the ordinary people may have strong powers, and the dragon here refers to the ability and physical strength. The Enter the Dragon does not mean there are fights between dragon and tiger. Here the dragon and the tiger refers to two people who both have the comparable ability. Lee and Han were taught by a teacher, however, Han betrayed his teacher. Commissioned by the master, Lee attended the competition to defeated and cleaned up Han who is traitor in this story. And their battle was so called Enter the Dragon. Dragon Travels around the World describes an emperor Sima Yulong(司马玉龙)travels around his territory to looking for his mother incognito while checking the character of an official. As dragon is the symbol of emperor, people prefer to call him real dragon and the son of god rather than emperor. All in all, most dragon in Chinese videos on behalf of the person whose characters are kind, bright, powerful and honest.2.Dragon in western MoviesIn most western movies, dragon appeared to be killed and the dragonslayer was the hero respected by the masses. For example, George and the Dragon directed by Tom Reeve is a film describing a story of George and dragon. George is a lad whose father wants to kill a dragon. The father once speared into the dragon`s body unfortunately, the dragon was still alive and ate his feet. Therefore, the father insistedasking George to kill the dragon. Finally, George used his father`s lance killing the dragon and became the sage in the eye of human. Actually, the dragon never hurt others. This shows that the entire dragon is evil in their mind and necessary to be killed. Reign of Fire is a film directed by Rob Bowman. It described a boy called Quine who awakened a dragon by accident, and the dragon breathed out fire to burn everything. Finally, his mother was killed and the dragon and its descendants occupied the world. It was a war between dragon and human. However, few of movies described the bright image of dragon. In the film of Dragon Heart, a dragon shared his heart to injured prince. When the prince became a brutal king, his warrior thought it was the fault of dragon. So he decided to revenge and kill that dragon. At last, he found that it was not the fault of dragon but the prince. The dragon sacrificed himself to help overthrow the prince`s tyranny and became a star to guard the land. Therefore, the dragon here symbolized selflessness and protection.D. The reasons for different dragon culturesThe reasons for different dragon cultures are various. First, Chinese and western people have different customs and history. From the description of Chinese dragon’s definition and image, it is easy to find that dragon`s appearance is a combination of bull, deer, tiger, fish and snakes. In their views, snake is a beautiful animal. Because, in Chinese history, people were made by Nv Wa(A goddess in Chinese mythology) whose figure was human’s head with snake’s body. And in history, the