Category: Chinese charms

The Chinese have been producing coin-shaped charms and amulets in a variety of themes for more than 2,000 years.  One of the most visually appealing types of charms involves scenes of people.

Unfortunately, it is often difficult to interpret what historic or legendary scene is being presented.

The charm at the left is frequently referred to by Chinese collectors as a “boy under a pine tree” (松下童子) or a “boy worships an immortal” (童子拜仙人).

More serious collectors, however, feel that the scene must be an event of special importance.

The charm is believed to depict a meeting between Laozi (老子) and Zhang Daoling (张道陵).

Laozi, the mystic founder of Daoism (Taoism) and the author of the Dao De Jing (道德经), is shown seated under a pine tree on the right.

The “youth” on the left is Zhang Daoling who is clearly carrying a cane or staff.  The Chinese word for “cane” (zhang 杖) has the same pronunciation as the “Zhang” in Zhang Daoling’s name and, therefore, helps confirm his identify.

Zhang Daoling spent a good part of his life seeking the secret of immortality and there are several symbols which help to reinforce the longevity theme of this charm.  Below the square hole are a crane and a tortoise facing Laozi.  Both are traditional symbols of longevity as is the pine tree.

In the gap above the pine tree can be seen a full moon where the “Jade Rabbit” lives and makes the “elixir of immortality”.

According to Daoist accounts, Laozi appeared before Zhang Daoling on “Crane Cry Mountain” (hemingshan 鹤鸣山), in what is now Sichuan Province, in the year 142 AD and proclaimed him the “Celestial Master” who would deliver the people from the evils of the Han Dynasty.

Zhang Daoling would subsequently establish the first organized Daoist religious sect known as the “Five Bushels of Rice” (wudou mi dao 五斗米道).

The reverse side of the charm displays the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac (十二生肖) with each animal in its own circle.

Interspersed among the animal circles are eight “auspicious clouds“.  “Eight” is considered a lucky number because in certain Chinese dialects it shares the same pronunciation as the word for “wealth”.

The auspicious clouds at the top, bottom, right and left sides of the rim indicate the four directions.  The other four clouds are at the protruding corners of the square hole.

This charm is particularly well-made and probably dates from the Jin (金 1115-1234) or Yuan (元 1271-1368) dynasties.

Another old charm portraying the meeting of Laozi and Zhang Daoling on “Crane Cry Mountain”, but with a different set of symbols, may be seen at Daoist Charms.

An article in “The Oriental Collection” (dongfang shoucang 东方收藏) introduced a rarely seen Chinese charm from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

One side of the charm has the inscription gui zi lan sun (桂子蘭孫).

Gui (桂) refers to a plant known as the “cassia” and zi  (子) refers to “seeds”.  Lan (蘭) is the “orchid” and sun (孫) means “grandson”.

So, what does “cassia seeds and orchid grandsons” mean?

The Chinese love puns and the Chinese language has many homonyms which facilitates the making of puns.

The word for cassia (gui 桂) shares the same pronunciation as “honorable” (gui 贵).  And,  “seeds” (zi 子) can also mean “sons” (zi 子).

Therefore, “cassia seeds” sounds the same as “honorable sons”.

The cassia also symbolizes success in the imperial examination system.

“Orchid grandsons” is also a play on words.  The orchid (lan 蘭) is a  reference to zhilan (芝蘭) which literally means “irises and orchids” but to the Chinese has the implied meaning of “noble character”.

“Orchid grandsons” thus means “noble grandsons”.

The entire inscription gui zi lan sun therefore means “honorable sons and noble grandsons”.

The inscription on the reverse side of the charm reads rong hua fu gui (榮華富貴).

Rong (榮) means “grow luxuriantly” and “flourish” but also has the meaning of “honor” and “glory”.  Hua (華) means “flowers” but is also used for “glory”.  Ronghu (榮華) can thus refer to flowers, such as the cassia and orchids, growing luxuriantly but it also has the meaning of “honor and glory”.

Fu (富) means “wealth” and gui (貴) means “honor”.  So fugui (富貴) translates as “riches and honor”.

