List of Chinese symbols, designs, and art motifs

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. 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, and can even convey the desires or wishes of the Chinese people to experience the good things in life. There are also special symbols in Chinese arts, such as the qilin, and the Chinese dragon. 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. Chinese symbols and motifs are often found in Chinese decorative arts, porcelain ware, clothing, and personal adornments.

Categorized sets or collections

Chinese 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 ornaments

Natural landscape and cosmology

Clouds, sun, stars, and moon TypeNameImagesCloudsXiangyun / auspicious cloudsCosmic symbolYunjian (云肩)/ cloud collar motifPersimon calyx

Waves and sea +TypesNameImagesCompositeHaishuijiangya (海水江崖)WavesLang

Animals

Mammals NameSymbolismImagesBatsBat (fu)Homophone for good fortune and symbol for longevity and happiness.Bats flying amongst cloudsBats with Chinese character "wan"(Swastika)"Ten thousand-fold wishes for good fortune and happiness."Five bats (wufu)Wishes for the Five Blessings.Red bats (hongfu)Wide spread of good fortuneDeerLüElephantXiangHorsesA horseSpeed and perseveranceEight horsesThe 8 horses of King Mu of ZhouTiger

Birds Birds were symbols of literary refinement of the scholars with ability to fly towards the Heaven. NameImagesCraneA red-crowned craneMagpieMandarin duckA mandarin duckPairs of mandarin duck

Fish

TypesNameSymbolismImagesFishSingle fishYu (鱼, lit. "fish") Wealth and abundanceCarp jumping at the Dragon GateSuccess in the civil service examinationsDouble fishShuangyuwen (双鱼纹)/ Double fish/ twin fish: two horizontal fishes, each facing an opposite directionMarital happiness; fertility and abundancePairs of golden fish/ Golden fish (as part of the Eight Auspicious pattern): two fishes in the vertical planes, with their faces inward.Good fortune; happiness; freedom from restraint

Insects NameDescriptionSymbolismImagesButterflies Butterfly/ butterfliesA common motif used in Chinese embroidery and in Chinaware.The butterfly is a symbol of joy and summer. It also implies long life, beauty and elegance.Pair of butterfliesPair of butterflies embroidered on clothing strengthens the energy of love.Love, especially young love; undying bond between lovers.CicadaCicada 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. Cicada motifs were also used in 17th and 18th when decorating bronze and cloisonne objects which imitating ancient bronzes. Jade carved in the shaped of a cicada used to be placed in the mouth the deceased before being buried. It was believed that cicada jade would prevent the decaying of a corpse or speed up the deceased's rebirth. Symbol of immortality and resurrection (or regeneration); it is also a symbol of happiness and eternal youth as cicada's longevity is longer than other insects.

Imaginary animals

Chimeral animals TypeNameSymbolismImagesChinese dragonsC-shaped dragon/ Ring-like dragonHong (rainbow-dragon)Hongshan Jade dragonPanlongShuanglongZhulong (Pig dragon)Curly and coiled dragonAzure dragonKuilong (夔龙)PanchiZisunlong (子孙龙)Long dragon or mang dragon: 3-clawed dragons/ 4-clawed dragons, also called mang (蟒, lit. "python")/ 5-clawed dragonsZhenglong (正龙)/ sitting dragonLilong (立龙)/ standing dragonShenglong (升龙) / ascending dragonJianglong (降龙)/ descending dragonXinglong (行龙)/ travelling dragonDragon playing with pearlTwo dragon playing with flaming pearl/ pearlOther 4-clawed dragonsDouniuFeiyuPhoenix-likeFeng/huangSingle male (feng) or female phoenix (huang)Symbol of the empress of China.FenghuangPair of phoenix (one male and one female)Marital happinessQilinMale QilinVirtue and perfectionFemale Qilin

Bird-like creatures TypesNameSymbolismImageBirdQingniaoCrow-like creatures Jinwu (lit."golden crow")/ YangwuErzuwu (二足金, lit."two-legged crow")/ Erzujinnian (二足金乌, lit "two-legged golden crow"SunSanzuwu (三足烏, lit. "Three-legged crow ")Sanzuwu (三足烏, lit. "Three-legged crow ")Pheasant-like creaturesVermillion bird

