最能代表中國的八種花，你都認識嗎

譯◎ Twin

Plum①blossom梅花

In Mao Zedong's poem Ode to Plum Blossom, he described the fl ower 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."In traditional Chinese culture, plum blossom stands for noble, unsullied②and modest qualities.

毛澤東的《詠梅》一詩中寫道：“俏也不爭春，只把春來報。待到山花爛漫時，她在叢中笑。”在中國傳統文化中，梅花象征高潔和謙遜。

Peony③牡丹花

Li Bai 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. It is linked to prosperity④and richness in traditional Chinese culture. In the late Qing Dynasty, the peony was chosen as the national fl ower.

李白曾在《清平調》中把楊玉環的絕色容顏比作盛放的牡丹花：“云想衣裳花想容”。牡丹花寓意富貴榮華。晚清時期牡丹被確立為國花。

Chrysanthemum菊花

In Tao Yuanming's poem Drinking Wine, he wrote: "While picking up chrysanthemums beneath the eastern fence, my gaze was leisurely upon the southern mountains". With its unsophisticated⑤beauty, chrysanthemum is also a symbol of longevity in Chinese myths and literature.

在《飲酒》一詩中陶淵明寫道：“采菊東籬下，悠然見南山。”菊花素雅堅貞，在中國神話故事和文學作品中也是長壽的象征。

Chinese rose 月季

"Yet Chinese roses enjoy the four seasons with unceasing beauty," poet Su Shi described the fl ower in his poem.

Chinese people started to grow the rose about 2,000 years ago. The fl owers found their way into most regions along the Yangtze River.

蘇軾曾在詩中寫道：“唯有此花開不厭，一年長占四時春。”

國人早在2000年前就開始種植月季，廣泛分布在長江流域地區。

Azalea杜鵑花

Azalea, or du juan, is the favorite flower of poet Bai Juyi from the Tang Dynasty. "Once grown on hills, now blooming in gardens… send a message to God and let azalea be the king of fl owers."

In Chinese mytholgy, a melancholy bird named Du Juan bleated day and night until it spat blood, which painted all the fl owers on the hill red. The fl owers were named after the miserable bird.

杜鵑是唐朝詩人白居易最愛的花。他曾寫道：“本是山頭物，今為砌下芳。千叢相向背，萬朵互低昂。”

中國曾有杜鵑啼血的神話，傳說杜鵑鳥晝夜悲鳴，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。

Lotus荷花

Zhou Dunyi, praised lotus as "unsullied from silt where it comes from, retains demure⑥demure 英 [d?'mj??; d?'mj??] 美 [d?'mj?r]adj. 端莊的；嫻靜的despite being cleaned by water" in his prose Ai Lian S h u o.In ancient Chinese literature, the lotus is often connected with women's noble and pure personality.

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。”在中國古代文學中，荷花也寓意著女子的高潔人格。

Sweet-scented osmanthus桂花

In her poem, Li Qingzhao described osmanthus as "light yellow, with a delicate figure, that only leaves fragrance⑦fragrance 英 ['fre?gr(?)ns] 美 ['fregr?ns] n. 香味，芬芳behind."

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.Wu is only allowed to have a rest for Mid-Autumn Festival.

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。”

桂花通常在八月盛開，還有一個和中秋節相關的典故：傳說吳剛因遭天帝懲罰到月宮砍伐桂樹，其樹隨砍隨合，只有在中秋節這一天吳剛才能休息。

Orchid蘭花

As one of the "Four Men of Noble Character"in Chinese culture, the orchid is better known for its delicate⑧delicate 英 ['del?k?t] 美 [?d?l?k?t] adj. 微妙的；精美的fragrance. And its Chinese character"l a n" has being widely used in women's names for thousands of years.Ancient Chinese called eternal friendship "lan jiao", or companionship as nobel as the orchid, and beautiful prose and poems"lan zhang", or words as graceful as the orchid.

作為“四君子”之一的蘭花以芬芳的香氣聞名。數千年來，“蘭”字被廣泛用在女性的名字中。知心好友被稱為“蘭交”，優美的散文和詩歌被稱為“蘭章”。