Q&A: What is the significance of the Dragon and Phoenix in Chinese mythology?
Question by rphil04: What is the significance of the Dragon and Phoenix in Chinese mythology?
I have these Chinese meditation balls, and I asked a friend what the significance of the Dragon and Phoenix were, each are on a separate ball. My friend told me, the Dragon and Phoenix fight each other in the air. Much as is depicted when I use the balls. She told me they represent Yin and Yang, is this true? Or is there a much deeper story to be told?
Best answer:
Answer by Keltasia
I can’t remember the exact story but my husband is Vietnamese and told it once a few months ago. The phoenix represents female energy and the dragon represents male energy. In some Asian cultures they use a dragon and a phoenix candle to light a unity-type candle to show the merging of the two in marriage ceremonies.
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Tags: Chinese, Dragon, mythology, Phoenix, Significance
July 29th, 2010 at 10:58 am
the dragon also represents “the spirit of the way”‘ bringing eternal change. like the phoenix, actually, who is eternally reborn from its ashes.
The early Chinese believed in four magical, spiritual and benevolent animals; the Dragon, the Phoenix, the Tortoise and the Unicorn. The Dragon was the most revered of all. In it’s claws it holds an enormous magical pearl, which has the power to multiply whatever it touches. The ancients believed the “pearl” symbolized the most precious treasure; Wisdom.
http://www.crystalinks.com/dragons.html
The Feng-huang or Fung; the “vermilion bird,” the “substance of the flame.” The Feng has the head and comb of a pheasant and the tail of a peacock. It personifies the primordial force of the heavens.
It is one of the Four Spiritually Endowed, or Sacred, Creatures and like the dragon and ky-lin, with which it is always associated, it is both yin and yang. When it is the male feng it becomes yang, solar, the fire bird; but as the huang it is feminine, yin, and lunar.
When portrayed with the dragon as a symbol of the Emperor, the phoenix becomes entirely feminine as the Empress, and together they represent both aspects of imperial power.
Like the dragon and ky-lin, the phoenix is made up of various elements, typifying the entire cosmos; it has the head of a cock (the sun), the back of a swallow as the crescent moon, its wings are the wind, its tail represents trees and flowers, and its feet are the earth; it has five colors symbolizing the five virtues; “Its color delights the eye, its comb expresses righteousness, its tongue utters sincerity, its voice chants melody, its ear enjoys music, its heart conforms to regulations, its breast contains the treasures of literature, and its spurs are powerful against transgressors” (from an ancient ritual)
The Feminine aspect (huang), denotes beauty, delicacy of feeling, and peace. It is also a bridal symbol signifying “inseparable fellowship.” This is not only for the married couple but for the complete yin-yang mutual interdependence in the universe in terms of duality.
http://www.crystalinks.com/phoenix.html
July 29th, 2010 at 11:43 am
The Chinese Dragon symbolizes Yang (light, sun, masculine) and the Chinese Phoenix symbolizes Yin (darkness, night, feminine)
The Chinese Dragons are commonly symbols of good luck or health, and are also sometimes worshipped. These dragons are considered as mythical rulers of weather, specifically rain and water, and are usually depicted as the guardians of pearls.
In China, the phoenix is called Fenghuang, and is the second most-respected legendary creature (second to the dragon), mostly used to represent the empress. The phoenix is the leader of birds.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
On wedding clothing, the phoenix-feng symbolizes the bride, and the imperial dragon-lung symbolizes the groom. There is also a lesser dragon called the meng. A Chinese bride wears a red kwah with gold feng and various lucky symbols embroidered on it. Red is for happiness, and gold is for prosperity. Someone spoke of the fenghuang, but it is the jinfeng on the bride’s kwah. I speak Chinese, but some people answering this question do not know the meanings of these words, I see. On some things, one sees the lung and the chu. Basically, lung or meng may mean yang, and feng or chu can mean Yin.