• Source: Tianlong

Tianlong (simplified Chinese: 天龙; traditional Chinese: 天龍; pinyin: tiānlóng; Wade–Giles: t'ien lung; lit. "heavenly dragon") is a flying dragon in Chinese mythology, a star in Chinese astrology, and a proper name.




Word


The term tianlong combines tian 天 "heaven" and long 龍 "dragon". Since tian literally means "heaven; the heavens; sky" or figuratively "Heaven; God; gods", tianlong can denote "heavenly dragon; celestial dragon" or "holy dragon; divine dragon".
Tianlong 天龍 is homophonous with another name in Chinese folklore. Tianlong 天聾 "Heavenly Deaf" (with the character long 聾 "deaf" combining the "ear radical" 耳 and a long 龍 phonetic element) and Diya 地啞 "Earthly Dumb" are legendary attendants to Wenchang Wang 文昌王, the patron deity of literature.




Meanings


From originally denoting "heavenly dragon", Tianlong 天龍 semantically developed meanings as Buddhist "heavenly Nāgas" or "Devas and Nāgas", "centipede", and "proper names" of stars, people, and places.




= Dragons

=
Among Chinese classic texts, tian "heaven" and long "dragon" were first used together in Zhou dynasty (1122 BCE – 256 BCE) writings, but the word tianlong was not recorded until the Han dynasty (207 BCE – 220 CE).

The ancient Yijing "Book of Changes" exemplifies using tian "heaven" and long "dragon" together. Qian 乾 "The Creative", the first hexagram, says: Commentaries on these explain:
The earliest usage of tianlong 天龍 "heavenly dragon", according to the Hanyu Da Cidian, is in the Xinxu 新序 "New Prefaces" by Liu Xiang (79–8 BCE). It records a story about Zigao, the Duke of Ye, who professed to love dragons. After he carved and painted dragon images throughout his house, a [天龍] heavenly dragon [or fulong 夫龍 in some editions] came to visit, but Ye was scared and ran away.
The Fangyan 方言 dictionary by Yang Xiong (53 BCE – 18 CE) has another early usage of tian and long. It defines panlong 蟠龍 "coiled dragon" as 未陞天龍, syntactically meaning either "Dragons which do not yet ascend to heaven" or "Heavenly Dragons which do not yet ascend".




= Asterisms

=
Tianlong Heavenly Dragon names both the Western constellation Draco and a star in the Chinese constellation Azure Dragon.
Tianlongza 天龍座 "Heavenly Dragon Seat/Constellation" is the Chinese translation of Draco (from Latin "Dragon"), a constellation near the north celestial pole. The (1578 CE) Bencao Gangmu pharmacopeia's entry for long "dragon" describes "a pearl under its chin", and Read notes,

The constellation Draco has the appearance of guarding and encircling the northern pole which is the centre of the movement of the fixed stars. The Chinese paintings of the Dragon straining after a mystical "Pearl" undoubtedly relate to this relationship to the North Pole Star, though other explanations are given for this.
Tianlong 天龍 "Heavenly Dragon" is the 3rd star in Fangxiu 房宿 "Room (Chinese constellation)" and corresponds to the Western constellation Scorpius. "Room" is the 4th of the Twenty-eight mansions in the Azure Dragon, which is one of the celestial Four Symbols. Wolfram Eberhard notes, "When the dragon star appeared in the sky it was customary to make a sacrifice supplicating for rain," and this springtime dragon festival occurs on the 2nd day of the 2nd month.




= Centipede

=
The Bencao Gangmu entry for wugong 蜈蚣 "centipede" lists tianlong 天龍 "heavenly dragon" as an alternate name. Li Shizhen's commentary reviews earlier Chinese commentators and texts. The Zhuangzi says, "People eat meat, deer eat grass, [蝍且] giant centipedes savor snakes, hawks and crows relish mice." The Huainanzi says, "The [騰蛇] ascending snake can drift in the mist, yet it is endangered by the [蝍蛆] centipede." The Erya dictionary defines jili 蒺蔾 "thorns; puncture vine; bramble" as jieju 蝍蛆 "centipede; cricket"; which Guo Pu's commentary says resembles a huang 蝗 "locust" with a large abdomen, long horns, and which eats snake brains. Although jieju can also mean xishuai 蟋蟀 "cricket", Li concludes it means the snake-controlling wugong "centipede" that the Fangyan dictionary also calls maxian 馬蚿 "horse/giant millipede" or juqu 蛆蟝. According to Eberhard, centipedes were snake predators, and "the enmity between snake and centipede occurs in many folktales and customs."