Animal-like creatures TypesName SymbolismImagesFox-like creaturesHulijing (狐狸精)/ Fox spiritNine-tail foxGoat (or sheep)-like creatureTaotieXiezhiFairness, justice, and discrimination between the right and wrong.Horse-like creaturesHaimaLion-like creaturesSuan niRabbit-like creatureYu tu (玉兔, lit. 'Jade rabbit') / Yue tu (月兔, lit. 'Moon rabbit')Jade rabbit in the moon diskJade rabbit pounding medicine/ elixir of lifeRabbits running amongst cloudsMoon.Tiger-like creatureWhite tigerToad-like (or frog-like) creatureMoon toadtoad on a moon crescentDancing frogThree-legged toadJin Chan (Golden toad)Jin Chan (Golden toad) biting a coin/ Money toadTortoise-like creatureBlack tortoise Xuanwu (玄武; also one of the Four Symbols)

Composite ImagesNameChinese dragon and fenghuangDragon turtleDragon turtle with carrying a small turtle on its backFive poisonsMoon rabbit and moon toad

Plants, flowers, and trees

Flowers NameSymbolImagesApricotApricot blossomBalsamine flowerChrysanthemumChrysanthemum flowerSymbol of autumn and longevityHibiscusLotusLotus flowerNarcissusOsmanthusOsmanthus blossomPeachPeach blossomSpring and happiness.PeonyPeony flowerAssociated with royalty. It is also called "flower of rank and honour"; honours means attaining high rank, an official position or high social status.PlumPlum flowersSymbol of winter.PomegranatePomegranate flowerWinter sweet

Trees and plants NameImagesBambooWillow tree

Composite Name DescriptionSymbolImagesFour gentlemen (si junzi)Orchids, chrysanthemum, plum blossoms, and bamboo Integrity and humility of the scholar.Three friends of winterPlum blossoms, bamboo, and pineLongevity and resistance to the elements.

Fruits, vegetables, kernels, mushroom, and seeds

Fruits NameSymbolismImagesGourdSingle gourdFertilityDouble gourdRepresentation of "Heaven and Earth" (associated with deities and immortals)PeachesPeach fruitAssociated with the god Shoulao (god of longevity); symbol of a long life.Peaches of immortalityPeach of immortalityPeach and Chinese character shouPomegranatesPomegranate fruitWhole pomegranate fruit

Mushroom NameSymbolImagesLingzhiImmortality and shares the meaning of ruyi (如意), "as you wish".

Inanimate objects NameSymbolismImagesCoinsChinese numismatic charmGems/ Precious stoneBaozhuFlaming pearlTriratna/ triple gemHand-held fanOpen hand-held fanIngotGold ingotSilver ingotKnotsEndless knotsInfinite wisdom of Buddha

Chinese characters NameSymbolismImages財 (cái)Stylized characterwealth佛 (fó)Chinese characterBuddha 福 (fú)Chinese characterUpright prosperity, good luckUpside downprosperity/good luck arrive (in almost all varieties of Chinese, upside down is a homophone for arrive)Stylized characterprosperity, good luck禄 (lù)Chinese characterblessing, prosperityStylized character壽 (shòu)Chinese characterlongevityStylized characterShou with wan longevity + ten thousand卐 or 卍 (wàn)Chinese characterten thousand 囍 (xǐ)Chinese character“double happiness”, wedding blissStylized symbol福壽雙全 (fúshòushuāngquán)Chinese charactersto enjoy both good fortune and longevity

Taoist religion Taoist deities and immortals

In present day China, the and other Chinese folk deities continue to be perceived as powerful carrier of good fortune. 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.

Taoist symbols NameImagesBaguaHetuLuoshuTaiji TaijituTrigram figurelí (離)WujiYin and Yang

Buddhism religion

Buddhist entities TypesNameImagesSpiritsFemaleFeitian (Apsara)

Borders/ meander, and repeated patterns +TypesNameImagesChinese charactersBorderGong (工; work) and batsDecorativeFloral and twinesGrass patternTang caowenTwined branchesChanzhiwenCurvesPommel patternGuri (屈輪) / Pommel scrollGeometricDiagonalDiagonal straight linesLishuiDiagonal wavy linesSemicriclesHorizontal semi-circlesWoshuiCurvilinearSwirlWavyWavyBoquOthersYunleiwen ( 云雷纹)/ Cloud-and-thunder pattern (meander)Yunleiwen Yunwen (云纹) / Cloud patterns (meander)YunwenLeiwen (雷纹)/ Thunder patterns (meander)LeiwenCompositeFloral and coin pattern

Related concepts

Five blessings Chinese numerology Five colours Yansheng coins

List of Chinese symbols, designs, and art motifs

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