Birds in Chinese Painting

Birds in Chinese Painting
The luan is a mythological bird similar to the phoenix, both symbols of auspiciousness. Courtesy of the National Palace Museum
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In traditional Chinese culture, the following idioms are often used to describe a perfect marriage: lute and zither playing in harmony, flowers blooming under the full moon, dragons soaring and phoenixes prancing, mandarin ducks playing in water, and swallows and nightingales flying in pairs.

These metaphors are inspired by objects in nature, among which bird-related analogies are the most common.