Messengers of spring, embodiments of beauty, flowers are one of the most amazing wonders on this planet. They appear in literature, food, beverages and decorations that adorn us.花是春天的使者，是美麗的化身，是星球上最讓人驚嘆的奇跡之一。它們出現(xiàn)在文學作品、美食、飲品和各類飾品中，裝點著我們的生活。As a new year starts and spring draws nearer day by day, we can look forward to another round of flowers blooming in the following months.新年伊始，春天的腳步一天天近了，在接下來的幾個月里，我們將期待著新一輪的鮮花綻放。We’ve highlighted 10 of the most well-known flowers in China that have special significance in Chinese culture.這里我們精選了10種在中國最有名的花，它們在中國文化中有著非同尋常的意義。Plum blossom梅花In Mao Zedong’s poem Ode to Plum Blossom, he described the flower like this： "Fair and beautiful. Not craving for spring for her own, only to tell the coming of the season. When all flowers bloom in full, she smiles among them. "毛澤東的《詠梅》一詩中這樣寫道：“風雨送春歸，飛雪迎春到。已是懸崖百丈冰，猶有花枝俏。俏也不爭春，只把春來報。待到山花爛漫時，她在叢中笑�！盡ao used the plum blossom as a metaphor to praise great martyrs who sacrificed their lives for a better life for Chinese people.這兒毛主席用梅花來形容那些為了中國人民有更好的生活而捐軀的偉大烈士們。In traditional Chinese culture, plum blossom stands for noble, unsullied and modest qualities. Along with orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum, they are praised as the "Four Men of Noble Character".在中國傳統(tǒng)文化中，梅花象征高貴、純潔和謙遜。梅花和蘭花、竹子、菊花并稱為“四君子”。Plum blossom cake is one of the most famous snacks in Nanjing, Suzhou and Wuxi. Made in the shape of plum blossom, the cake is made of sticky rice, jam, nuts and red bean paste.梅花糕是南京、蘇州、無錫一代最有名的小吃，用糯米、果醬、堅果、紅豆沙制成梅花形狀的糕點。Peony牡丹The great Chinese poet Li Bai, from the Tang Dynasty （AD 618-907）, once compared concubine Yang Yuhuan’s beautiful face to blooming peonies in his famous poem Qing Ping Diao. "Floating clouds remind me of her clothes, and peonies her face，" he wrote.唐朝（公元618到907年）偉大詩人李白曾在著名古詩《清平調》中把楊玉環(huán)的絕色容顏比作盛放的牡丹花：“云想衣裳花想容”。Flowering in May, peonies’ large petals and strong colors are linked to prosperity and richness in traditional Chinese culture. Thus, it became very popular during the Tang Dynasty, a period of time when Chinese people preferred magnificent and glorious things, such as fat and strong horses and large flowers. In the late Qing Dynasty, the peony was chosen as the national flower.五月盛開的牡丹花大色艷，在中國傳統(tǒng)文化中寓意富貴榮華。自唐代以來，世人甚愛牡丹，這個時期的人們偏愛雍容華貴的東西，比如肥壯的馬和大朵的花。晚清時期，牡丹被確立為國花。In many New Year pictures, fairy children always hold peonies that bear people’s wishes for an auspicious and rich new year.許多年畫中經常描繪仙童手捧牡丹，代表著人們吉祥富貴的新年愿望。Dried peony petals can also be added in tea and traditional Chinese medicine to alleviate pain caused by menstruation.牡丹干花被加入茶和中藥中，可緩解痛經。Chrysanthemum菊花This flower is often associated with famous poet Tao Yuanming from the Eastern Jin Dynasty （AD 317-420）. In his poemDrinking Wine, Tao wrote: "While picking up chrysanthemums beneath the eastern fence, my gaze was leisurely upon the southern mountains". The piece became one of the most well-known poems, picturing a peaceful and satisfying life dreamed of by many people.提到菊花，人們往往會想起東晉（公元317到420年）陶淵明的古詩《飲酒》中的“采菊東籬下，悠然見南山”。它成為最為有名的古詩之一，勾畫了許多人夢想中的寧靜安適的田園生活。With its unsophisticated beauty, chrysanthemum is also a symbol of longevity in Chinese myths and literature.