What is the flower language of the sensitive plant? Let us take you through its legend
The sensitive plant is also known as the touch-me-not, shy grass, huhan grass, pa chou grass, jian xiao grass, husband-and-wife grass, and shy grass. It is a perennial herb or subshrub of the Fabaceae family. Because its leaves react to heat and light and close immediately when touched by an external force, it is named the sensitive plant. It is also relatively easy to keep alive and is suitable as a potted flower for balconies and indoor spaces. Now let us take a look at the flower language and legend of the sensitive plant!
The flower language of the sensitive plant
Shyness, sensitivity, politeness. If the leaves of the sensitive plant are touched by hand, watered, or exposed to a typhoon, they curl up as if bowing to someone, making it a very courteous plant. Therefore, its flower language is “politeness.” Anyone born under the blessing of this flower is well-behaved and loved by elders.
The symbolism of the sensitive plant
When you gently touch the sensitive plant, its leaves immediately close tightly and droop. Even if a gust of wind blows past, the sensitive plant will react in this way. In this situation, the sensitive plant is like a shy young girl, so the flower language of the sensitive plant also includes shyness. People born under the blessing of this flower have a very shy and timid personality and are very afraid of strangers. They are especially keen in their feelings and also have strong self-esteem. However, when they are with people who understand them, they become much more relaxed and at ease. They value quality over quantity in making friends and prefer relationships that flow steadily like a long, gentle stream.
The legend of the sensitive plant
Legend says that long, long ago, there was a young man who was very handsome and kind-hearted. He made a living by fishing and every day rowed a small boat out to the deep sea to fish, but he was not able to return with a full catch every day, and sometimes he even came back with nothing at all.
Every day the young man saw an old man sitting by the sea fishing, and the old man would mutter: “Fish, fish! Fish, fish! Small fish do not come, big fish do!” After he finished saying this, the bigger fish could be seen swimming toward the old man. The young man said to the old man: “Sir, can you teach me how to catch fish?” The old man slowly raised his head, looked at the young man for a while, and said: “You look like an honest person to me. Do not learn fishing from me. Let me tell you something instead! Follow the seaside, pass a lake, then pass a river, and you will see a lotus pond. There you will encounter something good.” As he spoke, the old man put away his fishing rod and suddenly disappeared.
The young man found it very strange. He thought: “This old man must be an immortal. I will do as he said and see what good thing happens.” So the young man went home, prepared some dry provisions, and set off.
He followed the seaside, came to the lakeside, then followed the lakeside and came to the riverside, then followed the riverside, and finally saw a stretch of emerald green ahead. He thought: This must be the lotus pond the old man spoke of! So he hurried forward, but although the lotus pond did not look far away, no matter how he walked he could not reach it. The young man walked from noon until sunset, and from sunset until stars filled the sky, and finally arrived at a pond covered with lotus flowers. The scenery here was beautiful. Lotus leaves covered the entire pond one after another, and lotus flowers bloomed all over the leaves, each one lovely and with a different posture. The moon also looked calm and gentle. The young man was tired from walking, so he sat down leaning against a tree by the pond and unknowingly fell asleep.
When he woke up, the young man found that everything he had seen before had changed. He was no longer by the lotus pond, but in a mulberry grove. Stars drifted down from the sky and floated among the mulberry trees. Among the grove was a small house with a light inside, and the door was open. So the young man walked over and saw a girl sitting there spinning yarn. The girl wore a light green long skirt and a pink top, and from a distance she truly looked like a gracefully standing lotus flower. In her black hair was pinned a fresh lotus bud. The young man said: “Miss, may I ask where this is?” The girl raised her head and said: “You must be tired from walking. Come in and rest awhile!” The young man happily entered the house. The girl did not speak to the young man again, only lowered her head and spun yarn. The young man saw that the girl spun very quickly, and all he could see was the white flashes made by the silver ring on her finger. After sitting for a while, the young man said he wanted to leave. The girl did not urge him to stay either, and simply saw him out the door.
