Page 304 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book
P. 304
A-Z 297
A pomegranate full of seeds
Pomegranate, cap of office and sash do not express the wish (as one might expect) that
a certain official should be ‘fertile’, but that the title and rank he holds should
continue in the family from generation to generation: for shi = pomegranate is a
homonym of shi = generation.
Powder
fen
In ancient times, face powder was made from rice-starch, and it was not until about two
thousand years ago that mineral-based cosmetics began to be used. It seems that women
have always powdered their faces in the interests of beauty; and, as in Europe,
prostitutes tended to lay it on very thickly. This is why prostitutes were disparagingly
referred to as ‘powder-heads’ (fen-tou).
Precious Things, The Eight
ba-bao
The eight symbols of Buddhism and the eight emblems of the scholar are also
known as jewels or precious things. The Buddhist precious things appear mostly as
decorative elements in embroidery (on altar curtains and altar cloths). Those of the