The entire inscription rong hua fu gui is commonly used to express “glory, wealth and rank” or “high position and great wealth”.

This charm was made when emperors still ruled China.  A traditional Chinese family’s greatest wish was to have sons who would be successful in passing the imperial examinations.  In so doing, they would be assigned an important position in the government bringing honor and prosperity to the entire family.

Another charm with a related content may be seen at “A Talented and Noble Young Man“.

A palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same forward or backwards.  For example, “rats live on no evil star” is the same whether you read it left to right or right to left.

Creating palindromes is actually much easier in Chinese, which uses “characters”, than in English which uses an alphabet.  If fact, every Chinese “word” (character) is itself a palindrome because it has exactly the same pronunciation and meaning whether read left to right or vice versa.

China has had a literary genre known as “palindromic poetry” (hui wen shi 回文诗) since ancient times.  The genre is not strictly palindromic, however, because the meaning does not have to be exactly the same when reading forward or backward.  What is important is that the phrase or sentence must make sense in both directions.

Chinese charms with palindromic inscriptions are very rare and often not even documented in numismatic references and catalogs.

The Chinese charm at the left is one of these rare examples with a palindromic inscription.

The inscription consists of 12 Chinese characters inscribed around the rim which reads “我笑他说我看他打我容他骂.

The most basic translation is “I, laugh, he, talks, I, look, he, hits, I, am tolerant, he, scolds”.

However, the meaning of a verb may change depending on whether it precedes or follows the pronoun.

Since this is a palindrome, you can begin with any pronoun or verb and read clockwise or counterclockwise.

As an example, starting with the “second” character in the inscription written above, the meaning would be “laugh at him scolding me (笑他说我)”, “look at him fight me (看他打我)”, “be tolerant of him cursing me (容他骂我)”.

Reading the same characters counter-clockwise would be “I curse and he is tolerant (我骂他容)”, “I fight and he watches (我打他看)”, “I speak and he laughs (我说他笑)”.

Therefore, completely different meanings occur depending on which pronoun or verb you begin with and which direction you are reading.

The charm provides us with a glimpse into the daily life of two people, namely “I” and “he (or she)”.  The two people could be husband and wife, two lovers, two friends, two co-workers, a boss and employee, two family members, etc.  The various permutations of dialogue express a range of attitudes people in a relationship may find themselves in including love, admiration, understanding, tolerance, and even not caring.

The reverse side of the charm has a “cloud and thunder” pattern similar to the design found on ancient Chinese bronzes.

Based on the calligraphy, design, metal, and casting, this charm is believed to have been made during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) by one of the ethnic minority groups in southern China.

The charm is made of brass and has a diameter of 51.64 mm and a weight of 35.05 grams.

Another example of this palindromic charm is known to exist.  However, it is slightly smaller with a diameter of 44 mm.

Zithers and grasshoppers may seem like an unlikely combination but they  are the theme of an old Chinese charm.

The zithers in this case refer to the ancient Chinese musical instruments of the qin (琴) and the se (瑟).

The qin or guqin (古琴) is a seven-stringed zither which was the instrument played by the sages and has a history or more than 3000 years.

The se (瑟) is a similar musical instrument which had 25 strings although even more ancient models had 50 strings.

At the left is an example of an old Chinese charm with the zither and grasshopper theme.

The inscription is qin se you zhi (琴瑟友之) which means “with the qin and the se be friendly to her” or “the qin and se zithers warm her heart”.

The inscription comes from a poem entitled “Cry of the Ospreys” (guan ju 关雎) which is found in the ancient book of poetry known as the “Book of Songs” (shi jing 诗经) which was compiled by Confucius 2500 years ago.

The poem celebrates giving birth to many children.

The qin and the se gradually came to symbolize marital harmony which helps to explain the inscription on the other side of the charm.

The reverse side of the charm has the inscription zhong si yan qing ( 螽斯衍庆) which translates as “may your children be as numerous as grasshoppers”.

The Chinese katydid or long-horned grasshopper has its own “musical instrument” and makes “music” by rubbing its wings together.

