What exactly does "three friends" mean in Chinese painting?

"Three Friends" in "Three Friends of Old Cold" refers to pine, plum blossom and bamboo.

These three plants are named after their tenacious vitality in the cold winter. They are symbols of noble personality in China traditional culture and metaphors of loyalty and friendship.

Source: Song Jingxi's "Wang Shou Ji": "That is, living in a tired place, growing hundreds of plums, and being a cold friend."

It's freezing, and flowers and trees are dying. Only the three "friends" of Song are thriving and full of vitality.

In fact, pine and bamboo are evergreen all the year round, and only plum blossoms are particularly energetic in winter. Three friends are headed by Song. Because it is the most widely distributed from south to north, a large area of pine forests can form a shocking auditory effect of "the north wind blows, Lin Tao roars and the canyon vibrates". Solitary pine can stand alone in the air on the top of the mountain, forming a visual spectacle of "seeing Jinsong at dusk and flying in the clouds is still calm".

Bamboo is a symbol of elegance, purity, humility and restraint. There are few gardens and bamboos in ancient and modern gardens. If there is bamboo at home, it will blow on the window in spring, and the air will be sufficient. The bamboo shadow is swaying and the posture is in the painting. The green leaves don't fade in winter, so they are handsome. Throughout the ages, "one day can't leave this gentleman" has become the preference of many literati.

Plum blossom is one of the top ten traditional famous flowers in China, with excellent color, fragrance and rhyme. Lin Hejing, a poet in the Song Dynasty, wrote a poem "The shadows are shallow and the fragrance floats at dusk", which vividly depicts the beauty and charm of plum blossoms. How lovely and precious the unique plum blossom is when it snows all over the sky!

At the same time, it also symbolizes people's Excellence and unconventional personality.

Pine trees are evergreen all the year round, with tall and straight posture, dense branches and leaves, surrounded by stratus clouds and stacked obliquely, which is worthy of being the pen of Ma Yuan and Liu Songnian. In the bleak winter, pine trees are still lush and full of vitality, symbolizing youth and perseverance. The character of pine trees is what people in China admire most.