The young man was somewhat disappointed that the girl had not asked him to stay. He thought: If only I could marry this girl. So he did not leave the mulberry grove, but instead walked a little farther from the small house and rested there. But unexpectedly, when dawn came the next day, the young man woke up and found that he was still sleeping by the lotus pond. The sun shone on the water, glittering in waves, and the lotus flowers were blooming with especially delicate beauty.
After finally waiting until dark, the young man found the small house again. The girl was much warmer than the day before. She cooked a meal for the young man and even mended his clothes. After a while, the young man again said he had to leave, and the girl still showed no intention of asking him to stay.
The young man sat by the lotus pond for a whole night. He thought: I must make things clear to the girl. Early in the morning, the sun came out, the mist over the lotus pond dispersed, the water became clear, and dew still rolled on the lotus leaves. The young man saw one especially large lotus flower and thought to himself: Perhaps this is that girl. Just as the young man was about to pick that lotus flower, with a sudden whoosh, the lotus flower disappeared and turned into the girl. The girl said: “My father does not allow me to associate with mortals. From now on, let us not meet again.” The young man was stunned for a moment, then shed tears in sorrow and said: “Is there no way?” Seeing how sincere he was, the lotus girl said: “As long as you treat me well, I will flee far away with you.” The young man said happily: “Then let us go now!” The lotus girl said, “Do not be in a hurry. Watch me.” So she pulled the lotus hairpin from her hair, blew a breath on it, and the hairpin turned into a very large walking stick. The lotus girl pulled the young man onto the stick, and with a whoosh, they rose into the sky.
The young man did not dare open his eyes to see how high they were, and only felt the wind whistling past his ears. Before long, they stopped on a mountainside. There were mountains everywhere here. The young man became worried and said: “There is nothing here at all. What shall we do?” The lotus girl said: “Do not worry. Watch me.” After saying this, she pointed with the lotus hairpin, and immediately a small patch of fertile farmland appeared before their eyes. She pointed again, and a house appeared. The young man was extremely excited and hurried into the house to look. He saw that inside there were pots, bowls, ladles, and basins, everything complete, and even a loom. The lotus girl said: “From now on, you hunt and farm, and I will spin and weave. Then we will not worry about food or clothing.”
The next day, when the young man was about to go out hunting, the lotus girl hurried to the door and said: “Take this lotus hairpin with you. If you meet wolves, insects, tigers, or leopards, as long as you point at them, they will not dare touch you. But you must never give it to anyone else!” With this protective treasure, the young man went up the mountain to hunt with confidence and boldness. He climbed the high mountain and saw herds of wild rabbits, as well as pheasants, goats, wild horses, and more. The young man returned with a full load. As soon as he got home, he saw many bolts of cloth on the bed. He knew that the lotus girl must have kept weaving all day without stopping. The young man said: “Take a rest!” The lotus girl smiled and said: “We are going to establish a family and build a life here. I need to work faster.”
Thus one day after another passed. Because the lotus girl worked too hard, she was no longer as fresh and lovely as before. The young man always said: “Ah! You have grown old from exhaustion!” The lotus girl said nothing.