由于其素雅美麗，菊花在中國神話故事中和文學作品中也是長壽的象征。According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, chrysanthemum tea can relieve internal heat and fever. That’s why people often drink the tea after having too much spicy and baked food. Pillows made of dried chrysanthemum are also good for people’s eyes.傳統(tǒng)中醫(yī)認為，菊花茶可清火去熱，這也是為什么人們往往在吃太多辛辣或者烘焙食物后要喝菊花茶。菊花枕可明目。Chinese rose月季花Bearing a strong resemblance to other roses, yet with fewer thorns and larger petals, the plant originates from China, hence the name "Chinese rose".月季花外觀和玫瑰極為相似，只不過刺更少花瓣更大，因為原產于中國，所以它的名字是中國玫瑰。"Bloom or fade, the flower never cares about arrival of spring； Best peonies only appear in late spring and early summer, yet Chinese roses enjoy the four seasons with unceasing beauty," poet Su Shi from the Song Dynasties （ 960-1279） described the flower in his poem.宋代（公元960年到公元1279年）詩人蘇軾曾在詩中寫道：“花落花開不間斷，春來春去不相關。牡丹最貴為春晚，芍藥雖繁只夏初。惟有此花開不厭，一年長占四時春�！盋hinese people started to grow the rose about 2，000 years ago. In the Han Dynasty （206 BC- AD 220）, Chinese roses were widely grown in royal gardens. And in the Tang Dynasty, the flowers found their way into most regions along the Yangtze River.國人早在2000年前就開始種植月季，漢朝（公元前206年到公元220年）時就已在宮廷花園中大量栽培，唐朝時更為普遍，廣泛分布在長江流域地區(qū)。Apart from being extracted to make perfume, the roots, leaves and flowers of Chinese roses are used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure menstruation disorders.除了用來制成香水，月季的根、葉和花瓣都可入藥，用來調節(jié)月經。Azalea杜鵑Often appearing in old Chinese poems and stories, azalea, or du juan, is the favorite flower of poet BaiJuyi from the Tang Dynasty. He not only praised the flowers in his poems, but tried to grow azaleas.杜鵑花經常出現(xiàn)在中國古詩詞中，是唐朝詩人白居易最愛的花。他不僅常在詩中贊美杜鵑花，還嘗試種植杜鵑花。"Once grown on hills, now blooming in gardens…send a message to God and let azalea be the king of flowers," Bai wrote in his poem Azalea Twelve Tunes.他曾在《山石榴花十二韻》中寫道：“本是山頭物，今為砌下芳。千叢相向背，萬朵互低昂�！盜n Chinese mytholgy, a melancholy bird named Du Juan bleated day and night until it spat blood, which painted all the flowers on the hill red. The flowers were named after the miserable bird.中國曾有杜鵑啼血的神話，傳說一種憂郁的鳥名叫杜鵑，它晝夜悲鳴，啼至血出乃止，杜鵑花就是被杜鵑鳥的鮮血染紅的，因此而得名。The whole plant can be used in traditional Chinese medicine and can help to cure kidney illness and deafness.傳統(tǒng)中醫(yī)里杜鵑花入藥可治療腎虛耳聾。Lotus荷花Lotus flower is an important symbol of pureness in Buddhism, and also traditional Chinese culture. A Song Dynasty scholar, Zhou Dunyi, praised lotus as "unsullied from silt where it comes from, retains demure despite being cleaned by water" in his prose Ai LianShuo.荷花在佛教和中國傳統(tǒng)文化中是純潔的象征。宋代學者周敦頤在散文《愛蓮說》中是這樣稱贊荷花的：“予獨愛蓮之出淤泥而不染，濯清漣而不妖�！盜n ancient Chinese literature, the lotus is often connected with women’s noble and pure personality. In the Chinese classicThe Dream of the Red Chamber, Qing Wen, an honest and upright maid of protagonist JiaBaoyu, becomes a lotus fairy after passing away.在中國古代文學中，荷花也寓意著女子的高潔人格。中國古典文學《紅樓夢》中，主人公賈寶玉忠誠、正直的丫環(huán)晴雯死后托夢說自己變成了芙蓉仙子。The flower, along with its leaves, seeds and roots have being widely used in both Chinese cuisine and traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years.數(shù)千年來，荷花的葉、籽和根常用來做菜，也用作中藥。