also: りりゅう
black dragon
Archaic term for a black dragon, found in classical Chinese and old Japanese texts. Not used in modern everyday language.
See also: 黒龍
In classical texts, the black dragon is often depicted as a mystical being.
Archaic kanji spelling; the character 驪 is not in common use. The reading りりょう is standard for this form.
Alternate reading りりゅう, also archaic. Both readings are given.
From Chinese 驪龍 (lí lóng), meaning 'black dragon'. The kanji 驪 means 'black horse' and by extension 'black', while 竜 means 'dragon'. The word entered Japanese as a literary term and is now archaic.