Page 85 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols 78

Five bats in clouds: harbingers of good fortune

Perhaps the most frequent image involving clouds is yun yu = ‘clouds and rain’.
This refers to sexual union, the clouds being the blending of male with female, and rain
the climax of the union. We find the ‘cloud and rain game’ mentioned in an ancient tale
according to which a king in South China once dreamt by night on the ‘magic mountain’,
close to the rapids of the Yangtse river, that he was making love to a fairy.
Here again, a natural image – the cloud which breaks in rain on the mountain – is
combined with symbolism.

Cock

gong-ji

The cock is the tenth creature in the Chinese zodiac. It is never eaten in China, and
even at New Year it is not to be killed. It wards off evil: a picture of a red cock will
protect the house from fire (cf. the ‘red cock’ of German folklore). Placed on a coffin, a
white cock will keep demons at bay.
There is ample textual evidence that cock-fights were being held in China in the
first millennium BC. Today, although prohibited, they remain a very popular sport in
South China.
There is supposed to be a cock in the sun, though other traditions say it is a three-
legged raven. The cock is admired not only as a courageous bird but also as a
beneficent one: he summons the hens to eat any food he finds. Again, he symbolises