Charms with Auspicious Inscriptions -- Good Fortune, Wealth, Longevity, Honor, Sons and Official Rank
The Chinese have traditionally had a very strong belief in the efficacy of charms which could bring good luck to oneself and family, and of amulets to dispel evil influences.
For this reason, the majority of old Chinese charms include four or eight character inscriptions (legends) that wish for good luck, good fortune, wealth, longevity, a large family, and success in the imperial examination system resulting in promotion to an official government position.
A number of these "good luck" charms are displayed and explained in detail below.
Success in the Imperial
Examination System
In ancient China, being successful
in the imperial examination system would result in being appointed to
an official government position which ensured a comfortable life of
wealth and influence. The examination system existed for
approximately 1300 years and finally ended just before the collapse of
the Qing (Ch'ing) Dynasty in 1911.
A successful candidate would also bring honor to his entire extended family. Therefore, it was very common for Chinese parents to acquire charms in the belief that they could assist in having their son, or sons, meet with success in the examinations.
In addition to an auspicious inscription (legend) written in Chinese characters expressing hope for success, these charms also relied on traditional Chinese symbols to make a similar statement using pictures and visual puns.
Examples of such charms are presented in the section below and are accompanied by an explanation of the hidden meaning of their symbols and pictures.
This pendant charm displays Kuixing
(魁星)
who is known as the God of Examinations or the Star of
Literature. He was believed to have been influential in assisting
candidates to pass the imperial civil service examination.
He is frequently depicted as an ugly man with short horns. In his right hand he holds a writing brush. Many times he is shown holding a scholar's hat or a peck measure in his left hand.
The short horns on his head represent "success" by alluding to the analogy of the carp fish jumping over the mythical Dragon Gate and becoming a dragon. (Please see Fish Charms for more information.)
As is the case here, Kuixing is usually shown standing on one leg on the head of a very large fish or a mythical turtle known as the ao (鳌). The ancient Chinese believed that the earth was supported by this very large sea turtle.
Beginning in the Tang and Song dynasties, the palaces of Chinese emperors had stone steps which included a carving of an ao. The list of successful candidates in the examinations were posted in front of these steps and the person who placed first in the examination had the honor to stand on the head of the ao.
The Chinese expression "to stand alone on the head of the ao" (du zhan ao tou 独占鳌头), therefore, came to signify being first on the list of successful candidates.
The reverse side has what the charm
proclaims is an "ancient sentence" (gu ju 古句).
In reality, this ancient saying or poem is attributed to Song Zi Jing (Sung Tzu-ching 宋子京) who lived during the years 998-1061 of the Song Dynasty and was a celebrated writer and the head of the Board of Works.
The sentence is written in vertical columns, top to bottom, starting at the right, and reads as follows:
一色杏花红十里壮元归去马如飞
yi si xing hua hong shi li zhuang yuan gui qu ma ru fei
This sentence can be interpreted to mean that a scholar who had just attained the honor of coming in first in the final Hanlin examination sees an expansive field of blossoming red apricot flowers which prompts him to make his horse gallop even faster on his way home.
The blooming apricots is an allusion to the very first celebration honoring successful graduates of the final examination which was allegedly held in an apricot grove.
This charm has a length of 56 mm, a maximum width of 41 mm, and a weight of 20.6 grams.
A successful candidate would also bring honor to his entire extended family. Therefore, it was very common for Chinese parents to acquire charms in the belief that they could assist in having their son, or sons, meet with success in the examinations.
In addition to an auspicious inscription (legend) written in Chinese characters expressing hope for success, these charms also relied on traditional Chinese symbols to make a similar statement using pictures and visual puns.
Examples of such charms are presented in the section below and are accompanied by an explanation of the hidden meaning of their symbols and pictures.
This pendant charm displays Kuixing
(魁星)
who is known as the God of Examinations or the Star of
Literature. He was believed to have been influential in assisting
candidates to pass the imperial civil service examination.He is frequently depicted as an ugly man with short horns. In his right hand he holds a writing brush. Many times he is shown holding a scholar's hat or a peck measure in his left hand.
