Explanatory Essay on Orchids

Since ancient times people have regarded orchids as a symbol of nobility, elegance, patriotism and steadfastness.

Orchids symbolize nobility, elegance and steadfastness

Orchids are regarded as the "gentleman" of the valley, and also indicate piety, orchids and cinnamon to show that they will never fail

Orchids: mysterious, elegant and transcendent, and can be used as a symbol of intellectuals.

The deep "orchid complex" in Confucianism

Author Prof. Zhou Jianzhong, a doctoral scholar at Nantong University

The correspondence between orchid and the personality orientation of Confucianism is related to its biological properties: The orchid is the most important symbol of Confucianism, and it is the most important symbol of Confucianism. The unrecognized Confucius to see the hidden valley orchid and the grass for the company, suddenly rise up the sense of the world, and from then on the establishment of the orchid and the Confucian personality of the intrinsic link, and this flower and the people of the same position between the thinking mode is from the totem worship of mankind.

The orchid is the pride of flowers. From the appearance, posture, living environment and inner temperament of orchids, people are more accustomed to interpreting the symbolism of orchids, and it has become a kind of fixed symbols and oriented language code. All the people who love orchids, plant orchids, appreciate orchids and sing about orchids draw moral power from orchids, so as to consciously shape, enhance and sublimate their own personality and mind. Its cultural connotation can be developed into Confucius' ideal of "when the fragrance of the king" and the personality faith that is not moved by poverty and disappointment, as well as Qu Yuan's personal virtue maintenance and pursuit. In short, the orchid symbolizes the ideals of Confucianism: elegance of virtue, perseverance of integrity, self-sufficiency and independence.

Totem and Orchid:

Involvement in the Beginning of Human Spiritual Life

Totem culture is an integral part of the primitive culture, which originated from the primitive mode of thinking of animism. The orchid as a personal totem has these three characteristics. First, man is the totem, and the totem is man. Second, people often use totems as their names. Third, people and totems with life and death **** survival, is a kind of invisible, touching, suddenly and vaguely existed in the protection of God. Totem worship to later slowly fade away, becoming a distant and fuzzy memory of mankind, but in the life of future generations, can still find traces of it. In Zuo Zhuan (左传-宣公三年), there is a totem story about the birth and death of Duke Mu of Zheng, which is related to the orchid. Yan, the "lowly concubine" of Duke Wen of Zheng, dreamed that an angel gave her an orchid and told her, "This is your son", and she was indeed pregnant and gave birth to a son named Lan, that is, Duke Mu of Zheng. After 22 years on the throne, Duke Zheng Mu once fell ill and said, "If the orchid is dead, I am afraid I am going to die too. So he "mowed down the orchid and died". The meaning of "to conquer the orchid" in this story is the embodiment of the totemic culture. Without the totemic culture, it is impossible to understand the mysterious and special nature of the orchid in the story. Not only have traces of totemic culture been left in historical texts, but there are also many examples of this kind in literary works. Han Lefu "ancient poem for Jiao Zhongqing's wife", the heroine's name is Lan, it is the ancient personal totem traces of the performance of the characteristics of "Lanzhi", that is, "Zhilan", "Zhilan", is the orchid. The totemic significance of "orchid" is also evident in the poems, such as before Liu Lanzhi threw herself into the river, Jiao Zhongqing said to his mother, "Today's wind is cold, the cold wind destroys the trees, and the frost knots the orchids in the court." Frost covering and frying the orchids in the garden means that the tragedy of the main character's life is about to happen, just like the prophetic sign of Zheng Mugong, "If the orchid is dead, I am afraid that I am going to die too", which is the deep constraints and potential influence of the orchid totem culture. Through the study of "archetypes", it is possible to reveal "the unfathomable mysteries that have permeated the cult traditions that have been carefully preserved for centuries by secretive cult traditions". Lan is one such "archetype".

