Page 347 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols 340

Spoon

shi

Had an ancient Chinese wished to know how to use a spoon, he would have found no
help in the ‘Book of Rites’ (Li-ji), where it is not even mentioned. He would, however,
have been instructed in the use of chopsticks, and also in the use of the hand
(previously washed, of course).
The sole female among the eight Immortals, He Xian-gu, has a bamboo
spoon as her emblem. Like other household articles the spoon was formerly made from
bamboo. Nowadays china spoons are usual.
‘Spoon and pan’ is a popular expression for penis and vagina.
Spring Spring

chun

The spring of the year is the season in which the male element ( yang) is in the
ascendant. Nature and men become fertile: and so we speak of ‘spring feelings’ (chun-
qing) or ‘spring colours’ (chun-se), where the word se has strong sexual overtones.
‘Spring pictures’ (chun-hua or chun-tu) are erotic pictures which are often bound up in
book form (chun-ce). It was customary for couples to look at these pictures in the
evenings. The Chinese do not regard this sort of thing as pornography, but rather as a

form of instruction by means of which a virgin can be introduced to the ‘Art of Love’.
The Japanese have similar books, which they call ‘pillow-books’.