The short horns on his head represent "success" by alluding to the analogy of the carp fish jumping over the mythical Dragon Gate and becoming a dragon. (Please see Fish Charms for more information.)
As is the case here, Kuixing is usually shown standing on one leg on the head of a very large fish or a mythical turtle known as the ao (鳌). The ancient Chinese believed that the earth was supported by this very large sea turtle.
Beginning in the Tang and Song dynasties, the palaces of Chinese emperors had stone steps which included a carving of an ao. The list of successful candidates in the examinations were posted in front of these steps and the person who placed first in the examination had the honor to stand on the head of the ao.
The Chinese expression "to stand alone on the head of the ao" (du zhan ao tou 独占鳌头), therefore, came to signify being first on the list of successful candidates.
The reverse side has what the charm
proclaims is an "ancient sentence" (gu ju 古句).In reality, this ancient saying or poem is attributed to Song Zi Jing (Sung Tzu-ching 宋子京) who lived during the years 998-1061 of the Song Dynasty and was a celebrated writer and the head of the Board of Works.
The sentence is written in vertical columns, top to bottom, starting at the right, and reads as follows:
一色杏花红十里壮元归去马如飞
yi si xing hua hong shi li zhuang yuan gui qu ma ru fei
This sentence can be interpreted to mean that a scholar who had just attained the honor of coming in first in the final Hanlin examination sees an expansive field of blossoming red apricot flowers which prompts him to make his horse gallop even faster on his way home.
The blooming apricots is an allusion to the very first celebration honoring successful graduates of the final examination which was allegedly held in an apricot grove.
This charm has a length of 56 mm, a maximum width of 41 mm, and a weight of 20.6 grams.
This is a very large charm expressing the wish to obtain promotion to an official office.
The obverse side has the four Chinese characters jia guan jin lu (嘉官进禄). The meaning is "may office and salary be bestowed upon you".
This was a common and auspicious inscription of the Ming (1368 - 1644 AD) and Qing (Ch'ing) (1644 - 1911 AD) dynasties.
Reportedly, the saying originally came from a historical text of the Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234 AD) where it was stated "When the phoenix flies outside, envoys will arrive, when inside, office and salary will be bestowed".
The reverse side of this charm, unfortunately, is very
black.Above the square hole is an "auspicious cloud" with a crescent moon at its very top. Below the hole is a deer.
The Chinese like to use verbal and visual puns. The character for cloud (云) and the character for luck and fortune (运) are both pronounced yun.
The cloud is also shaped like a ruyi sceptre which has the meaning of "as you wish".
Also, the character for deer (鹿) is pronounced lu which is exactly the same pronunciation as the character (禄) on the obverse side referring to the salary of a government official.
Even more interesting, the deer is often used to refer to the God of Prosperity. This is because Lu (禄), the God of Prosperity, is also pronounced the same as the character for deer.
Therefore, the pictures say "good luck" (cloud) in obtaining an "official's salary" (deer) "as you wish" (ruyi shape of cloud) which mimics the inscription in Chinese characters on the obverse side.
While most Chinese numismatists feel the animal symbol depicted on this charm is a deer, they are those who offer alternative interpretations. Some have proposed that the animal is actually a rhinoceros. The horn of the rhino has traditionally been highly prized for its medicinal value. It is believed to be able to cure a wide range of illnesses and is considered to be an antidote to poison. A single or pair of rhino horns is also one of the eight treasures. The rhino, however, is not frequently seen depicted in other forms of the Chinese arts so this interpretation is still open to discussion.
Another interpretation is that the animal is a water buffalo or ox. This type of charm first appeared during the Song Dynasty. There is a motif in Chinese ceramics known as the "Wu buffalo gasping at the moon" (wu niu chuan yue 吴牛喘月). The ancient kingdom of Wu (222 - 280 AD) existed in the area of the Changjiang (Yangtze) and Huai Rivers. For this reason, the water buffalo of this area have been historically referred to as "Wu buffalo". Under the intense heat of the summer sun, water buffalo were often seen gasping for air. Even during summer nights the buffalo would sometimes mistake the moon for the sun and continue to gasp for air. It is believed that this art motif has a hidden meaning in that it alludes to the suffering of the Chinese of the Northern Song (960 - 1127 AD) during the time they were ruled by the Nuzhen nationality which established the Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234 AD).
