Complete collection of eight-character idioms with dragons

when a snake turns into a dragon, it does not change its writing (shé huà wéi lóng, bé ù bi à n qí wé n)

Explanation: no matter how the form changes, the essence remains the same.

Modern meaning: Never change without its ancestor

Source: Historical Records of consorts by Han Sima Qian: "A snake turns into a dragon, but its writing remains unchanged; Domesticated into a country, without changing its surname. "