The Twelve Emblems, a symbol of ancient costume grades, refer to twelve patterns embroidered on the costumes of ancient emperors and senior officials in China. They are: sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragons, China insects, Zong Yi, seaweed, fire, pink rice, flounder, snakehead and so on. Commonly known as "Twelve Chapters", clothes embroidered with emblems are called "Zhangfu"

The earliest and most comprehensive record of the Twelve Emblems appeared in Shangshu? The year of Yiji. At the beginning of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the system of uniform was established. From then until the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Twelve Chapters, as the costume patterns of emperors and officials, have been used for nearly two thousand years, but their positions and colors have changed slightly.

Twelve emblems on robes in Qing Dynasty and their positions.

After thousands of years of development, every chapter of yy Bear Card in The Legend of the New Water Margin Q has its significance. The sun, the moon and the stars shine on behalf of three kinds of light, symbolizing the mighty grace of the emperor and shining in all directions.

Mountain, representing a stable character, symbolizes that the emperor can control the soil and water in all directions.

Dragon, a kind of god beast, is changeable, symbolizing that the emperor is good at handling state affairs, guiding the current situation and teaching the people.

The insects in China, usually pheasants, symbolize that the king wants to be "brilliant".

Zong Yi is an ancient sacrificial utensil, usually a pair, embroidered with tiger and bow patterns, symbolizing the emperor's loyalty and filial piety.

Seaweed symbolizes the emperor's integrity.

Fire symbolizes the emperor's aboveboard handling of government affairs, and upward fire also means leading a group of scholars to their destiny.

Rice, that is, white rice, symbolizes the emperor's support for the people, his rule over the country, and the importance of farming and planting mulberry.

Torreya grandis, shaped like an axe, symbolizes the ability and courage of the emperor to do things.

"Promise" is two opposite words of "self", which represents the emperor's virtue of distinguishing right from wrong and correcting mistakes.

Dragon robe and twelve emblems in ming dynasty.

The Twelve Emblems are an important part of the feudal clothing system and the embodiment of the feudal hierarchy. Since its appearance, it has experienced more than two thousand years of dynasties, but because of its far-reaching significance, it has always maintained its original form, which is incomparable to other ordinary decorative patterns.