Fu (tally)

Fu
Qin State Qin Dynasty Bronze Tiger Tally (46552863315)
Tiger tally (Hufu) of Qin dynasty period
Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin

Fu (Chinese: ; pinyin: ) was a tally, which was used as a proof of authorization in ancient China, which typically consists of two parts.[1] Generals would use the fu as an imperial authorization for troop movements and for other purposes while amongst the populace, it was used as a proof of authorization for goods exchanges or for leases.[1] The official fu was made of bamboo, wood, metal (gold, silver, bronze) or jade.[1][2]: 27–28  Although it could be made in various shapes (such as tiger, dragon, turtle, snake, fish or human), most of them come in the shape of a tiger.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d "Tally(符 Fu)". China Info Online. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 28 Sep 2011.
  2. ^ Broughton, Jeffrey L. (2009). Zongmi on Chan. New York: Columbia University. ISBN 978-0-231-51308-1. OCLC 681933050.