= Buddhist usages

=
In Chinese Buddhist terminology, tianlong means either "heavenly Nāgas (dragon gods)" or "Devas (heavenly gods) and Nāgas".
First, tianlong 天龍 means "heavenly dragon/nāga" as the first of four nāga classes in Mahayana tradition.

Heavenly Nāgas (天龍), who guard the Heavenly Palace and carry it so that it does not fall.
Divine Nāgas (神龍), who benefit mankind by causing the clouds to rise and the rain to fall.
Earthly Nāgas (地龍) who drain off rivers (remove the obstructions) and open sluices (outlets).
Nāgas who are lying hidden (伏藏龍) who guard the treasures of the "Cakravartin" (轉輪王) and blesses mankind.
Hangzhou Tianlong 杭州天龍 "Heavenly Dragon from Hangzhou" was a 9th-century Chan Buddhist master who enlightened Juzhi Yizhi by holding up one finger. The Blue Cliff Record (tr. Cleary 1977:123-8) calls this "Chu Ti's One-Finger Ch'an" kōan.
Second, tianlong 天龍 translates Sanskrit deva-nāga "Devas and Nāgas", the 2 highest categories of the Tianlong Babu 天龍八部 "8 kinds of beings that protect the Dharma". The lower 6 categories are yecha 夜叉 "Yaksha; cannibalistic devils; nature spirits", gantapo 乾闥婆 "Gandharva; half-ghost music masters", axiuluo 阿修羅 "Asura; evil and violent demigods", jialouluo 迦樓羅 "Garuda; golden bird-like demons that eat dragons", jinnaluo 緊那羅 "Kinnara; half-human half-bird celestial music masters", and maholuluojia 摩睺羅迦 "Mahoraga; earthly snake spirits".
Tianlong Babu 天龍八部 is also the title of a 1963 wuxia novel by Jin Yong, translated as English Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. This Chinese title is further used by movies, television series, and a Massively multiplayer online role-playing game.




= Proper names

=
Tianlong is a common name in Standard Chinese. Tianlongshan 天龍山 "Heavenly Dragon Mountain", which is located near Taiyuan in Shanxi, is famous for the Tianlongshan Shiku Grottoes (天龍山石窟). The commercial name Tianlong "Heavenly Dragon" is used by companies, hotels, and gungfu schools.

Japanese Tenryū 天龍 or 天竜, a loanword from Chinese Tianlong, is a comparable proper name. A famous example is Tenryū-ji 天龍寺 "Heavenly Dragon Temple" in Kyoto, which is headquarters of the Tenryū-ji Branch of the Rinzai sect. Tenryū place names include a waterway (Tenryū River 天竜川), a city (Tenryū, Shizuoka 天竜市), and a village (Tenryū, Nagano 天龍村). Further examples include Imperial Japanese Navy names (Japanese cruiser Tenryū 天龍), and personal names (Genichiro Tenryu 天龍源一郎, a wrestler).




References



Carr, Michael. 1990. "Chinese Dragon Names", Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area 13.2:87–189.
Cleary, Thomas and J. C. Cleary. 1977. The Blue Cliff Record. Shambhala.
Eberhard, Wolfram. 1968. The Local Cultures of South and East China. E. J. Brill.
Mair, Victor H. 1990. Tao Te Ching: The Classic Book of Integrity and the Way, by Lao Tzu; an entirely new translation based on the recently discovered Ma-wang-tui manuscripts. Bantam Books.
Read, Bernard E. 1934. "Chinese Materia Medica VII; Dragons and Snakes," Peking Natural History Bulletin 8.4:279–362.
Visser, Marinus Willern de. 1913. The Dragon in China and Japan Archived 2018-04-25 at the Wayback Machine. J. Müller.
Wilhelm, Richard and Cary F. Baynes. 1967. The I Ching or Book of Changes. Bollingen Series XIX, Princeton University Press.
Yuan, Haiwang. 2006. The Magic Lotus Lantern and Other Tales from the Han Chinese. Libraries Unlimited.
• Source: Tian-Long

Tian-Long, Tian Long, Tianlong, may refer to:




People and characters


Zhang Tianlong (born 1992), Chinese soccer player
Yin Tianlong, Chinese soccer player; see List of Chinese football transfers winter 2019
Wu Tianlong, Chinese soccer player; see List of Chinese football transfers summer 2021
Teng Tian Long, a competitor on 2015 China's Next Top Model season 5
Lu Tian-Long, Chinese air force officer, who was part of the order of battle for Battle of South Guangxi
Hángzhōu Tiānlóng (Kōshū Tenryū), Chinese Zen monk, master of Zen master Juzhi Yizhi (Gutei Isshi)
Duan Tianlong (段天郎), who discovered the Bingtang orange in Changqi, Hongjiang, Huaihua, Hunan, China




