Azure Dragon

Azure Dragon
Qīnglóng sculpture on the eaves tile
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese青龍
Simplified Chinese青龙
Literal meaningBlue-green Dragon
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinQīnglóng
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationChēnglùhng
JyutpingCeng1lung4
Southern Min
Hokkien POJChheⁿ-lêng or Chhiⁿ-lêng
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabetThanh Long
Chữ Hán青龍
Korean name
Hangul청룡
Hanja靑龍
Transcriptions
Revised RomanizationCheongnyong
Japanese name
Kanji青龍, 青竜
Hiraganaせいりゅう
Transcriptions
Revised HepburnSeiryū
Kunrei-shikiSeiryuu

The Azure Dragon (Chinese: 青龍; pinyin: Qīnglóng) is one of the Dragon Gods who represent the mount or chthonic forces of the Five Regions' Highest Deities (五方上帝; Wǔfāng Shàngdì). It is also one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations, which are the astral representations of the Wufang Shangdi. The Azure Dragon represents the east and the spring season. It is also sometimes referred to as the Blue-green Dragon, Green Dragon, or the Blue Dragon (蒼龍; Cānglóng).

The Dragon is frequently referred to in the media, feng shui, other cultures, and in various venues as the Green Dragon and the Avalon Dragon. His cardinal direction's epithet is "Bluegreen Dragon of the East" (東方青龍; Dōngfāng Qīnglóng or 東方蒼龍; Dōngfāng Cānglóng).

This dragon is also known as Seiryū in Japanese, Cheongryong in Korean and Thanh Long in Vietnamese.