The Eight Treasures (), also known as the ''Eight Precious Things'', are popular symbols often depicted in

Chinese art Chinese art is visual art that originated in or is practiced in China, Greater China or by Chinese artists. Art created by Chinese residing outside of China can also be considered a part of Chinese art when it is based on or draws on Chine ...

and on

Chinese numismatic charm Yansheng Coins ( zh , first=t , t=厭勝錢, s=厌胜钱, hp=yàn shèng qián), commonly known as Chinese numismatic charms, refer to a collection of special decorative coins that are mainly used for rituals such as fortune telling, Chinese ...

s. While technically they may be any

subset In mathematics, a Set (mathematics), set ''A'' is a subset of a set ''B'' if all Element (mathematics), elements of ''A'' are also elements of ''B''; ''B'' is then a superset of ''A''. It is possible for ''A'' and ''B'' to be equal; if they a ...

of the much longer list of the Hundred Treasures, there is a combination that is most popular. # The Wish-granting Pearl (寳珠/宝珠, ''Bǎozhū'') or ''flaming pearl'' symbolises the granting of wishes. # The Double Lozenges (方勝/方胜, "Fāngshèng") symbolises happiness in marriage and counteracts maleficent influences. # The Stone Chime (磬, "Qìng") symbolises a just and upright life. # The pair of Rhinoceros Horns (犀角, ''Xījiǎo'') symbolises happiness. # The Double Coins (雙錢/双钱, ''Shuāngqián'') symbolises wealth. # The gold or silver Ingot (錠/锭, ''Dìng'') # The Coral (珊瑚, ''Shānhú'') # The Wish-granting Scepter (如意, '' Rúyì'')

Eight Treasures in art

Eight Treasures charms

Chinese ''Eight Treasures charms'' (

Traditional Chinese A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

: 八寶錢;

Simplified Chinese Simplification, Simplify, or Simplified may refer to: Mathematics Simplification is the process of replacing a mathematical expression by an equivalent one that is simpler (usually shorter), according to a well-founded ordering. Examples include: ...

: 八宝钱;

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

: ''bā bǎo qián''), also known as the "Eight Precious Things charms" and the "Eight Auspicious Treasures charms", are coin amulets that depict the Eight Treasures. Those most commonly depicted on older charms are the ceremonial ''ruyi'' (sceptre),

coral Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...

lozenge Lozenge or losange may refer to: * Lozenge (shape), a type of rhombus *Throat lozenge A throat lozenge (also known as a cough drop, sore throat sweet, troche, cachou, pastille or cough sweet) is a small, typically medicated tablet intended to ...

rhinoceros horn A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family Rhinocerotidae; it can also re ...

sycee A sycee (;.. from Cantonese , zh, j=Sai3 Si1, y=sai-sī, ). or yuanbao ( zh, t= 元寶, s= 元宝, poj=Goân-pó, j=jyun4 bou2, p=yuánbǎo, l=primary treasure, first=t) was a type of gold and silver ingot currency used in imperial China from ...

s, stone chimes, and flaming pearl. Eight Treasures charms can alternatively display the eight precious organs of the Buddha's body, the eight auspicious signs, various emblems of the eight Immortals from

Taoism Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

, or eight normal Chinese character. They often have thematic inscriptions. For example a Chinese eight treasures charm on display at the

Museum of Ethnography, Sweden The Museum of Ethnography (), in Stockholm, Sweden, is a Swedish science museum. It houses a collection of about 220,000 items relating to the ethnography, or cultural anthropology, of peoples from around the world, including from China, Korea, ...

has the inscription ''Chángmìng fùguì jīnyù mǎntáng'' (長命富貴金玉滿堂) which could be translated as "longevity, wealth and honour - may gold and jade fill your house (halls)".

Seal paste

Zhangzhou Zhangzhou (, ) is a prefecture-level city in Fujian Province, China. The prefecture around the city proper comprises the southeast corner of the province, facing the Taiwan Strait and (with Quanzhou) surrounding the prefecture of Xiamen. Nam ...

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

, China there is a company named Babao seal paste which is named after the Eight Treasures. Babao seal paste was added to the

National Intangible Cultural Heritage List National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

in 2008. and the

China Time-honored Brand China Time-honored Brand ( Chinese: ''Zhonghua lao zihao'' 中华老字号 or simply ''lao zihao'' 老字号) is a title granted by the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China to Chinese enterprises that existed before 1956, sell ...

list by the

Chinese Ministry of Commerce The Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) is an executive department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China responsible for formulating policies on foreign trade, export and import regulations, foreign direct investments, consumer prot ...

in 2011.

References

Cultural lists Chinese iconography Magic items

Eight Treasures in art

Eight Treasures charms

Seal paste

See also

References