For Zheng Qing, "dragon" was a term both incredibly unfamiliar yet extremely well-known.
The unfamiliarity lay in the fact that, for Zheng Qing, this creature had always belonged to the realm of 'legends'.
The essence of a legendary scaled creature, the zodiacal representation of the Chen hours, an omen and symbol of fortune in folklore - in Zheng Qing's imagination, this divine beast was supposed to have a deer's antlers, camel's head, cow's ears, snake's neck, fish's scales, eagle's claws, and possessed the ability to bask in the clouds and mist, its weather astonishing and capable of appearing or disappearing at will; when it ascended, it soared amidst the cosmos, when hidden, it lurked within the waves.
In short, the term "dragon" contained too many spiritual implications for every countryman.