The diameter of this charm is 61 mm.
This is another old charm
expressing the desire for success in the examination system and
promotion to an official position that
has fun playing with the hidden meanings and sounds of Chinese
characters,
animals and plants.The inscription on the obverse side is read top to bottom and right to left. It reads xi bao san yuan (喜报三元). Xi (喜) means "happiness". Bao (报) means "to report". San (三) means "three" and yuan (元) refers to the imperial examinations. A rough translation would be "good news of a triple first in the imperial examinations".
For reference purposes, the top rankings in the three examinations were:
- jie yuan (解元) which
means first on the list for the second degree. This would be the
top scholar in the rural areas.
- hui yuan (会元) which
means first on the list of the examination for jin shi (进士). This
would be the top scholar in the second round or capital examinations.
- zhuang yuan (状元) which
means the highest graduate of the Hanlin Academy. This would be
the top scholar in the third and final round of imperial examinations.
This is the reverse side of the
charm. At the very top,
and "upside
down" in this view, is a magpie
which is a bird that belongs to the
same
family as crows, ravens and jays. The
Chinese for magpie is xi que
(喜鹊). You will note that the first character is the same xi (喜) meaning
"happiness" which is the character at the top of the obverse
side. To the Chinese, a chattering magpie signifies "good news"
and an "upside down" magpie would mean that the "good news" has
"arrived" (please see Hidden Meaning of
Symbols for further explanation).At the very bottom is a leopard. The Chinese for leopard is bao (豹) which has the same pronunciation as "to report" (报) which is the character at the bottom of the obverse side.
To the right are three branches or twigs which is the same position as the san (三), meaning three, on the obverse side.
Finally, to the left are three round-shaped fruits. The Chinese for "round" is yuan (园) which is the same pronunciation as yuan (元), referring to the names of the examinations, on the left of the obverse side. Also, the character 园 for "round" has the same character 元 for "examinations" in its middle.
Additionally, the Chinese for "fruit" (果) has the meaning of "results" such as in an examination.
Finally, the three round-shaped fruits appear to be pomegranates. To the Chinese, the large number of seeds of the pomegranate symbolize many male children earning fame, fortune and rank.
Therefore, the pictures depicted on the reverse side (magpie, leopard, three, "round" fruits) can be read as xi bao san yuan which is the same reading as the inscription on the obverse side.
The charm has a diameter of 53 mm and a weight of 29.6 grams.
This charm expresses the desire
for a large family with many sons and the wish that they will all be
successful in achieving the rank of a high government position.The inscription wu zi deng ke (五子登科) means "may your five sons achieve great success in the imperial examinations".
The greatest achievement a Chinese family could hope for was to have a son (or five sons!) be successful in the examinations and achieve a high government office which would then bring wealth and honor to the family.
It was believed that the ideal family size was five sons and two daughters. Chinese parents have traditionally favored sons for several reasons. Sons are responsible for continuing the ancestral lineage and carrying out ancestor worship. Also, when sons grow up they are responsible for taking care of their parents. When daughters grown up, they marry, leave home and then are responsible for taking care of their in-laws.
This is the other side of this charm which expresses
the sentiment for a long life, wealth and
a good government position.The inscription reads chang ming fu gui (长命富贵) which means "longevity, wealth and honor".
It is also interesting that the character meaning "wealth" (fu 富) at the right of the square hole is missing the very top vertical stroke. It is possible that this was done intentionally. Since the fu character has no "head" or "top", the amount of wealth would be without limit.
The charm has a diameter of 29.8 mm and weighs 12.3 grams.
Good Luck and Happiness "According to your Wishes"
One of the largest general
categories of Chinese charms include those seeking "good luck" and
happiness "according to your wishes" such as the charm discussed below.
This is a very interesting four character charm with the subject of good luck and happiness.
The obverse side has four characters written in ancient seal script.
