Ming dynasty rebus
The Asian Art Museum’s online collection includes a dish labeled as Foliated dish with bird, deer, wasps, and monkey, from the Ming dynasty (specifically the period corresponding to 1567-1572).
The images on the plate turn out to be a rebus. (See also column YY.) The images include, among other elements, a bird, a deer, some wasps, and a monkey. As the description says:
“Bird” (que) is a pun for “noble rank” (jue), “deer” (lu) for “official salary” (lu), wasp (feng) for “confer” (feng), and “monkey” (hou) for “high-ranking noble” (hou).
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HIDDEN MEANING: May you receive a high rank and official salary (juelu fenghou)!