Zodiacrune

Cypress

PlantsElement: Wood 木

Overview

Like the pine, the cypress is evergreen, but its association is more specifically with burial grounds and with memorial planting.

Meaning

The cypress carries the reading of the funerary and the enduring — the tree of graveyards and of long duration.

Traditional Interpretation

Sources pair cypress with the grave and with the memorial grove, which gives it a more sombre reading than the pine's.

Related Concepts

Pine
Pine is the emblem of constancy — evergreen, and therefore the plant that holds through the year's hardest part.
Ginkgo
The ginkgo carries the reading of survival and of the ancient — a tree whose lineage is old enough to be called a living fossil.
Scholar Tree
The scholar tree is associated with the examinations and with official rank — the tree whose name contains the word for the examination graduate.
Wood
Growth that pushes outward, and the patience it needs.

FAQ

What does cypress symbolize in Chinese tradition?

The cypress carries the reading of the funerary and the enduring — the tree of graveyards and of long duration. Like the pine, the cypress is evergreen, but its association is more specifically with burial grounds and with memorial planting.

What does the cypress stand for?

It is one of the standard plants with an agreed reading. The cypress carries the reading of the funerary and the enduring — the tree of graveyards and of long duration. The distinction from pine is the useful point: both are evergreens, but the tradition assigns them different settings.

How is cypress read in Chinese tradition?

Sources pair cypress with the grave and with the memorial grove, which gives it a more sombre reading than the pine's. It is grouped under Wood (木) in the five-element system.

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