The orchid had a wide influence on the early aristocracy and folk life, and people established various relationships with the orchid in activities such as wiping away evils with the orchid, presenting the orchid to convey love, offering sacrifices to the orchid, welcoming the orchid to welcome the auspiciousness, sewing the orchid to the court, burning the orchid with the orchid and overflowing the orchid with the orchid and making offerings with the orchid.

These early forms of orchid culture fully illustrate that those who were engaged in political and sacrificial activities (we can regard them as the predecessors of the Confucians), who came into contact with orchids and utilized orchids in large quantities, though associated with utilitarian purposes and without clear ethical meanings, provided an important prerequisite for the definition of the aesthetic imagery of orchids by Confucius in the future.

Confucius and the orchid:

Laying down the cultural connotation of the orchid

"The orchid should be fragrant for the king". Confucius traveled around for more than ten years, but he was never appointed. On his way back to Lu from Wei, he saw the orchids grow luxuriantly alone, and he was touched by the feelings of the situation and was overwhelmed with emotion: "The orchid should be the fragrance of the king, but now it grows luxuriantly alone, and it is with all the grasses, which is just like a sage who does not coincide with the time, and the despicable man as a member of the family." He compared the orchid to the wise minister, in fact, is a self-comparison, said he traveled around the world, but was born at the wrong time, can not be reused, just like the orchid and the grass for the same, had to be with the despicable man for the company. The greatest influence of Confucius' sentiment on the future generations is the sentence "The orchid should be the fragrance of the king", which is mentioned in almost all the articles and writings related to orchids. The original meaning of this sentence is "orchid should provide fragrance for the king", that is to say, orchid should be the high-class flower appreciated by the king, and it is also a metaphor from the angle of a wise person being a minister to assist the king. However, in the later works on orchidology, it was changed to "orchid has the fragrance of the king" and "the fragrance of the king". For example, Pan Tianshou's poem titled "Orchid and Stone" said: "It is as idle as the spring sideburns of Wenjun, and as clear as ice and snow. Should be pushed from the style of the king, not only the fragrance is enough to pass."

The personality symbol of orchids is purity and chastity. Confucius also said, "The orchid is born in the deep forest, not because no one is not fragrant; the gentleman cultivates and establishes virtue, not for the poor to change the section." This quote is from "Confucius' Family Words - In Er". Moreover, Confucius about the orchid "not to no one and not fragrant," the realm of virtue, also

became the pre-Qin period of Confucianism **** knowledge, such as "Xunzi - Yu sit": "and the dahurian orchid was born in the deep forest, not to no one and not fragrant. The learning of a gentleman is not for the pass, but for the poor and not trapped, worrying and not declining." Later generations of poems about orchids have been interpreted and played. Zhu Xi's "Orchid Stream": "The light wind floats in the blue stream, and the orchid withers. After all these years, no one picks them, but they are only known to themselves." Kang Xi's "Orchids": "Shapely flowers with long blue leaves, who hides the fragrance in the valley when the wind comes. Even if there is no one to pick them, they are still fragrant."

Orchids have a special scent: "Into the room of orchids, long time and do not smell its fragrance." Confucius also said, "The room of orchids, but not smell its fragrance. Confucius also said, "with the good people living, such as into the room of orchids, long and not

Smell its fragrance, that is, with the transformation is carried out; with the bad people living, such as into the abalone's restaurant, long and not smell the smell, but also with the transformation is carried out. The Dan's hidden red, the lacquer's hidden black. That is why a gentleman must be careful where he lives." (The Analects of Confucius - Six Books). Here, the fragrance of orchids is used as a metaphor for the virtues of a gentleman, emphasizing the role of moral education and sensitization, reflecting the social utility of Confucianism. The fragrance of the orchid is a perfect match for the nobility and elegance of a gentleman's virtue, which is not flattering to the common people.

