While fruit offerings are popularly stacked on temple altar tables, why are there vegetables for Confucius’ temples as well? (See Fruit Loops in July blog) The vegetables that are commonly offered for Confucius are celery, green onions, and cabbage. These vegetables bear names that are puns for success: celery sounds like diligence (qín), green onions sound like cleverness and intelligence (cōng), and cabbage sounds like a raise or promotion (gāo), rising to the top of the class, or equivalent to the cream of the crop expression. Presenting these gifts is a sign of sending Confucius your wishes for academic success. Besides on Confucius’ birthday, another popular time to make offerings is before China’s national college entrance exams.
Confucius statue before the Imperial College in Beijing.
