Deer
Overview
A pun-based symbol like the bat and the fish. Deer appear in art alongside cranes and pine to build a compound reading of long life plus rank plus income.
Meaning
The deer carries the reading of official income and advancement — the word for deer is homophonous with the word for salary.
Traditional Interpretation
Sources also associate the deer with the pursuit of the hermit life — the deer is the companion of those who have removed themselves — which gives it a second, opposite register.
Related Concepts
FAQ
What does deer symbolize in Chinese tradition?
The deer carries the reading of official income and advancement — the word for deer is homophonous with the word for salary. A pun-based symbol like the bat and the fish. Deer appear in art alongside cranes and pine to build a compound reading of long life plus rank plus income.
Where does the deer appear in Chinese art and custom?
Its use is documented across several registers at once. The deer carries the reading of official income and advancement — the word for deer is homophonous with the word for salary. The two readings are genuinely contradictory, and traditional compositions resolve it by pairing the deer with other emblems to fix which one is meant.
How is deer read in Chinese tradition?
Sources also associate the deer with the pursuit of the hermit life — the deer is the companion of those who have removed themselves — which gives it a second, opposite register. It is grouped under Wood (木) in the five-element system.
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