Mandarin Duck Facts You Need to Know

Where have I seen a mandarin duck before? You might be familiar with mandarin ducks as wedding ducks. Since they mate for life, they're a popular symbol of love and fidelity in Asian countries. In the olden days, a man might buy or catch a pair of mandarin ducks to give to his bride's family; in recent times, however, couples just use pictures and carvings of mandarin ducks as wedding decorations. They are always presented in pairs.You might also recognize mandarin ducks as a general symbol of romance. There are lots of idioms about them in various languages: – In China, yuanyang xi shui (鸳鸯戏水) means two mandarin ducks playing in water and refers to an affectionate couple. – In Japan, oshidori fufu (鴛鴦夫婦) means husband and wife mandarin ducks and is used in the same way as the phrase a couple of lovebirds.