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.^[1][2] 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,^[1] and can even convey the desires or wishes of the Chinese people to experience the good things in life.^[2] There are also special symbols in Chinese arts, such as the qilin, and the Chinese dragon.^[1] 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.^[2] Chinese symbols and motifs are often found in Chinese decorative arts, porcelain ware, clothing, and personal adornments.^[2]

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

Type	Name		Images
Clouds	Xiangyun / auspicious clouds
Cosmic symbol	Yunjian (云肩)/ cloud collar motif	Persimon calyx

Waves and sea

Types	Name	Images
Composite	Haishuijiangya (海水江崖)
Waves	Lang

Animals

Mammals

Name		Symbolism	Images
Bats	Bat (fu)	Homophone for good fortune and symbol for longevity and happiness.[3]
	Bats flying amongst clouds
	Bats with Chinese character "wan"(Swastika)	"Ten thousand-fold wishes for good fortune and happiness.”[3]
	Five bats (wufu)	Wishes for the Five Blessings.[3]
	Red bats (hongfu)	Wide spread of good fortune[3]
Deer	Lü[4]
Elephant	Xiang
Horses	A horse	Speed and perseverance[5]: 37
	Eight horses	The 8 horses of King Mu of Zhou[5]: 37
Tiger

Birds

Birds were symbols of literary refinement of the scholars with ability to fly towards the Heaven.^[6]

Name		Images
Crane	A red-crowned crane[4]
Magpie
Mandarin duck	A mandarin duck
	Pairs of mandarin duck

Fish

Main article: Fish in Chinese mythology

Types		Name	Symbolism	Images
Fish	Single fish	Yu (鱼, lit. "fish")	Wealth and abundance
		Carp jumping at the Dragon Gate	Success in the civil service examinations[7]: 63
	Double fish	Shuangyuwen (双鱼纹)/ Double fish[8]/ twin fish:[9] two horizontal fishes, each facing an opposite direction	Marital happiness;[8] fertility and abundance[9]
		Pairs of golden fish/ Golden fish (as part of the Eight Auspicious pattern):[8] two fishes in the vertical planes, with their faces inward.[3][10][11]: 84 [note 1]	Good fortune;[11]: 83  happiness;[10] freedom from restraint[3]

Insects

Name		Description	Symbolism	Images
Butterflies	Butterfly/ butterflies	A common motif used in Chinese embroidery and in Chinaware.[12]	The butterfly is a symbol of joy and summer.[12] It also implies long life, beauty and elegance.[6]
	Pair of butterflies	Pair of butterflies embroidered on clothing strengthens the energy of love.[6]	Love, especially young love; undying bond between lovers.[6]
Cicada		Cicada 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.[13]: 89  Cicada motifs were also used in 17th and 18th when decorating bronze and cloisonne objects which imitating ancient bronzes.[13]: 89  Jade carved in the shaped of a cicada used to be placed in the mouth the deceased before being buried.[12] It was believed that cicada jade would prevent the decaying of a corpse or speed up the deceased's rebirth.[13]: 89	Symbol of immortality and resurrection (or regeneration[13]: 89 ); it is also a symbol of happiness and eternal youth as cicada's longevity is longer than other insects.[12]	Cicada jade used in burial practice, Han dynasty

Imaginary animals

Chimeral animals

Type		Name	Symbolism	Images
Chinese dragons[note 2]	C-shaped dragon/ Ring-like dragon	Hong (rainbow-dragon)
		Hongshan Jade dragon
		Panlong[4]
		Shuanglong[14]
		Zhulong (Pig dragon)
	Curly and coiled dragon	Azure dragon
		Kuilong (夔龙)[4]
		Panchi[4]
		Zisunlong (子孙龙)
	Long dragon or mang dragon: 3-clawed dragons/ 4-clawed dragons, also called mang (蟒, lit. "python")/ 5-clawed dragons	Zhenglong (正龙)/ sitting dragon
		Lilong (立龙)/ standing dragon
		Shenglong (升龙) / ascending dragon
		Jianglong (降龙)/ descending dragon
		Xinglong (行龙)/ travelling dragon
		Dragon playing with pearl
		Two dragon playing with flaming pearl/ pearl
	Other 4-clawed dragons	Douniu
		Feiyu
Phoenix-like	Feng/huang	Single male (feng) or female phoenix (huang)[3]	Symbol of the empress of China.[3]
	Fenghuang	Pair of phoenix (one male and one female)[3]	Marital happiness[3]
Qilin		Male Qilin	Virtue and perfection[3]
		Female Qilin

Bird-like creatures

Types	Name		Symbolism	Image
Bird	Qingniao[15]
Crow-like creatures	Jinwu (lit."golden crow")/ Yangwu	Erzuwu (二足金, lit."two-legged crow")/ Erzujinnian (二足金乌, lit "two-legged golden crow"	Sun
		Sanzuwu (三足烏, lit. "Three-legged crow ")[note 3]
	Sanzuwu (三足烏, lit. "Three-legged crow ")
Pheasant-like creatures	Vermillion bird

Animal-like creatures

Types	Name		Symbolism	Images
Fox-like creatures	Hulijing (狐狸精)/ Fox spirit	Nine-tail fox
Goat (or sheep)-like creature	Taotie
	Xiezhi		Fairness, justice, and discrimination between the right and wrong.[16]
Horse-like creatures	Haima[4]
Lion-like creatures	Suan ni[4]
Rabbit-like creature	Yu tu (玉兔, lit. 'Jade rabbit') / Yue tu (月兔, lit. 'Moon rabbit')	Jade rabbit in the moon disk
		Jade rabbit pounding medicine/ elixir of life
		Rabbits running amongst clouds	Moon.[17]
Tiger-like creature	White tiger
Toad-like (or frog-like) creature	Moon toad	toad on a moon crescent
		Dancing frog[15]
	Three-legged toad	Jin Chan (Golden toad)
		Jin Chan (Golden toad) biting a coin/ Money toad[18]
Tortoise-like creature	Black tortoise	Xuanwu (玄武; also one of the Four Symbols)

