It is used as the medium of communicate ideas and emotions.
Bonsai is a Japanese pronunciation of the earlier Chinese term penzai. A bon is a tray-like pot typically used in bonsai culture. The word bonsai is often used in English as an umbrella term for all miniature trees in containers or pots. This article focuses on bonsai as defined in the Japanese tradition. When the candidate bonsai nears its planned final size it is planted in a display pot, usually one designed for bonsai display in one of a few accepted shapes and proportions. From that point forward, its growth is restricted by the pot environment. Meaning of Bonsai. Bonsai refers to any tree or shrub that has been miniaturized by careful pruning and tying of branches. Bonsai is not a species of tree but an art form that reflects the connectedness of life and a respect for the beauty of nature. These tiny trees, displayed in ceramic containers their artists choose especially for them, mimic the mature trees found in nature. The shape of the bonsai is as meaningful as its size. • BONSAI (noun). The noun BONSAI has 1 sense: 1. a dwarfed ornamental tree or shrub grown in a tray or shallow pot. Familiarity information: BONSAI used as a noun is very rare. Classified under: Nouns denoting plants. Hypernyms (bonsai is a kind of...): tree (a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms). Bonsai (盆栽) (lit. tray cultivation) is the art of growing trees, or woody plants shaped as trees, in containers. Bonsai is sometimes confused with dwarfing, but dwarfing more accurately refers to researching and creating cultivars of plant material that are permanent, genetic miniatures of existing species.  While “bonsai“ specifically refers to dwarf potted trees based on the Japanese model, it is also used as a generic term for related artforms in other countries, which include but are not limited to the following: Penjing are the older and original form of Chinese miniature landscapes. Bonsai are not genetically dwarfed plants, in fact, any tree species can be used to grow one. Techniques such as pinching buds, pruning and wiring branches, and carefully restricting but not abandoning fertilizers are used to limit and redirect healthy growth. Bonsai (盆栽, lit. plantings in tray, from bon, a tray or low-sided pot and sai, a planting or plantings, pronunciation (help·info)) is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. When the candidate bonsai nears its planned final size it is planted in a display pot, usually one designed for bonsai display in one of a few accepted shapes and proportions. From that point forward, its growth is restricted by the pot environment. Bonsai Symbolism. In the English language, the term bonsai is often used loosely to reference all miniature-scale trees. But bonsai refers specifically to a Japanese art form, ascended from the Chinese art of penjing, more than a thousand years ago. Bonsai, like other forms of art, uses the medium of symbolism to communicate ideas and emotions. Many people who admire bonsai ask about the origin and meaning of bonsai tree. So here are some facts. Bonsai is an ancient art form that originated in China and Japan and is primarily focused on producing beautiful miniaturized trees and plants. Bonsai is in fact a Japanese version of the original Chinese word ‘pun-sai’ that was applied to this oriental art form. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai http://www.ehow.com/facts_6741485_meaning-bonsai-tree_.html http://www.audioenglish.org/dictionary/bonsai.htm http://www.answers.com/Q/What_does_the_Japanese_word_bonsai_mean http://www.bonsaiempire.com/origin/what-is-bonsai https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai http://www.bonsaitreegardener.net/intro/symbolism http://beautifulbonsaisecrets.com/bonsaicare/bonsai/bonsai-tree-meaning/
what does a bonsai signify