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A list of Chinese symbols, designs, and art motifs, including decorative ornaments, patterns, auspicious symbols, and iconography elements, used in Chinese visual arts, sorted in different theme categories. Chinese symbols and motifs are more than decorative designs as they also hold symbolic but hidden meanings which have been used and understood by the Chinese people for thousand of years; they often influenced by nature, which include the fauna, the flora, landscape, and clouds.[1][2] Chinese symbols often have auspicious meanings associated to them, such as good fortune, happiness, and also represent what would be considered as human virtues, such as filial piety, loyalty, and wisdom,[1] and can even convey the desires or wishes of the Chinese people to experience the good things in life.[2] There are also special symbols in Chinese arts, such as the qilin, and the Chinese dragon.[1] According to Chinese beliefs, being surrounding by objects which are decorated with such auspicious symbols and motifs was and continues to be believed to increase the likelihood that those wishes would be fulfilled even in present-day.[2] Chinese symbols and motifs are often found in Chinese decorative arts, porcelain ware, clothing, and personal adornments.[2]
Cicada motifs were used as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties to decorate bronze; both realistic and stylized cicada motif were used during these periods.[13]: 89 Cicada motifs were also used in 17th and 18th when decorating bronze and cloisonne objects which imitating ancient bronzes.[13]: 89 Jade carved in the shaped of a cicada used to be placed in the mouth the deceased before being buried.[12] It was believed that cicada jade would prevent the decaying of a corpse or speed up the deceased's rebirth.[13]: 89
Symbol of immortality and resurrection (or regeneration[13]: 89 ); it is also a symbol of happiness and eternal youth as cicada's longevity is longer than other insects.[12]
Associated with royalty.[3] It is also called “flower of rank and honour"; honours means attaining high rank, an official position or high social status.[3]
Important Immortal deity painting depicting Xi Wangmu, the Queen Mother of the West, d. Ming dynasty.
In present day China, the Sanxing and other Chinese folk deities continue to be perceived as powerful carrier of good fortune.[2] The Queen Mother of the West, Xi Wangmu, who is often figured in Chinese stories, is associated with symbols of longevity in Chinese arts as the peaches of immortality are believed to grow in her celestial peach orchard according to folklore stories.[20]
^When part of the Eight Auspicious pattern, both two fishes can either be upright (going upward) or be upside down (going downward).
^Depending on the time period, the Chinese dragons were depicted with 3, 4, or 5 claws. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was established that the Chinese dragons (Long 龙) required 5-claws to meet their established definition of a Long (龙). Chinese dragons with less than 5 claws were no more considered as 'real' long (龙) dragons; e.g. the 4-clawed dragon then became known as mang (蟒, lit. "python").
^The crow in the sun disk is referred as sanzuwu when it is depicted with having three-legged
^ abcde"Hidden Meanings: Symbolism in Chinese Art from the collections of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture | SFO Museum". www.sfomuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv"Symbols – USC Pacific Asia Museum". pacificasiamuseum.usc.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
^ abBuckhardt (2013). Chinese Creeds And Customs. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. ISBN978-1-136-22007-4. OCLC 862609536.
^ abcd"Birds, Bats and Butterflies of Chinese Textiles | US-China Institute". china.usc.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-28.
^Eberhard, Wolfram (1986). A dictionary of Chinese symbols : hidden symbols in Chinese life and thought. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN0-7102-0191-5. OCLC 11970928.
^ abc"Pearls of Wisdom: The Arts of Islam at the University of Michigan | Bowl with Double Fish Motif". exhibitions.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
^ ab"Dish with twin fish motif". www.roots.gov.sg. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
^ ab"The Golden Fishes - Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia". tibetanbuddhistencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
^ abcKeown, Damien (2003). A dictionary of Buddhism. [New York]: Oxford University Press. ISBN978-0-19-172653-8. OCLC 52362166.
^ abcdWilliams, Charles (2006). Chinese symbolism and art motifs : a comprehensive handbook on symbolism in Chinese art through the ages. New York: Tuttle Pub. ISBN978-1-4629-0314-6. OCLC 782879753.
^ abcdPerkins, Dorothy (2013). Encyclopedia of China : History and Culture. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. ISBN978-1-135-93562-7. OCLC 869091722.
^Laufer, Berthold (1912-11-01). "Fish Symbols in China (Illustrated)". The Open Court. 1912 (11).
