Abstract: As a traditional tree species in China, Sapindus spp. not only holds practical value but has also accumulated rich spiritual and cultural connotations over its long historical development, evolving into a multidimensional symbol that embodies both natural attributes and cultural significance. This study employs a combination of literature review and field research to systematically examine the manifestations and evolution of Sapindus in three dimensions: Buddhist culture, classical literature, and folk culture. The research indicates that Sapindus was endowed with a sacred status as a ritual instrument for Buddhist practice through its mention in the Buddhist scripture The Sūtra of the Beads of the Bodhi Tree, and was widely used in prayer bead practices and religious rituals across various Buddhist schools, marking its transformation from a natural object to a religious symbol. In the realm of literature, literati and scholars incorporated its Buddhist connotations, transforming Sapindus into an aesthetic motif that expressed detachment from worldly affairs and the pursuit of spiritual freedom, reflecting a cultural shift from religious veneration to personal expression. In folk culture, Sapindus served as a subtropical regional substitute for the bodhi tree, serving as a sacred tribute, it became a cultural envoy between nations and regions, and, with its symbolic meanings such as "warding off disasters", was deeply integrated into popular beliefs, giving rise to functions such as exorcising evil and inviting blessings, which reflect the public's psychological yearning for a peaceful life. By revealing the cultural generation and dissemination of Sapindus from a religious symbol to a literary motif and further to a vehicle of folk beliefs, this paper not only enriches the study of tree culture but also provides a typical case for understanding the interaction between material and spiritual elements in traditional Chinese culture, as well as the processes of religious secularization and symbolic construction, offering certain insights for contemporary cultural heritage and social practices.