Feathered Blessings Birds in Chinese Culture: Symbols of Fidelity

宋 緙絲文石錦雞 軸 Rainbow Pheasant, anonymous, Song Dynasty. A pair of golden pheasants frolick among pomegranates, lilies, hollyhock, and other flowers beside a lake. The golden pheasants and the flowers symbolize eternity and everlasting love, making this painting best-suited for wedding celebrations.

ELITE CULTURE

——中國畫裡的深情鳥語

By Astrid Wang Pictures courtesy of the National Palace Museum

In the traditional Chinese idiom, the following images often symbolize a perfect marriage: a lute and zither playing in harmony, flowers blooming under the full moon, dragons soaring and phoenixes prancing, mandarin ducks playing in water, and swallows and nightingales flying in pairs.

These symbols are inspired by objects in nature, among which bird-related analogies are the most common. Such admiration of the creatures dates back millennia, as birds were believed to herald good luck. Bird-and-flower paintings (“hua niao hua”) are one of the three major genres of Chinese painting, and chirping birds are typically used to convey the painter's earnest wishes.

NOBLE BLESSINGS FROM A SACRED BIRD The phoenix (“fenghuang”), a sacred bird from ancient days and regarded as the king of birds, is considered the noblest emblem for grand weddings. Married couples sharing in the ebb and flow of each other's lives are compared to male and female phoenixes flying in blessed harmony.

In Shuowen Jiezi, an ancient Chinese dictionary from the Han Dynasty, the phoenix is said to appear only in places blessed with utmost peace, auspiciousness, and fortune. According to the dictionary, the phoenix has the breast of a goose, the back of a tiger, the neck of a snake, the tail of a fish, the surface texture of a dragon,

琴瑟和鳴、花好月圓、龍騰鳳翔、鴛鴦比翼、燕鶯成對 ⋯⋯琳琅滿目的新婚祝詞裡，充滿著生動活潑的意象， 能見蟲鳥飛禽、時而花果樂器。從中國託物言志的傳統 來看，這些比喻其來有自，多從自然萬物的蘊理衍生發 揮，其中以鳥類的比喻最為常見。 中國傳統文化裡，許多鳥類帶有吉祥的寓意，特 別適合用於喜慶祝賀。這或許與形塑千年的崇鳥文化有 關，遠自上古時期，龍鳳、玄鵬已在神話傳說中占有一 席之地。中國傳統寄情於鳥的特殊情懷，非三言兩語能 道盡。而作為中國三大國畫的「花鳥畫」中，亦時常描 繪相關主題，不僅寫意，更傳遞了深刻的期盼與祝福， 茲舉最為經典的幾例，一同欣賞那於歇於枝梢、花下， 美豔靈動的鳥兒們，藏有哪些綿長的美意⋯⋯

來自五彩神鳥的高貴祝福 帶有神祕色彩的上古神鳥，且歷來被譽為百鳥之王的鳳 凰，在莊嚴、盛大的結婚典禮之上，自然是最好的祝 福，如「鸞鳳和鳴」、「鳳凰于飛」，用來比喻夫婦相伴 而行，和睦共處。 根據《淮南子 · 墬形訓》記載，「羽嘉生飛龍，飛龍 生鳳皇，鳳皇生鸞鳥，鸞鳥生庶鳥」，羽嘉為飛禽之遠 祖，龍生鳳，鳳生鸞，三者關係如此。起初鳳凰二字， 有雌雄之別，因而象徵夫妻。然而，古時帝王被尊為 「龍」，「鳳」遂成為皇后嬪妃的象徵。因此，鳳凰原有 的雌雄之意逐漸式微，鳳凰的女性形象深植人心。 在東漢許慎所著的《說文解字》中，「鳳」的釋意為 「神鳥」。據諸多古籍，能見此鳥天下安寧，「鳳凰之翔 至德也」，就是祥瑞之兆。關於其型態的描述，大多都是：

清 余省、張為邦〈合摹蔣廷錫鳥譜〉——鳳、鸞 Collaborative Imitation of Jiang Tingxi’s ‘Birds Genealogy’ by Yu Sheng (18th century) and Zhang Weibang. On the right is a depiction of various birds and flowers done in fine-line brushwork and Western painting methods. On the left, the bird’s ecological habits are explained in Mandarin and Manchu. the face of a swallow, and the beak of a rooster. Its body contains the five fundamental colors in Chinese culture: white, black, red, green, and yellow.

According to the ancient Chinese text Writings of Huainan, Yu Jia is the name of the ancestor of all birds. Dragons were said to have given birth to phoenixes, and the phoenix (“fenghuang”) symbolized both husband and wife, as male phoenixes were originally called “feng” and the females “huang.”