^ abTheobald, Ulrich. "Xiwangmu 西王母, the Queen Mother of the West (www.chinaknowledge.de)". www.chinaknowledge.de. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
^Yang, Shuran; Yue, Li; Wang, Xiaogang (2021-08-01). "Study on the structure and virtual model of "xiezhi" gown in Ming dynasty". Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 1986 (1): 012116. Bibcode:2021JPhCS1986a2116Y. doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1986/1/012116. ISSN 1742-6588. S2CID 236985886.
^"Panel with Rabbits amid Clouds late 16th–early 17th century". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
^Yang, Shanshan (2016-01-01). "Frogs and toads in Chinese myths, legends, and folklore". Chinese America: History and Perspectives: 77–83.
^ abcdefg"Chinese Flowers of Months and Cultural Meanings | ChinaFetching". ChinaFetching.com. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
^Denney, Joyce (2010). "Longevity in Chinese Art". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
^"Tray with pommel scrolls 14th century". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
Bibliographyedit
Eberhard, Wolfram (1986). A dictionary of Chinese symbols : hidden symbols in Chinese life and thought. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN978-0-203-03877-2. OCLC 826514710.
Ren, Liqi (2013). Traditional Chinese visual design elements: their applicability in contemporary Chinese design (Master of Science in Design thesis). Arizona State University.
Welch, Patricia Bjaaland (2012). Chinese art : a guide to motifs and visual imagery. Boston, US: Tuttle Publishing. ISBN978-1-4629-0689-5. OCLC 893707208.
Williams, Charles (2006). Chinese symbolism and art motifs : a comprehensive handbook on symbolism in Chinese art through the ages. New York: Tuttle Pub. ISBN978-1-4629-0314-6. OCLC 782879753.
January 01, 1970
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This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources List of Chinese symbols designs and art motifs news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2022 Learn how and when to remove this message This article s lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article September 2022 Learn how and when to remove this message This list is incomplete you can help by adding missing items May 2022 A list of Chinese symbols designs and art motifs including decorative ornaments patterns auspicious symbols and iconography elements used in Chinese visual arts sorted in different theme categories Chinese symbols and motifs are more than decorative designs as they also hold symbolic but hidden meanings which have been used and understood by the Chinese people for thousand of years they often influenced by nature which include the fauna the flora landscape and clouds 1 2 Chinese symbols often have auspicious meanings associated to them such as good fortune happiness and also represent what would be considered as human virtues such as filial piety loyalty and wisdom 1 and can even convey the desires or wishes of the Chinese people to experience the good things in life 2 There are also special symbols in Chinese arts such as the qilin and the Chinese dragon 1 According to Chinese beliefs being surrounding by objects which are decorated with such auspicious symbols and motifs was and continues to be believed to increase the likelihood that those wishes would be fulfilled even in present day 2 Chinese symbols and motifs are often found in Chinese decorative arts porcelain ware clothing and personal adornments 2 Contents 1 Categorized sets or collections 2 Natural landscape and cosmology 2 1 Clouds sun stars and moon 2 2 Waves and sea 3 Animals 3 1 Mammals 3 2 Birds 3 3 Fish 3 4 Insects 4 Imaginary animals 4 1 Chimeral animals 4 2 Bird like creatures 4 3 Animal like creatures 4 4 Composite 5 Plants flowers and trees 5 1 Flowers 5 2 Trees and plants 5 3 Composite 6 Fruits vegetables kernels mushroom and seeds 6 1 Fruits 6 2 Mushroom 7 Inanimate objects 8 Chinese characters 8 1 Composite 9 Taoist religion 9 1 Taoist deities and immortals 9 2 Taoist symbols 10 Buddhism religion 10 1 Buddhist entities 11 Borders meander and repeated patterns 12 Related concepts 13 See also 14 Notes 15 References 16 BibliographyCategorized sets or collections editChinese zodiac Eight Auspicious pattern Bajixiang 八吉祥 The Eight Auspicious symbols of Buddhism Eight treasures Babao 八寶 Eight precious things