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Images of Daoist symbols. Click on each to see a larger version. Although Daoist in origin, these symbols have been well known throughout China and the rest of East Asia for centuries, even in contexts not directly connected with Daoism.

1. The image at left is a list of the most common Daoist symbols, all of which stand for longevity and good fortune. At the upper right and left are dragons, which we have already discussed in several places. In between the dragons are deer. The deer as symbol of longevity probably came into Daoism from Buddhism. At left-center is the fungus/mushroom of immortality. Sometimes deer are shown eating this fungus, thus doubling the symbolism. Below the fungus are peaches, which function much like the fungus of immortality. Those who are able to discover special peaches growing deep in the mountains and eat them might attain immortal life. Finally, cranes and pines also symbolize immortality. The pine is an especially sturdy tree that does not "die" in the winter.

2. The next image features two young women bearing symbols of immortality. The woman in the foreground bears a twisted branch on which the fungus of immortality is growing. The woman behind her carries a plant bearing flowers, though I cannot tell exactly what it is. Behind both women and towing over them is a gnarled pine tree.

3. The image at right is of a deity of immortality. He carries a peach in his left hand and the twisted, dragon-like walking stick of a Daoist immortal or hermit in the right. Attached to this stick is a bottle-gourd, a symbol of a Daoist immortal. Cranes accompany the deity.

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