All seven glossary entries are shown.
二Paired mandarin ducks
成双鸳鸯
Pairs of mandarin ducks became a motif of marital happiness in Chinese decorative art. The British Museum documents them on a Ming blue-and-white vase and notes their use on wedding gifts. The pairing expresses a cultural wish, not a promise about relationships.
成双鸳鸯在中国装饰艺术中寓意婚姻美满。大英博物馆介绍的一件明代青花梅瓶饰有鸳鸯，并指出此类图案常用于婚礼礼物。这种配对表达文化中的祝愿，并非对感情结果的保证。
The museum notes that the belief that mandarin ducks mate for life is mistaken. Artistic symbolism is not a zoological claim.
三Three sheep in New Year art
三羊开泰图案
Three sheep can allude to the New Year expression 三阳开泰 through visual wordplay. A Qing jade group in the National Palace Museum shows one large animal beside two smaller ones. The motif expresses a wish for an auspicious beginning.
三只羊可借谐音呼应新春用语“三阳开泰”。台北故宫一件清代玉雕将一大两小的羊置于一组，表达迎接美好开端的祝愿。
Not every depiction of three animals has this meaning. The wish expressed by an artwork is not a prediction.
National Palace Museum · Jade rams ↗Museum essay · New Year motifs (PDF) ↗Adapted summary: Jade carved in the shape of three rams. The National Palace Museum, Taipei, CC BY 4.0.
四The scholar’s four arts
文人四艺
The four arts associated with the Chinese scholar were playing the qin, the board game weiqi, calligraphy and painting. Museum teaching materials connect these practices with cultivated learning and self-expression. Here, four names a group of artistic accomplishments rather than a forecast.
传统中国文人的“四艺”包括弹琴、围棋、书法和绘画。博物馆教学资料将这些活动与修养和个人表达联系起来。这里的“四”指一组文化技艺，并不预示运势。
This describes a historical literati ideal, not a requirement shared by all Chinese people.
五Five bats around longevity
五福捧寿
Five bats surround a longevity character on a Qing snuff bottle in the National Palace Museum. Its catalogue identifies the design as five bats, or blessings, circling longevity. Counting the motifs helps viewers recognize a traditional message of well-wishing in decorative art.
台北故宫一件清代鼻烟壶以五只蝙蝠围绕寿字，馆方将图案称为“五福捧寿”。数出蝙蝠的数量，有助于理解装饰艺术中表达祝愿的传统。
An auspicious motif expresses wishes; it does not establish a health or financial effect.
National Palace Museum · Amber bottle ↗Adapted summary: Amber snuff bottle with “Five bats (blessings) circling longevity” motif. The National Palace Museum, Taipei, CC BY 4.0.
The Eight Immortals are a group of figures in Daoist art, associated with the ideal of immortality. Their identifying objects help viewers tell them apart: a basket can identify Lan Caihe, while a flute identifies Han Xiangzi. Eight counts the group.
八仙是道教艺术中的一组人物，与长生理想相联系。画中所持的物件帮助观者辨认人物，例如蓝采和的花篮、韩湘子的笛子。这里的“八”指这组人物的数量。
This is religious and artistic iconography, not a claim of supernatural powers or a promise of longevity.
九Nine in imperial dress
皇室服饰中的九
Nine appears in the symbolism of Qing imperial dress. A Smithsonian court robe made for a high-ranking prince has eighteen dragon roundels on its skirt, a multiple of nine. The museum explains this numerical design through nine’s association with the emperor.
九与清代皇权服饰的象征有关。史密森尼收藏的一件亲王朝袍，裙部有十八个团龙纹，数量是九的倍数。馆方将这种安排解释为与皇帝有关的数字象征。
This example concerns Qing court clothing. It is not a universal meaning of nine or a way to acquire status.
十二Twelve calendar animals
十二生肖与纪时
The twelve Chinese zodiac animals form an ordered group used in traditional ways of marking time. A Tang pottery set at The Met illustrates the animals as robed figures. The museum traces their established sequence to the Eastern Han and explains their later calendrical use.
十二生肖是一组按次序排列、用于传统纪时的动物。大都会艺术博物馆的一套唐代陶俑将它们表现为穿袍的形象。馆方指出，生肖次序在东汉已确立，并说明其后在历法中的应用。
The 0012 code labels the twelve-animal group, including the snake; it is not a number assigned to any one animal. This history does not support personality judgments or predictions about an individual.