Alternatively, browse terms in alphabetical order according to their Chinese Pinyin 汉语拼音
Pun Design: long-tailed pheasant + quail Punning Details: The combination of the first and third words in ‘chang wei zhi 长尾雉’ for ‘long-tailed pheasant’ is ‘chang zhi’ and it puns on the phrase ‘chang zhi 长治’ for ‘long-term good …
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The Chinese name for rooster or chicken is ji 鸡, which is a pun on ji 吉 ‘good fortune’. ‘Da’ is the Chinese adjective for ‘big’ and ‘da ji’ literally means ‘large rooster’ but puns on ‘great luck’. Thus, these paintings …
Pun Design ： Bat + Peach Punning Details： – ‘fu 蝠’ in ‘bian fu 蝙蝠’ is a pun on ‘fu 福’ which means ‘good fortune’, ‘luck’, or ‘happiness’; – Peach has a nickname ‘shou tao 寿桃’ meaning ‘longevity peaches’, is …
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Pun Design: Lychee or Chestnut Punning Details： – ‘Li 荔’ for ‘lychee’ and ‘li 栗’ for ‘chestnut’ have the same pronunciation in Chinese as ‘li 利’ for ‘profit’. – Many lychees or chestnuts seen in the picture convey ‘duo 多’ …
The ancient Chinese would employ a picture of a monkey reaching for a bee hive to wish their boss an imminent promotion. The word for bees in Chinese is ‘feng 蜂’ and the word for monkeys is ‘hou 猴’. When …
The flying mammal bat is called bian fu (蝙蝠) in Chinese. Image of the bat including its various stylised forms are often used in Chinese art to express an auspicious meaning, as ‘蝠 fu’ in ‘蝙蝠’ puns on ‘福 fu’ …
‘Fu Gui Bai Tou 富贵白头’ is interchangeable with ‘Bai Tou Fu Gui 白头富贵’, with the same meaning of ‘May you enjoy wealth and high position to a ripe old age’. Pun Design: Peony + Chinese bulbul Punning Details： – ‘fu …
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‘Fu gui 富贵’ in ‘fu gui hua 富贵花’, literally, the ‘flower of wealth and prestige’, which is a nickname in Chinese for ‘peony’, contributes to ‘wealth and privilege’ in the saying. ‘Ji 鸡’ is a pun on ‘qi 期’, which …
Pun Design ： Gourd + Bat Punning Details： – hu lu (葫芦 gourd) in Chinese is pronounced similar to ‘fu (福 good fortune)’ and ‘lu (禄 official emolument) – ‘fu 蝠’ in ‘bian fu 蝙蝠’ (meaning ‘bat’) is a pun on …
Continue reading “May good fortune and ample official income come to your doorstep”
Either the clockwise swastika 卐 (sounding ‘wan’ 万) or the counterclockwise sauwastika 卍 is used interchangeably in Chinese decorative arts as well as in some religious contexts, as can be seen co-occurring on the same vessel displayed here. Roughly speaking, …
Continue reading “May you enjoy long life and always be blessed by good fortune”