The legend is read top to bottom and right to left as ji qing ru yi (吉庆如意). The first character is ji (吉) which means "lucky", "happy" or "auspicious". The second character is qing (庆) which means "good luck" or "congratulate". The last two characters are ruyi (如意) which means "according to your wishes". The entire inscription can be roughly translated in English to mean "may your happiness be according to your wishes".
The charm is 60 mm in diameter.
The reverse side has no inscription and, at first glance, seems to have a random nondescript design pattern. It is, however, rich in symbolism.
At the very top is a Chinese halberd (ji 戟) which is an ancient infantry weapon consisting of a shaft (seen running horizontally from about the 1 o'clock position) with a spear and crescent shaped blade on the other end. (The halberd is outlined in black in the image below.) The Chinese word for "halberd" and the Chinese word for "lucky" or "auspicious" in the inscription on the obverse side are both pronounced ji. The Chinese word (级) for steps or ranks (as in grades of officers) is also pronounced ji.
To the right of the square hole is a stone chime (qing 磬) which was an ancient musical instrument. It was usually made of jade and looked a little like a triangular plate. If you look at the charm you will see what appears to be a pair of wings at about the 3 o'clock position. This is the stone chime. It has a hole at its very top where it would be suspended by a string so that it would vibrate with sound when struck. (The stone chime is outlined in red in the image below.) In Chinese, the pronunciation of the character for "stone chime" (磬) and the pronunciation of the character for "congratulate" (庆) in the inscription on the obverse side are both pronounced qing.
If you look carefully at about the
9 o'clock position you will see the
head of an S-shaped object which extends downward to about the middle
bottom of the charm. This object is called a ruyi
(如意). (The
ruyi is outlined in blue in
the image to the left.)
The ruyi was an ancient
sceptre, usually made of jade, which represented power and
authority. Originally, it was actually a
short sword with a sword-guard used for self-defense and
gesturing. It now symbolizes good wishes and prosperity.
Both the pronunciation and Chinese characters for the "ruyi" sceptre
are exactly the same as those of the ruyi (如意) in the
inscription on the obverse side meaning "according to your wishes".Therefore, the pictures on the reverse side (ji=halberd, qing=stone chime, ruyi=ruyi sceptre) say the same thing in symbols as the Chinese characters on the obverse side (ji=吉, qing=庆, ruyi=如意), namely "may your happiness be according to your wishes".
Since the pronunciation of halberd (ji 戟) is the same for both "happiness" (ji 吉) and "rank" (ji 级), the symbols could also be taken to mean "may your rank be according to your wishes".
The pictures are a little difficult to discern because they are all wrapped or tied with "fillets" which are ribbons. The Chinese like to tie ribbons around charms and other objects to represent rays or aura. The ribbons are usually red because red (hong 红) is emblematic of good luck. For more on the symbolic meaning of ribbons please see the entry "ribbons and fillets" at Hidden Meaning of Chinese Charm Symbols.
For another example of a charm with the halberd, stone chime and sceptre symbols please see the large "eight character" charm in the section below.
Both the ruyi sceptre and the stone chime are included in the "eight treasures". For more information on the eight treasures please see Chinese Charms -- The Eight Treasures.
The old charm at the left shows considerable wear reflecting many, many years of use.
The inscription is actually a very popular Chinese saying.
The inscription, written top to bottom and right to left, is wan shi ru yi (万事如意) which means "may things go as you wish" or "may everything go smoothly".
The reverse side of the charm depicts a dragon on the right and a phoenix on the left.
The combination of a dragon and phoenix is a symbol for another auspicious saying, namely long feng cheng xiang (龙凤呈样) which means "prosperity brought by the dragon and phoenix" or, more generally, may you have excellent good fortune.
At the very bottom of the charm can be seen an ocean with waves.
The charm has a diameter of 52 mm and a weight of 28.4 grams.
This charm has a very auspicious inscription which is read clockwise, beginning at the top, as da ji da li (大吉大利). Each character is oriented with its bottom next to the square hole which explains why, for example, the da (大) character below the square hole is upside-down.