In olden times, Chinese children loved to catch grasshoppers and raise them in small cages during the summer and autumn.

Furthermore, grasshoppers like to gather together, similar to an extended family, and they reproduce in large numbers.

The grasshopper was, therefore, seen as a symbol of fertility and procreation to traditional Chinese families that wished for many sons and grandsons to continue the ancestral lineage and to carry out ancestor worship.

While zithers and grasshoppers may seem to be an unusual pairing, the ancient Chinese saw them as fitting symbols of marital harmony and procreation.

A Chinese charm displaying non-Chinese characters was recently featured on the website of the Beijing Hanhai Auction Company (北京翰海拍卖有限公司).

The only information provided, besides its size and weight, is that the charm “has writing from one of the ethnic minority groups of China”.  No translation is offered nor is there any hint as to the charm’s possible purpose.

At the left is the obverse side of the charm.

The shape of the characters and the colors of the patina make for a visually striking appearance much more akin to an ancient Chinese bronze.

The checkered field between the characters adds to its attractiveness.

This charm is not well documented but some experts believe it to be a Chinese Buddhist charm.

The inscription is not written in the script of one of the ethnic minorities of China but rather in Sanskrit.

The inscription is believed to be “a mi tuo fo” (啊弥陀佛).  “A mi tuo” (啊弥陀) is a transliteration of the Sanskrit word “Amida” which means “boundless”.  The “fo” (佛) refers to Buddha.

The inscription thus references the Amida Buddha of Pure Land Buddhism and the expression “a mi tuo fo” is considered to be a Buddhist blessing with the general meaning of “may Buddha protect” or “take refuge in the Buddha”.

The reverse side of the charm also has four Sanskrit characters but, unfortunately, the meaning of the inscription is still not understood.

Although Buddhist temple coins were popular during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the first appearance of this Buddhist charm with its Sanskrit inscription is believed to have occurred during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The charm has a diameter of 41.6 mm, a thickness of 2.1 mm, and a weight of 17.9 grams.

Please visit Buddhist Charms for additional images and a more detailed discussion of the history of Buddhist temple coins and charms in China.

Note:  This article was updated on January 4, 2015 as follows:

The authoritative “Great Dictionary of China Numismatics” (中國錢幣大辭典) published a 995-page volume entitled “Chinese Charms” (壓勝錢編) in January, 2013.

Regarding the charm discussed above, the dictionary (page 556) confirms that it is Chinese and dates from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The dictionary offers two opinions as to the inscription on the obverse side.  It may be Sanskrit with the meaning “a mi tuo fo”.  The other possibility is that it is the six-syllabled Sanskrit mantra “om mani padme hum“ (an ma ni ba mi hong 唵嘛呢叭咪吽).

Unfortunately, the dictionary admits that the inscription on the reverse side remains “unknown”.

However, another specimen of this charm appeared in an auction in China on May 20, 2014.

According to the auction house, the obverse inscription is Sanskrit for “a mi tuo fo“.

The inscription on the reverse side is Sanskrit for “Heaven, Earth, Water, Fire” (天地水火).

The interrelationship of these concepts is described in ancient Chinese texts such as the “Yi Jing” or “Book of Changes” (易经).  “Heaven” (天) and “Earth” (地) are considered as a pair of opposites, as are “Water” (水) and “Fire” (火).

The dualities of heaven and earth, and water and fire, are representative of the harmony and balance in nature.

The Liao Dynasty (辽朝 916-1125) was ruled by a nomadic people known as the Qidan (Khitan 契丹) and occupied an area of the northern prairies of China that included Manchuria, a portion of Mongolia, as well as parts of Hebei and Shanxi provinces.

Charms from the Liao Dynasty are fairly rare and, because the Qidan script is not well understood, the inscriptions can be difficult to understand.

Dr. Werner Burger (布威纳), a recognized expert in Chinese numismatics, published an article in the 108th issue (2010) of “China Numismatics” (中國錢幣) in which he introduced an old Liao Dynasty charm which had not previously appeared in any catalog or reference book.

