龙凤

「长风破浪会有时，直挂云帆济沧海」

A time will come to ride the wind and cleave the waves; I'll hoist my cloud-like sail and cross the boundless sea

— Li Bai, 'Hard Roads in Shu'

Though the poem lacks the character '龙' (dragon), the imagery parallels a dragon soaring through clouds and seas

Someday I will ride the wind and break through the waves, hoisting my sail to cross the vast ocean — soaring ambition.

「龙游浅水遭虾戏，虎落平阳被犬欺」

A dragon wading in shallow water gets teased by shrimp; a tiger on the plains gets bullied by dogs

— Folk Proverb

Even a dragon can be tormented by shrimp in shallow waters — a metaphor for a hero in adversity, which only highlights the dragon's extraordinary nature.

「水不在深，有龙则灵」

The water need not be deep; with a dragon, it becomes enchanted

— Liu Yuxi, 'Inscription on a Humble Dwelling'

It matters not how deep the water is — a dragon gives it spirit. So too may a humble dwelling be fragrant when a person of virtue resides there.

「凤兮凤兮归故乡，翱游四海求其凰」

O phoenix, O phoenix, return to your homeland, soaring across the four seas in search of your mate

— Sima Xiangru, 'The Phoenix Seeks His Mate'

O phoenix, return to your homeland and soar across the seas to find your beloved — a famous verse of romance and the beautiful origin of the name.

「凤凰台上凤凰游，凤去台空江自流」

On Phoenix Terrace the phoenixes once roamed; now the birds are gone, the terrace stands empty, and the river flows on alone

— Li Bai, 'Ascending Phoenix Terrace at Jinling'

Phoenixes once graced Phoenix Terrace; now they are gone, the terrace empty, and only the river flows on as before — a lament for times past.