Lionel Giles and I have for some years been engaged in translating Taoist writings, and they are specially rich in allusions to jade and its magical properties; yet we have not come upon this meaning. Nor have I encountered the use orally in China.
To turn from popular tradition about jade in general (as exemplified in literary allusions, proverbs, tales of magic, etc.) to the actual objects: there is no evidence that mouth-jades were green. On the contrary, it seems likely that they were rarely, if ever, markedly green. Of the four in my collection, one is "mutton-fat" white stained buff underneath, another is honey-colour, another is black and white, and the last is dark ruddy-brown with a thin layer of light stone, faintly bluish-green, on its under surface. I have seen a large number of mouth-jades in the hands of native collectors and dealers, and I do not remember a single green one. It must not, of course, be forgotten that often decomposition and staining have modified the appearance of jade objects after they have lain buried for many centuries. Such changes, however, never completely disguise the colour of pieces which were originally green. There is, too, the fact that ancient tomb-jades were generally fashioned from a kind of stone differing from that imported into China from Turkestan and other countries in large quantities since the beginning of our era. Classical records contain accounts of tribute jade being introduced at early dates from Khotan and neighbouring parts; but these supplies must have been small in proportion to those derived from China proper. Lan-t‘ien in Shensi is proverbially associated with the native supply, and there were quarries in other parts of China—all exhausted long ago. Examination of ancient relics show that the Chinese jade has qualities distinguishing it from foreign kinds, and one of these peculiarities is the rarer occurrence of a green colour.
While criticising Mr. Mackenzie's theory in which he attaches significance to a supposed green-colour of mouth-jades, a word about another sort of symbolism should not be omitted. Ancient Chinese tongue-amulets were fashioned in the form of a cicada. There can be little doubt that the cicada shape was
