Page 323 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols 316
Ages, this custom seems to have been observed among China’s neighbours to the north as
well.
ago

Sago

xi gu mi

The sago palm grows in South China. A kind of flour is made from its sago. Formerly,
men who lived on the South China coast were often on the high seas for long periods.
Young wives used to tie their husbands’ kneebands or handkerchiefs to a sago tree to
which they then prayed that their loved ones would soon come home safely. Similarity in
sound may play a part here: guang-lang = sago and also = ‘(arrival at) coastal customs
point’.

Sash (Belt)
Sash (Belt)

dai

In olden times, officials wore a leather belt with a metal buckle. The Middle Ages
saw a change in both style and material. On the modern stage, actors playing officials

wear a belt which looks like a wooden hoop. The word for ‘belt’ (dai) can also mean ‘to
take along with oneself’: so, a picture showing an official entering a palace along with his
son,