Fish and fishing
Traditional meaning and context
The received Zhougong Jiemeng associates groups of swimming fish with wealth and fishing in water with good fortune. It gives contrasting readings for fishing in a forest and fish flying above water. Water, movement and the method of catching are therefore part of the traditional interpretation. An ordinary fish stranded outside water is not the same scene as fish flying above it; we read stranding separately below.
A group of fish swims in water
The text associates this scene with wealth.
You fish in water or cast a fishing net
Both actions receive auspicious readings in the text.
You try to catch fish in a forest
The text says the undertaking does not succeed. The unsuitable setting distinguishes it from fishing in water.
Fish fly above the water
The text gives a dispersal-of-affairs reading, rather than extending its swimming-fish wealth omen.
These are historical omen associations, not evidence of what will happen to you or your family.
MingSez’s reading
Fish can bring abundance, movement and an attempt to obtain something into the scene. We distinguish watching a living group from catching a fish or finding it outside its usual setting. The difference between something thriving and something out of place can be more useful than a blanket wealth label.
How the scene changes the meaning
You watch a lively group of fish swimming together.
Movement and plenty are visible. Consider whether you felt included in the scene, content to observe, or eager to catch them.
A fish is stranded out of water and you try to return it.
The scene brings an unsuitable setting and an attempt to restore what the fish needs into focus. This is our interpretation, not the old flying-fish omen; whether it recovers changes the ending.
A question to take with you: Were the fish thriving in water, being caught, or somewhere unexpected?
Sources and related reading
- Received Zhougong Jiemeng: Turtles, Fish, Shrimp and Insects
Wikisource revision 7907671. Fish movement and catching entries, followed by named insects and their actions. The underlying print edition is unidentified; the title does not establish authorship by the historical Duke of Zhou.