As everybody knows, the Chinese sentence “Wan Shi Ru Yi” means “wish all things going smoothly”. It is an auspicious blessing sentence. Also, Ruyi is a type of auspicious article in Chinese culture. But why is it called “Ruyi”? Does it imply that Ruyi has the magic power to make our wishes come true? Yes, it does in a way. It is because of its appearance and origin that it acquires such a beautiful name.

For one thing, Ruyi is in the shape of the glossy ganoderma, so it is applied with people’s wish of longevity. In the ancient China, people thought that the glossy ganoderma was a magic plant which could remain them ever-young and make the dead come back to life. Besides, the legendary god of longevity Pengzu has lived for more than seven hundred years, for he ate the glossy ganoderma all the year round. Therefore, those wishing to live long called the glossy-ganoderma-shaped object “Ruyi”.

For another, you may not know, Ruyi was firstly used in the same way as the itch scratcher which satisfies some wishes of ordinary people. It is the tool for people to scratch itch by touching the place on the body beyond the reach of hands. People always use it to scratch wherever they like. Hence, it is graciously named “Ruyi”.

Ruyi, as an auspicious object, is an epitome of Chinese auspicious sign culture for several thousand years. Due to its appearance like glossy ganoderma and original use as itch scratcher, people call it “Ruyi” to express their wishes to longevity and ease. Until now, thanks for its beautiful meaning, it is still used to entrust wishes to our future and blessings to a prosperous country.