龙年话说汉英词典中的“龙”

肖福寿

据《说文·龙部》记载，龙为“鳞虫之长，能幽能明，能细能巨，能短能长，春分而登天，秋分能潜渊。”自远古以来，这种头似驼、眼似兔、颈似蛇、耳似牛、角似鹿、颈似蛇、腹似蜃、鳞似鱼、爪似鹰、掌似虎的神兽就一直受到炎黄子孙的尊崇。类似“龙的传人”“龙的子孙”“龙的国度”“东方巨龙”之类的称谓，常令国人感到无比自豪、无比奋发和激动。的确，龙不仅是中国与中华民族的象征，而且也是一种符号与一种意绪，在中华文化中占据了尤其显著的地位。

可以说，龙的影子在中华文化中随处可见：一则我国古史传说的五帝有着龙的情结，如黄帝平时“乘龙扆云”（《大戴礼记·五帝德》），帝喾“春夏乘龙，秋冬乘马”（出处同前）。二则我国神话传说中有各种各样的龙（如无角者为螭龙、好火者为火龙、有鳞者为蛟龙、善吼者为鸣龙、未升天者为蟠龙、好水者为晴龙、有角者为虬龙、有翼者为应龙），也有龙生九子（即长子囚牛、次子睚眦、三子嘲风、四子蒲牢、五子狻猊、六子霸下、七子狴犴、八子负屃、九子螭吻）的传说。三则堪舆学中有“青龙、白虎、朱雀、玄武”四神兽，龙成为山和水的象征，山脉被呼作“龙脉”，曲折的流水被呼作“水龙”。四则在宫殿衙署、大户人家乃至寻常百姓家中都有龙的身影，如北京故宫有九龙壁，太和殿有龙椅和龙柱，天安门城楼“龙吻”装饰里的图案为“金龙和玺”，人们喜爱用龙作为装饰物或摆设，而双龙屋顶为中华建筑的重要风格。五则龙的形象蕴涵了国人最为重视的“四观”（即天人合一的宇宙观、仁者爱人的人生观、阴阳交合的发展观、兼容并包的多元文化观），体现了多元一体、综合创新的中国文化基本精神。六则龙为帝王的象征，如皇帝自称为“真龙天子”、皇帝睡的床为龙床、皇帝穿的衣为龙袍、皇帝坐的椅为龙椅。七则服装或旗帜上都装饰有龙的图像，如《礼·明堂位》记载的“有虞氏服韨，夏后氏山，殷火，周龙章”以及《周礼·秋官·小行人》记载的“达天下之六节：山国用虎节，土国用人节，泽国用龙节，皆以金为之”。八则许多民俗皆与龙有关，如元宵节舞龙、农历二月二为中国的“龙抬头”、端午节的龙舟赛，这些民俗皆视龙为云布雨、掌管福祸之神。九则龙的身影大量出现在文学作品中，如《史记·高祖本纪》有“高祖为人，隆准而龙颜”，《拾遗记》有“禹尽力沟洫，导川夷岳，黄龙曳尾于前，玄龟负青泥于后”， 《西游记》有泾河龙王、龙王敖广、万圣龙王等故事，《封神演义》有小龙王与大龙王的故事，白居易的诗歌《黑潭龙》有“黑潭水深黑如墨，传有神龙人不识。潭上驾屋官立祠，龙不能神人神之”，韩愈的诗歌《龙移》有“天昏地黑蛟龙移，雷惊电激雄雌随。清泉百丈化为土，鱼鳖枯死吁可悲”。由此可见，龙的形象已渗透到中华文化的方方面面。

2024年，是中国农历甲辰年，即民间生肖纪年的龙年。在这龙年来临之际，让我们重新检阅一下汉英词典中一些与“龙”相关的表达法，聊作一种新年之乐吧。

本文的语料主要选取陆谷孙教授主编的《中华汉英大词典》，均为该词典的编纂者自以为迻译尚有特点的与“龙”有关的习语与俗语，其目的在于与广大读者共享并敦请广大读者质疑与指谬。

一、与“龙”相关的四字成语

1.1 藏龙卧虎  <idiom> （hidden dragons and crouching tigers） talented people who remain obscure to the undiscerning eye; undiscovered talent： ～之地 a place where talents are to be discovered

1.2 乘龙快婿  also 乘龙佳婿 <idiom> （son-in-law galloping on a dragon） handsome， distinguished， promising or lucky son-in-law; ideal son-in-law

