The Chinese name for rooster or chicken is ji 鸡, which is a pun on ji 吉 ‘good fortune’. ‘Da’ is the Chinese adjective for ‘big’ and ‘da ji‘ literally means ‘large rooster’ but puns on ‘great luck’.

Thus, these paintings convey the message ‘May you enjoy imminent good fortune’. It can be used on many social occasions where people wish the receiver to enjoy good fortune.

Related Pun Pictures:

May everything fare fabulously in your family 室上大吉

May you be blessed by good luck in all you do 百吉

Related motif: Rooster 公鸡

• Fig 3: gourd shaped lacquer vase, Qing dynasty (1644 – 1911), courtesy of the National Palace Museum, Taipei

  Fig 4: porcelain dish, Yongzheng period (1723 – 35), Qing dynasty, courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art