The saying ‘jia guan 加官’ is an abbreviated form of the saying ‘guan shang jia guan 官上加官’:

‘Guan 冠’ in the Chinese name ‘ji guan hua 鸡冠花’ for ‘cockscomb’ is a pun on ‘guan 官’, which means ‘high-ranking official’. The crest on the head of a rooster is also called ‘guan 冠’ in Chinese. Thus, the appearance of both the cockscomb and rooster in a picture represents the auspicious saying ‘guan shang jia guan 官上加官’, which is literally ‘an official plus an official’ and is used to wish an official to get promotion after promotion.

Related Pun Pictures:

May your chance of promotion be just round the corner 指日高升

May you couple live a harmonious life and enjoy prestige 并蒂双贵

May everything fare fabulously in your family 室上大吉

• Fig 1: hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper, Jia Guan Tu 加官图, Qi Baishi (齐白石 1864–1957), 1951, courtesy of Palace Museum, Beijing