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Pun Design:
Persimmon + Chicken/ rooster/ cockerel
Punning Details:
&#8211; ‘shi 柿’ in ‘shi zi 柿子 persimmon’ is a pun on ‘shi 市 business’
&#8211; ‘大鸡 da ji’ for ‘large <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/rooster/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cockerel</a>’ makes a pun on ‘大吉 da ji’ for ‘tremendous good luck’
This image can be expressed as a good wish for someone who has just started a new business venture.

May you have tremendous luck in your new venture

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<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/fish/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fish </a>(鱼 yu) puns with the word yu 余 meaning ‘abundance’, therefore it symbolises wealth and prosperity. <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/lotus-lian-hua/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lotus </a>(莲 lian) puns with the word lian 连 meaning ‘to continue’ or ‘to connect’, and it is associated with the Chinese phrase lian nian 连年 meaning ‘year in, year out’. Hence, a fish and a lotus together signify ‘wealth for all the future’ by a double wordplay.
Relater Pun Pictures:
<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/may-your-jade-palatial-home-be-honoured-and-full-of-riches/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May your jade palatial home be honoured and full of riches 玉堂富贵</a>
<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/may-you-be-trouble-free-and-roll-in-wealth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May you be trouble-free and roll in wealth 平安多利</a>

May you be wealthy year after year

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A variation of 平升三级 ping sheng san ji (<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/may-you-have-three-successive-promotions-unexpectedly/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May you have three successive promotions unexpectedly</a>) is 连升三级 lian sheng san ji. The design has kept the old element of three ji halberds but added a new motif, the <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/lotus-lian-hua/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lotus </a>flower. The character for the halberd is 戟 ji, which puns on 级 ji for ‘official grade or rank’ and three halberds stand for ‘three official ranks’. The character for the lotus is 莲 lian, which sounds the same as the word 连 lian for ‘continuously’. Thus, this combination of objects is used to express the good wish ‘May you have three promotions continuously!’
Related Pun Picture:
<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/may-you-have-an-imminent-promotion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May you have an imminent promotion 封侯</a>
<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/may-you-have-repeated-promotions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May you have repeated promotions 官上加官</a>
<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/may-your-chance-of-promotion-be-just-round-the-corner/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May your chance of promotion be just round the corner 指日高升</a>

May you have three promotions continuously!

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Yang Shen (杨慎, 1488–1559), alias Sheng’an (升庵), is a literatus and poet in the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). He recorded in Volume Ninety-Four of Sheng’an Additional Works a folklore anecdote: ‘In the northern dialect, there is no difference in sound between the he 合 for “coming together” and the he 鹤 for “<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/crane/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crane</a>”. There are people who painted six cranes and a Chinese cedar tree to form a pun rebus design meaning “liu he tong chun (六合同春), i.e. May the whole universe prosper in eternal spring”.’ (杨慎《升庵外集》卷九十四:“北之语合鹤迥然不分，故有绘六鹤及椿树为图者，取六合同春之义”. ) The Chinese phrase ‘liu he 六鹤’ for ‘six cranes’ puns on the phrase ‘liu he 六合’ for ‘six directions’, i.e., heaven, earth, north, south, east, and west, namely, ‘the universe’. The Chinese cedar or mahogany tree, i.e., toona sinensis, is called ‘chun 椿’ tree in Chinese and is used as a pun on ‘chun 春’ for ‘the spring season’.
Unfortunately, there are no examples of this ingenious ancient design passed down. However, there is a related pun rebus design extant on ancient porcelain and other handcrafted art works. This design consists of three key elements: <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/deer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deer</a>, crane, and the wu tong 梧桐 tree, or Chinese parasol tree. In some Chinese dialects, the combination of the Chinese characters ‘lu 鹿’ and ‘he 鹤’ for ‘deer and crane’ makes a pun on ‘liu he 六合’ for ‘six directions’ or ‘the universe’. The image of the wu tong 梧桐 tree, or Chinese parasol tree in the design cues the concept of ‘tong chun 同春’, meaning ‘sharing the spring season’. The pun rebus design appears as early as in the Ming dynasty on a Longquan celadon garden seat. As a culturally cherished picture, it also appears on a porcelain bottle vase and a table screen both crafted in the Qing dynasty (1644–1911).
The diligent Japanese scholar Nozaki Nobuchika 野崎诚近 collected this design in his pioneering volume on Chinese pun rebus pictures 吉祥図案解題: 支那風俗の一研究. His illustration clearly shows the three key elements that form the pun rebus. However, in the title of this picture, he literally put down Chinese characters ‘lu 鹿’ for ‘deer’ and ‘he 鹤’ for ‘crane’, instead of the concept ‘liu he 六合’ for ‘six directions’ or ‘the universe’, to which the two creatures were meant to refer.
Luckily enough, a related Qing-dynasty New Year print with both a deer and a crane on it is still in existence. On top of the picture, the Chinese phrase “liu he tong chun (六合同春), i.e. May the whole universe prosper in eternal spring” is printed verbatim. Although the careless print maker failed to include the wu tong 梧桐 tree, or Chinese parasol tree, in the design, it is evident that this was a popular auspicious theme in traditional China.
literature research: by Dr <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/about-us/dr-yibin-ni/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yibin Ni</a>

