Page 22 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A-Z 15
Ant

ma-yi

The second component of the Chinese word for ‘ant’ – yi – is phonetically close to the
word yi meaning ‘virtue’ (the words differ only in tone), and this is probably the reason
why the ant figures as a symbol of right conduct and of patriotism. It also symbolises
self-interest.
In the Shanghai hinterland, the village broker with a finger in every business deal is
called an ‘ant’, a reference no doubt to his unfailing attention to his own interests.
In general, however, the ant plays no great part in Chinese symbolism.

Ao

Ao

The Ao is usually said to be an enormous sea turtle, though another tradition describes it
as a giant fish. Once upon a time, so it is said, the goddess Nü-gua repaired one of
the four pillars which bear the earth with one of the turtle’s legs. Again, it was widely
believed that the earth itself rested on the back of the huge turtle. There was a long-
lasting belief among the Chinese that they could make the ground they stood on firmer
and more secure (i.e. against earthquakes) if they fashioned tortoises out of

stone, and placed heavy slabs on their backs. In this way, it was believed, heaven and
earth were more securely bound to each other.
The Ao-shan, i.e. the Ao mountain, lies in the ‘Islands of the Blessed’, the
paradise islands in the Eastern Ocean. It was the practice from the 12th century
onwards to mark the New Year Feast by building large figures consisting of lanterns
and models, representing the Ao mountain.
The man who came first in the final and most demanding literary examination was
known as ‘Ao-head’. The wish to excel at something is represented as a woman bearing a
staff, who holds a peach in her hand: at her feet, a child is reaching for an Ao. This
group symbolises the wish to be supremely successful in the state examination.
The Ao is also sometimes represented as an animal which eats fire. Accordingly,
it is often shown as a roof finial fending fire away from the roof ridge.