Hope Son Becomes Dragon

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Informant: Angela Cai, 19, F

Date Collected: 5/23/14

Genre: Proverb

Informant Data: Angela was born in Boston and raised in the Boston suburbs where she still lives. She is a freshman at Dartmouth College. Her mom is from Beijing, China and her dad is from Hunan, China. She speaks Chinglish with her parents at home and exclusively Mandarin with her extended family. She first heard this proverb in a Chinese class at Dartmouth. This item was collected through an interview.

Text/Texture 

Chinese: 望子成龙(wàng zǐ chéng lóng)
Literal Translation: To hope son becomes dragon

Free Translation: To hope one's son grows up to be a dragon. 

Context: The dragon is a traditional mythological animal representing good luck and auspiciousness that is associated with ideal masculinity and the emperor. The proverb is often used in a family context by parents talking about their hopes for their children, or other people wishing luck to another person's children.

Meaning/Interpretation: It means to have high hopes for your son to be successful.