The double-gourd vase shows the prominent role of flora in Chinese symbolism. It features a wealth of plants: peonies for wealth and prosperity, lotuses for honesty and purity, bamboo for moral virtue, and lilies (bai he) representing enduring and joyous marriages. In addition, the double-gourd shape of the vase is linked to celestial potency and is believed to dispel malevolent forces and avert ailments.

Animal motifs were as popular as plants and flowers. This vase is adorned with deer and cranes set in a picturesque spring mountain backdrop featuring pine trees and auspicious clouds. The symbolism is nuanced and relies on homophones: the deer (lu) represents nobility and emolument (or “official salary”), and the cranes (he) embody longevity, immortality, and wisdom. This amalgamation of motifs reflects the intricate and layered symbolism inherent in Chinese artistic expression.

Chinese scholars commonly associated various symbolic forms with auspicious meanings. An example is the white heron in a lotus pond. In Chinese, the word “heron,” lu, is a homophone for the word  “path.” The  word for “lotus,” lian, is united with the word for the unit for counting lotus seeds, ke, to form lianke, a homophone for the phrase “passing imperial exams.” The image as a whole symbolizes the blessing yilu lianke, meaning “may you pass your exams all the way.”

In addition to using homophones to create auspicious imagery, Chinese scholars also anthropomorphized natural elements, notably plants. These elements were imbued with human qualities, and emblematically cast as paragons of virtue, becoming models for ethical conduct to be cultivated through deliberate practice and emulation. A renowned group of anthropomorphized plants consists of pine (song), bamboo (zhu), and plum (mei). Characterized as suihan sanyou (“The Three Friends of Winter”), they teach perseverance and resilience in adversity.