also: そうりゅう
blue dragon
General term for a blue dragon in mythology and folklore; often synonymous with 青竜.
See also: 青龍
There is a legend that a blue dragon appears in the eastern sky.
Azure Dragon (god of the eastern heavens)
Specifically refers to the Azure Dragon, one of the Four Symbols in Chinese mythology, ruling the eastern heavens.
See also: 青龍
The Azure Dragon is one of the Four Symbols and guards the east.
seven mansions of the eastern heavens
In Chinese astronomy, the seven constellations that make up the Azure Dragon of the east.
See also: 二十八宿
Among the 28 mansions, the seven eastern ones are called the Azure Dragon.
large horse with a bluish-leaden coat
Rare term for a horse with a dark bluish-gray coat; not commonly used in modern Japanese.
In old documents, a horse named Sōryū appears.
shape of an old pine tree
Obscure term for the twisted, dragon-like shape of an ancient pine tree; rarely encountered.
The old pine in the garden has a shape just like a blue dragon.
Standard kanji spelling for the mythological blue dragon and related senses.
Alternate reading そうりゅう; less common than そうりょう.
Variant kanji spelling using 龍 instead of 竜; both are used.
Variant spelling with alternate reading そうりゅう.
From Chinese 蒼龍 (cānglóng), meaning 'blue dragon'. The kanji 蒼 means 'blue' or 'green' and 竜/龍 means 'dragon'. The reading そうりょう is the go-on reading, while そうりゅう is a variant.