Tally(符 Fu)

Fu, or tally, was a kind of talisman in ancient China. Before paper was invented in China, tallies were made from bamboo or wood. A tally consists of two pieces and is used to a general as imperial authorization for troop movement or other schemes. Among the populace, the tally was used as proof of authorization for exchanges of goods or leases.

In ancient China the official tally was made of gold, silver, jade or bronze in the shape of tiger, dragon, human figure, turtle, snake, fish, etc. Most of them, however, appear in the shape of a tiger.

The “tiger tally” was used by an emperor for delegating his generals with the power to command and dispatch the army.

A tiger tally is inscribed with a text on its back and consists of two parts, with the right part retained in the central government and the left part issued to a local official or a commander. Only when the tally was authenticated could the authorization take effect, a practice which was fashionable during the WarringStates, Qin and Han periods.

To fashion a tally in the image of a tiger was also meant to indicate that with the emperor's authorization, the command should act as promptly and courageously as a tiger.

By tradition the Chinese regard the tiger as a symbol of velour. Even today a crack force in the army is likely to be named “Flying Tiger Detachment”. It is thus understandable for our ancients to use the tiger tally for the maneuvering of soldiers.