海水纹
The wave motif renders the sea as a stylised register of curling lines, most often used as a structural ground beneath dragons, cranes, or other principal motifs rather than as a subject in its own right.
Motif Study
Stylised waves carry cosmological associations with the sea as the boundary of the known world and, in combination with mountains rising from the water, with the concept of enduring stability — a pairing sometimes read as a wish for a reign as lasting as the mountains and seas. On its own, the motif functions more as compositional ground than as an independent symbol.
Wave patterns appear on Jingdezhen porcelain from the Yuan dynasty onward, most commonly as a border register at the base of a vessel beneath a principal motif such as a dragon rising from the water, or as the ground for isolated rock-and-wave 'longevity' compositions. Qing-dynasty imperial ware standardised several distinct wave-border formats, from tightly coiled 'standing water' patterns to looser, more painterly renderings.
Waves are rendered as a continuous horizontal register of repeating curved or scrolled lines, almost always confined to a defined band near the foot of the vessel, reinforcing their role as a structural base beneath the composition's principal subject.
Further Reading