The image at the left is the picture of the charm as published in the magazine.

Although the Qidan people used Chinese characters on their coinage, they preferred to use their own script for their charms or “folk custom coins” (民俗钱).

The Qidan script had two types of characters, namely “large characters” and “small characters”.

The inscription on this charm is written in the “small character” Qidan script.

The characters are similar to Chinese but still different enough that only experts in the Qidan language are able to offer a translation.

These distinctive Qidan script characters can be seen more clearly in the rubbing at the left.

While inscriptions on Liao Dynasty coins tend to be read clockwise beginning with the character at the top of the square hole, the characters on this Liao Dynasty charm are read counter-clockwise beginning at the bottom of the round hole.

According to the experts, the character at the bottom is tian (天), which means “heaven”, and the character at the right is chang (長) which translates as “of long duration”.  The character at the top is di (地) meaning “earth” and the character at the left is yong (永) which means “forever”.

According to the article, the “meaning” of the inscription is tian chang di jiu (天长地久) or “as eternal and unchanging as the universe”.

This inscription is taken from the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching 道得经), the ancient Daoist (Taoist) text attributed to Laozi.

The article explains that it is not unusual for a Liao Dynasty charm to have a Daoist inscription.  While the Han people were influenced by Confucius and the Mongols by Buddha, the Qidans had a strong belief in Daoism.  Few Qidan writings exist today but it is known that a number of Daoist texts were translated into the Qidan language while Confucian and Buddhist texts were not.

This coin has a diameter of 27 mm and a weight of 11.5 grams.  The reverse side is blank with no characters.

Dr. Burger concludes the article by stating that, with the exception of this Liao Dynasty charm, he is not aware of the existence of any other Chinese charm with this Daoist inscription earlier than the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

For examples of Qing Dynasty charms with this same Daoist inscription, please see my discussions of a rarely seen vase-shaped pendant charm, a lock charm and a peach charm.

One of the major characteristics of Chinese charms is the rebus or “visual pun” where a picture is used to represent a word.  While it can sometimes be challenging, it is always interesting to figure out what, at first glance, the haphazard collection of animals and objects displayed on a Chinese charm are supposed to mean.

A very knowledgeable collector of Chinese charms recently contacted me regarding an old Chinese charm he had just acquired.  From the reading of the Chinese characters and based on his experience, he had a good idea of what the images on the reverse side had to be.

But even knowing this, he was having difficulty identifying one of the pictures.

The inscription on his charm reads fu lu shou xi (福禄寿喜) which translates as good fortune, salary (emolument), longevity and happiness.

This particular charm is a good example of the Chinese fondness for visual puns or rebuses.

Knowing this, the four pictures on the reverse side should either be pronounced fu, lu, shou or xi, or “symbolize” good fortune, salary, longevity or happiness.

This is the reverse side of the charm.

At the very top is a bat flying upside down.  The Chinese word for “bat” is fu (蝠) which has the same pronunciation as “good fortune” (fu 福) in the written inscription on the other side of the charm.

But the “pun” goes even deeper.  The Chinese word for “upside down” (dao 倒) happens to have the same pronunciation as the word “to arrive” (dao 到).  Therefore, if a person were to say “the bat is upside down” (fu dao 蝠倒), it would sound exactly as if one had said “good fortune has arrived” (fu dao 福到)!

As you have probably guessed, the image below the square hole has the same pronunciation as the Chinese character in the same position on the other side of the charm.  The image is of a “deer” and the Chinese word for “deer” (lu 鹿) does in fact have the same pronunciation as the word for “salary” (lu 禄).

There is an image of a bird to the right of the hole.  In this case, the bird does not have the same pronunciation as the corresponding Chinese character (shou 寿) in the inscription, but instead is a traditional Chinese symbol with the same meaning of “longevity”.  To the Chinese, the “crane” (he 鹤) is a symbol of longevity because it was believed to live to a very old age and also because its feathers are white.

