The Twelve Ornaments () are a group of ancient Chinese symbols and designs that are considered highly auspicious. They were employed in the decoration of textile fabrics in ancient China, which signified authority and power, and were embroidered on vestments of state.

History

According to the ''

Book of Documents The ''Book of Documents'' (''Shūjīng'', earlier ''Shu King'') or ''Classic of History'', also known as the ''Shangshu'' (“Venerated Documents”), is one of the Five Classics of ancient Chinese literature. It is a collection of rhetorica ...

'', the Twelve Ornaments were referred to by

Emperor Shun Emperor Shun () was a legendary leader of ancient China, regarded by some sources as one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors being the last of the Five Emperors. Tradition holds that he lived sometime between 2294 and 2184 BC. Tradition a ...

, one of the legendary

Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were two groups of mythological rulers in ancient north China. The Three Sovereigns supposedly lived long before The Five Emperors, who have been assigned dates in a period from 3162 BC to 2070 BC. Today ...

, as being ancient in his time. Oral tradition holds that he lived sometime between 2294 and 2184 BC. According to the book, the emperor wished for the symbols to be used on official robes of the state. “I wish,” said the Emperor, “to see the emblematic figures of the ancients: the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountain, the dragon, and the flowery fowl, which are depicted on the upper garment; the temple-cup, the aquatic grass, the flames, the grain of rice, the hatchet, and the symbol of distinction, which are embroidered on the lower garment; I wish to see all these displayed with the five colours, so as to form the official robes; it is yours to adjust them clearly.” Only the emperor had the right to wear the complete set of twelve emblems painted or embroidered on his robes of ceremony. When the Twelve ornaments were used in different amounts, it could denote different social ranks; for example, in 59 AD during the Eastern Han dynasty, it was specified that the 12 ornaments concerning the sun, the moon and the star had to be used for the emperors while 9 ornaments concerning mountains and dragons should be used by the 3 councillors, dukes and princes. The 9 ministers and the lower-ranking officials had to use 7 ornaments concerning pheasants. The twelve ornaments featured in the

Twelve Symbols national emblem The Twelve Symbols national emblem () was the state emblem of the Empire of China (1915–1916), Empire of China and the Beiyang government, Republic of China from 1913 to 1928. It was based on the ancient Chinese symbols of the Twelve Ornaments. ...

of China, which was the state emblem from 1913 to 1928.

Symbols

The "twelve symbols" were used as insignia for reigning emperors, empress and the immediate members of the imperial family. The portrait of the

Wanli Emperor The Wanli Emperor (; 4 September 1563 – 18 August 1620), personal name Zhu Yijun (), was the 14th Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1572 to 1620. "Wanli", the era name of his reign, literally means "ten thousand calendars". He was the ...

(1563–1620) in his

mianfu Mianfu () is a kind of Chinese clothing in hanfu; it was worn by emperors, kings, and princes, and in some instances by the nobles in historical China from the Shang to the Ming dynasty. The mianfu is the highest level of formal dress worn by Ch ...

features all twelve ornaments:

On the upper Robe

* the

sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

(日, rì) with the

three-legged crow The three-legged (or tripedalism, tripedal) crow is a Legendary creature, mythological creature in various mythology, mythologies and arts of East Asia. It is believed to inhabit and represent the Sun. Evidence of the earliest bird-Sun motif or to ...

* the

moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

(月, yuè) with the

moon rabbit The Moon rabbit or Moon hare is a mythical figure in East Asian and indigenous American folklore, based on pareidolia interpretations that identify the dark markings on the near side of the Moon as a rabbit or hare. In East Asia, the rabbit is ...

in it, who is constantly pounding the

elixir of life The elixir of life, also known as elixir of immortality, is a potion that supposedly grants the drinker eternal life and/or eternal youth. This elixir was also said to cure all diseases. Alchemists in various ages and cultures sought the means ...

* the three stars (星辰, xīngchén), which could also be the ''

Fu Lu Shou The Sanxing () are the gods of the three stars or constellations considered essential in Chinese astrology and mythology: Jupiter, Ursa Major, and Canopus. Fu, Lu, and Shou (), or Cai, Zi and Shou () are also the embodiments of Fortune ( Fu), pr ...

