Fish in Chinese mythology

Yu (fish) Fishes are a symbol of wealth in Chinese culture. Sexuality/ marital bliss • In ancient China, the word yu also meant penis as a secondary meaning, however nowadays, it is the eel which is used instead of fish.'''); therefore pairs of fishes are symbolism of sexual harmony and mutual sexual pleasure. which are both indicators of wealth.' Goldfish and humans • The depictions of goldfish in a pond () is used to express "may gold and jade fill your house" () to describe the wishes of having a prosperous household.'''' • A similar depiction is the combination of goldfish in a pond in the courtyard of a house with a wealthy lady with 2 infants and her attendant which symbolically expresses for wish of having "gold (jin) in abundance (yu) fill the whole hall (tang) of the house". Goldfish and flowers • When combined with a lotus (), the goldfish and lotus (jinyu tonghe) combination represents "gold and jade joined together" or "celebrations with gold and jade" (jinyu tonghe) Goldfish and purse • The combination of a purse and a goldfish is used to express the wishes for having "gold (goldfish) in abundance in a purse." Sexuality • A pair of gold fishes is a symbol of fertility. • A goldfish can also represent the lover of a widow. • A goldfish can also represent a man who is supported by a prostitute. Li (carp) The word carp in Chinese is which is an homophone for advantage (); therefore, carps are used to express wishes for benefits or advantage in business. Its association with wealth mostly likely comes from the pun , also means carp.' Li is also an homophone for the character which means strength, power, and ability.' Carp and humans • The picture of a carp being sold by a fisherman to a woman with a child expresses the fisherman's wishes for her to have good income and social advancement. Symbols of perseverance and martial attributes • Carps are symbols of perseverance as they are admired for its struggles against the currents.'''' • Due to its scaly armour, carps are seen as a symbol of martial attributes.'''' == Legends and mythologies ==

Fish There is a tale dating in the 1st century BC about a giant fish which swallowed a boat. Pictures of carp attempting to leap the Longmen falls have been enduringly popular in China. There are other Dragon Gates in the rivers of China, typically with steep narrows, and the mythological geography does not depend upon an actual location. The "flying carp" or "silver carp" (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix'') is native to China and other parts of Asia. It is a great jumper. Silver carp are strong swimmers and researchers have observed them to jump 1.81-2.24 meters (approximately 5.94 to 7.75 feet) above the surface of the water with an angle of leap of 44-70º. They are quite capable of swimming upstream and leaping over barriers in the water. Wang Xiang In one of the stories depicting his exemplar filial piety, Wang Xiang (a young boy) went to the frozen river when his ill mother said that she wanted to eat some carp in winter; there he sat on the ice long enough to melt through the ice and a big carp immediately sprang out of the hole. ==Fish-related legends and myths==

Other Chinese myths are related to fishes; some Chinese mythological motifs also involve fishermen or fish baskets or a fish trap. Fisherman Fuxi According to Chinese myth, the culture hero Fuxi invented fishing after the Great Flood catching fishes and making nets.' He is also credited for teaching how to eat fish.' A story tells that first Fuxi fished with his hands, but after observing a spider catching insects in its web, he invented the rattan net and used it to catch fish, which skill he passed on to his descendants. Taigong Jiang Ziya, the great general and strategist and military mastermind who was key to establishing the Zhou dynasty, was said to have spent years in his old age fishing, but with a straight hook, or no bait, or with his hook dangling above the water: but, he was fishing for a Lord, not a fish. After Jiang Ziya became the general, he was known as "Taigong" or "the Grand Duke". The degree to which this qualifies as a myth is open to question, but it is certainly a well-known motif. Fish basket According to Chinese myth, Fuxi also invented the fish basket, or trap (gu), by weaving bamboo into a cage which had a funnel opening, that was easy for the fish to enter because the big opening was on the outside, but inside it tapered to narrow and exit opening, so it was easy for the fish to get in, but hard to get out.'''' In other cases the fish basket served more as a net, in which a fish could be scooped from the water and transported to the market. In one manifestation, Guanyin is pictured as holding a fish basket. This imagery is sometimes considered to have a sexual connotation. == Evolution of Chinese characters ==

The character for fish () evolved from an ancient pictograph. It is the traditional 195th (out of 216) traditional radical. Over time, the pictographic representations tended to become increasingly stylized, until evolving to the modern standard form: ==Gallery==

File:Tools and utensils in the Yunnan Nationalities Museum - DSC03578.jpg|Mongolian bamboo fish basket. Tools and utensils in the Yunnan Nationalities Museum, Kunming, Yunnan, China. File:Tools and utensils in the Yunnan Nationalities Museum - DSC03575.jpg|Dai bamboo fish basket. Tools and utensils in the Yunnan Nationalities Museum, Kunming, Yunnan, China. File:Venerable Guanyin au painier de poissons - attrib ZHAO Meng Fu dyn Yuan - anon dyn Ming 1368 1644 - rouleau sur soie 122 6 x 61 3-07587.jpg|Guanyin of the fish basket – attributed to Zhao Mengfu Yuan dynasty. File:Baskets in Haikou 02.jpg|Baskets in Haikou: the flat baskets at center are for holding small fish or shrimp. ==See also==