Panlong (; lit. "coiled dragon") is an aquatic

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

resembling a ''

jiaolong ''Jiaolong'' () or ''jiao'' (''chiao'', ''kiao'') is a dragon in Chinese mythology, often defined as a "scaled dragon"; it is hornless according to certain scholars and said to be aquatic or river-dwelling. It may have referred to a species of c ...

'' 蛟龍 "river dragon; crocodile" in

Chinese mythology Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature in the geographic area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions. Much of t ...

, an ancient motif in

Chinese art Chinese art is visual art that originated in or is practiced in China, Greater China or by Chinese artists. Art created by Chinese residing outside of China can also be considered a part of Chinese art when it is based in or draws on Chinese ...

, and a

proper name A proper noun is a noun that identifies a single entity and is used to refer to that entity (''Africa'', ''Jupiter'', '' Sarah'', ''Microsoft)'' as distinguished from a common noun, which is a noun that refers to a class of entities (''continent, ...

Word

The Chinese

compound Compound may refer to: Architecture and built environments * Compound (enclosure), a cluster of buildings having a shared purpose, usually inside a fence or wall ** Compound (fortification), a version of the above fortified with defensive struct ...

''panlong'' combines ''pan'' "coiling; curling; curving; bending; winding; twisting" and ''long'' or "dragon". ''Longpan'' "dragon coiling", the reverse of ''panlong'', is a literary metaphor for "person of unrecognized talent" (see the ''Fayan'' below). ''Panlong'' "coiled dragon" can be written or , using ''pan'' 's homophonous

variant Chinese character Variant Chinese characters (; Kanji: ; Hepburn: ''itaiji''; ; Revised Romanization: ''icheja'') are Chinese characters that are homophones and synonyms. Most variants are allographs in most circumstances, such as casual handwriting. Some contexts ...

''pan'' or "tray; plate; dish". Another example of this graphic interchangeability is ''panrao'' or "twine round; surround; fill". Two

Classical Chinese Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning "literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning "literar ...

''panlong'' idioms are ''panlongpi'' ("coiling dragon habit") "gambling addiction" (alluding to 5th-century gambler Liu Yi or Liu Panlong of

Eastern Jin Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air L ...

) and ''panlong-wohu'' (lit. "coiling dragon crouching tiger") "talented people remaining concealed". In Fengshui and

Four Symbols The Four Symbols (, literally meaning "four images"), are four mythological creatures appearing among the Chinese constellations along the ecliptic, and viewed as the guardians of the four cardinal directions. These four creatures are also refe ...

theory, the

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

and

Tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...

are symbolic opposites. Take for instance, ''longtan-huxue'' ("dragon's pond and tiger's cave") "dangerous places" or ''Wohu canglong''

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' is a 2000 wuxia film directed by Ang Lee and written for the screen by Wang Hui-ling, James Schamus, and Tsai Kuo-jung . The film features a cast of actors of Chinese people, Chinese ethnicity, including Ch ...

Textual usages

Chinese classic texts Chinese classic texts or canonical texts () or simply dianji (典籍) refers to the Chinese texts which originated before the imperial unification by the Qin dynasty in 221 BC, particularly the "Four Books and Five Classics" of the Neo-Confucian ...

began using ''panlong'' in the

Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

(206 BCE – 220 CE). The (2nd century BCE) ''

Huainanzi The ''Huainanzi'' is an ancient Chinese text that consists of a collection of essays that resulted from a series of scholarly debates held at the court of Liu An, Prince of Huainan, sometime before 139. The ''Huainanzi'' blends Daoist, Confuci ...

'' (8, tr. Morgan 1934:95) first records ''panlong'' as a decorative style on

Chinese bronzes Sets and individual examples of ritual bronzes survive from when they were made mainly during the Chinese Bronze Age. Ritual bronzes create quite an impression both due to their sophistication of design and manufacturing process, but also bec ...

Great bells and tripods, beautiful vessels, works of art are manufactured. The decorations cast on these have been superb. The mountain dragon, or pheasant, and all animals of variegated plumage, the aquatic grass, flamboyants and grains of cereals were engraven on them, one symbol interwoven with another. The sleeping rhinoceros and crouching tiger, the dragon, wreathed in coils, were wrought.

The later term ''panlongwen'' "coiled-dragon pattern/design (on bronzes, pillars, etc.)" compares with ''panchiwen'' (see '' chilong'' ) and ''panqiuwen'' (see ''

qiulong Qiulong (; lit. "curling dragon") or qiu was a Chinese dragon that is contradictorily defined as "horned dragon" and "hornless dragon". Name This Chinese dragon name can be pronounced ''qiu'' or ''jiu'' and written or . Characters The variant ...

'' ). Another ''Huainanzi'' context (15, tr. Morgan 1934:199) lists ''longshepan'' (lit. "dragon snake coiling") "serpentine passage" as a good ambush location.

An exiguous pass, a ferry pontoon, a great mountain, a serpentine defile, a cul-de-sac, a dangerous pitfall, a narrow ravine, full of winding ways like the intestines of a sheep, a hole like a fisher's net, which admits, but from which there is no exit, are situations in which one man can hold back a thousand.

