Original Text
In Yuling there was a Vice-Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial named Qu. One day, while reading in his study during a spell of rainy weather, he suddenly noticed a tiny creature, shimmering with a firefly-like glow, crawling slowly along. Wherever it passed, it left behind a black, scorched trail like that of a centipede. The little creature gradually crawled onto a book, and the pages also became marked with charred traces. Master Qu, suspecting it might be a dragon, respectfully lifted the book and carried the creature outside. At the doorway, he stood for a long time, but the tiny thing curled up and did not move. Master Qu said, "Perhaps you think I am being disrespectful?" So he brought the book back inside, placed it on the desk, dressed himself formally, made a deep bow, and then carried the creature out again. Just as he reached the eaves, the tiny creature raised its head, suddenly stretched its body, and with a sharp "chi-chi" sound and a flash of white light, it soared up from the book. After flying a few steps, it turned back to look at Master Qu. By then, its head had grown larger than a vat, and its body was dozens of arm spans thick. It twisted once more, let out a thunderous roar, and ascended into the clouds. When Master Qu returned to his desk to examine the trail left by the creature, he found it winding and twisting, and it had originally emerged from a bookcase.
Commentary
The dragon is a mythical creature worshipped by the ancient Han Chinese, renowned in legend for its ability to transform, summon clouds, and bring rain. Tales of the dragon are exceedingly abundant, and Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio is no exception. Both "The Hibernating Dragon" and the subsequent "The Immortal Su" are composed based on such legends.
In "The Hibernating Dragon," from the discovery of a small creature, "with a glow like a firefly, wriggling as it moved," to its gradual coiling upon a book scroll, where the scholar Qu Qiaojiao recognized it as a dragon, he escorted it out the door, yet, realizing his lack of reverence, returned to the desk, "donned his cap and gown, and made a deep bow" to see it off; the creature, upon reaching the eaves outside, transformed into a dragon and "soared into the clouds and vanished." Looking back at the path it had traversed, he then discovered that the dragon had emerged from a book chest. Though the tale is brief, it twists and turns, painting vivid images, revealing the author's supreme skill in description.