God of Literary Examinations (Kuixing) pointing the Big Dipper (the Seven Stars of the North). Reproduction of a calligraphic art preserved at the Stele Forest in Xi'an. It represents the Chinese god of exams, Kuixing, made up of the characters describing the four Confucian virtues (zhōng 忠, loyalty; xiào 孝, filial piety; jié 節, continency; yì 義, righteousness), standing on the head of the ao (鰲) turtle (an expression for coming first in the examinations), and "pointing the Dipper (斗)" (another expression with the same meaning). The Big Dipper or Great Chariot in Chinese symbolism represents the source of the universe (God, Tian) in its way of manifestation, order of creation (li or Tao).
Own work. Vectorised version of this calligraphic art.
Aethelwolf Emsworth.