Fu () was a tally, which was used as a proof of

authorization Authorization or authorisation (see spelling differences) is the function of specifying access rights/privileges to resources, which is related to general information security and computer security, and to access control in particular. More fo ...

ancient China The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the '' Book of Documents'' (early chapt ...

, which typically consists of two parts. Generals would use the fu as an imperial authorization for troop movements and for other purposes while amongst the populace, it was used as a proof of authorization for goods exchanges or for leases. The official fu was made of bamboo, wood, metal (gold, silver, bronze) or jade. Although it could been made in various shapes (such as tiger, dragon, turtle, snake, fish or human), most of them come in the shape of a tiger.

Terminology

The term fu refers to the magical drawings used by the adepts of Taoist and Buddhist tantric masters.

Shapes of fu

Classical description of tallies is found in the

Zhou li The ''Rites of Zhou'' (), originally known as "Officers of Zhou" () is a work on bureaucracy and organizational theory. It was renamed by Liu Xin to differentiate it from a chapter in the '' Book of History'' by the same name. To replace a lost ...

, which refers to the tallies of jade and horn, and mentions the shapes of tiger, human, dragon, seal, and banner.

Toothed tally/Chang

A toothed type of tally, called ''chang'', was used in the Early Zhou dynasty; they were used by kings to verify the authenticity of the messages received. They were made of jade.

Tiger tally/Hufu

Tiger tallies were known as hufu (). The word ''hufu'' first appears in the biography of Lord Hsin-ling in the ''

Records of the Grand Historian ''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese his ...

'', where a stolen tiger tally is used to relieve the

state of Zhao Zhao () was one of the seven major states during the Warring States period of ancient China. It was created from the three-way Partition of Jin, together with Han and Wei, in the 5th century BC. Zhao gained significant strength from the mil ...

. It was through the tiger tally that the Emperors of China would authorize and delegate the power to his generals to command and dispatch an army. According to the Chinese tradition, the tiger was a symbol of valour; therefore, a tiger shaped symbolized the imperial command should be completed as promptly and as courageously as a tiger with the authorization of the emperor. Bronze_and_gold_tiger

The tiger tally was initially made of

jade Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group ...

, but it was eventually made into bronze in the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

. The tiger tally had text inscription on its back and were typically made of two pieces. The two-piece tiger tally was used to verify troop deployment orders from the central government. Left pieces were issued to a local commander or the a local official, and right pieces were retained by the central government. Government orders were deemed to be authentic if they were accompanied by the right piece matching the recipient's left piece; and only when it was deemed authentic and the two-pieced were matched that these orders could take effect and the army could be mobilized. And, when ordered to implement troop order, the imperial court would send the left piece to the official who is carrying the right part. This practice was popular during the Warring States Period, Qin and Han dynasties. The use of tiger tally continued to be used throughout the Han dynasty until the

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and la ...

. Not all tiger tallies were separated two pieces, or even used as tallies. The tiger tally from the tomb of King Zhao Mo of

Nanyue Nanyue (), was an ancient kingdom ruled by Chinese monarchs of the Zhao family that covered the modern Chinese subdivisions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau, southern Fujian and central to northern Vietnam. Nanyue was establis ...

, however, was cast as a single piece. It demonstrates that tiger tally were not uniform and could function as tokens instead of tallies.

Fish tally/Yufu

Liao Commander's Tally in Khitan Characters (14176541823)

The fish tally is a variant of the tiger tally. Fish tally were also made of two pieces and were known as yufu (); the fish tally was originally made of copper and was used as a proof of identity in the central and local governments; with time however, they became an item which was used to indicate the position of an official. The fish was also used as a pass to enter or leave the palace gate or the city gate. When used for ordinary contractual purposes, the fish tally was made of simpler materials, typically wood or bamboo.

Yudai

Fish pouch 01 Zhou Wenju's A Literary Garden (cropped)

The fish tally was used in the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

. All officials above the fifth rank were bestowed a yudai, a fish-shaped tally bag which they would tied to their belts, to hold their fish tally inside. The fish had the name of the officials and their ranks engraved on it; it was the proof of the officials' identity and they to be presented at the entrance of the imperial palace. In the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...

, the fish tally was not longer used by the officials. However, the Song officials who wore crimson or purple official dress were required to wear a yudai (). The yudai was made of gold, silver, or jade to mark the official rank of its wearer or as a mark of special favour from the Emperor. Following the Tang dynasty regulation, yudai was worn or hang at the belt of the Song dynasty official's court dress. Low ranking officials who were performing special missions (e.g. diplomatic missions) were also required to wear yudai and were required to borrow a purple or crimson robe before leaving to complete their missions.On the other hand, the

painters, who had received favour, were allowed to wear yufu, which was a symbol of high-ranking officials and honour during this period.

Surnames

* Fu (surname 符) was derived from the post of title of an official in charge of the tally; it originated from the post title ''Fuxiling'' which was used by Gong Ya, a grandson of Lu Qinggong (died 249BC).

Notes

References

{{Types of Han Chinese clothing Chinese inventions Chinese words and phrases History of ancient China Hanfu