= Characters

=
Tianlong (simplified Chinese: 天龙; traditional Chinese: 天龍; pinyin: tiānlóng; Wade–Giles: t'ien lung; lit. 'Heavenly Dragon'), a Chinese mythological heavenly dragon
Tianlong (天聾), a mythological character, the attendant to the Daoist deity Wenchang Wang
Tianlong Babu, a mythological character, the bodhisattva form of White Dragon Horse
Tianlong, a fictional character, a Shaolin monk in the 1984 Hong Kong film Kids From Shaolin
Witch God Tianlong, a fictional character from the animated TV show Balala the Fairies
Tian Long, a fictional character from the 2010 animated TV show Astro Plan
Tianlong Shangren (天龍上人), a fictional character from Heavenly Mountain (Tianshan) novel series; see List of Qijian Xia Tianshan characters
Wan Tian Long (萬天龍), a fictional character from the Taiwanese TV show Love Family (TV series)
Feng Tianlong (冯天隆), a fictional character from Leave No Soul Behind 21; an award nominated role for the 2023 Star Awards for Best Actor




Places


Tianlong Constellation, the Chinese equivalent of the constellation Draco, as a Chinese Dragon




= Settlements and jurisdictions

=
Tianlong Town (天龙镇), Pingba, Anshun, Guizhou, China
Tianlong Tunbao town (Tianlong Fortress-town), Guizhou, China
Tianlong Village (天龙村), Taohong, Longhui, Hunan, China
Tianlong Village (天龙村), Wushi, Xiangtan, Hunan, China
Tianlong Village (天龙村), Longkou, Xiangtan, Xiangtan, Hunan, China
Tianlong Village (天垅村), Fenshui Township, Hunan, China; in Xiangtan County
Tianlong Village, Luyuan, Yanling, Hunan, China
Tianlong County (天龍國), Taiwan; a nickname for Taipei; see North–South divide in Taiwan




= Geographic and geologic features

=
Tianlong Bridge, Three Natural Bridges, Xiannüshan Town, Wulong District, Chongqing Municipality, Sichuan Province, China; a natural limestone arch
Tianlong Lake, Xiayi County, Shangqiu, Henan, China; see Li (surname 栗)
Tianlong Mountain, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China; see Tianlongshan Grottoes
Tianlong Mountain, Sanzao Township, Jingzhou County, Jiangzhou, China; see Qu River (Yuan River tributary)




= Facilities and structures

=
Tianlong Hotel, Nanan, Chongqing, Sichuan, China
Tianlong Railway (Tianshui–Longnan Railway), China
Tianlong Road, Yubei District, Chongqing Municipality, China; see Min'an Avenue station
Tianlongsi station (Tianglong Temple station), Nanjing Metro, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Chongsheng Temple (Yunnan), China; also known as Tianlong Temple (Tianlongg Si)
Tian Long Temple (Tian Leong Temple), Sin Ming, Bishan, Singapore
Tianlong Suspension Bridge, Haiduan, Taitung County, Taiwan




= Fictional locations

=
Tian Long Temple, a fictional location from the anime-manga Hero Tales




Vehicular and transportation


Dongfeng Tianlong, a Chinese truck; see Saipa Diesel




= Ships

=
Tian Long, a ferry operated by the Macao Dragon Company
Tian Long, a Sierra Leone flagged cargo ship that was beached in 2022; see List of shipwrecks in 2022
Tian Long He (Tian Long Ship), a Chinese container ship; see COSCO fleet lists




= Space rockets

=
Tianlong series of space rockets from Space Pioneer
Tianlong-1
Tianlong-2
Tianlong-3




= Missiles

=
Tian Long series of missiles marketed by the China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation
TL-6 (Tian Long 6; Sky Dragon 6), a HAIG anti-ship missile
TL-10 (Tian Long 10; Sky Dragon 10), an HAIG anti-ship missile
Tian Long 6 (TL-6; Sky Dragon 6), variant of the AVIC1 TY-90 air defense missile
Tian Long 50 (TL-50; Sky Dragon 50), variant of the Norinco DK-10 surface-to-air missile




Other uses


Guilin Tianlong, a Chinese soccer team that competed in the 2014, 2015, 2016 Chinese FA Cup




See also



All pages with titles containing tian long
All pages with titles containing tianlong
Longtian (disambiguation)
Long (disambiguation)
Tian (disambiguation)
TL (disambiguation)
Tian Long Ba Bu (disambiguation)

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