The bat plays a significant role in Annamese decorative arts, symbolizing “happiness” (phúc). This association arises because, in Sino-Vietnamese, the word for bat, bức (蝠), sounds similar to phúc (福), meaning “blessing” or “fortune.” Consequently, the bat’s image has been used to represent blessings and good fortune. When illustrated with five bats, it conveys the “Five Blessings”: (1) Phú 富, meaning wealth, (2) Khang Ninh 安寧, representing peace and health, (3) Thọ 壽, meaning longevity, (4) Hảo Đức 好德, signifying virtue, and (5) Khảo Chung Mạng 考終命, which implies a full life.
Bat motifs often incorporate wordplay. The most common combines the character for “happiness” (phúc) but sometimes pairs it with khánh (慶), which means “congratulations,” thus wishing good fortune. Khánh also has the homophone khương, another term for happiness. Khánh can also be written as 磬, representing a court musical instrument. Hence, there are motifs of a bat holding this musical instrument with two tassels, symbolizing “phúc khánh,” which conveys wishes for happiness, peace, and prosperity.
Sometimes, the bat is combined with thọ (longevity), forming “phúc thọ,” a wish for both happiness and longevity. This motif is depicted with a bat holding a stylized thọ character. Often, thọ is simplified into an octagonal form with elongated and curled leaves, which morph into a bat shape.
Instead of khánh or thọ, a bat may hold a flower basket, one of the “Eight Treasures” and symbolizes happiness and enjoyment.
For decoration, the bat often includes two tassels, a motif called “bat with tassels,” though the tassels seem to serve purely as decoration without deeper symbolism.
Bats may also be stylized from leaves, called lá hóa phúc (leaf transforming into happiness), from plum blossoms, known as mai hóa phúc, from lotus (liên hóa phúc), or from fruits (quả hóa phúc). Primarily, bats are derived from geometric patterns accented with two leaves, known as hồi văn hóa phúc. Depending on the artist’s inspiration, bats are sometimes paired with dragons. Occasionally, bats appear at the center of wooden carvings but are usually positioned at the corners with elegant outstretched wings. In jewelry, the bat may transform into dangling beads on earrings.
Source: “L’Art Annamite” by L. Cadière
