Dreaming of an earthquake in Chinese dream interpretation: meaning
In ancient China an earthquake was read as a sign from heaven: a disturbance of the balance between heaven, earth and humanity, sometimes as a verdict on the government. The scholar Zhang Heng built one of the first seismoscopes in the year 132. In folk interpretation an earthquake in a dream stands for great change.
Within this tradition
In Chinese thought heaven, earth and humanity are connected. When government is just, nature is in balance; when it is unjust, signs appear such as floods, drought or earthquakes. After a great earthquake emperors were sometimes expected to reflect on their rule. The idea of the mandate of heaven, which a dynasty can lose, is connected with this.
The astronomer Zhang Heng built a bronze vessel with eight dragons, each holding a ball in its mouth, and eight toads beneath. In a quake a ball dropped into the mouth of a toad, showing from which direction the quake came. It shows how seriously earthquakes were taken.
Along those lines the folk interpretation around the dream book of Zhou Gong often reads an earthquake as a great change: a move, a new job, a shift in the family. Whether it is favourable or not depends on the rest of the dream. An earthquake in which your house stays standing is read as stability amid change. A house collapsing, as something that must be rebuilt. Some dream books even read an earthquake as a sign of a move or promotion.
Old dream books are folk interpretation, not fixed rules, and are often used with a smile.
Common variations
An earthquake in which your house stays standing
Stability amid change.
A house collapsing
Something that must be rebuilt.
A quake without damage
A change, such as a move or promotion, that turns out well.
Sensing an earthquake coming
A shift you already feel; prepare yourself.
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Write your dream in the appFrequently asked questions
What did an earthquake mean in ancient China?
A sign from heaven that the balance between heaven, earth and humanity was disturbed, sometimes as a verdict on the government.
Who was Zhang Heng?
A Chinese scholar who built a seismoscope in the year 132 to determine the direction of earthquakes.
Is the dream book of Zhou Gong really by Zhou Gong?
No, it is a collection of folk interpretation attributed to him, centuries after his life.