Chinese Images of blessing


Being a vast and diverse country with over fifty minorities groups,China is a homeland to a myriad different types of images which are meant to give good blessing. In the festivals or celebrations, people like decorating their houses and devices, for the blessing of a happy life and to celebrate the festivals.

The images of blessing in China started in the Zhou Dynasty (zhōu 周) (1122 BC—256 BC) around 3000 years ago. Until today, the images of blessing are still an important content of the Chinese life. The content of the images of blessing are quite broad, but here we introduce several kinds that are more popular:  

Shuangxi (shuāng xǐ 双喜)
The word of 喜 Xi means happy, 双 Shuang means two (2) which is a luck number in China. Shuangxi (shuāng xǐ 双喜) means double happiness. It means very happy and luck. Double Happiness writing "囍", originally referring to two happy events at the same time, is now used in wedding celebrations to express the joy of both parties. Posting "囍" when married is a traditional Chinese folk custom.
Here is a story. Wang Anshi, a famous literature in the Song Dynasty, went to the capital city to take the exam when he was 23 years old. He fell in love with Miss Ma when he stayed at  Majia Town. After taking the exam, he returned to Majia Town to marry Miss Ma. While worshipping, he learned from the court that he was the champion. It's really good to be happy, double happiness was coming. When he was drunk, he wrote a big "囍" on the red paper, which was posted on the door.

Shou (simplified Chinese: 寿; traditional Chinese: 壽 shòu)—longevity. It has been designed and prettified to be symmetrical, which means health and long life. 
Fushou shuangquan (fú shòu shuāng quán 福寿双全)—luck and health. It has the images of a bat and the word shou (shòu 寿). In Chinese, the pronunciation of the bat is similar to that of luck, therefore it has the meaning of luck and long life.

Long (simplified Chinese: 龙; traditional Chinese: 龍 lóng)—dragon. The dragon is the totem of the Chinese nation. Chinese around the world proudly proclaim themselves "Descendents of the Dragon (lóng dè chuán rén 龙的传人)." Dragons are referred to as the divine mythical creature that brings with it ultimate abundance, prosperity and good fortune.

Yu (yú 鱼)—fish.Carps are known for their legendary valour in swimming against the current and make a good marital fortune symbol.

Qilin (qí lín 麒麟)—This dragon horse is also known as the Chinese unicorn. A great omen for prosperity, success, longevity, illustrious offspring and enhancement, the qi lin should always be displayed as a pair.

 A symmetrical image with two you (yǒu 有). The you means having and wealthy in Chinese. In the counties of China, people post the image on the utensils for storing food, meaning a good and fruitful harvest.Sihe ruyi (sìhé rúyì 四合如意)—Four s-shape wands are enclosed and connected with each other on four sides, symbolizing everything goes as one wishes.

Baiji (bǎijí 百吉) is also called panchang (páncháng 盘长). It can be imagined as the endless ties, which have the similar pronunciation as jie (jié 结) in Chinese. The meaning of baiji is endless luck in life.

Wufu pengshou (wǔfú pěngshòu 五福捧寿)—Five bats bring long life. There are five bats surrounding the word shou. Taking the pronunciation of the word bat, it means five different kinds of good aspects: long life, wealth, health, virtue, and happy end.


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