Zhou Gong (周公)

God of Dreams

Duke of Zhou is also known as the 'God of Dreams'. It comes from a saying of Confucius: 'I no longer dream of the Duke of Zhou' (meaning: I do not have a dream about the Duke of Zhou's good governance). According to the folk legend, if an important thing is going to happen to someone, the Duke of Zhou will let the person know through dream. Hence the Chinese expression 'Dreaming of Zhou Gong' or 'Seeing Zhou Gong' (i.e. Mr. Zhou, 周公) which means sleeping/dozing. Chinese teenagers also like to say 'Zhou Gong Online' (MMORPG of Zhou Gong) as a meaning of sleeping in class.