☯️ Chinese Symbols

Primary Cosmic Symbols

☯️ Taijitu (太極圖) - Yin-Yang Symbol

• Meaning: Supreme ultimate, balance of opposing forces
• Black (Yin): Feminine, dark, receptive, moon, earth
• White (Yang): Masculine, light, active, sun, heaven
• Dots: Seed of opposite within each (nothing is pure)
• Curved Line: Dynamic interaction, eternal transformation
• Philosophy: All things contain their opposite; extremes reverse

八卦 Bagua - Eight Trigrams

• Source: I Ching (Book of Changes)
• Structure: Eight combinations of broken/unbroken lines
• The Eight: Heaven (☰), Earth (☷), Thunder (☳), Water (☵), Mountain (☶), Wind (☴), Fire (☲), Lake (☱)
• Uses: Divination, feng shui, martial arts, Taoist magic
• 64 Hexagrams: Combining two trigrams creates 64 situations

五行 Wu Xing - Five Elements

• Elements: Wood (木), Fire (火), Earth (土), Metal (金), Water (水)
• Cycles: Generative (creation) and Destructive (control)
• Applications: Medicine, astrology, feng shui, martial arts
• Symbolism: Dynamic phases, not static substances

Animal Symbols

Four Auspicious Beasts

• 🐉 Dragon (龍): Power, wisdom, emperor, yang, water control
• 🦜 Phoenix (鳳凰): Empress, virtue, grace, yin, rebirth
• 🦄 Qilin (麒麟): Righteousness, peace, wisdom, appears for sages
• 🐢 Tortoise (龜): Longevity, stability, wisdom, cosmic support

Four Symbols (Four Guardians)

• Azure Dragon (青龍): East, Spring, Wood
• Vermillion Bird (朱雀): South, Summer, Fire
• White Tiger (白虎): West, Autumn, Metal
• Black Tortoise (玄武): North, Winter, Water

Zodiac Animals (生肖)

• Rat (子), Ox (丑), Tiger (寅), Rabbit (卯), Dragon (辰), Snake (巳)
• Horse (午), Goat (未), Monkey (申), Rooster (酉), Dog (戌), Pig (亥)
• Cycle: 12-year cycle, determines personality traits and fortune

Plant Symbols

Four Gentlemen (四君子)

• 🌸 Plum Blossom (梅): Resilience (blooms in winter), hope, purity
• 🌼 Orchid (蘭): Refinement, nobility, spring, humility
• 🎋 Bamboo (竹): Integrity, flexibility, uprightness, endurance
• 🌻 Chrysanthemum (菊): Autumn, longevity, scholarly retirement

Other Significant Plants

• 🪷 Lotus (蓮花): Purity from mud, enlightenment, Buddhism
• 🍑 Peach (桃): Immortality, longevity, marriage
• 🌲 Pine (松): Longevity, steadfastness, immortality
• 🌿 Willow (柳): Grace, healing, spring, feminine beauty

Colors & Their Meanings

• Red (紅): Luck, joy, celebration, yang, fire, weddings
• Gold/Yellow (金/黃): Imperial color, earth, center, prosperity
• White (白): Death, mourning, purity, metal, autumn
• Black (黑): Water, north, mystery, authority, winter
• Green/Blue (綠/青): Wood, east, spring, growth, health
• Purple (紫): Nobility, spirituality, high rank

Numbers & Numerology

Auspicious Numbers

• 8 (八): Most lucky, sounds like "prosperity" (發)
• 9 (九): Emperor's number, longevity, eternity
• 6 (六): Smooth, everything goes well (六六大順)
• 3 (三): Life, birth, growth
• 5 (五): Five Elements, balance, center

Unlucky Numbers

• 4 (四): Very unlucky, sounds like "death" (死)
• 7 (七): Ghost month is 7th month, associated with spirits

Sacred Number Sets

• 3: Three Pure Ones, Three Treasures, Heaven-Earth-Humanity
• 5: Five Elements, Five Blessings, Five Virtues
• 8: Eight Immortals, Eight Trigrams, Eight Directions
• 10: Ten Heavenly Stems, Ten Courts of Hell
• 12: Zodiac animals, earthly branches
• 64: Hexagrams of I Ching

Directional Symbols

• East: Azure Dragon, Wood, Spring, growth
• South: Vermillion Bird, Fire, Summer, peak yang
• West: White Tiger, Metal, Autumn, harvest
• North: Black Tortoise, Water, Winter, rest
• Center: Yellow/Earth, stability, emperor, balance

Auspicious Symbols (吉祥圖案)

• Double Happiness (囍): Marriage, weddings, joy
• Endless Knot (盤長): Eternity, interconnection, Buddhism
• Ru Yi (如意): Scepter meaning "as you wish," good fortune
• Coins: Wealth, prosperity, square hole represents earth in heaven
• Clouds: Divine realm, blessings from heaven
• Bats (蝠): Happiness (sounds like 福, blessings)
• Fish (魚): Abundance (sounds like 餘, surplus)

🎨 Cultural Applications

Chinese symbols appear throughout:

• Architecture: Feng shui, directional orientation, protective symbols
• Art: Paintings encode symbolic meanings in every element
• Clothing: Dragon robes, phoenix embroidery, auspicious patterns
• Names: Characters chosen for auspicious meanings and sounds
• Celebrations: Red decorations, number significance in gifts
• Daily Life: Phone numbers, addresses, dates chosen for luck