They mate for life and if separated pine away and die, or so duck-lovers would have us believe. Ducks are symbols of conjugal fidelity and their image permeates Chinese art. The butterfly symbolizes joy and marital happiness. Motifs employed in Chinese art often play on such homophones. Another popular decorative motif, the fish, or yu, is a homophone for wealth and abundance.
Fish suggest connubial bliss because they live in complete harmony with their watery surrounds.
The design first appeared on export porcelain in the 1740s but soon transferred to other materials and remained popular well into the 19th century. The phoenix symbolizes the bride on her wedding day and is often embroidered on to her wedding clothes. This mythical bird is synonymous with the empress and together with the dragon represents the masculine and feminine, the yin and the yang. It only appears at times of peace and prosperity and presides over the southern quadrants of the heavens as the emblem of the sun and warmth. It is often portrayed in art gazing at a ball of fire.