Page 41 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols 34
Bear

xiong

The bear symbolises man, just as the snake symbolises woman. The bear stands
for strength and courage. The birth of a son is presaged by dreaming of a bear.
‘The Great Yu’, the mythical hero who diverted the great flood which his father had been
unable to stem, was – like his father – a bear.
The constellation of the Great Bear (bei dou) is of special interest and significance.
The literal translation of bei dou is ‘Northern Dipper’, but the word dou = dipper refers
also to an altar vessel used in religious ceremonies. Its handle corresponds to the shaft in
our ‘Great Wain’. This part of the constellation of Ursa Major is also known as the
‘Cloud Dipper’, and symbolises the penis in the marriage ceremony. In Chinese
astronomy the constellation consists of these seven stars, and it is consequently referred
to as the ‘Group of Seven (stars)’.

Panda in bamboos

The constellation is regarded as the seat of Shang-di, the supreme god in Chinese
popular religious belief. When it is portrayed as an emblem on ships, it symbolises the
goddess Tian-hou, the Empress of Heaven who protects seafarers. A square tile bearing
the character for ‘good fortune’ symbolises the ‘Northern Dipper’, and is often set into an
inner wall of a house.