The Latest Meaning and Story of "Better to Die Beneath the Peony, for Even as a Ghost One Is Romantic"

“Better to die beneath the peony, for even as a ghost one is romantic” originates from Tang Xianzu's "The Peony Pavilion." The story describes Du Liniang dreaming of a scholar holding a willow branch who asks her to write a poem, and who then carries her to the edge of the Peony Pavilion, where they share the joy of love. Over time this gradually evolved into the saying. Now let us take a look at this story together!

Meaning

The original meaning of “Better to die beneath the peony, for even as a ghost one is romantic” should be: “To die beneath the peony, even in death, is an elegant and refined thing.” Later it was often quoted by shameless, idle people when teasing women, or used to cheekily express feelings to a woman. Peony——by extension, means woman (beauty), that is: for a beauty, one is willing to die!

Poetry

"Drunk with Xi Shi"

    ——Yuan Dynasty · Zhu Lianxiu

Reviewing old romances, lately I feel Xiaoman's waist growing thin. Thinking of the countless tender feelings of those early days, now they have turned into a bout of vexation. It has made my willow-leaf brows knit, my autumn-wave eyes stream, tears dripping on my spring robe's sleeves, like peach blossoms in rain soaked through with rouge. Green fat and red thin, this is precisely the time for sorrow.

The breeze is soft, the curtain hangs on the jade hook. I fear the paired swallows, the coupled orioles, keeping company with each other in pairs. Where is the fickle one in his Qin tower? I have gained old illness added to new illness, new sorrow embracing old sorrow. Clouds and mountains fill the eye; I am ashamed to climb the evening makeup tower.

Flowers smile, willows blush. Where in the dancing ground is parting sorrow tied? If I wish to send a letter, on whom can I rely to write it? I sweep away all my longing with a single stroke, and seeing the desolate fragrant grass adds thousands upon thousands of sorrows. Stop, stop, heartbreak at the Xiang River is near its end.

When will loneliness end? I gaze for news to the edge of the sky. The yellow bird on the branch adds to one's illness, the fading willows of Weicheng add to one's sorrow. The whole spring river before my eyes is tears, yet it cannot wash away so much sorrow. If only he would return, and we walk and rest together, then it would be better to die beneath the peony, for even as a ghost one is romantic. A night of east wind pierces with light cold, announcing that peach blossoms drift along the water; do not learn from the Lord of Spring who never turns his head back.

Allusion

During the Southern Song Dynasty, the governor of Nan'an, Du Bao, had only one daughter, named Liniang, sixteen years old and not yet betrothed.

To make his daughter a model of a well-read and refined lady, Du Bao hired for her a sixty-year-old old scholar named Chen Zuiliang. Because Chen taught "The Book of Songs · Guan Ju," it stirred Liniang's romantic feelings.

The maid Chunxiang, who accompanied her studies, happened to discover the garden behind the Du residence and led Liniang to secretly stroll through the garden. Liniang, long confined to her boudoir, was moved by the splendid spring scenery and felt a desire to enjoy the spring.

After Liniang returned to her room, she suddenly had a dream. She dreamed of a scholar holding a willow branch who asked her to write a poem, and who then carried her to the edge of the Peony Pavilion, where they shared the joy of love.

After Liniang woke, she was listless and drowsy. The next day she went to the garden again, seeking the dream. Disappointed, her longing turned into illness, and her figure grew thinner day by day.

One day, looking in the mirror, she saw how thin she had suddenly become. She quickly called Chunxiang to bring paints and plain silk, painted her spring portrait herself, and inscribed a poem on it. She also told Chunxiang about the dream and had Chunxiang take the portrait to a mounter to be mounted.

When Du Bao and his wife heard their daughter was seriously ill, they quickly called Chen Zuiliang to use medicine and had Daoist nun Shi come to chant scriptures, but none of it worked.

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Liniang passed away. Before dying, she instructed Chunxiang to place her spring portrait in a rosewood box and hide it beneath the Taihu rocks in the garden, and also instructed her mother to bury her beneath the plum tree beside the Peony Pavilion in the garden.

At this time, the rebel king Li Quan, who had surrendered to the Jin state, led troops to besiege Huai and Yang. The court promoted Du Bao to Huai-Yang pacification commissioner, and he set out at once.

Du Bao had no choice but to hastily bury his daughter, build a Plum Blossom Nunnery to enshrine Liniang's spirit tablet, and entrust Daoist nun Shi and Chen Zuiliang to look after it.

Du Bao then took his wife and Chunxiang to Huai'an. Because the military situation was urgent, halfway there Du Bao had his wife and Chunxiang take a boat back to Lin'an.

