List of Chinese symbols, designs, and art motifs

A list of Chinese symbols, designs, and art motifs, including decorative ornaments, patterns, auspicious symbols, and iconography elements, used in Chinese visual arts, sorted in different theme categories. Chinese symbols and motifs are more than decorative designs as they also hold symbolic but hidden meanings which have been used and understood by the Chinese people for thousand of years; they often influenced by nature, which include the fauna, the flora, landscape, and clouds. Chinese symbols often have auspicious meanings associated to them, such as good fortune, happiness, and also represent what would be considered as human virtues, such as filial piety, loyalty, and wisdom, and can even convey the desires or wishes of the Chinese people to experience the good things in life. There are also special symbols in Chinese arts, such as the qilin, and the Chinese dragon. According to Chinese beliefs, being surrounding by objects which are decorated with such auspicious symbols and motifs was and continues to be believed to increase the likelihood that those wishes would be fulfilled even in present-day. Chinese symbols and motifs are often found in Chinese decorative arts, porcelain ware, clothing, and personal adornments.

Categorized sets or collections

 * Chinese zodiac
 * Eight Auspicious pattern (Bajixiang 八吉祥): The Eight Auspicious symbols of Buddhism
 * Eight treasures (Babao 八寶)/ Eight precious things
 * Flowers of the Four Seasons
 * Four gentlemen
 * Five Poisons
 * Four symbols
 * Twelve ornaments

Birds
Birds were symbols of literary refinement of the scholars with ability to fly towards the Heaven.

Chinese characters
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" ! colspan="3" |Name !Symbolism ! colspan="2" |Images
 * Cai (wealth)
 * colspan="2" |Stylized character
 * Wealth
 * 财 cái symbol---black.svg
 * Fo (佛)
 * colspan="2" |Chinese character
 * Buddha
 * Weathered Chinese 佛 sticker.jpg
 * rowspan="3" |Fu (福)
 * rowspan="2" |Chinese character
 * Upright
 * prosperity/ good luck
 * ChunTei Black Fu Nagayama Kai.svg
 * Red packet (fu (福) Chinese character).jpg
 * Upside down
 * Noto Emoji Pie 1f9e7.svg
 * colspan="2" |Stylized symbol
 * prosperity/ good luck
 * Stylized fu (福) Chinese character.JPG
 * rowspan="2" |Lu (禄)
 * colspan="2" |Chinese character
 * rowspan="2" |
 * Lu character.jpg
 * colspan="2" |Stylized symbol
 * Chinese lu symbol - 禄.png
 * rowspan="3" |Shou
 * colspan="2" |Chinese character
 * rowspan="2" |longevity
 * Shou character.jpg
 * colspan="2" |Stylized symbol
 * colspan="2" |Chinese Longevity Symbol Variations.svg
 * colspan="2" |Shou with wan
 * MET DP225675 (shou with wan).jpg
 * Shou Swastika.svg
 * rowspan="2" |Wan
 * colspan="2" rowspan="2" |Chinese character
 * rowspan="2" |Ten thousand years
 * [[File:China, Tang dynasty - Quadrilobed Mirror with Wan Symbol - 1995.362 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif|frameless|upright=0.5]]
 * Chinese Swastika.svg
 * rowspan="2" |Xi (double happiness)
 * colspan="2" |Chinese character
 * rowspan="2" |wedding bliss
 * Double happiness.svg
 * [[File:China, Qing dynasty (1644-1912), workshop of Tang Wanheng - Mirror with Handle, Decorated with "Double Happiness" and Five Bats - 1995.401 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif|frameless|upright=0.5]]
 * colspan="2" |Stylized symbol
 * U1f264.svg
 * Xi (happiness)
 * colspan="2" |Chinese character
 * colspan="2" |Shou with wan
 * MET DP225675 (shou with wan).jpg
 * Shou Swastika.svg
 * rowspan="2" |Wan
 * colspan="2" rowspan="2" |Chinese character
 * rowspan="2" |Ten thousand years
 * [[File:China, Tang dynasty - Quadrilobed Mirror with Wan Symbol - 1995.362 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif|frameless|upright=0.5]]
 * Chinese Swastika.svg
 * rowspan="2" |Xi (double happiness)
 * colspan="2" |Chinese character
 * rowspan="2" |wedding bliss
 * Double happiness.svg
 * [[File:China, Qing dynasty (1644-1912), workshop of Tang Wanheng - Mirror with Handle, Decorated with "Double Happiness" and Five Bats - 1995.401 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif|frameless|upright=0.5]]
 * colspan="2" |Stylized symbol
 * U1f264.svg
 * Xi (happiness)
 * colspan="2" |Chinese character
 * rowspan="2" |wedding bliss
 * Double happiness.svg
 * [[File:China, Qing dynasty (1644-1912), workshop of Tang Wanheng - Mirror with Handle, Decorated with "Double Happiness" and Five Bats - 1995.401 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif|frameless|upright=0.5]]
 * colspan="2" |Stylized symbol
 * U1f264.svg
 * Xi (happiness)
 * colspan="2" |Chinese character
 * Xi (happiness)
 * colspan="2" |Chinese character
 * colspan="2" |Chinese character

Composite

 * Fushoushang (福壽双)
 * Chinese character
 * Chinese numismatic peach charm - Scott Semans.png
 * }
 * }
 * }

Taoist deities and immortals
In present day China, the and other Chinese folk deities continue to be perceived as powerful carrier of good fortune. The Queen Mother of the West, Xi Wangmu, who is often figured in Chinese stories, is associated with symbols of longevity in Chinese arts as the peaches of immortality are believed to grow in her celestial peach orchard according to folklore stories.

Related concepts

 * Five blessings
 * Chinese numerology
 * Five colours
 * Yansheng coins