China’s Han Dynasty

The origins of rock, paper, scissors have been traced back to China’s Han Dynasty. The game was originally called shoushiling, meaning “the three who are afraid of each other,” and the three choices were “frog, slug, and snake.” Like today’s version of the game, the choices are represented by hand gestures: An extended thumb represents the frog, the pinky finger represents the slug, and an outstretched index finger is the snake.

For hundreds of years, shoushiling was an exclusively Chinese game, but as you’re no doubt aware, it eventually made its way around the world. On its journey, it underwent some … bizarre changes.