Red Loong - Black Myth: Wukong Portraits

ENG

Chiran Loong (赤髯龙) is a character from Journey to the West. He is one of the nine sons of Jinghe Loong King (泾河龙王). The Black Loong(小骊龙, Xiaolilong), Cyan Loong, and Yellow Loong are all his brothers. In the novel, the Chiran loong has an official position. He is responsible for guarding the Yangtze River, one of the four most important rivers in the ancient Chinese worldview, which flow into the sea and have separate water systems. These rivers, along with other important mountains and rivers, represented the Tianxia（天下, Under Heaven）[1] in ancient Chinese politics.

Chiran Loong (赤髯龙) is a minor mythic figure in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. He is described as one of the nine sons of the Jinghe Dragon King (泾河龙王), which places him in the family of dragon rulers who control rivers and waters in that story world. His siblings include the Black Loong (小骊龙, Xiaolilong), the Cyan Loong, and the Yellow Loong, among others. The text only lists him as one of these nine sons, so his identity is mostly defined by his place in that dragon family rather than by an independent backstory in the novel. In terms of role, Chiran Loong holds an official post: he is charged with guarding the Yangtze River. The Yangtze is singled out as one of the four most important rivers in the traditional Chinese understanding of the landscape; these rivers flow into the sea and are treated as separate water systems in mythic and administrative terms. Being responsible for a major river means Chiran Loong’s job is to watch over and manage that waterway. The novel frames such dragon figures as officials or custodians of natural features rather than only as wild monsters, so his position implies duty and service tied to the river he guards. The larger implication is political and cosmological: important mountains and rivers like the Yangtze were seen as representations of Tianxia (天下, “Under Heaven”), the world or realm of human political order. By assigning a dragon son to guard the Yangtze, the story links natural geography, divine or mythic beings, and the order of the world.

CN

木生炉烟，雾长雷电。击背而歌，真意自现。自泾河龙王公案了结，诸龙子深感前途未卜。西行之后，论功封赏，惟有龙子们赏罚未定，更是让他们惶惶不已。他们寻至袁守诚处，求他再算上一封。此卦乃潜龙勿用之象，更是成了他们的心头刺。其中，尤以四神龙最为忧心。他们监管四渎，深知上界的凌厉做派，主动请辞，想以退保命。谁料，进上天庭的表文俱被驳回。光阴似箭，岁月如梭。这日，袁守诚寻至四神龙，告知他们卦象更新，乃潜龙在渊，有可动之机。四神龙听后，纷纷离了水府，各自谋划去了。赤髯龙十分乖觉，他知黑熊精贪财，又有南海庇佑，就将宝贝悉数取出，与黑熊精换了块宝穴。此后，他在山间闭关沉睡，如是这般潜伏多年。一朝，他醒转过来，想要飞腾九霄，伸展躯体，却发现自己难以爬云。他忆起古训，龙欲升天，先阶尺木，便用自己的掣电尾在山间削出一片尺木，助他飞腾，仍是于事无补。赤髯心有不甘，向黑熊精求助。黑熊精不善飞举，但上门的买卖岂能不做？他将自己从南海带来博山炉卖与了赤髯，声称博山炉能起云烟，又以古籍中所载：“龙无云而不行。”一话劝说赤髯。赤髯信以为真，将博山炉嵌在背上，以灵蕴焚之，强行起烟。一炉不足，则再添一炉。博山炉每次发烟十分耗费灵蕴，所助却十分有限，赤髯虽可借其再次腾飞，却终究难比从前，只能困顿地栖居在尺木之间。咦，世上竟有这般不如意之事，明明是拿手的技艺，却因久疏而忘。天下的学问却都是如此，不以致用，终将荒废，可叹可叹。