The Complete Guide to the Meaning, Symbolism and Legend of the Daylily

I. Meaning and Symbolism

1. Forgetting love: The daylily carries a rich wealth of floral symbolism, and one of its meanings is forgetting love, signifying the ability to let go of previous moods and feelings. It means that although deep affection once existed, it will eventually fade away with the passage of time.

2. Hidden feelings: The daylily also symbolizes hidden feelings, meaning that one does not easily reveal one's emotions and keeps the changes in one's mood concealed.

3. Letting go of sorrow: The daylily is also known as the forget-sorrow grass, and its meaning is letting go of sorrow, signifying forgetting the unhappy and joyless things of the past and remembering only the happy and joyful ones.

4. The flower of mothers: The daylily is China's flower of mothers. The blossom's meaning is "love you forever, Mother," symbolizing great maternal love and expressing a mother's silent affection.

II. Legend

Legend has it that the peasant leader Chen Sheng came from a very poor family. Unable to afford food, he had no choice but to beg for a living, and while begging he suffered from swelling and pain all over his body. One day, he came begging at the home of a mother and daughter surnamed Huang. Granny Huang took pity on Chen Sheng and steamed three big bowls of daylily flowers for him to eat. Not only did he fill his stomach, but a few days later the swelling all over his body also subsided. Later, after Chen Sheng's uprising succeeded, he specifically brought the Huang mother and daughter into the palace to thank them.