Truth be told, the artist that designed this charm long ago made a slight mistake which goes unnoticed by most people.  If you look very closely, and if you know your birds, you will see that the bird is actually not a “crane”, which it surely was intended to be, but rather a “heron”.  The “heron” or “egret” (lu 鹭), nevertheless, still works as a rebus because it shares the same pronunciation as the word for “salary” (lu 禄).

To be consistent with the rebus theme of the charm, the picture to the left of the hole should be pronounced xi just like the corresponding Chinese character (“happiness”) on the other side of the charm.  This is where my collector friend ran into a slight problem.  He knew the Chinese word for “mandarin duck” is xi (鸂) but the image on the charm does not look like a duck!

He had the correct pronunciation but the wrong bird.  The bird is actually a “magpie” (xi qui 喜鹊) which has the word “happiness” (xi 喜) as part of its name.  Even more interesting, the charm shows two magpies so the meaning is “double happiness” (囍)!

I thank my friend for sharing with me this new addition to his collection.

This old charm, which is 38 mm in diameter and dates from the Qing (Ch’ing) Dynasty (1644-1911), exemplifies the special characteristics of the Chinese language, the richness of Chinese symbolism along with the fondness of the Chinese for the rebus or “visual pun”.

In ancient China, charms were created to promote good luck and fortune in the major events of a person’s life such as marriage, the birth of children and promotion to an important government position.

The celebration of sports was not a major theme of either Chinese coins or charms until very modern times with the current popularity of souvenir and commemorative coins.

According to FIFA, the earliest documented evidence for the origin of football is a Chinese military manual dating from the second to third centuries BC which describes an exercise of kicking a leather ball filled with feathers and hair through an opening 30-40 cm wide into a small net fixed on long bamboo canes.

The Chinese called this football sport cuju (蹴鞠).  Cu means “kick the ball with the feet” and ju refers to “a ball made of hide”.   The game of cuju was popular at least as early as the Warring States Period (475 BC – 221 BC) when it was used for military training.

The “football” charm shown here recently appeared in “China Numismatics”* and dates from the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD).

Not only is the subject unusual but this charm exhibits some of the outstanding artistic characteristics of the Song Dynasty which is considered one of the golden eras of Chinese art.

The four football players surrounding the square hole are sculpted in a minimalist style that conveys energy and movement with each player displaying a different action.

The players at the top and bottom are seen moving towards the right while the two players on the sides are running towards the left.

The figure at the top is running toward the ball, which is shown at the one o’clock position, preparing to kick it.  The player at the right has just “headed” the ball.  The player below the hole is running at full speed while the player at the left appears to have just kicked the ball.

This minimalist style was epitomized  by the famous Southern Song Dynasty painter Liang Kai (梁楷).

Liang Kai (1140-1210 AD) relied on only the essential details to convey the essence of the subject.

In his quest to find the essence of being, he ultimately resigned his position at the court in order to practice Chan Buddhism.

The principles of Chan Buddhism (禅宗) include spontaneity and “sudden enlightenment” which can be seen in his own style of painting.

China’s Chan Buddhism would eventually spread to Japan where it evolved into Zen.

Interestingly enough, the game of football was also played by women in ancient China.

Shown at the left is the image of a woman kicking a ball.  This stone engraving is from a Han Dynasty tomb (206 BC -220 AD).

Women were traditionally limited in regard to outside public activities but football became a popular sport for women, particularly those of the court, during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) and especially during the Song Dynasty.

It seems appropriate, therefore, that the reverse side of this old football charm would display, in a minimalist style, the traditional symbols of a man and a woman.

The animated dragon can be recognized at the right even though it lacks such details as scales.

The phoenix with its wings and graceful posture is at the left.

 

* Charm images from Issue #112 (2011) of “China Numismatics” (中國錢幣).

One of the most commonly seen Chinese “good luck” pictures is the “Four Happiness Boys” (si xi wa 四喜娃).  This is the image of two boys which are connected in such a way as to give the illusion there are four boys.

This motif dates from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD).

A picture of the “Four Happiness Boys” is often given as a wedding gift in the hope that the newlyweds will have many children.

Sometimes the picture is given when there is a birth to wish the child happiness and good fortune.

