Page 139 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book
P. 139
A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols 132
The Immortal Han Xiang-zi with a flute
Flying
fei
Ability to fly is one of the privileges enjoyed by the Immortals: ‘Standing erect,
many fly up to the clouds, where they fly about with no beating of wings; many ride
on the vapours, drawn by yoked dragons to the footstep of heaven; many turn into
animals and birds and wander through the blue clouds…’ (from a biography of the
Chinese Methuselah Peng-zu).
‘Flying together’ is a metaphor for married bliss. In European languages, too, the
notion of ‘flying’ is connected with sexual pleasure, but the Chinese expression is more
graphic: ‘The male phoenix dances and the female flies.’ A poetical way of
describing orgasm is ‘The soul flies away over the heavens.’
If you dream of flying, you are going to receive honour and riches. A ‘flying
sword’ is a short, very sharp sword which returns like a boomerang after being thrown.
‘Flying money’ is an old expression for paper money. Many texts refer to a ‘flying head’
which has become separated from its torso. These tales originate, however, among the
non-Han minorities in Southern China.
