首页 用英语讲中国故事 熟练级 第一章 中国风物

兰:空谷幽兰君子道

兰花是中国的传统名花,与”“”“并称四君子。兰花具有四清的特点,分别是气清、色清、神清、韵清。古往今来,人们常把兰花称为花中君子,如果有人写诗文写得很好,便称为兰章,如果两个人友情深厚,便称兰交,把好友称为兰客。那么,为何兰花备受推崇?人们和兰花之间有过哪些有趣的故事呢?

圣人孔子非常喜爱兰花,曾经创作了琴曲《幽兰操》。在中国古典文化中,兰草就该静静生长于深山幽谷之中,没有世俗的污染,当兰花逐渐绽放时,香气会弥漫于天地之间,不刺鼻也不俗艳,让人联想到君子的美好品德。

孔子是著名的教育家,拥有弟子三千。一天,他忍不住向曾子感慨:我死后,子夏会比以前进步,子贡会退步。曾子十分不解,询问原因。孔子语重心长地说:子夏喜欢和比自己更贤明的人相处,和这些品德高尚的人在一起,就像沐浴在种满兰花、满是香气的房间里,时间一长虽然闻不到香气,但人身上已经沾满了兰花的清香。子贡喜欢和不如自己的人在一起,就像到了卖鲍鱼的地方 ,时间长了也闻不到臭了 ,但人的身上也变得恶臭、品行也会更加低劣了。孔子对子夏与子贡的评论是否正确暂且不论,但从中可见孔子对兰花的高度推崇。

不仅孔子,还有好多文化名人也借兰花抒发自己对君子之道的追求。屈原因小人诬陷被流放时,曾一个人默默摘下兰花,戴在自己身上:纫秋兰以为佩,让自己的心灵在兰花的清香中得到片刻宁静。越王勾践也曾在渚山种兰,因为兰花长得繁茂、开得灿烂,又把渚山改名为兰渚山,山下的集市叫作花街,兰渚山下的驿亭改名叫兰亭。书圣王羲之正是在兰亭中与众人集会,才创作出千古第一行书《兰亭集序》。中国现代著名作家鲁迅也甚爱兰花,他曾带上工具去兰渚山附近的会稽山采兰,种在自家的庭院中,芬芳美丽的兰花陪伴他创作出许多著名的文学作品。另一位中国现代著名的文学家、哲学家胡适,也写下一首送给兰花的小诗:我从山中来,带得兰花草。种在小园中,希望开花好。一日看三回,望得花时过;急坏看花人,苞也无一个。眼见秋天到,移花供在家;明年春风回,祝汝满盆花!当年胡适留学归来,正盼着把那株自由主义的兰花草移植到中国大地上,殷切地盼它开花结果、香满人间,结果这愿望受到百般阻挠,难以实现。胡适看到园中朋友送的这株迟迟不开花的小兰,一下子触景生情,诗性大发,写下了这首小诗,并把它起名作希望,既是希望兰花初绽,也是希望自由主义的花朵早日在中华大地的每个角落盛放。

小小的一朵兰花,竟有如此深厚的文化意蕴,可以说是中华文化中的高洁、美丽、优雅人格精神。1962年,在微风拂过的西子湖畔,周恩来总理会见了中日友好人士松村谦三。受 14年日本侵华战争的影响,中日关系一直处于隔绝的状态,多亏像松村谦三这样的社会活动家从中调解、斡旋。这一天,周总理听说松村谦三十分喜爱中国的兰花,便请绍兴苗圃的工作人员特意挑选了一盆名为环球荷鼎的兰花,送给松村先生。这株兰花绿、红、黄相间,整体呈三片圆形花瓣,好似荷花,中间有一刘海小舌,从中心放射出红色条纹,十分独特。兰叶有的宽阔挺立,有的扭曲蜷缩,极富光泽。当地谚语称:千梅万仙,一荷无处求,足见环球荷鼎的珍贵,实为兰中极品。周总理送给松村先生这盆兰花,借以表达对他的尊重和感谢,希望中日友谊像兰花一样常青、馨香。松村先生一生都在为中日友好活动奔走。他去世之前,念念不忘这盆兰花,吩咐儿子定要好好照看。这一朵小花,也为推动中日邦交正常化作出了贡献。

兰花的花语是淡泊、高雅、贤德。如果你来到中国,一定要嗅嗅中国的兰花,品味这个古老民族对君子之道的追求。

 

 

 

The Orchid

Symbol of Virtue

The orchid is a famous flower in China and one of the “Four Gentlemen of the Plants,” the other three being plum blossom, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. Known for being “pure” in smell, color, character and charm, the orchid is used to describe good literary works and close friendship since ancient times. So why are orchids so popular? Are there any interesting stories about orchids and famous Chinese figures?

The sage Confucius (孔夫子), who greatly loved orchids, composed a song called The Orchid. In classical Chinese culture, orchids are described as flowers that grow quietly in secluded mountains and valleys, far from worldly chaos. When orchids come into bloom, their fragrance permeates Heaven and Earth, pleasant but neither too strong nor too bright – subtle, like a gentleman’s virtue.

Confucius was a famous educator, with 3,000 students. One day, he said to one of them, Zengzi: “After I die, Zixia will make progress but Zigong will lag behind.” When Zengzi asked why, Confucius said thoughtfully: “Zixia enjoys spending time with those wiser than himself. Well, associating with men of virtue is like living in a room full of orchids. Al­though the longer you stay, the weaker the fragrance is, the fragrance is still with you. As for Zigong, who loves to associate with people of lower status than himself, that is like fre­quenting a fish market. The smell will be less pungent to your nose, but you will still stink, and become lower, too.” Whether Confucius’ comments are correct or not, from what he said, it can be seen how Confucius held orchids in high regard.