ancients thought that the camel’s head symbolizes wisdom; antlers symbolize longevity; bull’s ears mean the brightest and best; the tiger’s eyes symbolize dignity; eagle symbolizes bravery; lion’s nose symbolizes wealth; horse’s teeth mean hard-working; fish’s tail symbolizes flexible, etc. All these contents are auspicious symbol. So, in Chinese, the dragon culture is full of positive energy. But it is totally different in western culture. It is negative and evil. In western culture, the dragon’s image is based on viper, and integrates many different animal characteristics which feel horror and disgust, such as crocodile, lizard, bat, toads and so forth.These animals are mostly living in deep forestand volcano which are cunning and grotesque. Therefore, the dragon in western was not welcomed and loathed by ancients. For a long time, it becomes a sign of the violence and evil.Second, Chinese and western have different mode of thinking. In ancient Chinese, people reverence nature. An important feature of Chinese traditional culture is to emphasize the harmony between man and nature, rather than men conquer nature. Even the emperor also dares to call themselves “the son of nature”, but not has the courage to overcome nature. Dragon is the creation based on the nature and the real life which ancestors put into their fear, dependent, doubts, imagination and worship of nature. In their mode of thinking, dragon can fly in the sky and swim in the ocean, make clouds and bring them rain. People worship and pray it to bring good weather, have a harvest and bless mankind. Therefore, dragon becomes a totem that people hope to get help and have strong power. On the contrary, western believe that “Men conquer nature”. Dragon as the creation of nature was the symbol of monster. It has strong power such as breathe out of fire, toxic teeth. It can kill human, damage the harvest and ruin a country. In order to protect the country, people control it and prevent it from unscrupulous, indiscriminate killing of innocent people. So, western dragon also means war.Third, Chinese and western have different religion. Before the rise of Christian civilization, the dragon in western was kind. But in 1st century AD, the Christian becomes the main denomination; the image of western dragon became evil. As the classic book of Christianity, Bible described a story in the New Testament that Archangel Michael killed the red dragon. In Bible, dragon appeared as the incarnation of the Christian enemy Satan, so in the long spirit reign of Christianity, dragon`s image had been vilified and worse. Hereafter, dragon was been defined as the incarnation of evil. Meanwhile, in the culture of Taoism which was Chinese bishop, they worshiped nature and animals. They thought that dragon can communicate with god and ghosts. Later, Buddhism was introduced into China. And they regarded dragon as a symbol of faith. After that, a lot of Dragon Temples were built in both north and south of China that become an important part of Chinese dragon image.Because of these different national history, religion, customs and ways of thinking, the understanding of Chinese and western culture, the dragon exhibit great differences. What’s worse, during the cross-cultural communication, it is easy to make misunderstanding with each other, especially the dragon’s symbolism.