The Chinese word ji li (吉 利) means "lucky" or "auspicious". The Chinese character da (大) means "great", and appears twice, so the inscription translates as "very good luck" or "great luck".
This charm is made of lead and was made in Dali in Yunnan Province during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
The diameter is 23 mm and the weight is 4 grams.
Longevity, Wealth and Honor
The Chinese have always esteemed
and honored those who have reached old age. It is no surprise,
then, that a large number of charms express the desire to live a long
life with honor and prosperity.
Several examples of longevity, wealth and honor charms are displayed and explained in this section.
This is an example of a large eight character charm with the entire inscription on one side. (For another example, please see The Eight Treasures).
The charm has a round central hole instead of a square one.
The inscription, starting at the very top and reading clockwise is chang ming fu gui jin yin man tang (长 命富贵金银满堂). The first four characters wish for "longevity, wealth and honor". The last four characters are almost identical to that on the obverse side of the above charm. Instead of saying "may gold and jade fill your house (halls)", however, it says "may gold and silver fill your house (halls)".
This complicated design pattern is
very similar to that on the
reverse side of the large
seal script charm in the "Four Character
Charms" section above. You may want to refer to that other charm
to help differentiate the various symbols.
To the left of the round hole is the Chinese halberd (ji 戟). The shaft of the weapon runs vertically with the hatchet-shaped blade at the top near the rim at about the 11 o'clock position. (The halberd is outlined in black in the image below.)
Superimposed over the halberd is the stone chime (qing 磬). The three end points of this triangular-shaped musical instrument are marked with little circles. The right end point is at about 12 o'clock, the middle end point (where the string to suspend the instrument would be tied) is at about the 10 or 11 o'clock position, and the left end point is at about the 9 o'clock position. If you connect these three points, you will see the triangular shaped stone chime musical instrument. (The stone chime is outlined in red in the image below.)
To the right of the circular hole is the sceptre (ruyi 如意). The
head portion is the roughly triangular shaped object at about the 2
o'clock position. The shaft of the sceptre curves down to where
it ends at the 6 o'clock position. (The ruyi is outlined in blue in
the image to the left.)
As is the case with the similar four-character charm above, the halberd, stone chime and sceptre are all wrapped or tied with a fillet (ribbon), which in reality would be red, denoting "good luck".
The reverse side therefore says in pictures the following: halberd, stone chime, sceptre = ji (happy or rank) qing (good luck, congratulate) ruyi (as you wish). The meaning may be translated as "may your happiness (or your rank) be according to your wishes".
The charm is 60 mm in diameter.
The charm on the left has one of the
most common
inscriptions regarding wealth and prosperity. The inscription on
the obverse is jin yu man tang
(金玉满堂). The meaning is "may gold and jade fill your house
(hall)".
I find this inscription to be most interesting and revealing. The original verse jin yu man tang (金玉满堂) is from the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching 道德经), the classic Taoist (Daoist) text historically attributed to Laozi (老子). The original verse can be translated as "when gold and jade fill the hall, their possessor cannot keep them safe". The implication is that having wealth makes a person feel unsafe because he will then worry that his money and belongings may be stolen. But, if a person does not strive for "gold and jade" and, therefore, lacks wealth and possessions, he will be at peace with the Dao (道). He will not have any such worries. Therefore, the original meaning of the verse has become corrupted over time because it is now used on charms as a fervent desire to have "gold and jade".
The hope for wealth and prosperity, a large family with many sons, and successful promotion to a government office is expressed on the reverse side. The four character inscription is qi cai zi lu (妻财子禄) which would translate as "wife, wealth, sons and emolument (which was the salary a government official received)".
This charm has a diameter of 28.1 mm and weighs 10 grams.
The obverse side of this charm also has the legend jin yu man tang (金玉满堂), meaning "may gold and jade fill your house."
The reverse side of this good fortune
charm reads tian guan ci
fu (天官赐福) which translates as "may the Ruler of Heaven bestow
good fortune". Tian Guan
(天官) was
one of the three deities of the Taoist (Daoist) pantheon known as the san guan (三官). He kept a
register of the good and evil deeds of the people and bestowed wealth
and good luck.