Besides Confucius, many other famous Chinese figures also expressed their preference for orchids as a symbol of noble character. In exile, Qu Yuan often picked orchid blos­soms and “wore them as an ornament” to seek a moment of peace of mind. Goujian, the King of Yue, used to grow orchids on Mount Zhu. Seeing how luxuriantly and brightly the orchids bloomed, he renamed the mountain Zhu Orchid Mountain, and the street and pavilion at the foot were called Flower Street and Orchid Pavilion, respectively. It was at Orchid Pavilion that the calligraphy master Wang Xizhi gathered with other celebrities, and created the widely known calligraphic work, Preface to Poems Composed at Orchid Pavilion. The orchids were also the favorite of Lu Xun, the leading modern Chinese writer. Ascending Mount Kuaiji near Zhu Orchid Mountain, he personally picked orchids for his own courtyard. Those fragrant and beautiful flowers witnessed how many of his famous literary works were created. Another modern Chinese writer, Hu Shi, also a phi­losopher, wrote the following short poem in praise of orchids:

“I brought back an orchid/

When I visited the Western Hills/

I planted it in my courtyard/

Hoping it would come into bloom/

I went to see it three times a day/

Until the flowering season passed/

However anxious I got/

Not a single bud came out/

Very soon came autumn/

I moved the orchid to my room/

I hope that when next spring comes/

The pot can be full of blossoms.”

Back then, Hu Shi, who had just returned from studying overseas, was eager to introduce liberalism – his “orchid” – to China, and expected it to come into full bloom soon. How­ever, his dream was hard to realize in the face of many obstacles. Therefore, at the sight of an orchid, a gift from one of his friends, which had not bloomed in his courtyard, he was inspired to produce this short poem, named “Hope,” representing his anticipation of the first blooming of the orchid and the flourishing of liberalism everywhere in China as well.

Though small, the orchid is rich in meaning – a symbol of purity, beauty and elegance in Chinese culture. In 1962 Premier Zhou Enlai received Kenzō Matsumura, a leading personage in China-Japan relations, on the breezy West Lake in Hangzhou. Diplomatic relations between China and Japan had been adversely affected by the Japanese invasion of China in the 1930s. But thanks to social activists like Kenzō Matsumura, who had been mediating between the two sides, opportunities for communicating still existed. That day, when Premier Zhou learned that Kenzō Matsumura had a deep love for orchids, he asked the gardeners to choose a “lotus-petaled orchid,” and gave it to China’s Japanese friend. This orchid had three circular petals of green, red and yellow, and resembled a lotus. In the middle was a particularly lovely small tongue like a red stripe. As for the leaves, some stood straight while others were curly, both radiant with luster. A local proverb goes, “It’s easy to get thousands of orchids with plum-or daffodil-like petals, but it’s hard to obtain a lotus-petaled one.” That shows how rare the “lotus-petaled orchid” was. By sending it to Kenzō Matsumura, Premier Zhou expressed his respect and gratitude to him, with the hope of a lasting friendship as pleasant as orchids between China and Japan. Kenzō Mat­sumura spent his entire life promoting friendly ties between China and Japan. Even just before his death, he asked his son to take good care of the orchid which, though small, had contributed to the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Orchids symbolize purity, elegance and virtue. If you have the opportunity to visit Chi­na, you should make a special effort to view orchids so as to understand why this ancient nation associates the prized flower with men of virtue

书名:《用英语讲中国故事》(熟练级)

作者:胡敏教授

出版:人民出版社

售价:¥ 99
立即购买

本书目录

  • 第一章 中国风物
    • 梅:种梅自序
      The Plum Blossom: Wang Mian’s Passion for Plum Trees
      试听
    • 兰:空谷幽兰君子道
      The Orchid: Symbol of Virtue
      试听
    • 竹:郑板桥的竹韵人生
      The Bamboo: Zheng Banqiao and Bamboo
      试听
    • 菊:菊与陶渊明
      The Chrysanthemum: Tao Yuanming and Chrysanthemum
      购买
    • 笔:笔之韵
      The Brush Pen: Perfect Writing Tool for Chinese Characters
      购买
    • 纸:五两银子一张纸
      The Paper: Mi Fu Learns Calligraphy
      购买
    • 砚:米癫索砚
      The Inkstone: Mi Fu and the Duan Inkstone
      购买
    • 长城:万里长城今犹在
      The Great Wall: The Ten-Thousand-Mile Great Wall
      购买
    • 石拱桥:一线天桥
      The Arched Bridge: The Yixiantian Bridge
      购买
    • 故宫:他在故宫修复文物
      The Forbidden City: Cultural Relic Restorer
      购买
  • 第二章 中国习俗
    • 过年:年的传说
      Celebrating the Lunar New Year: The Legend of Nian (“Year”)
      购买
    • 元宵:元宵姑娘回家
      The Lantern Festival: The Story of the Lantern Festival
      购买
    • 中秋:海上生明月,天涯共此时
      The Mid-Autumn Festival: The Mid-Autumn Moon in Poetry
      购买
    • 重阳节:待到重阳时
      The Double-Ninth Festival: Celebrating the Double Ninth
      购买
    • 祭祖:慎终追远
      Memorializing the Ancestors: Sacrifices and Filial Piety
      购买
    • 伤春悲秋:季节变化引发的诗人感怀
      Chinese Sentimentality: The Fleeting Seasons
      购买
    • 尊师重道:韩愈写《师说》
      Respect for One’s Teacher: Han Yu's “On Teachers”
      购买
  • 第三章 中国人物
  • 第四章 中国成就
  • 第五章 中国艺术
  • 第六章 中国精神

相关音频