龙的传奇

据说，远古时代的龙是没有角的，那时的龙在地上生活。

It is said that in ancient times, dragons had no horns and lived on the ground.

它凭着自己身强体壮，能飞，善游，想当属相，也想当兽王，取代虎的地位。

With their strong physiques, they could fly and swim, aspiring to be both symbols of good fortune and kings of beasts, seeking to replace the tiger's position.

于是，人间产生了龙虎斗，结果是难分难解。

Thus, battles between dragons and tigers arose among humans, resulting in an indecisive outcome.

最后，玉帝觉得它们斗得太不像话，下旨叫它们来天宫评理。

In the end, the Jade Emperor felt that their fighting was unreasonable and summoned them to the heavenly palace for arbitration.

临行时，龙想到自己虽然高大，却不及老虎威风，怕玉帝小看自己，当不上兽王也排不上属相。

Before departing, the dragon thought to itself that despite being large, it was not as majestic as the tiger. It feared that the Jade Emperor would look down upon it and that it would not be recognized as the king of beasts or a symbol of good fortune.

这时，龙的小弟蜈蚣出主意：“公鸡有一对漂亮的角，不妨借来戴上，这一定会给龙大哥添几分威风。”

At this moment, the dragon's little brother, the centipede, suggested, "The rooster has a pair of beautiful horns. Why not borrow them to wear? This will certainly add to your grandeur, big brother dragon."

龙听大喜，便同蜈蚣来找公鸡借角。

The dragon was delighted upon hearing this and went with the centipede to borrow the horns from the rooster.

公鸡听说龙要借它的角，死活不肯，龙一见急了，对天发誓道：“如果我不还你的角，回陆地就死。”

When the rooster learned that the dragon wanted to borrow its horns, it refused outright. The dragon, seeing this, became anxious and swore to the heavens, "If I do not return your horns, I shall die upon returning to the land."

蜈蚣也在一帝担任保道。“如果龙大哥不还你的角你一口把我吃掉。”

The centipede also vouchsafed on behalf of the dragon, saying, "If big brother dragon does not return your horns, you can eat me in one bite."

公鸡见蜈蚣作保便把角借给了龙。

Seeing the centipede's guarantee, the rooster reluctantly lent its horns to the dragon.

龙和虎到了天宫，玉帝见龙和虎都十分威风，便下令龙虎都作兽王，虎为陆地百兽之王，龙作水中水族之王。

When the dragon and tiger arrived in the heavenly palace, the Jade Emperor observed that both the dragon and tiger were very imposing. He decreed that both should be the kings of beasts: the tiger as the king of land beasts and the dragon as the king of aquatic creatures.

虎既然可以当属相，龙也可以成为属相，只不过得在后面一些。

Since the tiger could be a symbol of good fortune, the dragon could also become one, though it would have to take a position toward the back.

于是，龙和虎皆大欢喜，告辞玉帝回到凡间，回来后，龙心里想，如果把角还给公鸡，水族们见我这么丑能服我管呢？

Thus, both the dragon and the tiger were delighted, bidding farewell to the Jade Emperor and returning to the mortal realm. Upon returning, the dragon thought to itself, "If I return the horns to the rooster, the aquatic beings will see how ugly I am; how can they respect me?"

于是决定不还公鸡的角，一头扎进水中，现也不上陆地了。

So it decided not to return the rooster's horns and plunged into the water, never to set foot on land again.

公鸡见龙不还角，气得满脸通红，也迁怒于蜈蚣，蜈蚣吓得从此钻进石缝中。

The rooster, seeing that the dragon did not return the horns, became furious and directed its anger toward the centipede. The centipede, terrified, thereafter hid in the cracks of rocks.

今天我们还可以见到，公鸡的脸总是红的、蜈蚣也难得爬出地面，公鸡见到蜈蚣总是一口一个吃掉，并且总是在喊：“龙哥哥，还我的角。”

Today we can still observe that the rooster's face is always red, and the centipede rarely crawls out to the surface. Whenever the rooster sees the centipede, it always threatens to eat it, repeatedly shouting, "Brother Dragon, return my horns!"

而龙呢，再也没有到陆地上来了。

As for the dragon, it has never come back to land again.

虽然龙是十二生肖中唯一虚构的动物，但中国人对它却是又敬又怕、有一种特殊的感情，龙的地位之高任何动物也无法与之比较，中国人心中，它是一种能呼风唤雨，腾云驾雾的神物。

Although the dragon is the only fictional animal among the twelve zodiac signs, the Chinese hold it in both reverence and fear, feeling a special connection to it. The dragon's status is unparalleled by any other creature. In the hearts of the Chinese, it is a mythical being that can summon winds and rain, soaring through the clouds.

帝王自称自己是真龙天子、百姓自己是龙的传人。

Emperors claim to be the true Dragon Sons of Heaven, and the common people consider themselves descendants of dragons.

人们发挥出无限的想象力，将龙说得神奇而伟大，把各种动物的形象聚于龙一身、有兽的野性、人的悟性、神的灵性，并创造了许多龙的传说。

People have exercised endless imagination in depicting the dragon as magnificent and extraordinary, merging the images of different animals into one dragon, embodying the wildness of beasts, the wisdom of humans, and the spirituality of deities, giving rise to numerous legends about dragons.

这些传说经过民间的加工和文人的润色后，更加令人神往了。人们敬龙、爱龙、的心理更升华为一种崇拜。

These legends, refined through the hands of the folk and the embellishments of literati, have become even more enchanting. The people's respect and love for dragons have elevated into a form of worship.

也许，这也是龙成为生肖的文化因素。

Perhaps this is also a cultural factor that has led to the dragon being included in the zodiac.

凌晨7——9时（“辰时”）。传说这是群龙行雨的时候，龙是神话中的动物，于是辰时属龙。

From 7 to 9 in the morning (the "Chen" hour), it is said that this is the time when dragons govern the rain. As the dragon is a mythical creature, it is associated with the Chen hour.