Dreaming of snakes in Chinese dream interpretation: meaning

Within this tradition

The snake carries a very different charge in China than in many Western stories. As a zodiac animal the snake stands for wisdom, intuition and refinement, and it is sometimes called xiaolong, little dragon. The dragon itself is an image of power, good fortune and imperial dignity in Chinese culture.

In the Zhou Gong Jie Meng and in folk tradition a snake in a dream is therefore often read favourably. A snake entering your house can stand for wealth coming in. A snake winding itself around you is sometimes read as good fortune attaching itself to you.

The snake is also a well-known image in the taimeng, dreams said to announce a pregnancy. Someone who dreams of a snake, especially a large or strikingly coloured one, hears in many Chinese families that a child may be coming. Some families even read in it whether it will be a boy or a girl.

A snake that bites or chases is read variously: sometimes as a warning about someone around you, sometimes as a favourable sign of something coming at you with force. As always, the tradition looks at the whole dream and at how you felt.

Common variations