ZhuYin/燭陰: Ancient Dragon Deity of Chinese Mythology

What is Zhu Long

A mythical dragon in ancient China, had a human head and a serpent’s tail. Bring light to the northern lands not reached by the SUN. When he open his eyes, the world became daylight, When he closed his eyes, the world became nighttime.

Other Names

Zhu Yin / 燭陰

In Chinese ‘Yin’ means mostly cloudly, shadow, dark, symbolizing the control of light

Zhu Jiu Yin / 燭九陰

‘Jiu’ is a very important number in Chinese, which means honourable, respectable

Candle Dragon / Torch Dragon

‘Candle‘ is the direct translation of ‘Zhu/燭’, which means Zhu Long is the Torch of the world

Origins

《山海經·大荒北經》

Beyond the Northwest Sea, to the north of the Chishui River, there is a mountain called Zhangwei. There is a deity with a face resembling that of a human, a body like a snake, completely red, with vertically elongated eyes. When it closes its eyes, the world turns into night; when it opens its eyes, the world becomes day. It neither eats nor sleeps nor breathes but can summon wind and rain. It can illuminate the remote and obscure places, and this is known as the Candle Dragon

西北海之外，赤水之北，有章尾山。有神，人面蛇身而赤，直目正乘，其瞑乃晦，其视乃明，不食不寝不息，风雨是谒。是烛九阴，是烛龙。

The deity of Zhongshan, named Zhuyin, is regarded as daylight when looking, nighttime when closing its eyes, brings winter with its breath, and calls forth summer with its exhale. It neither drinks nor eats nor breathes, but its breath is the wind. Its body extends for a thousand miles. Located to the east of the boundless void, it takes the form of a being with a human face, a snake’s body, and is of a red color, residing beneath Zhongshan.

钟山之神，名曰烛阴，视为昼，瞑为夜，吹为冬，呼为夏，不饮，不食，不息，息为风。身长千里。在无䏿之东。其为物，人面，蛇身，赤色，居钟山下。