What is "longnu"

Longnü (; Sanskrit: nāgakanya; Vietnamese: Long nữ), translated as Dragon Daughter, along with Sudhana are considered acolytes of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara in Chinese Buddhism. However, there are no scriptural sources connecting both Sudhana and Longnü to Avalokiteśvara at the same time. It is suggested that the acolytes are representations of the two major Mahāyāna texts, the Lotus Sūtra and the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, in which Longnü and Sudhana appear, respectively.

The depiction of Longnü and Sudhana with Avalokiteśvara may have been influenced by the Jade Maiden and Golden Youth who both appear in the iconography of the Jade Emperor. She is described as being the eight-year-old daughter of the Dragon King (; Sanskrit: nāgarāja) of the East Sea.