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火龙 (huǒ lóng) — fire dragon parade or procession (with lanterns/torches); Fire Dragon (the 53rd year in the Chinese sexagenary cycle)

Definition

Cultural term with two distinct senses: a fiery dragon dance/performance at festivals like Lantern Festival, and the 53rd year of the 60-year cycle, when the earthly branch 辰 (Dragon) meets the heavenly stem 丙 (Fire).

noun
fire dragon parade or procession (with lanterns/torches)Fire Dragon (the 53rd year in the Chinese sexagenary cycle)

Examples

  • 火龙。
    Yuán xiāo jié yǒu zhuàng guān de huǒ lóng biǎo yǎn.
    The Lantern Festival features a spectacular fire dragon performance.
  • 火龙2036。
    Xià yí gè huǒ lóng nián shì 2036 nián.
    The next Fire Dragon year is 2036.
  • 火龙。
    Lǎo yì rén yòng dào cǎo hé huǒ bǎ zhì zuò le jù dà de huǒ lóng.
    The old artisan used straw and torches to make a giant fire dragon.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

火huǒfire
龙lóngdragon

火 and 龙 suggest a long, glowing shape, not a literal dragon, used for a torch/lantern procession or a flue.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

火 is a simple drawing of a fire, with flames shown rising upward.

Open 火 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 龍; 龙 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 龍 originally drew a sacred creature with a large mouth and a snake-like body; the simplified 龙 is the form written here.

Open 龙 →
Appears in
Chinese Culture & CustomsMythology & Folklore

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