Ⅳ.Different recognition of dragon cultureBecause of the different culture, western people and Chinese have different understanding of their dragon cultures. Also, with the time goes by, people have new recognition of dragon culture. Chinese dragon is regarded as a god controlling the rain and water. However, western dragon is the symbol of monster and flood. They have different definitions, and images. The image of western dragon is widely acquainted and accepted by the world as evil and monster. This part will introduce the different recognition of dragon culture.A.The western recognition of Chinese dragonBecause there are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragons and the Chinese dragon. So, this part will introduce the changes of the Chinese dragon image in Europe. According to European historical documents, Mendoza’s Historia del Gran Reino de la China was the most influential Chinese monograph for Europe which published in1585. In this book, dragon was written as Serpents, so until the end of 16th century, the Europe did not have the dedicated translation of dragon. But, as the decorative patterns, beautiful dragon pattern had been used for Church’s decoration. During 17 to 18centuries, European were longing and yearning for Chinese culture. At that time, they were interested in dragon and its symbolic meaning---imperial power. They used the words “elegant, great, noble” to praise the dragon patterns. In 1735, Jean Baptiste du Halde upgraded the definition “national symbol of the Chinese”. At this time, Chinese dragon image was objectively reported, and not be deliberately vilified. On the contrary, they described the dragonimage was closely accompanied with magnificent royal style.After 18th century, European countries were competing for overseas expansion. And the negative image of Chinese bureaucracy occupied the main impression. All these bad impressions influenced the image of Chinese dragon. What`s worse, in 1860, comics named “conquer Chinese dragon” were popular in Europe. They draw a classic scene “St. George slays Dragon”, the angel handed with a lance to spear the so-called Chinese dragon which symbolizes the forces of backwardness. During this time, many western countries issued a large number of such commemorative postcards. For example, in Germany postcard “Western powers conquer China”, western soldiers were draw like St. George riding white horses, wearing silk, taking lance and spearing the huge dragon. These actions leaded to the vilification of Chinese dragon image.With the