1.3 乘龙配凤  <idiom> （to ride a dragon along with a phoenix） to find a good match for marriage

1.4 飞龙在天  <idiom> （the dragon is flying in the sky） the sovereign is in power： ～，利见大人 the dragon is on the wing in the sky; it will be advantageous to the great man

1.5 画龙点睛  <idiom> （to add eyeballs to the picture of a dragon） 1. to add the finishing touch 2. to say or write sth that settles the matter： 北京之行是此次访问的“～之笔” the highlight of the visit is the travel to Beijing

1.6 蛟龙戏水  <idiom> （the flood dragon enjoying the waves） 1. to skillfully wield weapons [eg sword， spear， cane] 2. masterly in martial arts

1.7 來龙去脉  <idiom> origin and course of development; beginning and end; cause and effect; sequence of events; context： 弄清事情的～ find out the cause and effect of the incident by a thorough investigation

1.8 老态龙钟  <idiom> senile; doddering

1.9 龙飞凤舞  also 龙翔凤舞 <idiom> （like flying dragons and dancing phoenixes） 1. magnificent and imposing （of mountains） 2. lively and vigorous （of calligraphy）; exquisite calligraphy 3. beautiful penmanship; elegant handwriting： 这几个字写得～ how exquisite and elegant these Chinese characters look 4. lively dancing

1.10 龙飞九五  <idiom> imperial throne; emperorship

1.11 龙凤呈祥  <idiom> （prosperity brought by the dragon and the phoenix） in extremely good fortune

1.12龙睛虎目  <idiom> （eyes of a dragon or a tiger） to assume a stern counte-nance

1.13龍精虎猛  <idiom> （having the spirit of a dragon and the energy of a tiger） spirited and energetic

1.14 龙马精神&nbsp; <idiom> （vigour of a dragon-horse） vigorous and exuberant spirit; vigorous spirit of the aged; full of vitality

1.15 龙盘虎踞  also 龙蟠虎踞，龙蟠虎绕 <idiom> （coiled like a dragon and crouching like a tiger; with a dragon curling and a tiger crouching） 1. strategic stronghold; forbidding strategic point; terrain of strategic importance： ～帝王城 strategically located and formidable is the imperial city 2. city of Nanjing （南京） [in Jiangsu Province]： ～今胜昔 Nanjing is now much better than ever 3. inhabited by heroes and outstanding figures 4. gorgeously grained; colourful and textured

1.16 龙生九子  also 龙生九种 <idiom> （a dragon has nine dragonets） brothers born of the same parents still differ greatly from each other： ～不成龙，各有所好 the nine dragonets a dragon breeds are not truly dragonish; each follows its own bent

1.17 龙腾虎跃  also 龙跳虎跃 <idiom> （dragons are soaring， and tigers leaping） 1. a scene of bustling activity; a bustle of activity; to bustle with activity： 一匹～的火焰驹 a strong and vigorous flamy horse 2. vigorous strokes in calligraphy： 这些字写得～，气势不凡 written in bold and vigorous strokes， these characters look exceptionally graceful and elegant 3. highly enthusiastic and accomplished： 任自己～ fill oneself with enthusiasm and vigour

1.18 龙行虎步  <idiom> （to walk like a dragon and pace like a tiger） 1. heroic bearing; impressive and dignified manner （eg of a general）： 他～，是个王者之相 with his dignified and solemn appearance， he is something of a king 2. majestic gait of the emperor; dignified manner of an emperor

1.19 龙颜大悦  <idiom> （the dragon’s countenance shows great pleasure） the emperor is highly pleased

1.20龙争虎斗  <idiom> （the dragon fights with the tiger） fierce battle between formidable foes

1.21攀龙附凤  also 攀龙附骥 <idiom> （to climb onto the dragon and cleave to the phoenix） to play up to powerful people; to advance one’s career by currying favour with influential people; to succeed through patronage

1.22 生龙活虎  <idiom> （doughty as a dragon and lively as a tiger） 1. to be full of vim and vigour; to be bursting with energy： 我那～的爸爸 my robust and lively father | 这些小伙子，个个～ every one of these young men is full of vigour and vitality 2. person bursting with energy; person brimming with vigour

1.23 屠龙之技  <idiom> （skill to slaughter dragons） a high skill without a worthy object on which to use it

1.24 望子成龙  also 望子成人 <idiom> to have high hopes that one’s son will grow up to amount to sth

1.25 降龍伏虎  <idiom> （to subdue the dragon and tame the tiger） 1. to overcome powerful foes; 2. to surmount formidable obstacles 3. to conquer one’s passions

