A great variety of symbols and emblematical devices appear in the porcelain decoration of all periods, whether interwoven with the designs, grouped in panels, or placed under the base in lieu of a mark. Bushell[515] classifies the most familiar of them under the following headings:—
1. Symbols of Ancient Chinese Lore: Pa-kua and Yin-yang (see p. [290]); Pa yin (eight musical instruments); Shih êrh chang (twelve ornaments embroidered upon sacrificial robes).
2. Buddhist symbols: Pa chi hsiang (eight emblems of happy augury). Ch’i pao (seven paraphernalia of the chakravartin or universal sovereign).
3. Taoist symbols: Pa an hsien (attributes of the Eight Immortals).
4. The Hundred Antiques (Po ku). Pa pao (the Eight Precious Objects).
The pa-kua (eight trigrams) and the Yin-yang symbol of the duality of Nature have been described. The eight musical instruments are: (1) Ch’ing, the sounding stone, a sort of gong usually in form of a mason’s square. It forms a rebus for ch’ing (good luck). (2) Chung, the bell. (3) Ch’in, the lute. (4) Ti, the flute. (5) Chu, the box, with a metal hammer inside. (6) Ku, the drum. (7) Shêng, the reed organ. (8) Hsüan, the ocarina, a cone with six holes.
The twelve chang or ancient embroidery ornaments are: (1) Jih, the Sun, a disc in which is a three-legged bird, and sometimes, the character jih
. (2) Yüeh, the moon; a disc with hare, toad and cassia tree, and sometimes the character yüeh
