The Chinese character ‘橘 ju’ for ‘tangerine’ puns on the Chinese word ‘吉 ji’ for ‘good luck’. A green tangerine can be described in Chinese as ‘青橘 qing ju’, which makes a pun on the phrase ‘青吉 qing ji’, meaning ‘good luck’. Combining an apple, whose Chinese name puns on ‘peace’, with a green tangerine would be able to represent pictorially an auspicious wish ‘May We enjoy Universal Peace and Good Fortune’.

Related Pun Picture:

May we enjoy peace, good fortune, and prosperity 太平吉利

Narrative Story about Tangerine: 

Lu Ji hiding tangerines for his mother 陆绩怀橘遗亲

• Fig 1: Tai Ping Qing Ji, ink and colour on paper, Qi BaiShi (1864-1957), private collection