yinglong means a winged dragon and rain deity in Chinese mythology.
Why “yinglong” is a great word
A winged dragon and rain deity in Chinese mythology, from Mandarin 應龍 (yìnglóng), from 應 (yìng, "responding, answering") + 龍 (lóng, "dragon"). Unlike *qinglong*, the fixed celestial guardian of the east, or the general *long*, the typically wingless serpentine dragon, yinglong is a singular, responsive power of the skies. It is the dark shape moving through the storm cloud, the beat of leathern wings felt in the pressure drop before the deluge, and the answering crack of thunder to a land's desperate drought—the mythic embodiment of a heaven that, sometimes, listens.
Etymology
From Mandarin 應龍／应龙 (yìnglóng).
noun
- a winged dragon and rain deity in Chinese mythology
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- loong 70% match — A Chinese dragon. vs yinglong →
- pixiu 55% match — A mythical Chinese creature resembling a winged lion, supposed to bring wealth. vs yinglong →
- lionling 54% match — A small lion. vs yinglong →
- dragon 54% match — A mythical reptilian or serpentine creature.; In European mythologies, a gigantic beast, typically reptilian with leathery bat-like wings, lion-like claws, scaly skin and a lizard-like body, often a monster with fiery breath. vs yinglong →
- dragonling 54% match — A baby dragon. vs yinglong →
- qilin 53% match — A mythical Chinese hooved chimerical creature, said to appear in conjunction with the arrival of a sage. vs yinglong →
- fenghuang 52% match — A phoenix found in Asian mythologies, which reigns over all other birds, often of female sex and frequently found paired with the Chinese dragon. vs yinglong →
- hulijing 52% match — nine-tailed fox in Chinese mythology vs yinglong →