Flowers of the Four Seasons Four gentlemen Five Poisons Four symbols Twelve ornamentsNatural landscape and cosmology editClouds sun stars and moon edit Type Name Images Clouds Xiangyun auspicious clouds nbsp nbsp Cosmic symbol Yunjian 云肩 cloud collar motif Persimon calyx nbsp nbsp Waves and sea edit Types Name Images Composite Haishuijiangya 海水江崖 Waves Lang nbsp Animals editMammals edit Name Symbolism Images Bats Bat fu Homophone for good fortune and symbol for longevity and happiness 3 nbsp Bats flying amongst clouds nbsp Bats with Chinese character wan Swastika Ten thousand fold wishes for good fortune and happiness 3 Five bats wufu Wishes for the Five Blessings 3 nbsp nbsp Red bats hongfu Wide spread of good fortune 3 nbsp Deer Lu 4 nbsp Elephant Xiang Horses A horse Speed and perseverance 5 37 Eight horses The 8 horses of King Mu of Zhou 5 37 Tiger Birds edit Birds were symbols of literary refinement of the scholars with ability to fly towards the Heaven 6 Name Images Crane A red crowned crane 4 Magpie Mandarin duck A mandarin duck Pairs of mandarin duck Fish edit Main article Fish in Chinese mythology Types Name Symbolism Images Fish Single fish Yu 鱼 lit fish Wealth and abundance nbsp nbsp Carp jumping at the Dragon Gate Success in the civil service examinations 7 63 nbsp Double fish Shuangyuwen 双鱼纹 Double fish 8 twin fish 9 two horizontal fishes each facing an opposite direction Marital happiness 8 fertility and abundance 9 nbsp nbsp Pairs of golden fish Golden fish as part of the Eight Auspicious pattern 8 two fishes in the vertical planes with their faces inward 3 10 11 84 note 1 Good fortune 11 83 happiness 10 freedom from restraint 3 nbsp Insects edit Name Description Symbolism Images Butterflies Butterfly butterflies A common motif used in Chinese embroidery and in Chinaware 12 The butterfly is a symbol of joy and summer 12 It also implies long life beauty and elegance 6 nbsp Pair of butterflies Pair of butterflies embroidered on clothing strengthens the energy of love 6 Love especially young love undying bond between lovers 6 Cicada Cicada motifs were used as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties to decorate bronze both realistic and stylized cicada motif were used during these periods 13 89 Cicada motifs were also used in 17th and 18th when decorating bronze and cloisonne objects which imitating ancient bronzes 13 89 Jade carved in the shaped of a cicada used to be placed in the mouth the deceased before being buried 12 It was believed that cicada jade would prevent the decaying of a corpse or speed up the deceased s rebirth 13 89 Symbol of immortality and resurrection or regeneration 13 89 it is also a symbol of happiness and eternal youth as cicada s longevity is longer than other insects 12 nbsp Cicada jade used in burial practice Han dynastyImaginary animals editChimeral animals edit Type Name Symbolism Images Chinese dragons note 2 C shaped dragon Ring like dragon Hong rainbow dragon nbsp Hongshan Jade dragon nbsp Panlong 4 nbsp Shuanglong 14 nbsp Zhulong Pig dragon Curly and coiled dragon Azure dragon Kuilong 夔龙 4 nbsp Panchi 4 Zisunlong 子孙龙 Long dragon or mang dragon 3 clawed dragons 4 clawed dragons also called mang 蟒 lit python 5 clawed dragons Zhenglong 正龙 sitting dragon nbsp Lilong 立龙 standing dragon nbsp Shenglong 升龙 ascending dragon nbsp nbsp nbsp Jianglong 降龙 descending dragon nbsp nbsp Xinglong 行龙 travelling dragon nbsp Dragon playing with pearl nbsp Two dragon playing with flaming pearl pearl nbsp nbsp nbsp Other 4 clawed dragons Douniu Feiyu Phoenix like Feng huang Single male feng or female phoenix huang 3 Symbol of the empress of China 3 nbsp Fenghuang Pair of phoenix one male and one female 3 Marital happiness 3 Qilin Male Qilin Virtue and perfection 3 Female Qilin nbsp Bird like creatures edit Types Name Symbolism Image Bird Qingniao 15 Crow like creatures Jinwu lit golden crow Yangwu Erzuwu 二足金 lit two legged crow Erzujinnian 二足金乌 lit two legged golden crow Sun nbsp Sanzuwu 三足烏 lit Three legged crow note 3 nbsp nbsp Sanzuwu 三足烏 lit Three legged crow nbsp Pheasant like creatures Vermillion bird Animal like creatures edit Types Name Symbolism Images Fox like creatures Hulijing 狐狸精 Fox spirit Nine tail fox nbsp nbsp Goat or sheep like creature Taotie nbsp Xiezhi Fairness justice and discrimination between the right and wrong 16 Horse like creatures Haima 4 Lion like creatures Suan ni 4 Rabbit like