Gu Qi -- strength of character, moral integrity and backbone;
Gang Yi – fortitude, indefatigability, perseverance and tenacity;
Xing Fu and Ji Xian -- blessedness, luck and propitiousness.
According to Confucianism, the plum blossom was the symbol of a gentleman who has nobility, personal integrity, fortitude and a heroic quality that does not retreat from adversity. In modern China, Mr. Mao Zedong’s lyric " Yong Mei -- Ode to the Plum Blossom", endowed the plum blossom with some of the spirit of the times, clean breath, steadfastness in the cold season, faithfulness, constancy, firmness, independence and self reliance.
The Plum Blossom is also the mascot of happiness and luck.
The ancient Chinese thought that plum blossom had four virtues:“初生为元，开花如亨，结子为利，成熟为贞。”Chū shēng wéi yuán, kāihuā rú hēng, jiézǐ wéi lì, chéngshú wéi zhēn – When it buds, it means everything will be reborn and a new year will start; when it blossoms, it means there will be prosperity and things will go smoothly; when it seeds, it means that everywhere there will be benefit; when it matures, it means constancy (another version says it means satisfaction for the whole of one’s life).
The four words: “元，亨，利，贞 -- yuán, hēng , lì and zhēn -- beginning, smoothness, benefit and constancy / satisfaction” were the general symbols of Yi Jing -- The Book of Changes.
In the Song Dynasty (960 -1279), Zhu Xi (1130 ～1200 ) it was thought that the four words expressed the four phases of things from their beginnings through their development to maturity and called it“贞下起元 -- Zhēn xiào qǐ yuán ”, this then became one of the terms of ancient Chinese philosophy to express the process by which things go from their beginnings to maturity.
There is another version in folk tradition: “梅开五福 -- Méi kāi wǔ fú”, meaning The Plum Blossom has five petals which symbolize: Delight, Happiness, Longevity, Smoothness and Peace.
In folk art, you can often see a picture of a pied magpie on a plum blossom, this means:
-- 喜报早春 xǐ bào zǎochūn : the pied magpie is reporting that the spring has come early;
-- 喜报春光 xǐ bào chūn guáng: the pied magpie is reporting the spring has come;
-- 喜上眉梢 xǐ shàng méishāo: uses the same pronunciation of Xi Que (pied magpie ) and Xi Shi (something happy, delighful and lucky), and of the Chinese characters for Mei (plum blossom) and Mei (eyebrows) to express the meaning: “ Happiness appears on the eyebrows.
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Sequence:
Time Content Love, Kinship and Friendship
关雎 — Singing Ospreys
七步诗 — The Quatrain of Seven Steps
寄扬州韩绰判官 — Send to the Official Han Chuo in Yang Zhou
夜雨寄北 —Send a Poem Letter to Someone in the North on a Rainy Night
Landscape
敕勒歌 — Chi Le Song
一望二三里 — Have A Look Over, Two, Three Miles
柏林寺南望 — Look Over the South From the Bailin Temple
江雪 — Fishing on a Snowy River
Philosophy
赋新月 — Ode to the New Moon
Travel and Farewell
赠汪伦 — Present the Poem to Wang Lun
静夜思 — Missing my Hometown in the Peaceful Night
绝句(江碧鸟逾白) — On the Blue River, Birds Seem More White
Song of the Spring
晚春 — Late Spring
Encouragement
庭竹 — The Bamboo in the Courtyard
梅花 — Plum Blossoms
Appendix
My Endless Gratitude -Feb,2017 in the USA
The Appendix ( Nov 16, 2017 in China) of My Endless Gratitude -Feb,2017 in the USA
The Symbolized Meaning of Plum Blossoms
The Symbolized Meaning of Plum Blossoms
In Chinese culture, the Plum Blossom symbolizes:Gu Qi -- strength of character, moral integrity and backbone;
Gang Yi – fortitude, indefatigability, perseverance and tenacity;
Xing Fu and Ji Xian -- blessedness, luck and propitiousness.
According to Confucianism, the plum blossom was the symbol of a gentleman who has nobility, personal integrity, fortitude and a heroic quality that does not retreat from adversity. In modern China, Mr. Mao Zedong’s lyric " Yong Mei -- Ode to the Plum Blossom", endowed the plum blossom with some of the spirit of the times, clean breath, steadfastness in the cold season, faithfulness, constancy, firmness, independence and self reliance.
The Plum Blossom is also the mascot of happiness and luck.
The ancient Chinese thought that plum blossom had four virtues:“初生为元，开花如亨，结子为利，成熟为贞。”Chū shēng wéi yuán, kāihuā rú hēng, jiézǐ wéi lì, chéngshú wéi zhēn – When it buds, it means everything will be reborn and a new year will start; when it blossoms, it means there will be prosperity and things will go smoothly; when it seeds, it means that everywhere there will be benefit; when it matures, it means constancy (another version says it means satisfaction for the whole of one’s life).
The four words: “元，亨，利，贞 -- yuán, hēng , lì and zhēn -- beginning, smoothness, benefit and constancy / satisfaction” were the general symbols of Yi Jing -- The Book of Changes.
In the Song Dynasty (960 -1279), Zhu Xi (1130 ～1200 ) it was thought that the four words expressed the four phases of things from their beginnings through their development to maturity and called it“贞下起元 -- Zhēn xiào qǐ yuán ”, this then became one of the terms of ancient Chinese philosophy to express the process by which things go from their beginnings to maturity.
There is another version in folk tradition: “梅开五福 -- Méi kāi wǔ fú”, meaning The Plum Blossom has five petals which symbolize: Delight, Happiness, Longevity, Smoothness and Peace.
In folk art, you can often see a picture of a pied magpie on a plum blossom, this means:
-- 喜报早春 xǐ bào zǎochūn : the pied magpie is reporting that the spring has come early;
-- 喜报春光 xǐ bào chūn guáng: the pied magpie is reporting the spring has come;
-- 喜上眉梢 xǐ shàng méishāo: uses the same pronunciation of Xi Que (pied magpie ) and Xi Shi (something happy, delighful and lucky), and of the Chinese characters for Mei (plum blossom) and Mei (eyebrows) to express the meaning: “ Happiness appears on the eyebrows.