May the whole universe prosper in eternal spring

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Pun Design ：
Pomegranate
Punning Details：
&#8211; Artist may repeat one particular visual element many times for conveying the numeral ‘bai 百 hundred’.
&#8211; A cracked pomegranate showing numerous seeds (bai zi 百籽), in which ‘zi 籽 seed’ is a pun on ‘zi 子 son’; the idea of ‘bai 百 hundred’, is represented by the plenitude of seeds in a pomegranate.
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Related Pun Picture: 
<a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/may-the-male-line-in-your-family-clan-continue-and-flourish/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May the male line in your family clan continue and flourish</a> 瓜瓞绵绵
Related Figures and Stories:
<a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/figures-stories/three-star-gods/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Three Star Gods</a> 福禄寿三星
<a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/figures-stories/a-bed-piled-with-hu-sceptres-guo-ziyis-grand-birthday-party/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Bed Piled with Hu Sceptres</a> 满床笏

May you have as many male offspring as a pomegranate has seeds

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The Chinese character for ‘monkey’ is 猴 hou and it puns on the word for ‘marquis’ in Chinese 侯 hou. The expression ‘mashang 马上’ in Chinese is ambiguous in that it can mean, literally, ‘on a/the horse’, or it can mean, idiomatically, ‘right away’. Therefore, an image of a monkey on the back of a <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/horse/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">horse </a>can be used, auspiciously, to convey the message ‘May you be bestowed the title of a marquis presently’.
Related Pun Pictures:
<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/may-you-be-created-a-peer-and-earn-a-handsome-official-income/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May you be created a peer and earn a handsome official income 爵禄封侯</a>
<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/may-you-have-an-imminent-promotion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May you have an imminent promotion 封侯</a>

May you be bestowed the title of a marquis presently

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Pun Design: <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/lets-celebrate-universal-peace-and-prosperity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Apples</a> + <a style="color: #3366ff;" data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/quail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Quails </a>+ <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/lychee/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lychee</a>
Punning Details：
The Chinese character ‘ping 苹’ in ‘ping guo 苹果’ for ‘apple’ can make a pun on ‘ping 平’ for ‘peace’. The word ‘an 鹌’ in ‘an chun 鹌鹑’ for ‘quail’ puns on ‘an 安’, another Chinese word for ‘peace’. The word ‘li 荔’ in ‘li zhi 荔枝’ for ‘lychee’ sounds the same as ‘li 利’ for ‘profit’. Thus, this seemingly random juxtaposition of lychee, quails, and apples was used by the prominent 20th-century Chinese painter Qi Baishi (齐白石, 1864-1957) to convey a good wish for the recipient of the painting to enjoy both wealth and peace.
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画面要素: 苹果 + 鹌鹑 + 荔枝
谐音详情: ‘苹果’ 中 ‘苹’ 的谐音 ‘平’, ‘鹌鹑’ 中 ‘鹌’ 与 ‘安’ 谐音, ‘荔枝’ 中 ‘荔’ 与 ‘利’ 谐音。
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Related Pun Pictures:
<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/may-you-have-plenty-of-profit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May you have plenty of profit</a> 多利
<a style="color: #3366ff;" data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/may-you-do-well-in-exams-and-enjoy-wealth-and-prestige/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May you do well in exams and enjoy wealth and prestige</a> 功名富贵

