<![CDATA[Ikon naga selalu muncul dalam segala segi kehidupan masyarakat Tionghoa dan telah bertahan berabad-abad: busana, peralatan rumah tangga, bangunan, teori fengshui, pemerintahan, festival, kepercayaan, ritual. Naga sebagai ikon budaya etnis Tionghoa populer sampai sekarang, Makhluk apakah sesungguhnya ini? Tulisan ini mengambil sample naga yang muncul sebagai elemen arsitektur dominan pada bangunan klenteng tradisional atau bangunan resmi kekaisaran dahulu. Uraian pemaknaan didekati secara historis, antropologis, etnografis, etimologi, semiotik dan hermeneutik. Analisa menunjukkan naga merupakan symbol harapan masyarakat mengenai segala hal berhubungan dengan kebaikan, kemakmuran, dan kebahagiaan. Suatu bayangan dari bawah sadar manusiawi. Disertakan juga beragam contoh pemakaian oleh masyarakat umum. Kata kunci : naga, budaya Tionghoa, tradisional, vernakular. Dragon icon is well-known in every aspect of the Chinese culture and has survived for centuries on cloths, furniture, building architecture, feng-shui theory, governments, festivals, beliefs, and rituals. As an icon of the Chinese culture, it has always been very popular until today. What kind of being is it actually? This paper chose the dragon as expressed as a dominant element in the architecture of traditional temples and the past kingdom official buildings. The interpretation of its meaning is performed using the approaches of history, anthropology, enthography, etymology, semiotics and hermeneutics. The analysis indicates that the inherent meanings of dragon symbolizes the society’s expectation for every single thing related to good wishes, prosperity, and happiness: subconscious human sillhoutes. Also provided here various examples of its applications by people in general. Keywords: dragon, Chinese culture, traditional, vernacular.]]>