development of Chinese economy and politics, more and more people choose to study, work and live abroad. Also, there are many foreigners choose to study and work in China. From 1978-2012, the number of study abroad has increase nearly 400 thousand. And the population of American of Chinese ancestry has occupied 12% of the American total population. The population of Chinese in England and France is nearly 430 thousand. Since these people brought Chinese culture to the west, the image of Chinese dragon became bright and positive. And the foreigners who live in China has already experiencing the Chinese dragon culture. They may bring their new thoughts back to their countries. In addition, there are some famous Chinese people who are well known around the world. Li Xiaolong who studied and worked in America. His Chinese kung fu was famous for the world. Because of his name, the Chinese dragon was aware by the west. Cheng Long, another famous star was also known to the world. He was also named dragon and famous for his kung fu. Thus, the west became to know the real meaning of Chinese dragon. What’s more, 2000 was the year which meets the turn of millennium and a century, coincided with the Chinese traditional culture of Dragon Year. At this year, China held the first Chinese dragon culture and art festival. Chinese vice premier Qian Qichen published a paper to declare that Chinese dragon is the symbol of nationalstrength because of its spirit of unity and cohesion. Meanwhile, Chinese who lived in other countries also held the party to celebrate the dragon year. They brought the bright and positive dragon image to the world. In 2005, an academic exchange activity named “Chinese dragon image rectification” was held in Chinese Culture Park. This activity aimed to promote the Chinese dragon image in international level and it suggested naming the Chinese dragon as Chinese pinyin “Long”. Because of improvement of China’s international status and these different activities, more and more western people eliminate their misunderstanding and have new recognition of Chinese dragon.B. The recognition of western dragon in ChinaFrom another point of view, the Chinese people always get the information about western dragon from their movies and literature. In western culture, dragon as a symbol of evil and monster. And the strongest evidence of western dragon comes from the Bible’s Apocalypse. In fact, there are also some positive images of dragon in Bible. For example, the holy mighty angel leader, the crutch in Moses hands that save the tribe for many times, the brass snake that Jesus think could represent himself and so on. Nowadays, we can still find these content in the official bible. For the stories that already talked about many times, such as dragon rob princess, knight hero story, only could be found in the medieval European literature. Prior to this, the Celtic who were throughout the most of Western Europe and the Nordic