The legend of the dragon giving birth to nine sons means that the dragon gave birth to nine sons. None of the nine sons became dragons, and each of them was different. The saying that the dragon has nine sons has been around for a long time, but there is no explanation about which nine animals they are. It was not until the Ming Dynasty that a saying appeared:

The boss prisons the ox (qiúniú)

The second child is yázī

The third child is laughing at the wind (cháofēng)

The fourth child is Pulao (pǔláo)

The fifth child is suānní )

老六豑屃 (bìxì)

老七狴犴 (bìàn)

老八negative屃 (fùxī)

Lao Jiu Chi Kiss/鸱tail (chǐwěn/chǐweǐ)

Their roles they play in the human world are as follows:

The Prison Ox (qiúniú) is yellow in shape with scales and horns. Xiaolong, who likes music, squats on the head of the piano. This musical dragon son not only stands on the huqin of the Han people, but also on the dragon-headed yueqin of the Yi people, the three-stringed qin of the Bai people, and some Tibetan musical instruments with his head raised and his mouth open.

睚禦 (Pinyin: Yázì), with the body of a dragon and the head of a jackal, is fierce in nature and is most fond of killing. It is bloodthirsty and aggressive. It is engraved on the ring and hilt of the sword and swallows the mouth. It looks like a jackal and is easy to kill. Often carved on the hilt and scabbard. The original meaning of Yaizhen is to stare angrily, as the saying goes, "The virtue of a meal must be repaid, and the resentment of Yaizhu must be repaid." Retribution will inevitably lead to death, so it is natural for this jackal-like dragon to appear on the handle of the sword and the scabbard.

Chaofeng (Pinyin: cháofēng) has been in danger all his life, and now his image is that of a beast with a palace horn.

Pulao (Pinyin: pǔláo) roars loudly when it is hit, and serves as an animal button on the bell to help its sound spread far and wide. Shaped like a dragon but smaller than a dragon, it sings easily. It is said that Pulao lives by the sea and is most afraid of whales. Whenever he encounters a whale attack, Pulao screams incessantly. So, people put his image on the bell and carved the long piece of wood that struck the bell into the shape of a whale, using it to strike the bell in order to make the sound louder and louder.

Suānní (Pinyin: Suānní), shaped like a lion, likes smoking and sitting, so its image usually appears on the incense burner, swallowing smoke and blowing out mist.

Also known as Jin Ni and Ling Ni. Suanni is originally an alias for lion, so it is shaped like a lion, good at fireworks and easy to sit on. His style can be seen on the Buddha's seat and incense burner in the temple. Lions, animals that dare to eat even tigers and leopards and have a majestic appearance, were introduced to China along with Buddhism. Since the Buddha Sakyamuni has the metaphor of a "fearless lion", people naturally arrange him as a seat for the Buddha, or carve it on an incense burner so that he can enjoy the incense.

Hui Lin, an eminent monk in the Tang Dynasty, said: "Suanni is a lion, and it came out of the Western Regions."

Bixi (Pinyin: Bìxì), also known as Guifu, Baxia, and Caixia, It looks like a turtle, has teeth, is strong and is good at carrying heavy loads. He also carries heavy objects on his back, and the stone turtle under the stone tablet is his image.

Bi Fan (Pinyin: Bì'àn), image of a tiger, is said to be a litigious person, so its image is erected on both sides of the prison gate or the official hall. Also called charter. It looks like a tiger, is powerful, and is prone to prison litigation, so people carved it on the prison door. The tiger is a powerful beast, so it can be seen that the purpose of the tiger is to enhance the majesty of the prison and make the criminals intimidated.

Fuxi (Pinyin: Fùxì), with a body like a dragon, elegant and graceful, coiled around the top of the stone tablet.

Chiki, also called Chiwei or Chiki (pinyin, Chīwěn, Chīwěi, Chīwěn), has a moist mouth and a thick throat and is easy to swallow, so it became a spine-swallowing beast at both ends of the palace ridge, using it to extinguish fires and eliminate disasters.

There is no definite statement whether the owl is a kind of bird or a legendary whale on the sea.

Also called Good Hope. Shaped like a four-legged snake with its tail cut off, this dragon son is good at looking around in dangerous places and also likes to eat fire. According to legend, when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty built the Bailiang Palace, someone wrote that there was a fish in the sea with a tail like an owl, that is, a falcon. It could spray water to make rain and could be used to ward off fires, so his image was sculpted on the corners, ridges, and corners of the palace. above the roof.