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Lot Essay
The inscription can be translated as Du shu zhi zai sheng xian, wei guan xin cun jun guo ('When studying, one should aspire to be a virtuous sage; when working as a government official, one should always have the country's best interests at heart')
This is an excerpt from the famous Zhu zi zhi jia ge yan by Zhu Bolu (1617-1688) which contains moral teachings on how one should run one's household.
Turtles have traditionally had considerable symbolic importance in China. The Zhou Li (Book of Rites) lists the tortoise as one of the four 'intelligent creatures', the other three being dragon, phoenix, and qilin. Although the creature is usually described as a tortoise and is often shown with clawed feet, it is almost always shown in association with water, and is in fact a turtle. Turtles are symbols of longevity and strength and associated with prestige and privilege. The use of seals with turtle finials was restricted.
This is an excerpt from the famous Zhu zi zhi jia ge yan by Zhu Bolu (1617-1688) which contains moral teachings on how one should run one's household.
Turtles have traditionally had considerable symbolic importance in China. The Zhou Li (Book of Rites) lists the tortoise as one of the four 'intelligent creatures', the other three being dragon, phoenix, and qilin. Although the creature is usually described as a tortoise and is often shown with clawed feet, it is almost always shown in association with water, and is in fact a turtle. Turtles are symbols of longevity and strength and associated with prestige and privilege. The use of seals with turtle finials was restricted.