The Legend of the Double Happiness Symbol

You may  have heard of the term Double Happiness but know little about what this symbol means, let alone how it came about. With this profile of the Chinese good luck character, get better acquainted with its history and discover if it can be applied to the circumstances in your life. What Is Double Happiness? Double Happiness is a large Chinese character  featured  on red paper. The characters that signify happiness are spelled  xi or hsi in Mandarin  and  pronounced shuang-xi. It is exclusively used in Mandarin  to celebrate weddings. The Story of the Symbol The symbol dates back to  the ancient Tang Dynasty. According to legend,  there was a student on the way to the capital to take the national final examination in which the top learners would be selected as ministers of the court. Unfortunately, the student fell ill halfway when he passed through a mountain village, but an  herbalist and his daughter took the  student to their house and expertly treated him. The student recovered quickly due to their good care. When  the time came for him to leave, he found it hard to say goodbye to the pretty herbalists daughter, and so did she. They had fallen in love with each other. As a result, the girl wrote down half of a  couplet for the student: Green trees against the sky in the spring rain while the sky set off the spring trees in the obscuration. The student replied,  Well, I can make it, though it is not easy. But youll have to wait until I have finished the examination.  The young girl nodded. The young man ended up winning first place in the competition. The emperor recognized his prowess and asked him to finish part of a couplet. The emperor wrote: Red flowers dot the land in the breezes chase while the land colored up in red after the kiss. The young man realized immediately that the girls half  couplet was the perfect fit to the emperors couplet, so he used her words to answer. The emperor was delighted with this turn of events and appointed the young man as a minister of the court. But before the student began his new position, the emperor allowed him to pay a visit to his hometown. He ran into the young woman who gave  him the couplet and repeated the emperors words to her. The half couplets complemented each other, and they soon wed. During the ceremony, they doubled the Chinese character happy  on a red piece of paper and placed it on the wall to express their pleasure with the two events. Wrapping Up Ever since the couples wedding, the double happiness symbol has become a Chinese social custom.  It  can be found  all over  during Chinese weddings. It is also used for wedding invitations. In both contexts, it simply means that the new couple will now be united.