May you be trouble-free and roll in wealth

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The main figure in the scene is a dignitary, often gripping a hu (笏) tablet in his hands, which an official uses to take notes when he has audience with the emperor in court. He is usually sheltered by page boys erecting some fans or a parasol or guarded by a soldier holding a weapon with an iron melon on the top. Facing the dignitary is an attendant presenting a vase containing three miniature ji (戟) halberds to him. Sometimes there is a tray underneath the vase. The Chinese character for ‘vase’ is 瓶 ping, which is a pun on 平 ping for ‘unexpectedly’ or ‘surprisingly’. The character for the halberd is 戟 ji, which puns on 级 ji for ‘grade or rank’ and three halberds stand for ‘three ranks’. Put together, the design is used to express the message “May you have three successive promotions unexpectedly” (平升三级 ping sheng san ji).
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Related Pun Pictures:
<a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/may-you-have-three-promotions-continuously/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May you have three promotions continuously! </a>连升三级
<a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/may-you-be-created-a-peer-and-earn-a-handsome-official-income/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May you be created a peer and earn a handsome official income</a> 爵禄封侯
<a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/may-you-have-repeated-promotions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May you have repeated promotions</a> 官上加官

May you have three successive promotions unexpectedly!

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A gathering of four distinctively different <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/fish/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fishes </a>can be read as a pun rebus design expressing an admonishing message ‘qing bai lian jie 清白廉洁’, which literally means ‘pure, unblemished, <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/you-are-an-honest-and-uncorrupted-official-in-your-entire-career/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">incorruptible</a>, and clean’.
The name of ‘qingyu 青鱼’, literally ‘blue fish’, puns on the Chinese character ‘qing 清’ for ‘pure’. ‘Baiyu 白鱼’ literally means ‘white fish’, having a white body and head. Its name is a homograph of ‘bai 白’ meaning ‘unblemished’. ‘Lianyu 鲢鱼’ means ‘chub’, whose name makes a pun on ‘lian 廉’ for ‘incorruptible’. The unmistakable ‘guiyu 鳜鱼 (mandarin fish)’ has a characteristic mottled appearance and undivided tail. The phonetic radical of the name of this fish is ‘jue 厥’, which puns on the character ‘jie 洁’ for ‘clean’.
The design may be served as a good wish for a promising official friend or a self-admonishing reminder as part of the interior decoration scheme in a conscientious official’s office or study. The actual design and the arrangement of the fishes may well vary since the design was a conventional one spread among manual labourers and folk artisans and everybody contributed their inspiration to the end product. However, a corpus of various versions of this theme reveals a clear pattern, prominently with the unmistakable mandarin fish and the white fish in it.
New research on the extant examples of this pun rebus design written by Dr <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/about-us/dr-yibin-ni/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yibin Ni</a> is published <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/blogs/commonly-misunderstood-images/more-than-a-naturalistic-motif-of-fish-pond-recognition-of-chinese-pun-rebus-pictures/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
Reference:
Jeffrey P. Stamen and Cynthia Volk with Yibin Ni, A Culture Revealed: Kangxi-Era Chinese Porcelain from the Jie Rui Tang Collection: Jieruitang Publishing. 2017, p. 200-201.

May you remain pure, clean, and incorruptible

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‘San gong 三公’ are the ‘Three Top Lords in the Imperial Court’. The ‘gong 公’ from the Chinese name ‘gong ji 公鸡’ for ‘rooster’ puns on the Chinese name for ‘lord’ and three roosters in the picture represent the three top lords, which are the three top positions in the imperial court. The Chinese name for ‘cypress’ is ‘bai 柏’, which puns on ‘bai 百’ for ‘one hundred’. Hence the whole image expresses the wish for highly respected person to have a very long life.
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Related Blog:
<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/blogs/interesting-findings/birthday-party-of-the-queen-mother-of-the-west/">The Birthday Party of the Queen Mother of the West 西王母祝寿</a>
Related motif:
<a style="color: #0000ff;" data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/rooster/">Rooster 公鸡</a>

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