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Growing Orchids Is Like Cultivating a Gentleman: The Elegant Charm and Sentiment of Orchid Cultivation
The first person to compare the orchid to a "gentleman" was none other than Confucius. According to the Records of Confucius's Family Sayings, when he was surrounded by rebel soldiers between Chen and Cai with no way out and his followers' morale wavering, Confucius pointed to the orchid as an example: "The iris and orchid grow in the deep forest, yet do not cease to be fragrant because no one is there; the gentleman cultivates the Way and establishes virtue, yet does not change his integrity because of hardship and poverty." This left his followers thoroughly ashamed. That said, Confucius, who was posthumously enfeoffed as a "sage" by later generations, was after all a "man" and not quite a "god." He visited the feudal lords far and wide, hoping to take office, but met with rebuffs everywhere and was treated with contempt. So while he was self-confident, self-restrained, and held himself in high regard, he also repeatedly revealed
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