A Comparative Study of Dragon Culture Between China and Britain

Song+Dan

Abstract：With the rapid development of globalization in modern time， the international exchange is more and more frequent. Especially cultural exchange is gradually becoming a very important aspect of the exchange among countries. The cultural differences on dragon between China and Britain are one of them.

Key words：Dragon culture； China； Britain

From ancient times， dragon， as a symbol of culture， is known to people. Accordingly it is given different symbolic meanings by different people in different times. Chinese dragon and British dragon originated from different sources. In China， dragon traditionally symbolizes strength and auspiciousness. In China， dragon is also one of the twelve zodiac signs， which include mouse， bull， tiger， rabbit， dragon， snake， horse， goat， monkey， rooster， dog and pig. In the past， dragon was considered to govern rainfall， water and floods. The Dragon Kings， four major Dragon Kings， representing each of the four seas including the East Sea， the South Sea， the West Sea， and the North Sea， living in the dragon palaces under the oceans， took orders from the Jade Emperor to control weather variations. Until now some people believe that they have the power to decide where and when the rain falls. The emperors thought that they were real dragons and sons of the “God”. In Britain， dragon is considered as the embodiment of Satan who is believed as evil. “Westerners usually think of dragons as cold-blooded reptiles， just like snakes”. “They are cruel killers， breathing out fire and capturing women”， he also supplements that people think of the dragons as a kind of dishonest animals because of their forked tongues. Dragons in Britain are known to have leathery wings， and they can breathe out fire. They are big enough to eat a whale. Besides these， they are bad-tempered， evil and brutal. Since dragon in Britain is evil， vicious and cruel. Once people meet the monster， they will very much likely feel frightened and terrified. As a result， there are many legends， fairy tales， and religious books in history telling stories about heroes fighting and killing vicious dragons.

In China， we believe many scholars think that it originates from totems of different tribes. Here there are quite different attitudes towards the dragon. Some people have suggested that it comes from a stylized depiction of exiting animals， such as snakes， fish， or crocodiles， even more. Others have proposed that its shape is the merger of totems of various tribes as a result of the merger of tribes. The coiled snake or dragon form played an important role in early Chinese culture. It is really a kind of giant reptile that lives on the land or in the ocean.

The dragon in Britain is scary， making threatening gestures and spitting fire. About the “dragon”， from following definitions， we can see the image of dragon in British peoples hearts. “a large fierce animal with wings and a long tail， that can breathe out fire”， “a large imaginary animal with wings and the power to breathe out fire”， “a fabulous monster variously represented， generally as a huge， winged reptile with crested head and terrible claws and teeth， and often spouting fire”. It is special， in contrast to the Chinese dragon.

There are many expressions about dragon in Chinese language. Most of their meanings are active and inspiring. Like the Chinese “prosperity brought by the dragon and the phoenix.” it is a phrase which means dragon can bring bliss and auspiciousness. It can be used as an adjective to describe the love between the couple. Some other phrases such as “the vigor of a dragon or horse—vigorous spirit of the aged” also exhibit the vitality of dragon. Of course， its not always amiable and approachable .For example， the phrase “an extremely dangerous place” means the deep pond and cave. Thats to say， it is an extremely dangerous place.

In British culture， some negative expressions about dragon are derived in English language. For example， if someone has got the “dragon”， he needs to brush his teeth. Here the “dragon” means bad breath .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. “an old dragon” means devil giving people the ominous feeling. In a word， there are many different meanings.

In China， dragon means positive and optimistic behaviors all the time. It brings enough rain to people every year in order to let people live and work in peace and contentment. At the same time， it gives people hope to do anything. As time passes， people begin to worship it like “God” to pray for good harvest using the harvest of grain.

In Britain， dragon represents negative and pessimistic image. As the dragon would make people feel horrible and scared， it was used as the mark of flags for war. Dragon is the main mark of war for the British royal family before Britain was conquered by the Normans. There are some cautious usages of “Dragon”. Great attention is required when the word “Dragon” comes into use， like “A person is like a dragon”， not a compliment at all. “If you call a women a dragon”， it means that she is fierce and unpleasant. “She is a bit a dragon around here”， it means she is a domineering women.

The ancient Greek civilization is the source of the western civilization. The ancient Greek civilization was born in the north shore of the Mediterranean， where is full of hills， poor land， various climate and scarce products. The natural conditions are very bad. So in order to survive， their ancestors had unanimous decision that they would move to boundless ocean. So the British dragon is a symbol of evil.

However in ancient China， the natural conditions in the birthplace of Chinese civilization are unique. There are two famous rivers， the Yellow River and Yangtze River. Suitable natural conditions are good for the growth of crops. Thus people live in a better life. Having ample food and clothing and staying with the family， they are happy and confident. They are also new hope to achieve. So the Chinese dragon is a symbol of happiness.

【作者簡介】

宋丹（1993—），女，汉族，四川宣汉人，本科学历，单位：成都理工大学外国语学院，主要研究方向：英语文化。