Page 108 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A-Z 101
A popular play on the Chinese stage shows Emperor Tai-zong of the Tang Dynasty
clad in yellow robes playing chess with his minister Wei Zhen. The latter falls
asleep, and the audience sees breath coming out of his mouth and killing a far-off dragon:
this is in fact a dragon-king who had made a wager with Wei Zhen that he would not
cause rain to fall when the supreme deity ordered him to do so. Thus, we are told, are
disobedient dragons punished. The story is told in the celebrated novel ‘The Journey to
the West’ (Xi you ji).

Dream

meng

Dreams are regarded as experiences of the soul, which can leave the human body
during sleep. The Immortals have no dreams, because they have no desires or
wishes. Dreams may presage good or bad luck ( mirror), and they can be interpreted
in the same way as oracles.
The professional interpreter of dreams is less in evidence nowadays, but books on the
meaning of dreams are still in constant use. The favourite one is the Zhou-gong jie meng,
which is said to have been compiled by the Duke of Zhou around 1050 BC. This work
relies very heavily on the ‘dialectical’ or antithetic explanation of dreams – e.g. a dream
about death means long life, etc.
Particularly well known is the story concerning the dream of Han-dan (in the
‘Magic Pillow’, a work by Shen Ji-ji of the early Tang Dynasty). The Taoist Lü Weng, an
adept in the mysteries of the Immortals, meets a man called Lu in an inn in the city of
Han-dan. Lu has failed in his examinations: Lü Weng lends him his pillow and causes
him to dream of earthly happiness. When the dreamer awakes, Lü Weng soon talks him
out of such illusory attachments. The tale has been dramatised as the ‘Dream of the
Yellow Millet’.
See also Snake, Sword.

Drum

gu

The drum is one of the eight musical instruments; it was much used for ceremonial
purposes. In ancient times, drums gave the signal for attack in battle, and their noise was
compared to the rolling of thunder. Drums were beaten at many festive occasions –