What spirit and qualities does the plum blossom symbolize?
The plum blossom originated in southern China and has a cultivation history of more than three thousand years. Together with the orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum it is known as one of the "Four Gentlemen", and together with the pine and bamboo it is also known as one of the "Three Friends of Winter". With its qualities of purity, strength and humility, it inspires people to strive with determination. In the bitter cold it blooms before all other flowers, bringing spring to the world alone. Let us now take a look at the spirit and qualities of the plum blossom!
What does the plum blossom symbolize?
The plum blossom symbolizes purity, a proud and unyielding spirit, fearlessness of bitter cold, strength, beauty, and people who are poor yet virtuous. With its character of steadfastness, purity, strength and humility, it inspires people to strive with determination. In the bitter cold it blooms before all other flowers, bringing spring to the world alone, and so the plum is also often used in folk tradition as an auspicious symbol of announcing spring and bringing good news.
What qualities does the plum blossom have?
The plum blossom fears neither wind nor snow, is steadfast and unyielding, persistent and indomitable, defiant of frost and snow, and never gives in. It is used in folk tradition as an auspicious symbol of announcing spring and bringing good news, and is one of the Three Friends of Winter. Since ancient times people have praised its spirit of defying the snow and its solitary, pure beauty of not competing with the other flowers for spring. Its nature is unlike any other, and no other thing can match it, for "ten thousand flowers dare to emerge in the snow, one tree alone brings spring to the world first." It is hailed as the chief of flowers. Its noble character and steadfast integrity, as in "from afar I know it is not snow, for a subtle fragrance comes drifting near," symbolize the spirit of us, the descendants of the dragon. "Wind and rain escort spring home, flying snow welcomes spring's arrival; already on the cliff the ice is a hundred zhang thick, yet still there are lovely flowering branches. Lovely, yet they do not contend for spring, only announcing spring's coming. When the mountain flowers are in full bloom, she smiles among them" - this symbolizes the qualities of persistence, indomitability, daring to lead and unremitting self-improvement. Its character and integrity have almost captured in freehand the spiritual countenance of the "descendants of the dragon."
What is the spirit of the plum blossom?
1. The ancients said the plum possesses four virtues: when the bud first forms it is yuan (origination), when it blooms it is heng (prosperity), when it sets seed it is li (benefit), and when it ripens it is zhen (fidelity). Later people also said that the five petals of the plum blossom are a symbol of the five blessings: the first is joy, the second is happiness, the third is longevity, the fourth is smooth success, and the fifth is peace, which we most desire. The five petals respectively symbolize joy, happiness, longevity, smooth success and peace.
2. The plum is often used in folk tradition as an auspicious symbol of announcing spring and bringing good news. Chen Zhisui's micro-poem "Plum Blossom" writes: "To keep those who struggle against the bitter cold going, it reveals the news of spring to people." It is also one of the Three Friends of Winter and the foremost of the Four Gentlemen among flowers. Since ancient times people have praised its spirit of defying the snow and its solitary, pure beauty of not competing with the other flowers for spring.
3. The plum blossom is a spiritual symbol of the Chinese nation, with a powerful and universal appeal and driving force, symbolizing the spirit of persistence, indomitability, daring to lead and unremitting self-improvement. Folk legend says that other flowers bloom only in spring, but the plum is different: the colder it gets, and the more the wind bullies and the snow presses down, the more spirited and elegant its blossoms become. For several thousand years, the plum blossom's noble qualities and steadfast integrity - blooming in the snow, giving off fragrance in the cold, with an iron frame and icy heart - have encouraged generation after generation of Chinese people to brave hardship and danger, press boldly forward, and create an excellent life and civilization.
Beautiful sentences describing the plum blossom
1. In appearance the plum blossom is not outstanding; all that makes it up are five plain pink petals, and yet it is precisely this plain flower that gives me an unusual feeling. As for its fragrance, the plum blossom has a faint scent that, once smelled, keeps a person full of energy all day; if you smell it in the early morning, you will feel relaxed and happy the whole day.
2. Stepping into the garden, amid the piercing cold wind, I saw a great expanse of plum blossoms blooming proudly and wildly. On the branches, those small white flowers contended in the cold, vying in beauty, adding a touch of vitality to this harsh winter. The plum branches are slender and varied in form, graceful and full of charm. The little bell-shaped flowers dotted the branches with radiance, from time to time drawing the eyes of visitors and bringing waves of admiration.
3. The plum blossom is the most transcendent and refined of flowers. Some are small and exquisite, charmingly naive; some are slender and graceful, shy and bashful; some are poised and generous, full of beauty... Paired with the plum blossom's extraordinary fragrance, it is truly endearing.
