Page 306 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A-Z 299
A ‘bowl of precious things’ (ju bao pen) is often represented: in the background there
may be a rich man sitting in state in his reception hall, and two or three children may play
around him, symbolising lon-gevity, riches and sons. This is meant to express the
wish that the recipient of the picture should be blessed with this world’s goods: but
the man in the background doesn’t really fit in, as he is Shi Chong, a medieval ruler, who
amassed enormous riches and yet died in poverty, as he himself had feared.
A lucky bowl occurs in the legend of Chen Wan-san, who lived c. AD 1400: he was an
animal-lover and was always letting fish off the hook. He was therefore given a bowl
which was instantly filled to the brim with money whenever he threw a single coin into it.
This Aladdin’s Lamp has a counterpart in the shape of the ‘Money-shedding Tree’ (yao
qian shu).
Pubic Hair

yinmao

Chinese has several periphrastic terms for pubic hair: ‘black rose’, ‘fragrant grass’,
‘sacred hair’ or, simply, ‘moss’. It is often compared to a beard. A woman with hairy
legs is supposed to have a lot of pubic hair. The more luxuriant the growth, the more
sensual and, hence, the more lecherous the woman is supposed to be. Clever women
are said to have long, fine pubic hair; stupid women haven’t got any, and are therefore
called ‘white tigers’. It is a sign of beauty if the hair forms an equilateral triangle and
grows upwards.

Purple

zi

Purple is frequently associated with both heaven and the Emperor. The Imperial
Palace was known as the ‘Purple Region’. On stage, heroes with purple faces can
be recognised – like those with red faces – as loyal, imperturbable officials.
Nowadays, purple expresses grief and self-pity. The placenta is known as the ‘carriage of
the purple river’.