| An imaginary animal. Its body resembles that of a giant snake, with eighty-one
scales on its back, five fingers on each of its four legs, two horns on
its head, a long face with ears, and long whiskers around its mouth. It
lives in water or underground, and sometimes flies through the air, creating
clouds and rain, and unleashing lightning. In ancient China, it was considered
the leader of the scale insects, and was one of the four auspicious creatures
along with the chin, phoenix, and turtle. In Buddhism, it is one of the
eight great dragon kings, and is the guardian deity of navigation and rainmaking.
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