Chinese numismatic charm
Chinese exonumia
Yansheng coins (traditional Chinese: 厭勝錢; simplified Chinese: 厌胜钱; pinyin: yàn shèng qián), commonly known as Chinese numismatic charms, refer to a collection of special decorative coins that are mainly used for rituals such as fortune telling, Chinese superstitions, and feng shui. They originated during the Western Han dynasty as a variant of the contemporary Ban Liang and Wu Zhu cash coins. Over the centuries, they evolved into their own commodity, with many different shapes and sizes. Their use was revitalized during the Republic of China era. Normally, these coins are privately funded and cast by wealthy families for their own ceremonies, although various governments or religious orders have cast a few types over the centuries. Chinese numismatic charms typically contain hidden symbolism and visual puns. Unlike cash coins, which usually have only two or four Hanzi on one side, Chinese numismatic charms often have more characters and sometimes pictures on the same side.
Although Chinese numismatic charms are not legal tender, they used to circulate on the Chinese market alongside regular government-issued coinage. The charms were considered valuable because they were often made of copper alloys, and Chinese coins were valued by their weight in bronze or brass. In some cases, charms were made from precious metals or jade.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Chinese numismatic charm” is chinese exonumia. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Chinese, numismatic and charm, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “chinese exonumia” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q8048955. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Chinese numismatic charm”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Chinese numismatic charm primary sources, Chinese numismatic charm archive and Chinese research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Chinese numismatic charm”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Chinese numismatic charm” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.