Dreaming of a turtle in Chinese dream interpretation: meaning

Within this tradition

The turtle plays a strikingly large role in Chinese culture. The oldest Chinese characters were found on turtle shells, which were used for divination in the Shang dynasty: they were heated, and the answer was read from the cracks. According to a myth the goddess Nüwa propped up the sky with the legs of a giant turtle. And the Luoshu, the magic square used in feng shui, is said to have appeared on the shell of a turtle from the river Luo.

As Xuanwu, the Black Tortoise, it belongs to the north, winter and the element water. Stone turtles at temples and graves carry heavy memorial stones on their backs, as an image of permanence.

Along those lines the folk tradition reads a turtle in a dream as a long life, health, stability or a plan that succeeds slowly but surely. A turtle coming towards you, as luck reaching you. A turtle in water, as calm and prosperity. A turtle walking away or that you lose can be read as opportunities you let go too quickly.

In colloquial language the word for turtle can also be used as an insult, but in classical dream interpretation the favourable meaning prevails.

Common variations