creature Yu tu 玉兔 lit Jade rabbit Yue tu 月兔 lit Moon rabbit Jade rabbit in the moon disk Jade rabbit pounding medicine elixir of life nbsp Rabbits running amongst clouds Moon 17 nbsp Tiger like creature White tiger Toad like or frog like creature Moon toad toad on a moon crescent nbsp Dancing frog 15 nbsp Three legged toad Jin Chan Golden toad nbsp Jin Chan Golden toad biting a coin Money toad 18 Tortoise like creature Black tortoise Xuanwu 玄武 also one of the Four Symbols nbsp Composite edit Images Name Chinese dragon and fenghuang nbsp Dragon turtle Dragon turtle with carrying a small turtle on its back Five poisons nbsp Moon rabbit and moon toad nbsp Plants flowers and trees editFlowers edit Name Symbol Images Apricot Apricot blossom 19 Balsamine flower 19 Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum flower Symbol of autumn and longevity 3 Hibiscus Lotus Lotus flower 19 Narcissus Osmanthus Osmanthus blossom 19 Peach Peach blossom 19 Spring and happiness 3 nbsp Peony 19 Peony flower Associated with royalty 3 It is also called flower of rank and honour honours means attaining high rank an official position or high social status 3 nbsp Plum Plum flowers Symbol of winter 3 Pomegranate Pomegranate flower 19 Winter sweet Trees and plants edit Name Images Bamboo nbsp Willow tree Composite edit Name Description Symbol Images Four gentlemen si junzi Orchids chrysanthemum plum blossoms and bamboo Integrity and humility of the scholar 3 Three friends of winter Plum blossoms bamboo and pine Longevity and resistance to the elements 3 Fruits vegetables kernels mushroom and seeds editFruits edit Name Symbolism Images Gourd Single gourd Fertility 3 Double gourd Associated with deities and immortals 3 Peaches Peach fruit Associated with the god Shoulao god of longevity symbol of a long life 3 nbsp Peaches of immortality Peach of immortality nbsp Peach and Chinese character shou nbsp Pomegranates Pomegranate fruit Whole pomegranate fruit nbsp Mushroom edit Name Symbol Images Lingzhi Immortality and shares the meaning of ruyi 如意 as you wish 3 nbsp Inanimate objects editName Symbolism Images Coins Chinese numismatic charm Gems Precious stone Baozhu Flaming pearl nbsp Triratna triple gem nbsp Hand held fan Open hand held fan nbsp Ingot Gold ingot nbsp Silver ingot Knots Endless knots Infinite wisdom of Buddha 11 84 note 4 nbsp Chinese characters editName Symbolism Images Cai wealth Stylized character Wealth nbsp Fo 佛 Chinese character Buddha nbsp Fu 福 Chinese character Upright prosperity good luck nbsp nbsp Upside down nbsp Stylized symbol prosperity good luck nbsp Lu 禄 Chinese character nbsp Stylized symbol nbsp Shou Chinese character longevity nbsp Stylized symbol nbsp Shou with wan nbsp nbsp Wan Chinese character Ten thousand years nbsp nbsp Xi double happiness Chinese character wedding bliss nbsp nbsp Stylized symbol nbsp Xi happiness Chinese character Composite edit Fushoushang 福壽双 Chinese character nbsp Taoist religion editTaoist deities and immortals edit nbsp Important Immortal deity painting depicting Xi Wangmu the Queen Mother of the West d Ming dynasty In present day China the Sanxing and other Chinese folk deities continue to be perceived as powerful carrier of good fortune 2 The Queen Mother of the West Xi Wangmu who is often figured in Chinese stories is associated with symbols of longevity in Chinese arts as the peaches of immortality are believed to grow in her celestial peach orchard according to folklore stories 20 Taoist symbols edit Name Images Bagua nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Hetu nbsp Luoshu nbsp Taiji nbsp nbsp Taijitu nbsp Trigram figure li 離 nbsp Wuji nbsp Yin and Yang nbsp nbsp Buddhism religion editBuddhist entities edit Types Name Images Spirits Female Feitian Apsara Borders meander and repeated patterns editTypes Name Images Chinese characters Border Gong 工 work and bats nbsp Decorative Floral and twines Grass pattern Tang caowen 4 Twined branches Chanzhiwen 4 Curves Pommel pattern Guri 屈輪 Pommel scroll 21 nbsp Geometric Diagonal Diagonal straight lines Lishui nbsp Diagonal wavy lines nbsp Semicricles Horizontal semi circles Woshui Curvilinear Swirl 4 nbsp Wavy Wavy Boqu 4 Others Yunleiwen 云雷纹 Cloud and thunder pattern meander Yunleiwen Yunwen 云纹 Cloud patterns meander Yunwen Leiwen 雷纹 Thunder patterns meander Leiwen 4 Composite Floral and coin pattern nbsp Related concepts editFive blessings Chinese numerology