There are countless poems celebrating the fragrance of orchid, such as Tao Yuanming's "Drinking Wine": "The orchid is born in the front garden, waiting for the breeze. The breeze comes off to see the other Xiao Ai." "Orchids should be fragrant for the king", "Orchids are born in deep forests, not because no one is not fragrant", and "If you enter the room of orchids, you will not smell their fragrance for a long time". Confucius found an echo and a match between the natural attributes of orchids and the personality traits of Confucianism, and with the help of the cultural imagery of orchids, the personality traits of Confucianism can be expressed intuitively and clearly, and at the same time, the cultural connotation of orchids is also generated.

Jung Si-shaw and the Orchid:

Development and Extension of the Cultural Connotation of the Orchid

Confucianism, as the mainstream of traditional Chinese culture, has maintained its own values, the foundation for the existence of such a culture, throughout the long process of social development. at the same time, it has constantly responded to the challenges posed by the turbulence of reality. In Chinese society, the turbulence was never more intense than when the country changed hands, especially when the regime fell into foreign hands. At such times, the Confucian personality often manifests itself in the form of steadfast integrity and flamboyant individuality. This personality orientation in Zheng Sishao's painting style can be focused on the complete embodiment. Zheng Sishao was a famous poet and painter in the late Song and early Yuan dynasties. After the death of the Song Dynasty, he lived in Suzhou, where he sat and slept in a southward direction, and called himself Shonan to show that he did not forget the Song Dynasty. According to the book, he "fine ink orchids, since the change of the throne, for the painting does not paint the earth, the root of no virtue. Or ask the reason, then cloud: 'the ground for people to take away, you have no idea?'"

He painted dew root orchid, no soil orchid, send his thoughts of the dead country. Zheng Sishao orchid behavior also became a model for future generations of survivors. For example, Ni Zan in the Yuan after the death, flat boat Ruo hats, to and from the Mao lake, its "title Zheng Shonan orchid": "autumn wind orchids into thatch,

South of the bleak gas has disappeared. He wrote the following poem on Zheng Shonan's orchids: "The orchids were transformed into thatch by the autumn wind, and the desolate atmosphere of the South had disappeared.

The similar realities of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties made Zheng Sishao the subject of many more orchid painters. Zhu Da, a descendant of Zhu Yuanzhang and a member of the Bada Shanren, said in a poem titled "The Orchid Stone", "Wang Sun's calligraphy and paintings are out of the sky, and I mournfully remember Chengping's sideburns. Long borrowed ink flowers to send a ghostly pleasure, to this day the leaves blow south."

The tradition of Zheng Sishao's orchid painting has directly influenced the long history of orchid painting. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, this tradition has been transformed into an eclectic and unconventional method of painting orchids, focusing on the promotion of individuality.

Ming Dynasty-anonymous "Orchids" (Lushun Museum collection) has a poem by Wang Wu: "Zheng Sheng is too pedantic, painting orchids and not painting soil. What is the heart of the creation, the spring breeze contains its own vomit. When the time goes by, we will be floating in the air, and we will know who will take the orchids." Qing Dynasty - Zhusheng "Orchid and Bamboo Album" (Lushun Museum Collection), also painted orchids without soil. Qing dynasty - original ji (shi tao) "Finland map" (nanjing museum collection) painting two root without soil orchid, and there is a poem "the root has been away from the dust can be taken", the main method of xu wei, zhu da, original ji and other painting style of yangzhou eight monsters, also to painting orchid is good at, among them wang shi shan, li bian, li fang ying, zheng xie paintings of orchids is especially famous.

From Zheng Sixiao to the poetry and paintings of orchid subjects such as the Eight Monsters of Yangzhou, adherence to integrity and individuality have become **** the same theme. This can be seen in the Confucian tradition of personality characteristics have undergone some changes, such as the promotion of "king incense" of elegance into the exaltation of individuality, from "not to no one and not fragrant" self-appreciation into the steadfastness of the will, which is Confucianism focuses on individual moral cultivation of the tradition in the new reality of the environment. This is the derivation of the Confucian tradition of focusing on individual moral cultivation in the new reality, they have not broken through or escaped from the value category of Confucianism, but rather a complementary, extension of the traditional personality orientation.