Composite

Images		Name
Chinese dragon and fenghuang
Dragon turtle	Dragon turtle with carrying a small turtle on its back
Five poisons
Moon rabbit and moon toad

Plants, flowers, and trees

Flowers

Name		Symbol	Images
Apricot	Apricot blossom[19]
Balsamine flower[19]
Chrysanthemum	Chrysanthemum flower	Symbol of autumn and longevity[3]
Hibiscus
Lotus	Lotus flower[19]
Narcissus
Osmanthus	Osmanthus blossom[19]
Peach	Peach blossom[19]	Spring and happiness.[3]
Peony[19]	Peony flower	Associated with royalty.[3] It is also called “flower of rank and honour"; honours means attaining high rank, an official position or high social status.[3]
Plum	Plum flowers	Symbol of winter.[3]
Pomegranate	Pomegranate flower[19]
Winter sweet

Trees and plants

Name	Images
Bamboo
Willow tree

Composite

Name	Description	Symbol	Images
Four gentlemen (si junzi)	Orchids, chrysanthemum, plum blossoms, and bamboo	Integrity and humility of the scholar.[3]
Three friends of winter	Plum blossoms, bamboo, and pine	Longevity and resistance to the elements.[3]

Fruits, vegetables, kernels, mushroom, and seeds

Fruits

Name			Symbolism	Images
Gourd	Single gourd		Fertility[3]
	Double gourd		Representation of "Heaven and Earth" (associated with deities and immortals)[3]
Peaches	Peach fruit		Associated with the god Shoulao (god of longevity); symbol of a long life.[3]
	Peaches of immortality	Peach of immortality
		Peach and Chinese character shou
Pomegranates	Pomegranate fruit	Whole pomegranate fruit

Mushroom

Name	Symbol	Images
Lingzhi	Immortality and shares the meaning of ruyi (如意), "as you wish".[3]

Inanimate objects

Name			Symbolism	Images
Coins	Chinese numismatic charm
Gems/ Precious stone	Baozhu	Flaming pearl
	Triratna/ triple gem
Hand-held fan	Open hand-held fan
Ingot	Gold ingot
	Silver ingot
Knots	Endless knots		Infinite wisdom of Buddha[11]: 84 [note 4]

Chinese characters

Name			Symbolism	Images
Cai (wealth)	Stylized character		Wealth
Fo (佛)	Chinese character		Buddha
Fu (福)	Chinese character	Upright	prosperity/ good luck
		Upside down
	Stylized symbol		prosperity/ good luck
Lu (禄)	Chinese character
	Stylized symbol
Shou	Chinese character		longevity
	Stylized symbol
	Shou with wan
Wan	Chinese character		Ten thousand years
Xi (double happiness)	Chinese character		wedding bliss
	Stylized symbol
Xi (happiness)	Chinese character
Fushoushang (福壽双)	Chinese character

Taoist religion

Taoist deities and immortals

Important Immortal deity painting depicting Xi Wangmu, the Queen Mother of the West, d. Ming dynasty.

In present day China, the Sanxing and other Chinese folk deities continue to be perceived as powerful carrier of good fortune.^[2] 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.^[20]

Taoist symbols

Name		Images
Bagua
Hetu
Luoshu
Taiji
Taijitu
Trigram figure	lí (離)
Wuji
Yin and Yang

Buddhism religion

Buddhist entities

Types		Name	Images
Spirits	Female	Feitian (Apsara)

Borders/ meander, and repeated patterns

Types			Name	Images
Chinese characters		Border	Gong (工; work) and bats
Decorative	Floral and twines	Grass pattern	Tang caowen[4]
		Twined branches	Chanzhiwen[4]
	Curves	Pommel pattern	Guri (屈輪) / Pommel scroll[21]
Geometric	Diagonal	Diagonal straight lines	Lishui
		Diagonal wavy lines
	Semicricles	Horizontal semi-circles	Woshui
	Curvilinear	Swirl[4]
	Wavy	Wavy	Boqu[4]
	Others	Yunleiwen ( 云雷纹)/ Cloud-and-thunder pattern (meander)	Yunleiwen
		Yunwen (云纹) / Cloud patterns (meander)	Yunwen
		Leiwen (雷纹)/ Thunder patterns (meander)	Leiwen[4]
Composite		Floral and coin pattern

Related concepts

• Five blessings
• Chinese numerology
• Five colours
• Yansheng coins

See also

• Chinese ornamental gold silk
• Chinese embroidery
• Chinese auspicious ornaments in textile and clothing

Notes

1. When part of the Eight Auspicious pattern, both two fishes can either be upright (going upward) or be upside down (going downward).
2. Depending on the time period, the Chinese dragons were depicted with 3, 4, or 5 claws. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was established that the Chinese dragons (Long 龙) required 5-claws to meet their established definition of a Long (龙). Chinese dragons with less than 5 claws were no more considered as 'real' long (龙) dragons; e.g. the 4-clawed dragon then became known as mang (蟒, lit. "python").
3. The crow in the sun disk is referred as sanzuwu when it is depicted with having three-legged
4. When part of the Eight Auspicious pattern.