上古时期的“龙”

"Long" in Chinese Classical Literature Before 500 BC

从上古文献考察,上古至春秋时期"龙"是黄河流域一种真实的动物,习见而能驯养,古人因其习性将其与求雨相联。自然环境变迁,"龙"在中原日渐稀少以至绝迹。秦汉以后神圣化,成为最高统治者的象征。春秋以后八百年,中原人于长江流域再见到同种野生动物时,不知其为上古之"龙",而以当地土著人之语称之为"鳄"。

Through an investigation of the ancient classical literature, we believe that ＂long＂ （dragon） is a sort of real animal living in the Yellow River Delta in and before the Chun Qiu （Spring and Autumn） Period, which is familiar, domesticable and associated with ancient people＇s praying to the raingod for its habitual nature, and gradually becomes extinct due to natural vicissitudes. It is deified after Qin and Han （the Qin Dynasty and the Han Dynasty） , being a symbol of the emperor. 800 years after Chun Qiu, when people living at the heartland of the Changjiang River （the Yangtse） see the same animal, they do not realize that it is the ancient ＂long＂ and follow the aborigines to call it ＂e＂ （crocodile）.