'' stars, which symbolise happiness, prosperity, and longevity * the

sacred mountains Sacred mountains are central to certain religions, and are usually the subjects of many legends. For many, the most symbolic aspect of a mountain is the peak because it is believed that it is closest to heaven or other religious realms. Many rel ...

(山, shān), which symbolize stability and tranquility * the

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

(龍, lóng), symbol of adaptability and strength * the pheasant (華蟲), which is however the phoenix (鳳凰, ''

fenghuang ''Fènghuáng'' (, ) are mythological birds found in Sinospheric mythology that reign over all other birds. The males were originally called ''fèng'' and the females ''huáng'', but such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and ...

''), symbol of peace and refinement The dragon and phoenix represent the natural world. In

yin and yang Yin and yang ( and ) is a Chinese philosophy, Chinese philosophical concept that describes opposite but interconnected forces. In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the c ...

terminology, a dragon is male ''yang'' and the phoenix a female ''yin''. Therefore, the emperor was often identified as the dragon, while the empress was the phoenix. This was also reflected in the robes they wore. Twelve Symbols national emblem of China

On the lower robe

* two cups (宗彝, zōng yí), which are a sacrificial utensil, sometimes feature patterns containing each a tiger and a monkey, and symbolize faithfulness and respect * a spray of

pondweed Pondweed refers to many species and genera of aquatic plants and green algae: *''Potamogeton'', a diverse and worldwide genus *''Elodea'', found in North America *''Aponogeton'', in Africa, Asia and Australasia *''Groenlandia'', a genus of aquatic ...

or algae (藻, zǎo), a symbol of brightness and purity *

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

(火, huǒ), which symbolises brightness. * grains of

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

(粉米, fěn mǐ), which symbolises nourishment and the country's agriculture, but also wealth * an

axe An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has ma ...

(黼, fǔ), symbol of courage and resolution, but also executive justice. * The figure 亞 (黻, fú) underneath the axe represents two animals with their backside together. This symbolises the capability to make a clear distinction between right and wrong.

Influences

In Japan,

Emperor Monmu was the 42nd emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 文武天皇 (42) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Monmu's reign spanned the years from 697 through 707. Traditional narrative Befor ...

introduced the Twelve Ornaments via

Taihō Code The was an administrative reorganisation enacted in 703 in Japan, at the end of the Asuka period. It was historically one of the . It was compiled at the direction of Prince Osakabe, Fujiwara no Fuhito and Awata no Mahito. Nussbaum, Louis-Fr� ...

Gojong of Korea Gojong (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919) was the monarch of Korea from 1864 to 1907. He reigned as the last King of Joseon from 1864 to 1897, and as the first Emperor of Korea from 1897 until his forced abdication in 1907. He is known ...

used the Twelve Ornaments on his enthronement costume (i.e. ''

myeonbok Myeonbok is a kind of ceremonial clothing worn by the kings of Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) in Korea.Emperor of Korea Imperial titles were used in various historical Korean states before the 14th century and at the turn of the 20th century: Early Korean states used "great king", "greatest king", and "holy king"; later Korean states used "emperor". Korean monarc ...

in 1897 which followed the dress system of ancient China. In the ''myeonbok'' of Korean Kings could only use 9 symbols (i.e. ''gujanbok, nine-emblem myeonbok'') instead of the 12 as only the Chinese Emperor could wear the twelve ornaments. It is only after Gojong proclaimed the

Korean Empire The Korean Empire () was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by Emperor Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire stood until Japan's annexation of Korea in August 1910. During the Korean Empire, Emperor Gojong oversaw the Gwa ...

, equal to China, that he was allowed to wear the 12 symbols. The meyonbok, featuring the Twelve Symbols, continue to be used in the Korean imperial household's Jongmyo Daejae ancestor-worship ceremony. Otherwise nowadays, these embroidered Chinese symbols lost most of their significance and are mostly used to decorate clothing. Some of these Chinese symbols were also adopted in Western fashions, such as T-shirts and tattoos.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The twelve symbols of sovereignty
i
Powerhouse Museum
* http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/symbols_of_sovereignty.htm Chinese culture Chinese mythology