Vikings were also worship the dragon totem like Chinese people. They consider the dragon as their national symbol and the patron saint. The Celtic descendants even put dragon on their flags today. With the development of technology, the communication throughout world becomes convenient. More and more Chinese people read both ancient and modern literature which have content of dragon image.Good and bad, good and evil, may both appears on anything. And the judgment of good and bad is often related to the position of the people themselves. This is the dialectical thought. Although there is no clear evidence that the dragon is real in theobjective world, it still leaves many imaginations in the myth and legend. People in different culture should widely absorb the knowledge of each other. With the development of our society and world, people will have new recognition of different dragon cultures.Ⅳ. ConclusionBecause of different national histories, religions, customs, ways of thinking and geographies, western dragon and Chinese dragon have many differences in definition, image and symbolic meaning. Compared with the evil and formidable western dragon, Chinese dragon is auspicious and noble. The western people misunderstand the Chinese dragon decades years ago. However, with the development of Chinese economy and politics, there are more and more people study, work and live abroad. These people are helpful to eliminating the misunderstanding of Chinese dragon. Also, many foreigners are willing to come to China and experience the Chinese culture. Therefore, on one hand, China should develop the economy first, so that Chinese international status can upgrade. Chinese should do better to show the real spirit of dragon---unity, selflessness, integrity, so that the world can realize the connotation of Chinese dragon. On the other hand, Chinese people also need to learn more about the knowledge of western dragon before the judgment.。
中西方文化映射下的龙的变异
中西方文化映射下的龙的变异中西方文化映射下的龙的变异龙，是中西方文化中丰富多彩的神奇生物，一直以来被人们所神秘化和崇拜。
在中西方文化中，龙不仅仅是一种生物形象，更是一种象征，体现着人们对力量、智慧和神秘力量的追求和崇拜。
然而，由于不同文化背景和传统的影响，中西方文化中的龙形象在外貌、特征和寓意上产生了显著的不同和变异。
首先，中西方文化中的龙在外貌上呈现出明显的差异。
在中国文化中，龙被描绘为蛇形的神奇生物，有着长长的身体和鳞片。
它的眼睛圆而大，口中露出尖锐的牙齿，身上生有金黄色的龙鳞。
中国人认为龙有祥瑞之气，是吉祥和权威的象征。
而在西方文化中，龙则常常被描绘成有翅膀、四肢的怪兽，长有尖锐的爪子和锐利的牙齿。
西方人认为龙是邪恶和破坏力的象征，龙的形象通常伴随着火焰和烟雾。
这种明显的形象差异反映了中西方文化在审美观念和思维方式上的差异。
其次，中西方文化对龙的特征和寓意的理解也存在显著的差异。
在中国文化中，龙被视为上天赐予的吉祥之物，象征着皇权和君主的权威，被人们尊崇为神圣的存在。
中国人相信龙可以带来宏伟壮丽的景象，给人们带来好运和幸福。
而在西方文化中，龙常常被描绘为恶龙或巨龙，被认为是邪恶和破坏的象征。
西方人相信龙具有超自然的力量，可以带来混乱和灾难。
这种特征和寓意上的差异与中西方文化对权力和神秘力量的追求及对世界观的不同有着密切的关系。
最后，中西方文化对龙的崇拜方式和庆祝活动也呈现出显著的差异。
在中国文化中，“龙舟节”是一个重要的传统节日，人们划龙舟以庆祝这个节日。
而在西方文化中，尽管龙的形象常常被用于相关符号和庆典中，但没有像中国般丰富的形式和庆祝活动。
这种差异可能与中西方文化中不同的传统和价值观有关，同时也反映了中西方对龙的崇拜方式和庆祝活动的重视程度的差异。
综上所述，中西方文化映射下的龙的变异可以从外貌、特征和寓意、崇拜方式和庆祝活动等多个方面展现出来。
这些差异不仅仅体现了中西方文化之间的审美观念和思维方式的差异，更反映了中西方文化背后不同的传统、价值观和世界观的差异。
东西方的“龙”文化差异[1]
![东西方的“龙”文化差异[1]](https://img.taocdn.com/s3/m/4787a014f18583d0496459b0.png)
