Name: 中國龍與西方龍 (Chinese Dragons vs Western Dragons)
Uploaded: 2025-07-14T21:38:50.000Z
Duration: 7 min 29 s

基礎被動語態

I was born in the year of the dragon, but I didn't know that until I was 22.

我是龍年出生的，但直到 22 歲才知道。

轉承詞

When I was growing up, I used to pretend to kill dragons because dragons were bad.

在我成長的過程中，我經常假裝要殺龍，因為龍很壞。

The image of the dragon is not the same everywhere.

I think it's a great example of how culture shapes the way we think, and how learning about other cultures can open new windows to other ways of seeing things.

我認為這是一個很好的例子，說明了文化是如何影響我們的思維方式的，以及學習其他文化是如何打開新窗口，讓我們以其他方式看待事物的。

So let's talk about the Chinese dragon and the, let's call it the Western dragon.

讓我們來談談中國龍和西方龍。

There are a few similarities between them, but I think more differences, and both of these can give us some really interesting insights.

它們之間有一些相似之處，但我認為更多的是不同之處，而這兩者都能給我們帶來一些非常有趣的啟示。

What do the Western dragon and the Chinese dragon have in common?

西方龍和中國龍有什麼共同之處？

這意味著，通常它們都有鱗片。

They both seem to have a connection to wealth and fortune, but not in the same way.

它們似乎都與財富和運氣有關，但方式卻不盡相同。

Actually, cultures around the world have legends about dragons, but as I said, we'll focus on the West and China.

事實上，世界各地的文化都有關於龍的傳說，但正如我所說的，我們將把重點放在西方和中國。

In Chinese culture, dragons symbolize power and good fortune, so it makes sense that dragons were the symbol of the emperor in Chinese dynasties.

在中國文化中，龍象徵著權力和吉祥，是以龍在中國曆代王朝中都是皇帝的象徵。

Being born in the year of the dragon is, I'm told, something to be proud of.

據說，龍年出生是一件值得驕傲的事情。

Most dragons in Chinese culture can fly, but generally not with wings.

在中國文化中，大多數龍都能飛，但一般都沒有翅膀。

In my opinion, Chinese dragons look super duper cool.

在我看來，中國龍看起來超級酷。

The Western dragon, by contrast, is the embodiment of evil.

相比之下，西方龍則是邪惡的化身。

You can use that one for people you don't like.

你可以用它來對付你不喜歡的人。

They guard gold selfishly, as well as beautiful women.

他們自私地守衛著黃金，也守衛著美女。

They're huge and horrifying creatures that will burn your village just because they want to.

它們是巨大而可怕的生物，它們會燒燬你的村莊，只因為它們想這麼做。

This is the traditional image of the Western dragon.

The most brave and heroic thing any hero can do is kill the dragon, get the gold, and save the village.

任何英雄所能做的最勇敢、最英勇的事情就是殺死巨龍，得到黃金，拯救村莊。

In one of the earliest English stories, Beowulf, the hero, fights a dragon to save his people.

在一個最早的英語故事中，英雄貝奧武夫為了拯救他的人民而與龍搏鬥。

This is the image I grew up with, and there really aren't many exceptions.

這是我從小到大的印象，沒有多少例外。

So what can these similarities and differences teach us about culture and the stories we tell?

那麼，關於文化和我們講述的故事，這些異同能給我們帶來什麼啟示呢？

Well, in both cases, I think dragons are tools to shape culture, but tools used in different ways.

在這兩種情況下，我認為龍都是塑造文化的工具，只是使用的方式不同而已。

I find it interesting that in both cases, they symbolize power.

我覺得有趣的是，在這兩種情況下，它們都象徵著權力。

The power symbolized by dragons is supernatural, not something ordinary humans can ever have or even completely understand.

龍所象徵的力量是超自然的，不是普通人所能擁有甚至完全理解的。

In the West, the dragon's power is terrifying.

It symbolizes the scary unknown, the things that frighten us most, which we can't really understand.

它象徵著可怕的未知，象徵著最讓我們恐懼、我們無法真正理解的事物。

It's really the perfect thing to hang all our fears on.

這真是一個完美的東西，可以把我們所有的恐懼都掛在上面。

When terrible things happen, it's nice to be able to say, dragon, bad.

當可怕的事情發生時，能夠說 "龍，壞了 "是件好事。

I think also Western dragons represent the worst things about ourselves.

我認為西方的龍也代表了我們自身最糟糕的一面。

Dragons are what happens when power meets total selfishness.

龍是權力與徹底的自私相遇時的產物。

If you had unlimited power, wouldn't you swim around on a mountain of gold?

如果你有無窮的力量，你難道不會在金山上游來游去嗎？

Dragons have no real use for the gold or the girls.

龍對金子和女孩都沒有真正的用處。

The Western dragon shows us the extremes of our worst characteristics, the worst things about ourselves.

西方龍向我們展示了我們最糟糕的極端特徵和最糟糕的一面。

So we need to kill the dragon to teach our children that these things can be defeated, but only the bravest and strongest person can do it.

是以，我們需要殺死巨龍，讓孩子們知道，這些東西是可以打敗的，但只有最勇敢、最堅強的人才能做到。

We have to be strong in order to defeat these things, these bad things.

我們必須堅強，才能戰勝這些東西，這些壞東西。

In ourselves, we have to protect the village from what we might become if we didn't try our best to become more like the dragon-killing hero.

就我們自己而言，我們必須保護村子，如果我們不盡力變得更像屠龍英雄，我們就可能變成這樣。

On the other side, there's the Chinese dragon.

The other side of power is the good side, the side that stands for order and law.

權力的另一面是好的一面，是代表秩序和法律的一面。

Without great power, how can any leader keep the nation from falling?

沒有強大的力量，任何領導者如何能使國家不淪陷？

The power of the dragon symbolizes the power to rule an entire kingdom with a firm but fair hand.

龍的力量象徵著以堅定而公正之手統治整個王國的力量。

With a strong ruler, the nation can be strong.

When the nation is strong, good fortune will follow.

The symbol of the dragon in China is like a power-up in a video game.

在中國，龍的象徵就像電子遊戲中的強力道具。

It's something you need to do the job of emperoring well.

I think Game of Thrones brings these two ideas together in a way.

我認為《權力的遊戲》在某種程度上將這兩種想法結合在了一起。

Daenerys' dragons are pretty scary, but they also give her the power to be a leader.

丹妮莉絲的龍非常可怕，但它們也賦予了她領導者的力量。

The dragons in Game of Thrones are as close as I've seen to dragons that blend the Western and Chinese conceptions.

權力的遊戲》中的龍是我見過的最接近龍的龍，融合了西方和中國的概念。

Well, the ones in How to Train Your Dragon are also friends with humans, but those aren't really dragons.

馴龍高手》中的龍也是人類的朋友，但那不是真正的龍。

They're more like flying cats with scales.

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中國龍與西方龍 (Chinese Dragons vs Western Dragons)

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