Zodiacrune

Ginkgo

PlantsElement: Metal 金

Overview

The ginkgo's traditional association is with temple grounds and with great age, since the trees planted there are often centuries old.

Meaning

The ginkgo carries the reading of survival and of the ancient — a tree whose lineage is old enough to be called a living fossil.

Traditional Interpretation

Sources treat the ginkgo as a temple tree, and the seed has a separate culinary and medicinal use.

Related Concepts

Pine
Pine is the emblem of constancy — evergreen, and therefore the plant that holds through the year's hardest part.
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.
Cypress
The cypress carries the reading of the funerary and the enduring — the tree of graveyards and of long duration.
Metal
Refinement — the cutting away that makes a shape.

FAQ

What does ginkgo symbolize in Chinese tradition?

The ginkgo carries the reading of survival and of the ancient — a tree whose lineage is old enough to be called a living fossil. The ginkgo's traditional association is with temple grounds and with great age, since the trees planted there are often centuries old.

What does the ginkgo stand for?

It is one of the standard plants with an agreed reading. The ginkgo carries the reading of survival and of the ancient — a tree whose lineage is old enough to be called a living fossil. The temple association is the operative one: the ginkgo is read through where it is planted rather than through any property of its own.

How is ginkgo read in Chinese tradition?

Sources treat the ginkgo as a temple tree, and the seed has a separate culinary and medicinal use. It is grouped under Metal (金) in the five-element system.

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