请叫Chinese＿long而不是Chinese＿dragon中国的龙（龙）都是蛇身的，而外国的龙（准确地说那个字应该是上立下电）。
不知大家注意了没有，中国的十二生肖，只有龙是世间不存在的想象的动物。
其它都是生物界实际存在的动物。
为什么我们的老祖宗会想象出“龙”这一造型？而且关于它的来源与构成，各有种的理解。
究竟应该怎样认识它呢？龙的雏型在新石器时代晚期已萌芽，是以夏族图腾为主体虚拟的想象物。
古人对它有种种解释。
有说〔tng〕蛇没有脚而能飞（见《荀子·劝学》）；有鳞的叫蛟龙，有角的叫虬〔qi囚〕龙，无角的叫螭〔chī吃〕龙。
（均见《离骚》洪补引《广雅》）有翅膀的叫应龙（《天问》王注）。
有说龙像狗像牛，《论衡》则说：“龙之像，马首蛇尾。
”还有的说龙的形状是鹿的角，牛的耳朵，驼的头，兔的眼，蛇的颈，蜃〔shè甚〕的腹，鱼的鳞，鹿的脚掌，鹰的爪子。
这显然是晚期发展了龙的形象，比最初的龙越来越复杂，被综合进去的图腾也越来越多，说明它在不断丰富发展。
对于龙的主体原形的探讨，学者们作过许多有益的研究。
有鳄鱼说、晰蜴说、马说等等。
但普遍认同龙的基调是蛇。
最初系统提出这一见解的是闻一多的名篇《伏羲考》。
龙即大蛇，蛇即小龙。
闻一多认为，蛇氏族兼并别的氏族以后，“吸收了许多别的形形色色的图腾团族（氏族），大蛇这才接受了兽类的四脚、马的头、鬣〔liè劣〕的尾、鹿的角、狗的爪、鱼的鳞和须”，而成为后来的龙。
后人在闻一多研究的基础上，作了许多丰富与补充。
考察龙，首先要弄明白，究竟什么是其基调、主干或主体原形。
简单概括一下，就是从龙一出现的初期，一直延续下去，恒定不变，而且是构成龙的主体部分，缺了它，龙就不成其为龙，这才是龙的基调、主干或主体原形。
在龙的身上，倘若抽去了蛇的躯体，那龙便不再存在了。
龙变来变去，头有时像鳄鱼，有时又像马；它的脚有时像蜥蜴足，有时又像狗爪；唯有蛇的修长的身子从未变过。
中国龙与西方龙的文化比较
学院：国际教育交流学院班级：2011级汉硕课程名称：中国文化与跨文化交际任课教师：韩鉴堂姓名：赵晓青学号：11111105中国文化，博大精深，在众多具有代表中华精神意义的事物中，龙的地位尤为彰显。
中国人敬龙，爱龙，把龙奉为图腾，在许多事物上将龙作为装饰，用来表示福祉。
中国有数千年的龙文化，海内外数亿中国同胞称自己为“龙的传人”，将中国文化称为“龙的文化”。
九州大地上，“龙”已经渗透到中国社会的各个方面，称为中国文化的凝聚和沉积，龙成了中华民族的象征，中国文化的象征。
对每一个炎黄子孙来说，“龙的传人”无疑是一种特殊的符号，并且为每个人喜欢，随着世界越来越小，对龙的这样的特殊感情传播到世界各地，在世界各国的华人居住区内，龙是最多并最引起注目的饰物，因而，“龙的传人”，“龙的国度”也得到了世界的认可。
随着全球化进程的推进，人类已经进入了多元文化并存的时代，跨文化交际的地位越来越重要。
未来促进跨文化交际，人们开始对中西方龙文化进行比对，很多人都认为而这之间有很大的差异，虽然它们都是没有考证的传说之物，体积庞大，都能飞翔，能力无边，都是想象中充满传奇色彩的动物，又都在文化中长久的保存下来。
但事实上，中国的龙和西方的dragon是两种完全不同的动物。
Dragon一词与龙的对译正如phoenix与凤凰的强行对译，这样的强行对译对中国文化的理解造成了一定的障碍，所以，笔者试图从中西方文化中dragon和龙的不同起源和发展背景，探索它们在不同文化中的象征和意义。
一、中国龙一）龙的形象关于龙的形象，在中国历史上有很多不同的解释。
《说文》曰：“龙，鳞虫之长，能幽能明，能大能小，能长能短，春分而登天，秋分而入川。
”《广雅》云：“有鳞曰蛟龙，有翼曰应龙，有角曰虬龙，无角月螭（chi）龙。
”宋人罗愿的《尔雅翼·释龙》：“角似鹿、头似驼。
眼似兔、项似蛇、腹似蜃、鳞似鱼、爪似鹰、掌似虎、耳似牛。
”《辞海》解释“龙”为古代传说中的一种有鳞有须，能兴云作雨的神异动物。
中西方龙文化的差异作文
中西方龙文化的差异作文
一说起龙，那可真是个神奇又神秘的存在。
不过呢，咱中国的龙和西方的龙，那差别可大了去了！
先瞧瞧咱中国的龙，那可是自带光环，威风凛凛的象征。
在中国文化里，
龙那就是祥瑞的代表，能呼风唤雨，保一方平安。
皇帝都自称是“真龙天子”，穿着龙袍，坐在龙椅上，那叫一个霸气！咱老百姓也都盼着龙能带来好运气，
风调雨顺，五谷丰登。
中国龙的模样也特别神气，长长的身子，威武的龙角，
还有那闪闪发光的鳞片，一出场就自带仙气，让人忍不住要顶礼膜拜。
再看看西方的龙，那可就有点不一样了。
在西方的故事里，龙往往是邪恶
的象征，守着一堆宝藏，还到处喷火捣乱，给人们找麻烦。
长得也比较“磕碜”，大大的翅膀，粗壮的四肢，看着就挺凶猛吓人的。
感觉就是个喜欢惹事
的“捣蛋鬼”，等着英勇的骑士来打败它，成就一番英雄伟业。
中国龙更多的是一种精神的寄托，一种美好的向往。
而西方的龙呢，更像
是一个制造麻烦，等着被解决的“大反派”。
这就好比一个是温柔善良的仙女，一个是张牙舞爪的恶魔。
还有啊，中国龙在各种节日庆典里那是常客，舞龙舞狮热闹非凡。
西方的
龙呢，多数是在奇幻小说和电影里出现，给主角们增加点挑战难度。
所以说，虽然都叫龙，但中西方的龙文化那真是相差十万八千里。
这也正
体现了中西方文化的丰富多彩和独特魅力。
怎么样，是不是觉得挺有意思的？
不知道未来，中西方的龙文化会不会相互融合，碰撞出更奇妙的火花呢？让我们拭目以待吧！。
中国“龙”与西方“dragon”文化比较
校园英语 /中国“龙”与西方“dragon”文化比较陕西师范大学/穆青【摘要】中国龙和西方dragon都是具有丰富文化内涵的文化符号，两者经常在翻译和文化交流中被相提并论。
但二者无论是形象还是象征含义都差别显著。
本文试图从文化成因的角度分析造成二者差异的原因，以加深中西方文化差异的理解，促进中西方文化交流。
【关键词】龙 dragon 文化内涵 文化成因龙在中国是具有丰富文化内涵的特殊神话形象，中国人一向以“龙的传人”自居，龙的形象及其象征含义是中国传统文化的典型代表之一，是中国文化乃至亚洲文化中独特的文化符号。
与之相对应，西方文化中也有关于“龙”的传说，英语中叫做“dragon”，一个常常在翻译时被用来对应中国“龙”的词。
然而事实上，西方文化里的“dragon”所代表的神话形象无论样貌特征还是象征含义都与中国的“龙”大相径庭。
显然，只是简单的将两种“龙”文化等同起来，无疑会对中西方跨文化交流产生阻碍。
因此，研究两种“龙”文化的异同能促进跨文化交流更顺利地进行，也有助于更好地在世界范围内推广中国的“龙”文化。
一、中国龙与西方dragon文化内涵对比1.中国龙与西方dragon形象对比。
“龙”在中国是家喻户晓的神兽，能行云布雨，具有无边的法力，同时也是传说里中华民族的祖先，受到人们的敬仰。
“龙”的形象经过各个朝代的不断发展和丰富，逐渐演化成了今天中国人所熟悉的“神龙”。
根据许慎《说文解字》里的记载：“龙，鳞虫之首，能幽能明，能细能巨，能长能短，春分登天，秋分潜渊。
