How animals, plants, objects and written characters form visual wishes—and where those readings come from.
15 guides
Sound and wordplay
How Chinese Rebus Designs Work
Objects · sound · documented combinations
Five Blessings
What Are the Five Blessings?
Classical text · translation · five bats
Double Happiness
What the Chinese Double Happiness Symbol Means
Wedding use · paired forms · history
Dragon and fenghuang
Why the Dragon and Phoenix Appear Together
Court art · marriage · context
Lotus and fish
Why Lotus and Fish Mean Abundance Year After Year
Sound · pairing · complete phrase
Magpie and plum
Why a Magpie on Plum Blossoms Means Joy Up to the Eyebrows
Position · sound · composition
Pine and crane
Why Pine Trees and Cranes Symbolize Longevity
Long life · painting · object context
Three Friends
What Are the Three Friends of Winter?
Pine · bamboo · plum
Eight Treasures
Which Eight Treasures Are These?
Buddhist symbols · immortals' attributes
Fu character
Why Is the Chinese Fu Character Sometimes Upside Down?
Mandarin wordplay · placement · local custom
Shou character
Why Does the Chinese Longevity Character Have So Many Forms?
Calligraphy · object shape · Hundred Shou
Mandarin ducks
Why Do Mandarin Ducks Symbolize Marriage?
Paired birds · poetry · wedding gifts