The

materialist Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materialis ...

philosopher Yang Xiong (53 BCE – 18 CE) used both ''panlong'' and ''longpan''. His '' Fangyan'' "Regional Speech" dictionary (12, tr. Visser 1913:73) defined ''panlong'' "coiled/curled dragon", "Dragons which do not yet ascend to heaven f._''tianlong''_"heavenly_dragon".html" ;"title="tianlong.html" ;"title="f. ''tianlong">f. ''tianlong'' "heavenly dragon"">tianlong.html" ;"title="f. ''tianlong">f. ''tianlong'' "heavenly dragon"are called ''p'an-lung''." His ''Fayan'' "Words to Live By" anthology (4, tr. Carr 1990:112) coined the metaphor ''longpan'' (lit. "dragon coiling") "person of unrecognized talent", "'a dragon coiled in the mud will be insulted by a newt,' meaning 'a sage will be ridiculed by a fool'." The (2nd century CE) ''Shangshu dazhuan'' commentary to the ''Classic of History'' (1, tr. Carr 1990:113) parallels ''panlong'' and ''jiaoyu'' (or ''jiaolong'' ), "the 'coiled dragon' was greatly trusted in its lair, the ' dragon; crocodile' leaped in its pool." The (12th century CE)

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

''Biji manzhi'' "Random Jottings from the Green Rooster Quarter" by Wang Zhuo (tr. Visser 1913:117) describes using ''panlong'' dragons in

sympathetic magic Sympathetic magic, also known as imitative magic, is a type of magic based on imitation or correspondence. Similarity and contagion James George Frazer coined the term "sympathetic magic" in '' The Golden Bough'' (1889); Richard Andree, however ...

for rainfall, "where a mirror, adorned on the backside with a "coiled dragon", ''p'an lung'', , is said to have been worshipped (rather used in a magical way) in order to cause rain."

Proper names

In addition to the ancient decorative style mentioned above, ''Panlong'' or "Coiled Dragon" is used in several names. *''Panlong'' or ,

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Huan Xuan Huan Xuan (桓玄) (369 – 19 June 404), courtesy name Jingdao (敬道), nickname Lingbao (靈寶), formally Emperor Wudao of Chu (楚武悼帝), was a Jin Dynasty warlord who briefly took over the imperial throne from Emperor An of Jin and de ...

*''Panlongmu'' or ,

Pelycosaur Pelycosaur ( ) is an older term for basal or primitive Late Paleozoic synapsids, excluding the therapsids and their descendants. Previously, the term ''mammal-like reptile'' had been used, and pelycosaur was considered an order, but this is no ...

(from Greek "bowl lizard") *''Panlongqu'' or ,

Panlong District Panlong District () is one of seven districts of the prefecture-level city of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, Southwest China. Administrative divisions Tuodong, Gulou, Donghua, Lianmeng, Jinchen, Qingyun, Ciba and Longquan Sub-district O ...

in Kunming Prefecture,

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...

*''Panlongjiang'' or ,

Panlong River The Panlong River () in an urban river in Kunming City, Yunnan, China. It flows in the general north-to-south direction through the city's Panlong, Wuhua and Guandu Districts, and enters the Dian Lake at . The river receives a large quantity o ...

in Kunming City,

*''Panlongxia'' or , Panlong Gorge (with a famous waterfall) in

Zhaoqing Zhaoqing (), alternately romanized as Shiuhing, is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province, China. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,113,594, with 1,553,109 living in the built-up (or metro) area made of Duanzhou, Dinghu a ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

*''Panlongcheng'' or ,

Panlongcheng Panlongcheng () or Panlong City is an archaeological site associated with the Erligang culture () during the Shang dynasty period (). The site is located just north of the Yangtze river, on the bank of the Panlong lake, and is surrounded by the Fus ...

archeological site of

Erligang culture The Erligang culture () is a Bronze Age urban civilization and archaeological culture in China that existed from approximately 1600 to 1400 BC. The primary site, Zhengzhou Shang City, was discovered at Erligang, within the modern city of Zhengz ...

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

The

Japanese language is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ma ...

borrowed ''banryū'' or "coiled dragon" as a

loanword A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because th ...

from Chinese ''panlong''. Banryu names a

Taikyoku shogi is the largest known variant of shogi (Japanese chess). The game was created around the mid-16th century (presumably by priests) and is based on earlier large board shogi games. Before the rediscovery of taikyoku shogi in 1997, tai shogi was be ...

chess-piece and a

Bakufu , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

schooner warship ''Banryū''.

References

*Carr, Michael. 1990
"Chinese Dragon Names"
''Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area'' 13.2:87–189. *Morgan, Evan S, tr. 1934.

'. Kelly and Walsh. *Visser, Marinus Willern de. 1913
''The Dragon in China and Japan''
. J. Müller.

External links

Shang Dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and ...

National Palace Museum The National Palace Museum (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Kwet-li̍p kù-kiung pok-vu̍t-yèn), is a museum in Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan). It has a permanent collection of nearly 700,000 pieces of Chinese artifacts and artworks, many of which wer ...

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

agate bottle with coiled-dragon pattern {{in lang, zh Chinese dragons fr:Dragon oriental#Variétés