4. The plum blossom is the most tenacious of flowers. "The sharpness of a sword comes from grinding, the fragrance of the plum blossom comes from the bitter cold." In the deep winter the plum blossom braves the frost and fights the snow, fearing neither freezing weather nor the assault of ice and snow. When other flowers wither and fall, their blossoms gone and leaves ruined, the plum blossom instead holds its head high and blooms in fury, standing out uniquely, proudly upright in this world of ice and snow. Even in bitter cold of more than minus twenty degrees, it can still be "sparse shadows slanting across the shallow clear water, a subtle fragrance floating in the dusk moon," laughing proudly at heaven and earth.
5. "In the icy snow forest it sets itself, not mixing its fragrant dust with that of peach and plum." She is not as gaudy as the rose, yet she can stand proudly in the wind and snow; she is not as fragrant as the jasmine, yet she can bloom in the bitter cold. She is the plum blossom - that transcendent, refined plum blossom!
6. The plum blossom, a flower that blooms facing the cold wind. It does not have the gaudiness of the Chinese rose, nor the bright reds and purples of the peony, nor the delicate elegance of the orchid, nor the refined grace of the lotus... But it possesses the spirit of fearing no cold, walking alone in early spring, standing proudly in the snow, symbolizing a resolute spirit and noble character. "A few branches of plum by the corner of the wall, blooming alone in the cold." This expresses all the more the plum blossom's unyielding spirit and character.
7. The plum blossom is the most selfless of flowers. It is content with solitude and indifferent to fame and gain. There are also times when the plum blossom is blown askew and swaying this way and that by the piercing cold wind; at such times it always bears it silently, never once crying injustice, never once complaining of wrong. It is not vexed at having missed the beautiful spring; not dispirited at having no butterflies to dance with it; not forlorn at lacking companions. It does not learn from the delicate peach blossom that drifts with the flowing water, nor compare itself to the frivolous willow catkins that fly across the sky; it simply blooms in the world without complaint or regret, striving to adorn the silvery white world. The plum blossom leaves spring to others, and keeps this unbearable intense cold for itself.
8. "Already on the cliff the ice is a hundred zhang thick, yet still there are lovely flowering branches." In the depths of winter, when all flowers have withered, only the plum blossom still blooms proudly and wildly amid the ice and snow, which cannot but fill us with admiration. I stooped down and gently stroked the plum blossom with a pair of icy little hands, savouring in detail the plum blossom's noble quality of fearing no cold.
9. "The fragrance of the plum blossom comes from the bitter cold." What fans the plum blossom is the piercing cold wind; what shines on the plum blossom is the lingering sun of deep winter; what nourishes the plum blossom is the rain and dew of leftover snow. Yet the plum blossom standing atop the mountain is so richly fragrant, so poised and elegant. It can still rival the flowers in the greenhouse, and is not a bit inferior to them, is it?
10. The plum blossom blooms proudly and wildly. One after another the little flowers of every colour - white as snow, red as fire, yellow as gold, pink as rosy clouds... dance gracefully in the cold wind, with icy heart and jade bones. On closer smell, a fragrance cannot help but rush toward you, waves of rich scent, delicate and fresh, instantly making one feel relaxed and happy...
11. The plum blossom is not only the earliest flower to bloom; its gorgeous colours are also unmatched by other flowers. When the earth enters late autumn, and especially in the harsh winter, it stands alone in beauty. The other flowers have all bent down and lowered their heads, yet on the branches not long after the leaves fell, buds have sprouted. In the harsh winter, in the frost and snow, one can still see the plum blossom's tenacious figure, battling the rain and snow.
12. The plum blossom cannot match the peony's national beauty and heavenly fragrance, the Chinese rose's delicate gaudiness, the rose's brilliant purples and reds, or the lotus's noble elegance. But I prefer this plum blossom that braves the frost and defies the snow.
13. The plum blossom never contends with the other flowers for the bright spring, nor ever shows off its own beauty. The plum blossom has a proud and unyielding spirit, yet is never arrogant or self-important. Every early morning in the harsh winter, a fragrance of distinctive charm, clear and quietly elegant, drifts in from outside the window. The plum blossom is praised by poets and painters ancient and modern not only for its clear, elegant and refined demeanour; even more, for its jade-like flesh and icy bones and its fragrance lingering in the cold, it is regarded by the world as the essence of the nation. With its qualities of purity, strength and humility, the plum blossom inspires people to strive with determination.
14. The plum blossom's flowers are not large, like shy young girls one after another, with the few remaining green leaves setting off the plum blossoms. Perhaps to let the flowers bloom better, the green leaves gave all the nutrients they should have had to the plum blossom. Although the plum blossom is called China's national flower, it does not show off. It merely blooms silently in the cold wind, quietly displaying its elegance in the cold wind. The pain it endures, only it itself knows.
15. The colour of the plum blossom is gorgeous yet not seductive. The fragrance of the plum blossom is clear, quiet and delicately elegant. The bearing of the plum blossom is ancient and refined. Is this not just like our construction workers? Through bitter cold and scorching heat, through wind and rain, through freezing weather, they work earnestly at their posts. I want to learn from the plum blossom; I want to be a person like the plum blossom.