The diameter is 27.8 mm and the weight is 5.4 grams.
This is the obverse side of another old Chinese charm with the popular inscription jin yu man tang (金玉满堂) meaning "may gold and jade fill your house."
Unlike the charms described above,
however, the reverse side does not have an auspicious saying but
instead displays four symbols of wealth and prosperity.
Above the square hole is a silver ingot (sycee 细 丝 or yuanbao 元宝) which symbolizes wealth.
To the right of the hole is a precious pearl (bao zhu 宝珠). The pearl is a symbol of riches and is frequently shown with flames which enhances its magical powers.
At the left of the square hole is a rhinoceros horn (xijiao 犀角) tied with a ribbon or fillet. The rhino horn symbolizes happiness because the first character (xi 犀) has the same pronunciation as the character for happiness (xi 喜).
Below the hole is a chime stone (qing 磬) which was a percussion musical instrument in ancient China. A small hole at the top center allowed it to be hung from a frame and when struck with a mallet it would produce a sound. The musical instrument consisted of a set of 8 to 24 of these chime stones tuned to different pitches. Many of these chime stones were made of jade.
This charm has a diameter of 29 mm and a weight of 7.3 grams.
Several examples of longevity, wealth and honor charms are displayed and explained in this section.
This is an example of a large eight character charm with the entire inscription on one side. (For another example, please see The Eight Treasures).
The charm has a round central hole instead of a square one.
The inscription, starting at the very top and reading clockwise is chang ming fu gui jin yin man tang (长 命富贵金银满堂). The first four characters wish for "longevity, wealth and honor". The last four characters are almost identical to that on the obverse side of the above charm. Instead of saying "may gold and jade fill your house (halls)", however, it says "may gold and silver fill your house (halls)".
This complicated design pattern is
very similar to that on the
reverse side of the large
seal script charm in the "Four Character
Charms" section above. You may want to refer to that other charm
to help differentiate the various symbols.To the left of the round hole is the Chinese halberd (ji 戟). The shaft of the weapon runs vertically with the hatchet-shaped blade at the top near the rim at about the 11 o'clock position. (The halberd is outlined in black in the image below.)
Superimposed over the halberd is the stone chime (qing 磬). The three end points of this triangular-shaped musical instrument are marked with little circles. The right end point is at about 12 o'clock, the middle end point (where the string to suspend the instrument would be tied) is at about the 10 or 11 o'clock position, and the left end point is at about the 9 o'clock position. If you connect these three points, you will see the triangular shaped stone chime musical instrument. (The stone chime is outlined in red in the image below.)
To the right of the circular hole is the sceptre (ruyi 如意). The
head portion is the roughly triangular shaped object at about the 2
o'clock position. The shaft of the sceptre curves down to where
it ends at the 6 o'clock position. (The ruyi is outlined in blue in
the image to the left.)As is the case with the similar four-character charm above, the halberd, stone chime and sceptre are all wrapped or tied with a fillet (ribbon), which in reality would be red, denoting "good luck".
The reverse side therefore says in pictures the following: halberd, stone chime, sceptre = ji (happy or rank) qing (good luck, congratulate) ruyi (as you wish). The meaning may be translated as "may your happiness (or your rank) be according to your wishes".
The charm is 60 mm in diameter.
The charm on the left has one of the
most common
inscriptions regarding wealth and prosperity. The inscription on
the obverse is jin yu man tang
(金玉满堂). The meaning is "may gold and jade fill your house
(hall)".I find this inscription to be most interesting and revealing. The original verse jin yu man tang (金玉满堂) is from the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching 道德经), the classic Taoist (Daoist) text historically attributed to Laozi (老子). The original verse can be translated as "when gold and jade fill the hall, their possessor cannot keep them safe". The implication is that having wealth makes a person feel unsafe because he will then worry that his money and belongings may be stolen. But, if a person does not strive for "gold and jade" and, therefore, lacks wealth and possessions, he will be at peace with the Dao (道). He will not have any such worries. Therefore, the original meaning of the verse has become corrupted over time because it is now used on charms as a fervent desire to have "gold and jade".
