The Four Gentlemen are a recurring theme in art because of their long history as symbols of traditional Chinese virtues, such as uprightness, purity, humility, and perseverance despite harsh conditions.
Together, the Four Gentlemen have been used in Chinese painting since the time of the Song dynasty (960–1279) since the publication of Mixtures Pharmacopeia aka Heji Jufang and were later adopted elsewhere in East Asia by artists in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
For example, the first recorded description of bamboo as being a "gentleman" has been credited to the Duke Wu of Qin (697 to 678 BC) from the Zhou Dynasty.
[citation needed] The Four Gentlemen (Korean: 사군자; romaja: Sagunja), also translated as the Four Gracious Plants, were depicted in celadon pottery from the Goryeo period (918–1392).
The Four Gentlemen were also frequently used in patterns on mother-of-pearl lacquerware, iron bowls, calligraphy boards, pencil cases, and stone crafts such as inkstones and braziers.