”东汉学者王符将龙描述为：“其形有九似∶头似牛，角似鹿，眼似虾，耳似象，项似蛇，腹似蛇，鳞似鱼，爪似凤，掌似虎，是也。
其背有八十一鳞，具九九阳数。
其声如戛铜盘。
口旁有须髯，颔下有明珠，喉下有逆鳞。
头上有博山，又名尺木，龙无尺木不能升天。
呵气成云，既能变水，又能变火。
”龙的主体形象是蛇，吸收融合了许多其他动物的形象组成了“龙”这一复合形象，而龙身上的酷似其他动物的特征也象征着龙具有超越普通动物的力量，是变幻莫测的神兽。
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比较文学是一门跨民族、跨语言、跨文化、跨学科的文学研究。
首先，跨民族、跨语言、跨文化、跨学科，这四个方面是对比较文学作为一门学科的总体的全面的概括，而不是指具体的研究实践。
在具体的研究实践中，只要涉及其中的任何一个方面，就进入了比较研究的领域。
跨民族是最根本的，是判断一项研究是不是属
于比较文学最基本的标准
其次，这四个“跨”具有广泛的意义，既是指比较文学的研究领域，也是指比较文学研究对象一个必备的特性，它把各种跨越性的文学现象放在世界文学的平台上，用一种国际的眼光来分析分析他们之间的
关系。
再者，在四个“跨”中，除跨学科外，其余三跨都是互相联系的，而且在内容上有所重叠，但各有所指。
民族文学一般都是以民族语言为媒介所以跨民族的文学往往同事就是跨语言的。
但是一种语言为多个民族使用的情况并不少见，语言的使用范围有时要大于民族的范围，所以跨民族与跨语言又并不相等。
然后，跨文化指跨越文化体系，跨文化不仅意味着超越民族文化，更意味着超越文化体系。
跨民族的文学本身已经包含跨文化的意义，是直指研究对象的研究视角，但是跨民族与跨文化还是有区别的。
中西龙文化的不同
摘要：中西方“龙”文化有很大差别，主要表现在不同的龙的起源、
不同的象征意义、不同的形象和不同的文化衍生意义。
但中西方龙也有一定的共同点，即不论在世界上任何一种文明里，龙的价值都在于给以人们一个永恒的崇拜和追求对象：对力、对水、对火、对天空的向往，对征服自然界所有不在人类控制之下的力量的渴望。
关键词：龙；起源；象征意义；衍生意义
一引言
中国有数千年的龙文化，龙成了中国的象征，中华民族的象征，中国文化的象征。
对于每一个炎黄子孙来说，龙的形象是一种符号，一种血肉相连的情感！因而，“龙的传人”、“龙的国度”也获得了世界的认同。
随着全球化进程的不断推进，人类已经进入了多元文化并存的时代，跨文化交际引起人们前所未有的关注。
为了促进跨文化交流，人们开始对中西方龙文化进行比较研究。
二“龙”的起源不同
在中华民族浩瀚的历史长河中，很早就出现了被我们称为“龙”的形象。
从西周开始成熟的龙纹已经出现，汉代起则被一步步神化、加工，并逐渐固定形象，元以后更确定了标准形象，成为中华民族的标志。
著名学者闻一多在上世纪四十年代便探讨了龙的原形。
他认为，龙的主干部分和基本形态是蛇，后来有一个以这种大蛇为图腾的团族，兼并了、吸收了许多别的形形色色的图腾团族，大蛇这才接受了兽类的脚，马的头，鬣的尾，鹿的角，狗的爪，鱼的鳞和须……于是便成为我们现在所知道的龙了。
目前，学术界对西方“屠龙习俗”的起源问题基本已达成共识：
认为其起源于毒蛇禁忌习俗。
如前所述，西方人把龙看作是一种拥有强大力量的蛇怪，也就是说在西方人的眼里，龙本质上就是一种蛇，不过这种蛇比一般意义上的蛇，更邪恶，更丑陋，力量更强大罢了。
西方人是普遍憎恶蛇的，何况是一种更加丑陋的蛇。
所以，所谓“龙”的命运也只有是被正义勇敢的英雄所屠戮了。
三中西方“龙”的象征意义不同
在中国传统文化中龙基本象征正面的、积极的力量。
中国人的传统思维认为，非真龙天子不能称帝，而龙亦成为皇帝的专利。
皇帝的身体是龙体，皇帝的脸色为龙颜，皇帝的居处叫“龙庭”，皇帝的服饰称“龙冠”、“龙服”等。
另外，龙的宏伟雄浑、刚健有力、飞动无静，是中华民族阳刚之美的代表性意象。
这种意象，往往出现在中国传统的宫殿、坛庙建筑上。
龙在中国是吉祥的象征，是人们崇拜的神灵，而在西方却成了恶魔。
《新约》中，龙被看成是撒旦的化身，把它捆绑一千年，扔在无底坑里，将无底坑关闭，用印封上，使它不得再迷惑列国。
”龙在圣经中作孽为基督教的最大敌人撒旦的化身出现，在基督教长久的精神统治中，必然被丑化、恶化，所以龙在后世看来也就成了恶的化身。
四西方“龙”的形象不同
在西方文化中，dragon 被描述为一种巨型怪兽，形似鳄鱼，身披鳞甲，长有巨爪和翅膀，能游水能飞行，还能喷火，凶猛异常，破坏力极大。
也正因为如此，西方神话故事中有许多英雄斩杀恶龙的情节，龙成为勇士扬名的牺牲品。
中国人是“龙的传人”，龙文化十分发达，
对龙也有多种解释。
《说文》曰：“龙，鳞虫之长，能幽能明，能小能大，能长能短，春分而登天，秋分而入川。
”《广雅》云：“有鳞曰蛟龙，有翼曰应龙，有角曰虬龙，无角曰螭龙。
”西方的龙与中国的龙在以下两点有很大差别的：其一，西方的龙都长有党羽，不管是大是小，它都是不可或缺的；中国的龙固然可以翱翔于蓝天，却是依托于自己那腾云驾雾的神话的本领。
其二，中国的龙是云雨的化身，正如在东方的神话里，龙神司雨，认真普降甘露，以滋润地面万物。
西方的龙是喷火的，它经常躲在深山老林中，一旦出现，对人世来说就是一场灾难。
五东西方“龙”的衍生意义不同
正由于龙在东西方文化中的差别，其衍生出来的意义也就各有差别。
龙在中国文化中大多出现褒义色彩。
龙腾虎跃，龙飞凤舞，老气横秋，龙吟虎啸，藏龙卧虎；描述老年人的龙马精神。
并且中国的各个民族都有以龙为主题的传说和故事，人们以赛龙船，舞龙灯来欢庆节日，恳求来年的风调雨顺。
龙在西方文化中，其衍生出来的言语却多用龙表示贬义。
在中世纪，dragon，是罪责的意味，圣经故事中恶魔撒旦就被认为是the great dragon。
英语里还有一个关于龙的谚语sowdragon’s teeth。
这个谚语源于希腊神话：腓尼基王子卡德摩斯杀逝世一条凶龙后，把龙牙种在地里。
可是从地里却长出一队凶悍的武士，他们同室操戈，最后只剩下五人。
由于卡德摩斯播种龙牙惹起争斗，人们便用sow dragon’s teeth 表示“挑起纠纷，播下反面的种子”。
六结束语
我们发现中国的“龙”和西方的“Dragon”几乎是完全不同的动物：“dragon”一词和中国的“龙”所指不同。
但不能否认的是，“dragon”和“龙”又具有一些共同特征：都是没有确实考证的传说之物；身躯都很庞大；都能飞翔；外形十分相似。
同是想象中的充满传奇色彩的动物，又都在文化中长久的保存下来。
不管每个民族的龙型生物的形象如何不同，总会和蜥蜴、鳄鱼或蛇联系在一起。
并常与土地、天空、水和火有关。
不论在世界上任何一种文明里，龙的价值都在于给人们一个永恒的崇拜和追求对象：对力、对水、对火、对天空的向往，对征服自然界所有不在人类控制之下的力量的渴望。
参考文献：
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