41 



the Emperor. Further, the Cheu li has taught us (above p. 40, 

 note 7) that the banner called ¥i, ^, was adorned with dragons J 

 joined (i. e. t5visted_about_eaclLoth^^^^^ The same work ' states the 

 following: "In general as tsieh"' (official tablets) of the envoys of 

 the Empire, in mountainous countries tiger tablets are used, in 

 plain countries tablets painted with human figures, and in watery- 

 countries dragon tablets. The tablets are all made of metal" ^ It ^^;'a/ 

 is clear why the ornaments of these official tablets were divided 

 in this way. For, as the commentator Ching K'ang-ch'ing remarks 

 on this passage, "in the mountains are many tigers, in the plains 

 many men, and in the waters many dragons"*. Thus the dragon 

 symbolized the water. 



A third passage of the Cheu li-', which treats of the Winter 

 officials, says that, in painting and embroidering, "Water is repre- 

 sented by means of dragons" '^. Cha.o P^uh's ' commentary explains y 

 these words as follows: "The dragon is a divine being in the 

 water. If one represents water without representing dragons, 

 there is nothing to show the divinity of its phenomena" *. As 

 to Ching K^ang-ch''ing, he simply states : "The dragon is a water 

 creature; it is (depicted or embroidered) on clothes" °. 



§ 5. I li. 



A dragon banner is mentioned in the / li '", where Imperial 

 hunting parties are described. We read there: "In the frontier 



1 Section Ti kwan, :^^ '^ , s. v. chang tsieh, ^ ^ , Ch. XIV, p. 39. 



S M f i t o # ^ ifc o 



5 Section Tung kwan, ^ *^ , Ch. XLII, ^ JH fB ^ ft ^^ (painting and 

 embroidering) ;^ ^ , || 51 ^ , P- 5& ^ ^]iini- ' 



7 ^ yfi, a commentator of the Sung dynasty. Although only his family name 

 is mentioned, and there was another commentator of the same family name, namely 

 Chao Kw'ang, ^ ^ , of the T'ang dynasty, probably we have here to do with 

 the former. 



iO % ,||, Sect. fP 1^ jjif IE- Ch. X, p. 48a: ^%^ M M. ^ . 





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