The scholar Liu Mengmei of Guangzhou Prefecture, originally named Liu Chunqing, changed his name to Liu Mengmei because one day he dreamed that in a garden a woman stood beneath a plum tree and said she had a marriage fate with him.

Liu Mengmei went to Lin'an for the examination and on the way received aid from the tribute official Miao Shunbin. When he reached Nan'an, Liu fell ill and lodged at the Plum Blossom Nunnery.

When Liu's illness gradually improved, he happened to stroll in the garden and, right by the Taihu rocks, picked up the box containing Liniang's spring portrait. Returning to his study, he hung the spring portrait at the head of his bed and burned incense in worship every night.

Liniang stayed in the underworld for three years. When the King of Hell was sending out ghosts, he found that Liniang's allotted lifespan had not yet run out, and ordered her to return home on her own.

Liniang's ghost wandered to the Plum Blossom Nunnery and happened upon Liu Sheng, who was just then worshipping and beseeching before her true likeness. Deeply moved, Liniang joined Liu Sheng in lovemaking, claiming to be the daughter of the western neighbor.

Their nightly laughter and talk alarmed Daoist nun Shi.

One night, as the two were talking and laughing, they were abruptly scattered by Daoist nun Shi's sudden arrival. The next night, Liniang had no choice but to tell Liu Sheng the truth and beg him to dig up the grave and open the coffin within three days. Liu Sheng had no choice but to tell Daoist nun Shi the truth and ask for her help.

The next day, they dug up the grave and opened the coffin, restoring Liniang to life. The Daoist nun, fearing that Liu Sheng and Du Liniang's affair would be discovered, hired a boat that very night, and the three of them went together to Lin'an.

Chen Zuiliang discovered that Liniang's grave had been robbed and hurried to Yangzhou to tell the pacification commissioner Du. Before Chen Zuiliang reached Huai'an, he was captured by the rebel army. Li Quan, hearing that Chen Zuiliang was the Du family's private tutor, and learning that Du Bao still had a wife and Chunxiang, followed his wife's plan, falsely claimed to have killed Madam Du and Chunxiang, and then released Chen Zuiliang.

Chen went to Huai'an and met Du Bao, then reported to Du Bao that the young lady's grave had been robbed and that the old madam and Chunxiang had been killed. Du Bao was greatly grieved upon hearing this.

Afterward, Du Bao, enduring his grief, wrote two letters and had Chen Zuiliang deliver them to Li Quan and Li's wife, offering official posts and money, and won Li Quan over to surrender. The siege of Huai'an was lifted.

Liniang and the others arrived in Lin'an and settled by the Qiantang River. By the time Liu Sheng learned of the examination, the examination time had already passed. Thanks to the chief examiner being Miao Shunbin, he was able to take a supplementary examination.

At this time, because of the military affairs in Huai and Yang, the court postponed posting the results. Liniang told Liu Sheng to go first to Yangzhou to visit her parents. Shortly after Liu Sheng left, the old madam and Chunxiang, who had come to Lin'an, happened to meet Liniang and Daoist nun Shi while looking for lodging because it had grown late.

Liu Sheng arrived in Yangzhou, heard that Du was in Huai'an, and went to Huai'an to see Du Bao. Du Bao thought his daughter was already dead, so how could there be a son-in-law? He also accused Liu Sheng of impersonation and had him seized and sent to Lin'an to await trial.

Du Bao returned to Lin'an and, because of his military merits, was promoted to prime minister. Chen Zuiliang was promoted to Yellow Gate memorial official.

At this time, when the results were posted, Liu had passed as the top scholar, but he could not be found anywhere. It turned out Liu was being hung up and beaten by Du Bao, because Liniang's spring portrait had been found on Liu, and Du Bao believed Liu to be a grave robber.

At this time, when Miao Shunbin heard of it, he rushed to the Du residence and rescued Liu Sheng. Miao told Du Bao that Liu Sheng had already passed as the top scholar.

While Du was fuming, Chen Zuiliang arrived, saying that the young lady had indeed come back to life and that Liu Sheng was her husband.

Du believed this to be a matter of ghosts and demons and petitioned the emperor to eliminate the matter. Chen told the emperor about it, and the emperor required the prime minister, the young lady, Liu Sheng, and the old madam all to come and testify.

In the Golden Hall, everyone arrived together. The emperor used a mirror to check whether there was a shadow and determined that Liniang was indeed a living person.

Du Bao stubbornly insisted that Liniang and the old madam were both transformed from ghosts. Later, by the emperor's ruling, they were made to recognize each other as father and daughter, and as husband and wife.

Liniang also persuaded Liu Sheng to acknowledge his father-in-law Du Bao, and the whole family was reunited.