Round fans are moon or flat oval-shaped and usually decorated with paintings and calligraphy.

 

热天赠扇，雪中送炭。
Give a fan during the hot season and offer fuel in snowy weather.
This proverb relates to providing help to those who are in urgent need, but also ensuring that the form of aid is suited to their needs.

 

扇面虽破，扇骨犹在。
The face of a fan may be damaged but the ribs remain.
Although the face of a fan made of paper or silk can be easily damaged, its ribs are sturdier because they’re made of animal bones or wood. Generally speaking, the proverb compares a person to a fan, indicating a person’s moral integrity and strength. Although the human body can be damaged, their mind and beliefs can endure. So no matter how difficult life is, a person should not lose their will.

 

葵扇棉袄，因时而用。
Be it a palm-leaf fan or cotton wadded jacket, select according to occasion.   
The proverb emphasizes that everything has its unique function and people should obey to its rules and utilize it appropriately.

 

农夫心内如汤煮，公子王孙把扇摇。
As peasants’ hearts rage like boiling soup, nobility waves a cooling fan.
This proverb comes from one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature Water Margin, written by Shi Nai’an (1296-1370). It contrasts the circumstances of peasants and the wealthy, reflecting the feudal class contradictions in the Northern Song Dynasty. It also refers to the ways in which feudal land ownership caused the exploitation of peasants.