Camellia山茶花Coco Chanel’s favorite flower, the camellia, has been planted in China as early as the Three Kingdoms （AD 220-280）.山茶花是傳奇時裝設計師可可-香奈兒最愛的花，早在三國時代（公元220到280年）就在中國栽種。There is a poem Ode to Camellia, written by a lady called "Madame Huarui", that describes the camellia as "Blooming on the hills, like burning sunset glow and floating pink clouds…the scenery is more beautiful than hundreds of flowers blooming in heaven."一位人稱花蕊夫人在其作的《山茶詠》中寫道：“山茶樹樹采山坳，恍如赤霞彩云飄。人道邡江花如錦，勝過天池百花搖�！盨weet-scented osmanthus桂花In her poem, Li Qingzhao from the Song Dynasty, described osmanthus as "light yellow, with a delicate figure, that only leaves fragrance behind； No need for bright greens and reds, the osmanthus is a flower destined to shine."宋代女詞人李清照曾在詩中這樣描寫桂花：“暗淡輕黃體性柔。情疏跡遠只香留。何須淺碧深紅色，自是花中第一流。”Planting sweet-scented osmanthus in China has a history of more than 2，500 years. Often blooming in August, the plant is also connected with Mid-Autumn Festival due to the fairy tale about a man named Wu Gang. Wu is ordered to cut down a large and strong osmanthus tree on the moon every day, yet the charmed tree never falls and has fragrant flowers each autumn. Wu is only allowed to have a rest for Mid-Autumn Festival.桂花在中國有2500多年的栽培歷史。桂花通常在八月盛開，還有一個和中秋節(jié)相關的典故：傳說吳剛因遭天帝懲罰到月宮砍伐桂樹，其樹隨砍隨合，以這種永無休止的勞動作為對吳剛的懲罰，只有在中秋節(jié)這一天吳剛才能休息。The little yellow flowers are often added to porridge, cakes and tea to enhance the taste. In Guangxi province where many osmanthus trees are planted, the perfume produced by the flowers has become an important local specialty.這種香氣撲鼻的小黃花常常被加入到粥、糕點和茶中提升口感。在中國廣西省種有許多桂花樹，由其制作的香水成為當?shù)匾淮筇禺a。Narcissus水仙花With its green, white and yellow colors, narcissus, often grown in water, bears a kind of heavenly beauty. Thus it always finds its way into mythologies from different cultures.水仙結合了綠色、白色和黃色三種顏色，生長在水中，有一種神圣的美感，因此在很多不同文化的神話中都有水仙出現(xiàn)。In Greek mythology, the flower was named after a hunter Narcissus who was well-known for his beauty. And in Chinese folklore, narcissus is the embodiment of Emperor Yao’s two daughters, E Huang and Nv Ying.在希臘神話中，水仙以美少年那耳喀索斯的名字命名。在中國神話中，水仙是堯的女兒娥皇、女英的化身。According to historical records, the original narcissus was imported from Italy in the Tang Dynasty. Chinese people cultivated better flowers after centuries of breeding. In China, narcissus can be sculptured into various kinds of bonsais. The flowers are often used as a decoration during the Chinese New Year.根據(jù)歷史記載，水仙的原種為唐代從意大利引進，經過數(shù)百年的栽培，水仙的品種得到了改良。在中國，水仙可以被雕成形狀各異的盆栽，多用來慶賀新年。Orchid蘭花As one of the "Four Men of Noble Character" in Chinese culture, the orchid is better known for its delicate fragrance. And its Chinese character "lan" has being widely used in women’s names for thousands of years.蘭花也是“中國四君子”之一，它以芳香聞名。幾千年來，“蘭”字被廣泛用作中國女性的名字。Ancient Chinese called eternal friendship "lanjiao", or companionship as nobel as the orchid, and beautiful prose and poems "lanzhang", or words as graceful as the orchid. People started to grow the flower in China about 2，000 years ago. After the Wei and Jin dynasties （AD 220- 420）, orchids were mainly used to decorate gardens.古人將知心好友被稱為“蘭交”，即友誼如蘭花一樣珍貴；美文被稱為“蘭章”，即文字如蘭花一樣優(yōu)雅。2000年前中國人民就開始種蘭花，魏晉時期（公元220到420年），花園里就到處都能看見蘭花了。
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