Ruyi (scepter)

Ruyi
Pair of ruyi at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Chinese name
Chinese	如意
Literal meaning	as desired
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin rúyì Wade–Giles ju2-i4 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization yùh yi Jyutping jyu4 ji3 Middle Chinese Middle Chinese nyo 'iH Old Chinese Baxter–Sagart (2014) na-s ʔək-s
Korean name
Hangul	여의
Hanja	如意
Transcriptions Revised Romanization yeo ui McCune–Reischauer yŏ ŭi
Japanese name
Kanji	如意
Hiragana	にょい
Transcriptions Revised Hepburn nyoi

A ruyi (Chinese: 如意; lit. 'as desired', 'as [you] wish') is a Chinese curved decorative object that serves as either a ceremonial scepter in Chinese Buddhism or a talisman symbolizing power and good fortune in Chinese folklore. The "ruyi" image frequently appears as a motif in Asian art.

A traditional ruyi has a long S-shaped handle and a head fashioned like a fist, cloud, or lingzhi mushroom. Ruyi are constructed from diverse materials. For example, the Palace Museum in Beijing has nearly 3,000 ruyi variously made of gold, silver, iron, bamboo, wood, ivory, coral, rhinoceros horn, lacquer, crystal, jade, and precious gems.