The hope for wealth and prosperity, a large family with many sons, and successful promotion to a government office is expressed on the reverse side. The four character inscription is qi cai zi lu (妻财子禄) which would translate as "wife, wealth, sons and emolument (which was the salary a government official received)".
This charm has a diameter of 28.1 mm and weighs 10 grams.
The obverse side of this charm also has the legend jin yu man tang (金玉满堂), meaning "may gold and jade fill your house."
The reverse side of this good fortune
charm reads tian guan ci
fu (天官赐福) which translates as "may the Ruler of Heaven bestow
good fortune". Tian Guan
(天官) was
one of the three deities of the Taoist (Daoist) pantheon known as the san guan (三官). He kept a
register of the good and evil deeds of the people and bestowed wealth
and good luck.The diameter is 27.8 mm and the weight is 5.4 grams.
This is the obverse side of another old Chinese charm with the popular inscription jin yu man tang (金玉满堂) meaning "may gold and jade fill your house."
Unlike the charms described above,
however, the reverse side does not have an auspicious saying but
instead displays four symbols of wealth and prosperity.Above the square hole is a silver ingot (sycee 细 丝 or yuanbao 元宝) which symbolizes wealth.
To the right of the hole is a precious pearl (bao zhu 宝珠). The pearl is a symbol of riches and is frequently shown with flames which enhances its magical powers.
At the left of the square hole is a rhinoceros horn (xijiao 犀角) tied with a ribbon or fillet. The rhino horn symbolizes happiness because the first character (xi 犀) has the same pronunciation as the character for happiness (xi 喜).
Below the hole is a chime stone (qing 磬) which was a percussion musical instrument in ancient China. A small hole at the top center allowed it to be hung from a frame and when struck with a mallet it would produce a sound. The musical instrument consisted of a set of 8 to 24 of these chime stones tuned to different pitches. Many of these chime stones were made of jade.
This charm has a diameter of 29 mm and a weight of 7.3 grams.
This old charm is very well made but shows a lot of wear. The inscription on the obverse is the same as that of the charm above and reads chang ming fu gui (长 命富贵) meaning "longevity, wealth and honor".
Also, just as the above charm, the fu (富) character for "wealth" located to the right of the square hole is missing its top vertical stroke. This is a subtle way to imply that wealth should be unlimited.
The reverse has the inscription fu shou kang ning (福寿康宁) which translates as "happiness, longevity, health and composure".
The charm has a diameter of 38.5 mm and weighs 15.6 grams.
The subject of this old charm is longevity and I
consider it to be
one
of the most beautiful in my collection. The calligraphy is
outstanding. The quality of the metal and the casting are also
superb.The four character inscription is read top to bottom and right to left as gui ling he shou (龟龄鹤寿) which translates as "live as long as the tortoise and the crane". Both the tortoise and the crane are symbols of longevity.
While this charm does not actually display images of a tortoise and crane, there is some historical evidence that the very first depictions of a tortoise and crane together to signify longevity occurred on charms of the Six Dynasties (220 - 589 AD) which had the inscription "live as long as the tortoise and the crane".
The reverse side shows a pair of dragons, one on each side of the square hole. Between their heads at the top of the piece is a pearl.
The diameter is 51 mm and the thickness is 3.5 mm.
This is another old charm which has seen much use over many years.
The obverse side has the inscription fu shou shuang quan (福寿双 全) which means "happiness and longevity both complete".
Both the obverse and reverse sides have a circular border surrounding the square hole. This symbolizes "wealth" because it is the traditional shape of the Chinese cash coin which is round with a square hole in the center.
There is also another level of meaning here. The ancient Chinese believed that the sky (heavens) was circular and the earth was square. For a further discussion, please see the Book of Changes (I Ching) and Bagua Charms.
The reverse side of the charm also shows quite a degree of wear.
The inscription reads tai ping ru yi (太平如意) which translates as "may you have peace according to your wishes."
The diameter of the charm is 41 mm and the weight is 25.5 grams.
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