The luan is another mythological bird similar to the phoenix—red, flamboyant, and rooster-shaped. Both the phoenix and luan are totems of auspiciousness and are often seen in royal rituals, paintings, and accessories. No ordinary bird could compare with the appearances of phoenix and luan—their superiority is everlasting. Many believe that the image of the luan is derived from golden pheasants. Therefore, paintings with a pair of pheasants can also convey wedding wishes.

鴻前麟後，蛇頸魚尾，龍文虎背，燕頷而雞啄、五 彩備明。「鸞」也是傳說中的神鳥，形似鳳凰，「赤 色，五采，雞形」。無論是鳳凰或鸞鳥，皆為吉祥 之徵，加之神祕奇特的形態，歷來為禮制、皇室御 用、圖騰，在上古時期的帛畫與器物上，就有許多 相關的圖樣。 兩種神鳥在古時文字記載中的形象，皆非世 間鳥類可比擬。祂們的至尊地位，歷時數千年如一。 由於鸞鳳不存於現世，因此有一說認為，「紅腹錦 雞」為其現世原型，亦被賦予吉祥之意，因此成雙 的錦雞圖，亦可表達新婚祝賀。

死生契闊之模範「夫妻」 談及夫婦忠貞不渝的代表，非「鴛鴦」莫屬。雄曰 鴛，雌曰鴦，「喜締鴛鴦」、「鴛鴦璧合」，常用於 訂婚祝賀。鴛鴦偶居而不相離，成對鴛鴦如影隨 形，宋朝羅願所著的《爾雅翼》如此描寫鴛鴦：「雌 雄未嘗相捨，飛止相匹，人得其一，則其一思而 死。」成對的鴛鴦若被拆散，會鬱結而死。後來任 何成對的物件，多以鴛鴦之美名作比擬。 在歷朝文學著作中，但凡出現鴛鴦一詞，大 多影射男女、夫妻之間的悲歡情節。如唐朝詩人 盧照鄰《長安古意》中的著名詩句：「得成比目何辭 死，願作鴛鴦不羨仙。比目鴛鴦真可羨，雙去雙來 君不見。」寫的是男子濃厚的愛意，願與心上人結 合的渴望。

明 佚名 花下雙鴛圖 軸 Yuanyang Under the Blooming Peonies, Ming Dynasty painting, anonymous. Blooming peonies sway in the wind while a pair of mandarin ducks sit nestled among the flowers. The peonies symbolize wealth and glory, while the mandarin ducks symbolize love.

TILL DEATH DO US PART Mandarin ducks (“yuanyang”) represent the unwavering faithfulness and commitment of married couples. Male ducks are called “yuan,” and the females “yang”—so together, they're often used as a metaphor for wedded bliss. Mandarin ducks often swim and inhabit in pairs. Luo Yuan, a literati from the Song Dynasty, famously depicted the yuanyang as never leaving one another and of dying of grief if torn apart.

The yuanyang was used by the literati as a symbol of inseparable couples, and it was widely used in many contexts—sadness, happiness, separations, and reunions. For instance, Lu Zhaolin, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, wrote in "Changan: Poem Written in an Antiquated Form”: “I would die without regret if we were flatfish swimming together. / I wish to be mandarin ducks with you more so than immortals.” The poem expresses a man’s earnest wish to be with his love.

The Book of Odes and Hymns (Shi Jing) shows the auspiciousness of yuanyang in this way: “They flit in pairs and the net captures them. May men be blessed with luck and fortune! / They swam in pairs gathered aside by stakes, and folded their left wings. May men be blessed with auspiciousness!”

In the past, people would catch and gift Mandarin ducks. Poems convey that though this custom endangered the birds, they would suffer together rather than abandon one another. As such, the birds are widely seen as conveying blessings for newlyweds: No matter what hardships the couple faces, they will get through them together. The unwavering character of the yuanyang is frequently interpreted by poets, and its symbolic meanings have endured since ancient times.

HARBINGERS OF JOY AND LOVE There are birds more commonly seen in our everyday lives, such as the swallows who often build nests under traditional roofs.

Swallows are small and often have a black back and a white throat, giving them the nickname “black cape” in Chinese. In traditional Chinese culture, swallows symbolize a home of joy and comfort. They can also be used to describe a loving and inseparable couple. In "Swallows Leaving in Pairs," the poet Li Bai wrote about how people admired swallows for always flying in pairs, forever by their mate’s side.

