Chinese Symbols: The Cicada Insect

[Cecil Lee]

Cicada is considered auspicious because it symbolises happiness and eternal youth.
A Cicada emerges from the ground after it pupates for four years. Sometimes it is seen emerging from the burial grounds. Here, the Chinese see it as immortality.
This is the reason why some Chinese place a Jade cicada in the mouth of the dead before the burial.
The cicada is often seen in Chinese paintings.