Study Chinese with Keats School: Longevity 寿(shòu)

The top part of the character of the oracle bone script depicts an elderly person with a humpback, while the lower part consists of a hand(寸) and a mouth(口). As a whole, the character resembles a glass of wine being raised to celebrate the longevity of an elderly person. The celebration of an elderly person’s birthday is a major event and people pay great attention to it. In particular, large celebrations are held when seniors reach the age of 60, 70 or 80. Members of the family’s younger generation also come back home to join in the celebration.

At the birthday banquet, people are supposed to eat longevity noodles “长寿面chán? shòu miàn”. These noodles represent the hope that the person’s life will be long, just like the noodles. Some Chinese folk paintings auspiciously depict an old man with a large forehead and a long beard. He walks with a cane, holds a peach in his hand, and always has a smile on his face. He is the God of Longevity (寿星shòu xīn?), a symbol of longevity often found in Chinese legends. In the countryside, families with elderly members often paste up paintings of the God of Longevity, in hopes that the elders of one’s family can live as long as the God of Longevity.