One day, the young man went out hunting and walked a long way without meeting any prey, so he kept going forward. He walked and walked until he came to the entrance of a pitch-black cave. Out of curiosity and relying on the lotus hairpin, he boldly walked in. The deeper he went, the darker it became, and the deeper he went, the worse the smell became. Suddenly many green lights appeared before his eyes. They turned out to be a pack of wolves. The young man quickly took out the lotus hairpin and pointed it, and the wolves disappeared. As he walked on, a tiger rushed out. The young man pointed again, and the tiger disappeared too. He mustered his courage and continued inward. There seemed to be a bit of light ahead, and gradually it became brighter and brighter. It turned out to be the light emitted by a golden gate. The young man pushed the door open and walked in, and saw a petite woman inside, very beautiful. The young man asked: “How did you come to be here?” The woman said: “I originally lived at the foot of the mountain. One day a strange wind came and swept me here, and I do not dare go out.” After saying this, she began to cry. The young man pitied her very much and said: “Do not be afraid. I will take you home.” The woman said: “There is no hurry. You have walked all day. Rest first!” After saying this, she brought out fine wine and good food and ate with the young man. The young man completely forgot about the lotus girl. He stayed in the mountain cave with the petite woman for who knows how long. At home, the lotus girl waited and waited, but he did not come. She had a foreboding that something had happened to the young man. Both angry and sad, she sighed and thought: “I should still go save him!”
As for that petite woman, she was originally a demoness. She feared the lotus hairpin, so she tried every possible way to get it. So she said to the young man: “How about you take out your treasured hairpin and let me have a look?” The young man was off guard and gave it to her. Unexpectedly, as soon as she got the hairpin, she ran out the door. The young man was just feeling puzzled when suddenly the two large doors slammed shut with a bang. The room was pitch dark. The young man felt around left and right, and there was stone everywhere. He was frightened to death.
The lotus girl knew the young man was in trouble, so she rushed over at top speed to save him. She crossed one mountain after another and finally reached the demon cave. But the cave entrance was blocked by a large stone. The lotus girl took the silver ring from her hand and aimed it at the large stone. The ring emitted a silver light that pierced through the large stone like a sword, reaching all the way to where the young man was. The young man was sitting in the cave worrying when he suddenly saw a flash of light, and then the lotus girl appeared before him. The young man was very ashamed and said: “I am sorry to you. I really deserve to die!” The lotus girl said: “You have truly disappointed me. I have two treasures - one is the lotus hairpin, and the other is the silver ring. The lotus hairpin can keep me forever young and allow me to go up to the heavens and down to the earth. The silver ring can open the heavens and split the earth, and go through boiling water and tread on fire. Now you...” The lotus girl was too sad to continue.
The young man saw that the lotus girl had indeed begun to age, and she was becoming uglier and uglier. Just then, the little demoness returned. Holding the lotus hairpin, she laughed triumphantly and said: “What do you think? Now you cannot beat me, can you!” The lotus girl knew that because of her aging, her powers were growing weaker and weaker, so the best option was to flee. She pulled the young man and quickly ran out of the mountain cave. The demoness pursued closely, and while chasing she shouted: “Young man, you are just leaving like this? Do you not remember me!” The lotus girl said: “Whatever you do, do not look back, or even I will not be able to save you!” But the demoness still chased and called. The young man thought: A secret glance back should not matter! So he stole a glance, and who knew that, as if bewitched, he ran swiftly toward the demoness, and no one could hold him back. The lotus girl was utterly disappointed and had no choice but to leave by herself.
After returning home, the lotus girl cried and cried in sorrow. Suddenly, the immortal who had been fishing by the sea appeared. He said: “Do not be sad, child. Come with me.” After saying this, he took the lotus girl and flew to that demon cave. Then the immortal recited a few incantations, and immediately a black vapor floated out of the cave. In the black vapor there was also a lotus hairpin. The immortal said: “That demon has already turned into light smoke. I return the hairpin to you!” The lotus girl put in the hairpin, and at once became young again. In the cave she picked up the young man's clothes and shoes and buried them at the entrance of their home.
A long time passed, and the lotus girl had already turned the former barren mountain into a green forest and built her homeland into a beautiful and prosperous place. No one knew when it happened, but suddenly a strange little green plant grew at the entrance of the home. As long as someone touched it with a hand, or even blew a breath at it, it would lower its head in shame. Later people called it the “sensitive plant.” Legend says that because the young man had wronged the lotus girl, after death he turned into this little plant to express his repentance and guilt.