What does the deer symbolize?

Deer in the minds of the ancients, "faith and should be polite", "sincere in the" "benevolent beasts". Deer worship appeared in ancient times, many peoples worship white deer. In Buddhist stories, the deer is the embodiment of justice, goodness and good fortune. In ancient Chinese culture, the deer is also a symbol of power, such as "deer in the Central Plains". The word "deer" harmonizes with the word "lu", meaning fortune. The Plum Blossom Deer is seen as a symbol of health, happiness and good fortune.

Expanded:

The deer also symbolizes good luck, longevity and promotion. Legend has it that a thousand years is the Cang Deer, and two thousand years is the Xuan Deer. Therefore, the deer is the immortal beast of longevity. Deer often defend the Lingzhi immortal grass with cranes. Deer character and the three auspicious stars: "Fu, Luk, life" in the word Luk homophonic, so it is also commonly used in some pattern organizations to indicate longevity and prosperity.

Myths and legends say that the deer is the heavenly yao guang star generated when the beast, often with the gods, cranes, Ganoderma lucidum, pine and cypress tree together, frequented between the immortal mountains, protection of the immortal grass Ganoderma lucidum, to the earth, Bufu life, to send people well-being, for the people to herald auspiciousness. It is also said that a thousand years of deer called Cang Deer, two thousand years of deer called Xuan Deer, Antarctic Immortal Weng - the old man chose the deer as his mount. The appearance of deer is also a symbol of national prosperity.

China is the world's major birthplace of deer animals, including sika deer, elk, water deer, horse deer, white-lipped deer, as well as musk, roe deer, muntjac, and other places of origin are in China, but also the history of our ancestors to raise deer is also very long. As early as in the Shang Dynasty, King Zhou built a deer platform and stocked it with deer for ornamental hunting purposes; King Wen of Zhou also built a spiritual place in present-day Huxian County, Shaanxi Province, and the poem "Poetry - Daya - Lingtai" reads, "The king had a spiritual place, and the doe deer were clean." Its 100-mile garden was heavily wooded and infested with deer.

Because of the deer, Luk resonance, and later people prayed for high officials, to have deer as a good omen. And because of the deer have the spirit of the gas, so after the Sui and Tang dynasties rulers often use it as a sacrificial offerings, such as the Tang dynasty state and county sacrifices to the gods of earth and grain, the first saint, the release of the first teacher, that is, fruit to the deer preserved, beans to the deer minced meat. To the Ming Dynasty, the main offerings of the Great Sacrifice is still deer breast, deer minced meat, deer, and other things.

Historical development to the Qing Dynasty, due to the primitive worship of the Manchu ancestors of the deer, that the deer as the god of wind and rain and the messenger of heaven can be through the sky, so every time before the hunt will get together to jump shaman deer dance, in order to pray for good luck in the hunt. In addition, some of the Manchu clan enshrines the deer god, rituals, shaman cap inserted antlers, to symbolize the deer god. Deer in the religion of this symbolism, so that the Qing dynasty deer culture and deer sacrifice system, reached the climax of feudal society.

Reference:

The story of the royal family and the deer in the Qing Dynasty - People's Daily Online