Five colours Yansheng coinsSee also editChinese ornamental gold silk Chinese embroidery Chinese auspicious ornaments in textile and clothingNotes edit When part of the Eight Auspicious pattern both two fishes can either be upright going upward or be upside down going downward Depending on the time period the Chinese dragons were depicted with 3 4 or 5 claws Since the Ming and Qing dynasties it was established that the Chinese dragons Long 龙 required 5 claws to meet their established definition of a Long 龙 Chinese dragons with less than 5 claws were no more considered as real long 龙 dragons e g the 4 clawed dragon then became known as mang 蟒 lit python The crow in the sun disk is referred as sanzuwu when it is depicted with having three legged When part of the Eight Auspicious pattern References edit a b c Chinese Symbols USC Pacific Asia Museum pacificasiamuseum usc edu Retrieved 2022 10 01 a b c d e Hidden Meanings Symbolism in Chinese Art from the collections of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco Chong Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture SFO Museum www sfomuseum org Retrieved 2022 10 01 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Symbols USC Pacific Asia Museum pacificasiamuseum usc edu Retrieved 2022 05 25 a b c d e f g h i j k l Chinese Patterns Origin History Meaning and Utilization ChinaFetching ChinaFetching com Retrieved 2022 05 24 a b Buckhardt 2013 Chinese Creeds And Customs Hoboken Taylor and Francis ISBN 978 1 136 22007 4 OCLC 862609536 a b c d Birds Bats and Butterflies of Chinese Textiles US China Institute china usc edu Retrieved 2022 05 28 Eberhard Wolfram 1986 A dictionary of Chinese symbols hidden symbols in Chinese life and thought London Routledge amp Kegan Paul ISBN 0 7102 0191 5 OCLC 11970928 a b c Pearls of Wisdom The Arts of Islam at the University of Michigan Bowl with Double Fish Motif exhibitions kelsey lsa umich edu Retrieved 2022 05 25 a b Dish with twin fish motif www roots gov sg Retrieved 2022 05 25 a b The Golden Fishes Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia tibetanbuddhistencyclopedia com Retrieved 2022 05 25 a b c Keown Damien 2003 A dictionary of Buddhism New York Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 172653 8 OCLC 52362166 a b c d Williams Charles 2006 Chinese symbolism and art motifs a comprehensive handbook on symbolism in Chinese art through the ages New York Tuttle Pub ISBN 978 1 4629 0314 6 OCLC 782879753 a b c d Perkins Dorothy 2013 Encyclopedia of China History and Culture Hoboken Taylor and Francis ISBN 978 1 135 93562 7 OCLC 869091722 Laufer Berthold 1912 11 01 Fish Symbols in China Illustrated The Open Court 1912 11 a b Theobald Ulrich Xiwangmu 西王母 the Queen Mother of the West www chinaknowledge de www chinaknowledge de Retrieved 2022 05 25 Yang Shuran Yue Li Wang Xiaogang 2021 08 01 Study on the structure and virtual model of xiezhi gown in Ming dynasty Journal of Physics Conference Series 1986 1 012116 Bibcode 2021JPhCS1986a2116Y doi 10 1088 1742 6596 1986 1 012116 ISSN 1742 6588 S2CID 236985886 Panel with Rabbits amid Clouds late 16th early 17th century www metmuseum org Retrieved 2022 05 27 Yang Shanshan 2016 01 01 Frogs and toads in Chinese myths legends and folklore Chinese America History and Perspectives 77 83 a b c d e f g Chinese Flowers of Months and Cultural Meanings ChinaFetching ChinaFetching com Retrieved 2022 05 24 Denney Joyce 2010 Longevity in Chinese Art www metmuseum org Retrieved 2022 10 01 Tray with pommel scrolls 14th century www metmuseum org Retrieved 2022 05 25 Bibliography editEberhard Wolfram 1986 A dictionary of Chinese symbols hidden symbols in Chinese life and thought London Routledge amp Kegan Paul ISBN 978 0 203 03877 2 OCLC 826514710 Ren Liqi 2013 Traditional Chinese visual design elements their applicability in contemporary Chinese design Master of Science in Design thesis Arizona State University Welch Patricia Bjaaland 2012 Chinese art a guide to motifs and visual imagery Boston US Tuttle Publishing ISBN 978 1 4629 0689 5 OCLC 893707208 Williams Charles 2006 Chinese symbolism and art motifs a comprehensive handbook on symbolism in Chinese art through the ages New York Tuttle Pub ISBN 978 1 4629 0314 6 OCLC 782879753 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title List of Chinese symbols designs and art motifs amp oldid 1185445812, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