The Chinese inscription on the image of the “Four Happiness Boys” displayed here reads tong xi (同喜) which means “shared happiness”.

For two thousand years, in order to become a government official, with the accompanying wealth and prestige, one had to do well in the very difficult imperial examinations which were based on such ancient Confucian texts as the “Four Books” and the “Five Classics”.

A child prodigy by the name of Jie Jin (解缙), who lived in Jishui Prefecture in Jiangnan Province, was able to master these books when he was only five years old!

This was such an extraordinary achievement that the emperor invited Jie Jin to participate in the examinations which he easily passed.

Jie Jin was then assigned to a special school to further his studies.

Unfortunately, one teacher was jealous of Jie Jin’s abilities and purposely tried to make things difficult for him.

One assignment required Jie Jin to draw a picture of a bountiful harvest.  He drew a picture of a ruyi sceptre and the “fungus of immortality” (ruyi lingzhi 如意灵芝), both being very auspicious objects, but the teacher was not satisfied.  Jie Jin then drew a picture based on the saying “beckoning and acquiring good fortune” (ying fu na ji 迎福纳吉) but the teacher again expressed disappointment.

Sensing the teacher’s hostile attitude, Jie Jin then drew a figure with two heads and eight limbs.  The teacher immediately proceeded to scold him in front of his classmates for drawing such a deformed creature.

Jie Jin then calmly explained that the image was of four boys connected together at the waist and that the image expressed the meaning of “four happinesses joined together” (si xi he ju 四喜合局).  The “four happinesses” were the wedding night, success in the imperial exams, encountering a friend far from home, and rain after a long drought.

The teacher was so impressed that he never bothered Jie Jin again.

Cao Cao (曹操, 155-220 AD) was a warlord and a major historical figure of the Three Kingdoms period of ancient China.

Cao Cao had two sons.  Both Cao Pi (曹丕) and Cao Zhi (曹植) were very intelligent but the younger Cao Zhi was exceptionally gifted.

At the left is a handmade charm dating from the Qing (Ch’ing) Dynasty (1644-1911).  The inscription ba dou zhi cai (八斗之才) translates as “eight decalitres of talent”, or “eight bushels of talent”, and is based on a story involving the brothers Cao Pi and Cao Zhi.

Upon Cao Cao’s death, the elder son Cao Pi ascended the throne.

Unfortunately, Cao Pi was jealous of his younger brother’s talents and feared that he might cause problems.

In fact, Cao Pi was so mean-spirited that he devised a plan to kill his brother.

One day Cao Pi challenged his brother to compose a poem in less time than it would take for him to walk seven steps.

If he failed, he would be killed.

Cao Zhi asked his brother what the subject of the poem should be.  Cao Pi replied that it must be “about brothers” but that the verse could not contain the word “brother”.

In deep contemplation, Cao Zhi began to walk but before he took the seventh step he stopped and recited the following verse which is now known as “The Seven Step Poem”:  煮豆燃豆萁,豆在釜中泣.本是同根生,相煎何太急.

People burn the beanstalk to boil beans,

The beans in the pot cry out,

We are born of the self same root,

Why should you torment me so much?

The implied meaning of the verse is “we are brothers of the same family so why should one oppress the other?”

Cao Zhi met his brother’s challenge and would continue to write many outstanding works during his lifetime.

Xie Lingyun (谢灵运, 385-433 AD), a famous poet of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, would later write: 天下才有一石(十斗),曹子建(曹植)独占八斗.

Heaven only gave the world ten dou in a dan* and Cao Zhi alone has eight of them.

Since that time, the expression “eight decalitres of talent” (cai gao ba dou 才高八斗), or “eight bushels of talent”, has referred to a person who is very gifted and has a great talent for writing.

 

* The dan (石) was the ancient Chinese measure for grain.  One dan consisted of ten dou (斗).  A more accurate translation would be “Cao Zhi had 8 dou of a total 10 dou (one dan) of the world’s talent”.  The idiom, however, is usually translated into English using either the metric measure “eight decalitres (10 litres) of talent” or the British/American measure “eight bushels of talent”.