1.26 鱼龙混杂  <idiom> （fish and dragons mixed together） good and bad people or things mixed up

二、与“龙”相关的俗语

2.1 画龙画虎难画骨  <familiar> （it is harder to paint the bones of a dragon and a tiger than their images） it is difficult to know a person’s true nature or innermost feelings： ～， 知人知面不知心 just as you can paint a dragon and tiger but not their bones， you may know a person’s face but not his mind

2.2 蛟龙失云雨  <familiar> （the flood dragon deprived of cloud and rain） to lose support and achieve nothing （of capable people）

2.3 鲤鱼跳龙门  <familiar> （a carp leaping into the Dragon’s Gate） to get rapid promotion

2.4 龙虎相斗，必有一伤 <familiar> （when a dragon and a tiger fight， one is sure to be wounded） when two powerful people fight， one is sure to get hurt

2.5 龙斗虎争，小鹿遭殃  <familiar> （when a dragon and a tiger fight， the young stag has to suffer） the innocent people have to suffer when their leaders come into conflict

2.6 龙生龙， 凤生凤， 老鼠养儿会打洞  <familiar> （dragons beget dragons， phoenixes beget phoenixes， and the offspring of mice can dig holes） like begets like; like father， like son

2.7 龙游浅滩遭虾戏，虎落平阳被犬欺 <familiar> （a dragon on a shoal can fall victim to shrimps， and a tiger on the plain can be bullied by dogs） the powerful in distress can be insulted by the weak; those who are out of their element or power can be bullied like everyone else

2.8 宁为蛇头，不为龙尾  <familiar> （better be the head of a snake than the tail of a dragon） better to be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion; better to be a big frog in a little pond than a small frog in a big one; it is better to be the head of a small group than to hold a less powerful position in a large one

2.9 神龙见首不见尾  <familiar> （one can see the head of a dragon， but not its tail） 1. hard to get hold of; can barely catch a glimpse of 2. to be secretive in one’s movements

2.10 一龙生九种  <idiom> （a dragon begets nine species） 1. brother differs from brother 2. pupil （of the same master） differs from pupil

的确，汉语中与“龙”有关的表达法实在太丰富了，诸如“龙蹲”“龙衮”“龙魂”“龙鹏”“龙趋”“龙麝”“龙摅”“鳌愤龙愁”“扳龙附凤”“禅世雕龙”“得婿如龙”“龟龙片甲”“龙雏凤种”“龙断之登”“龙多乃旱”“龙飞凤翔”“龙举云属”“龙腾凤集”“龙游曲沼”“龙跃凤鸣”“龙睁虎眼”“神龙见首”“游云惊龙”“不下大海，难捉蛟龙”“吃饭像条龙，做活像条虫”“独龙难斗两头蛇”“二月二，龙抬头”“虎啸风生，龙腾云起”“积水成渊，蛟龙兴焉”“蛟龙得云雨，终非池中物”“老虎嘴里拔脱牙，青龙头下拣明珠”“鲤鱼跳龙门，身价百倍”“龙肝凤胆拢歹医”“龙虎相斗，鱼龟遭殃”“龙交龍，凤交凤，老鼠的朋友会打洞”“龙生一子混九江，老母猪子多尽吃糠”“龙是龙，鳖是鳖，喇叭是铜锅是铁”“龙无云不行，鱼无水不生”“龙行一步，鳖爬十年”“龙一条胜过蚯蚓一畚箕”“龙游苍海虎归山”“龙游凤舞，岁乐民喜”“龙有蛇之一麟，不害其为灵”“猛虎不在当道卧，困龙也有上天时”“莫为霜台愁岁暮，潜龙须待一声雷”“批龙鳞易，捋虎须难”“擒龙不怕浪涛涌，打虎不怕虎逞凶”“擒龙要下海，打虎要上山”“蚯蚓成不了龙”“山不在高，有仙则名；水不在深，有龙则灵”“涉浅水者得虾，涉深水者得蛟龙”“身无斩龙刀，也敢下东海”“是龙到处行雨，是蛇到处伤人”“是龙就上天，是蛇就钻地”“是龙来去大海，是蛇草里钻”“在家似龙，出外似鼠”等表达法的英文翻译，更待我们共同探索。

* 南京大学博士，哈佛大学访问学者，现为上海大学教授、博士生导师，上海大学英文写作中心主任，主要从事英语词块学、英语写作学以及词典编纂研究。