鴛鴦之於新婚的祝福，可見《詩經 · 小雅 · 桑扈之 什》一詩，「鴛鴦于飛，畢之羅之。君子萬年，福祿宜 之。鴛鴦在梁，戢其左翼。君子萬年，宜其遐福。」採 用常見的借物起興創作手法，描繪鴛鴦雙飛，遇難而不 相離棄；以及收斂羽翼以相互依偎的恩愛形象，下句緊 接「福祿宜之、宜其遐福」，引出「鴛鴦成雙」則福祿 相隨的美好寓意。此詩於歷代註疏有不同版本的解釋， 但作為「祝賀新婚」的說法已被大眾接受。雖說鴛鴦至 死不渝的形象多是文人加諸自然生物的情感，但如今其 恩愛的文化表徵已擁有無可取代的地位。

寄情鳥語——靈鵲報喜、海燕雙棲 除上述兩大經典，也有與人們日常更為親近的鳥兒們。 例如，飛入尋常百姓家築巢的燕子。 燕子形體短小，毛黑頸白，又被稱作「烏衣」。 燕字在古時與「宴」字通用，如「燕爾新婚」的燕字， 取「宴」之意，有安閒、安樂之意。因此與燕字相關的 諸多詞彙，多為和樂、閒適，如燕樂、燕居等詞。而「燕 好」一詞多指男女相愛，因此雙燕齊飛，時常作為繪畫 主題表達相關的祝福，成語「燕侶鶯儔」，意思為成對 的燕與鶯，形容兩人恩愛，難捨難分。 再看李白《琴曲歌辭：雙燕離》詩句：「雙燕復 雙燕，雙飛令人羨。玉樓珠閣不獨棲，金窗繡戶長相 見。柏梁失火去，因入吳王宮。吳宮又焚蕩，雛盡巢 亦空。憔悴一身在，孀雌憶故雄。雙飛難再得，傷我寸 心中。」寫那原本令人稱羨的一對飛燕，但遭逢變故， 徒留雌燕獨飛，令人心碎。全詩首尾呼應，雖以悲劇收 尾，但亦寫出燕鳥情深意重的意象。 此外，時常在樹頭喳喳叫的「喜鵲」，也有特殊的 文化地位。古時認為鵲躁即喜兆，粗啞嘈雜的叫聲，卻 能帶來好運與福氣，因此又被稱為「報喜鳥」。 據西晉《古今注》記載，喜鵲又名「神女」。關於 神女的故事，可據宋朝一冊名為《奚囊橘柚》中記載的 故事：有一人名叫袁伯文，七月六日路過高唐時下雨， 於是借宿山中人家，晚上他夢見一名自稱神女的女子， 他想讓她留下，但神女說：「日當為織女造橋，違命之 辱」，他從夢中驚醒後，天已亮，他開窗望見一群東飛 的鵲鳥，其中有一隻就從他的窗前飛去。 相傳這則故事就是「喜鵲」被視作「神女」的典 故，而在七夕典故裡人們熟知「鵲橋」也與此相連結， 作為牛郎、織女相會的關鍵助手，後來，喜鵲也像搭起 男女姻緣般的「邱比特」，為人所喜愛。後來，無論是 喜上眉（梅）梢，抑或梧桐枝上的喜鵲圖樣，都非常 適合在喜慶之際張貼，獻上祝福。 儘管鳥兒擬人般的情感與寓意，或為數千年來， 透過人們想像力以及文人墨客的渲染而成，但卻也印 證了文化積澱的可貴之處，讓鳥語花香裡藏有無盡的 妙趣。

However, after their nest was burned down, one female swallow was left alone without her partner. It was a heartbreaking sight, seeing the swallow now flying alone. This tragedy shows the swallows’ fidelity and commitment.

Magpies are another significant cultural symbol in China. In ancient times, grumpy magpies were actually considered auspicious—their chirping could bring good luck and fortune. This is why magpies are called “happy magpies” in China. Magpies are also seen as fairies. In the Song Dynasty, a man named Yuan Bowen dreamed about a fairy and asked her to stay during the night. The fairy replied to him: “I shall make a bridge for Zhinu during the day; staying would bring disgrace to my duty.” When Yuan woke up, the sun had risen and he saw a flock of magpies flying eastward. Among them was one that had flown away from his window.

Zhinu is the youngest daughter of the Jade Emperor, and magpies are also associated with the folktale of the weaver girl Zhinu and the cowherd Niulang. When Zhinu came down to Earth, she fell in love with Niulang, a mortal cowherd, and the two got married. However, their love wasn't allowed, and the Queen Mother of the West banished them to opposite sides of the Heavenly River (Milky Way). On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, a flock of magpies would form a bridge, connecting the two lovers and allowing them to briefly reunite. Thus, magpies are seen as a type of Cupid that brings lovers together and are often used to signify marital bliss.

The symbols embodied by birds have been imagined and reimagined by literati, inviting us to explore the cultural heritage behind chirping birds.

清 惲壽平 燕喜魚樂 軸 Joyful Swallows and Cheerful Fishes by Qing Yun Shouping. Swallows fly among drooping willow trees and falling cherry blossoms. Through delicate lines and muted colors, the painting has an elegant, refined feel.