Chen Zhifan and the Orchid:

The Attachment of a Cultural Traveler

Chen Zhifan is the author of The Orchid with Lost Roots.

As an overseas traveler, he saw the flowers and plants of his hometown in a foreign country and became emotional:

"When flowers move to America, we look at them with dismay; when people move to America, they are equally uneasy", "The mountains and rivers of the motherland are not only flowers and trees, but also stories that can be sung, poems that can be chanted, and children's poems that can be sung, and children's poems that can be chanted. It is the children's boisterous laughter and the ancestors' quiet grave huts that make it beautiful".

Finally, the author writes: the end of the Song dynasty painter Zheng Sishao painting orchids, even the roots with the leaves are floating in the air, people ask why, he said: "the country fell, where the roots?" The country, that is, the root, there is no country of people, is no root of the grass, not waiting for the wind and rain torture, that is withered.

The title comes from the story of Zheng Sishao's painting of orchids, but there is almost no introduction to the shape, color and fragrance of orchids in the whole piece, which is only centered on the idea of "where is the root when the country falls", and uses "root" as a metaphor for the homeland, and "orchid" as a metaphor for the people. Orchid" is a metaphor for people, and "the orchid that has lost its roots" is a metaphor for people who have drifted away from their homeland and their sad and despondent moods. The "lost orchid" becomes a point of convergence of thoughts in the text, which makes the thoughts of the homeland and the love of the homeland more profound and sincere.

Chen Zhifan used the metaphor of "the orchid that has lost its roots" to show his deep Confucianism. Because the orchid is a symbolic image characterized by traditional Chinese culture, it has accumulated the history of a nation. From the discourse level, what the author misses is the "flowers" of the old garden, the "stone steps of the Forbidden City", and the "mother"; from the level of historical implication, what he misses is the traditional culture, because "the mountains and rivers of the motherland" is a symbol of the traditional culture of China. Because "the mountains and rivers of the motherland, not only flowers and trees, and

Songful stories, poetry, children's noisy laughter and the ancestors of the quiet tomb hut". Chen Zhifan said, "It is the history of many, many years that produces a little tradition; it is the tradition of many, many years that produces a little style." This kind of cherishing of the disappearing tradition and style is the deeper meaning of "Orchids with Lost Roots". The difference between Chen Zhifan and Zheng Sishao lies in the fact that the orchid, as a symbol of the traditional Confucian personality, has only "lost its soil" in Zheng Sishao's writing, having lost the country where it was nourished, but its cultural roots are still there. What Chen Zhifan's orchid has lost is not so much the country as the cultural soil on which the "orchid"

lives, and that is the pain of "losing the root". Therefore, Chen Zhifan is not only a wanderer in the sense of region, but also a wanderer in the sense of culture.

From the above, we can see that the orchid has a close relationship with the personality orientation in the Confucian tradition. As a symbol of personality, the orchid is not single but multiple in its connotation. Since Confucius has personalized its cultural connotation, the orchid culture has shown its own extensibility, adjusting and supplementing the Confucian personality in different cultural contexts.

When people talk about orchids, paint orchids, sing about orchids and write about orchids, they are actually interpreting themselves, reading their own spiritual realm in the character of orchids. Therefore, to regard orchid as "the fragrance of the king" is not an appreciation and cherishing of the values they have chosen. However, in the midst of all the changes, one thing is always the same, that is, the orchid has the status of "king" in the symbolic genealogy of Confucian personality, which can be traced back to the psychological mechanism of totem worship, but it also illustrates the strong "orchid complex" in Confucianism. Excerpt