Water Margin

Water Margin refers to imagery and characters drawn from the classic Chinese novel Shuihu Zhuan (水滸傳), one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Heroes from the story—also known in English as The Water Margin or Outlaws of the Marsh—appear frequently on Chinese money-suited playing cards, particularly on high-value or special cards. Their inclusion reflects the close relationship between early Chinese card games, popular literature, and visual storytelling, with Water Margin characters becoming a defining motif in many traditional card designs.