40 



be an omen, but this was only the consequence of their '^spirituality''' . 



In art. 4 of the same Chapter of the Li ki \ where the halcyon 

 days of the holy emperors of antiquity are described, we read: 

 "The male and female phoenixes, and the male and female 

 unicorns were all in the marshes beyond the city "walls; the 

 tortoise and the dragon were in the ponds of the Imperial 

 Palace" ^, i. e. the four ling were all in the neighbourhood, 

 spreading their blessings over the Palace and the country. 



Further, in another passage of the Li ki, also devoted to the 

 ancient sovereigns ^, the following words are to be found : "They 

 (the monarchs of old) chose (litt. followed, accommodated them- 

 selves to) felicitous places in order to make sacrifices to the 

 Emperor of Heaven in the suburbs. The sacrifices ascended and 

 reached Heaven. Then phoenixes descended, and tortoises and 

 dragons arrived" *. 



Finally; in the first, second and third months of spring ^, "the 

 Emperor ascends his carriage adorned with bells, drawn by 

 azure dragons ° and carrying a blue banner (j^, ¥i, adorned with 

 dragons joined ')". The azure dragon is, as we stated above, the 

 symbol of Spring, the season when "thunder resounds, lightning 

 begins to flash, and the hibernating animals all move, open their 

 doors (i. e. come out of their chrysalides) and begin to come out" ®. 



§ 4, Cheu li. 



We lias;e seen the dragon mentioned in the Shu king among 

 the ^twelve jsymbolic ornaments of the adcient sacrificial robe of 



1 ConvREHR, p. 536, nr 16. 



3 Ch. Vm, Li kH, ijjffi ^, art. 2, nr 12; Couvreur, Vol. I, p. 563. 



5 ii/ti, Ch.XXI, Yuehling, ^^, "Monthly Precepts"; Couvreur, I, Ch. IV, pp. 

 332 (first month), 340 (second month), 347 (third month) : ^ -?• "SB ^ 



6 Horses higher than eight ch'ih, i.e. 1.60 meter, were called dragons (Couveeur, 

 I, p. 333). 



7 Cheu li, ^ jjjS , Section CVun kwan, ^ ^ ; "Spring officials", s. v. ^ '^ ^ 

 Sze shang ; Ch. XXVII, p. 24, gives the names of the nine banners ruled by the Sze 

 shang, "Banner rulers". "Dragons joined form the kH, tfe, (the second banner)" 



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