Page 184 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A-Z 177
Hibiscus

fu-rong

This plant, popular also in the West, symbolises fame (rong) and riches (fu); or, by
extension, fame and splendour. The scent of the hibiscus is compared with the attractive
power of a girl. As a poem puts it: ‘When rain falls on the hibiscus. it opens in the
fifth watch of the night (i.e. shortly before dawn).’ This means that, if things go well, a
lover will be joined with his beloved. The sentiment is spelled out more clearly in a poem
which tells how the lover picks hibiscus blooms in a garden.
The term ‘water hibiscus’ refers to a young girl in her bath. A brothel can be described
as a ‘hibiscus curtain’. An unusually attractive woman is a ‘hibiscus face’. Indeed, the
comparison of the hibiscus with a beautiful young woman is a very obvious one.

Honey

mi

It was mainly in South China that the honey of wild bees was collected. It was
supposed to be lucky to dream of eating honey.
The word mi also means ‘sweet’, and the pleasures of sexual intercourse are described
as mi.

Horse

ma

The horse is the seventh creature in the Chinese zodiac. In Old Chinese, there were
many words denoting different sizes and colours of horse. The fact that these words have
all died out is a pointer to the declining role of the horse in recent history.
Horses have always fetched a good price in China. The strongest came from
Mongolia; smaller but very sturdy and dependable horses came from Tibet. Of course,
some of the best horses were imported from Western Asia, e.g. Arab horses which, it was