QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

The cat-fish was commonly used in Chinese iconography from the Song dynasty onwards, because its name, nian, is a homophone for the word for 'year', and also because it has a head shaped like a ruyi fungus. Thus, the visual pun a cat-fish with the lingzhi forms the auspicious greeting, nian nian ruyi, 'may your wishes come true, year after year', which is particularly apt as a New Year salutation. It also forms the rebus jixiang youyu, a wish for fortune and abundance. More commonly, paired fish also symbolise a successful marriage.