1, from simple to complex
The word dragon was first seen in Oracle Bone Inscriptions. In Oracle Bone Inscriptions, the word "dragon" is in the shape of a snake. Since then, the evolution of bronze inscriptions, seal scripts and traditional dragon inscriptions has an obvious law, and the dragon head and dragon body have also become complicated.
2. From distribution to unification
After Oracle Bone Inscriptions, until the Qin Dynasty unified Xiao Zhuan, the number of dragon characters was gradually unified. Before the standardization of Chinese characters, dragons had many different characters (see the picture below), and finally they were unified into standardized writing.
3. From complex to simple
Before the simplification of Chinese characters, there were many strokes of dragon characters, and some pictographic meanings were retained. After simplification, it has become one of the concise Chinese characters in modern stroke teaching, with only five paintings.
The origin of the dragon:
The origin of dragons can be traced back to ancient myths and legends in China. In ancient mythology of China, the dragon is one of the four spirits, and it is also called the four spirits with the phoenix, unicorn and crow. According to legend, in the era of the Yellow Emperor, dragons once appeared in the world, helping the Yellow Emperor defeat Emperor Yan and gain the rule of the world. From then on, the dragon was regarded as the totem and symbol of the Emperor of Heaven, and was widely used in the ancient culture and art of China.
The development of dragons:
With the passage of time, the image of the dragon has gradually changed. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the image of the dragon was depicted as a long body, flying in the sky and becoming a mysterious existence. In the Han Dynasty, the dragon further developed into the "Dragon Emperor" and became an authoritative and noble symbolic image. In the Tang Dynasty, the image of the dragon was depicted as a long body, sharp claws, wings and so on, becoming a magical existence.
Dragon images in different regions;
1. Dragons in the Yangtze River Basin
The dragon in the Yangtze River valley is called "Dragon General", which has a huge and powerful image and is usually regarded as the god who protects rivers and water sources. In the Yangtze River valley, people believe that the dragon is the master of the creatures in heaven and earth, and they will worship the dragon god every year in the Long Summer Festival to protect themselves and their families.
2. Dragons in southern China
Dragons in the south of China are called "sea dragons", because they usually live in the ocean or fresh water, so they are small in image and flat in body. In southern folklore, people believe that sea dragons can control rain and seasonal changes, so they regard worship of sea dragons as one of the important traditional customs in spring and harvest.
3. Dragons in the Northern Region
The dragon in the northern region is called "Mountain Dragon", which has a strong image and stronger fighting capacity than other regions. In northern folklore, dragons are regarded as guardians and guardians, as well as gods and protectors. It is believed that there are many nests of dragons in mountainous areas. These dragons usually protect local residents and animals from natural disasters.