How animals, plants, objects and written characters form visual wishes—and where those readings come from.
19 guides · Page 2 of 2
Pomegranate
Why Pomegranates Mean Many Children
Split fruit · seed–son wordplay · family history
Three Abundances
What Are the Three Abundances?
Three fruits · three wishes · documented variants
Ruyi
What Is a Ruyi Scepter?
Shape · name · court gifts · pattern
Butterfly
What Do Butterflies Symbolize?
Longevity · love · context · natural subject
Hundred Boys
Why Are There So Many Children?
Literal count · family continuity · adult ideals
Deer
What Does a Deer Symbolize?
Official rewards · longevity · companions · context
Four Gentlemen
Why Are Four Plants Called Gentlemen?
Separate subjects · late-Ming manuals · shared name