A painted fan. [Photo/The Fan Museum]

If you find those rules difficult to remember, especially for more complex sentences, these were some of the more commonly used gestures of the day:

Hold the fan with your right hand in front of your face: Follow me.

Place the fan near your heart: I love you.

Drop the fan: We can be friends.

Fan self slowly: I'm married.

Fan self quickly: I'm engaged.

Open the fan wide: Wait for me.

Press a half-closed fan to your lips: You may kiss me.

Carry an open fan in your left hand: Come and talk to me.