The Symbolism and Meanings of Dianthus Flowers
Comprehensive explanation for you about the language of Dianthus flowers and legends introduction, as well as the symbolism and meanings of Dianthus flowers, which will be introduced by the editor next.
“Since leaving the quiet mountains, we meet in this temple. Leaves emerge both high and low, the clusters indistinguishable in depth and shallowness.
Wild butterflies struggle for whiteness in vain, courtyard pomegranates subtly yield to red. Who pities the fragrance that lasts the longest, from spring dew to autumn wind?”
— Tang Dynasty, Sòng Kōngshǔ, "Dianthus Flowers in Yunyang Temple"
The Language of Dianthus Flowers
The language of Dianthus flowers represents pure love, talent, courage, and female beauty.
Legend of Dianthus Flowers 1
In the past, at the foot of a mountain, there was a village. In one household, there was a daughter named Bai Zhu.
Bai Zhu was lively and clever since childhood, and was a well-known girl in the area.
There was also a young man named Shi Kang in the locality, who was handsome, loyal, and kind.
The two lived close by, and as they grew older, they developed deep feelings for each other. However, Bai Zhu's parents did not agree to the marriage because Shi Kang's family was too poor.
Nevertheless, the two continued to visit each other frequently. Shi Kang even gave Bai Zhu a piece of red silk as a token of their love.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Bai Zhu went to the city with her sisters to enjoy the lanterns and was noticed by a wealthy man named Liu Wenchang.
Liu Wenchang was nearly fifty years old and indulged in alcohol and women. Seeing that the Liu family was powerful and the bride price was generous, Bai Zhu's parents planned to agree to the marriage. However, Bai Zhu absolutely refused, saying she would marry no one but Shi Kang.
Liu Wenchang, rejected in his proposal, decided to framed Shi Kang. Coincidentally, the county had asked farmers to repair a temple in the mountains, and Liu Wenchang colluded with the county government to have Shi Kang arrested.
Soon after Shi Kang arrived at the mountain, he disappeared. Upon hearing the news, Bai Zhu was heartbroken. She knew it must have been Liu Wenchang's doing and decided to avenge Shi Kang.
So, she pretended to agree to the marriage. On the wedding day, she stabbed the drunk Liu Wenchang with a pair of scissors hidden at her waist and then fled into the darkness of the night.
Bai Zhu ran to the top of the mountain but couldn't find Shi Kang. In despair, she was chased by Liu Wenchang's men to the edge of a cliff.
Bai Zhu wrapped the red silk given to her by Shi Kang around herself and jumped off the cliff.
Shortly after Bai Zhu's death, a person covered in cuts and bruises crawled to her body. This person was Shi Kang.
It turned out that after being pushed off the cliff by the people arranged by Liu Wenchang, he luckily hung onto a branch and passed out. After he regained consciousness, he didn't dare to go home and survived on wild fruit in a cave. One day, he heard someone calling his name and used all his strength to crawl towards the sound, but unfortunately, he arrived too late.
Shi Kang was overcome with grief, crying over Bai Zhu's body, and then he撞ed his head against a rock and died.
Later, people buried them together, and the red silk on Bai Zhu's body turned into bright red flowers.
People learned about their love story and combined their names to call the flowers "Dianthus."
Legend of Dianthus Flowers 2
It is said that a long time ago, in the mountains of Northeast China, there was an ordinary family named Shi.
The old couple had only one son named Shi Zhu. When Shi Zhu was just learning to speak, his father fell to his death while collecting herbs in the mountains. From then on, the mother and son lived together, facing even harder times.
Shi Zhu was very thin and weak, and he had a strange disease since childhood. Shi Zhu's mother braved the dangers of the mountain every day to collect herbs to cure Shi Zhu's illness. However, for many years, she couldn't find the right herbs to treat Shi Zhu's condition.
As she became more and more anxious and sad, she couldn't help but cry tears that fell into the crevices of the mountain.
Unexpectedly, a miracle occurred, and a flower grew from the crevice where the hot tears flowed.
Shi Zhu's mother, surprised, heard a sweet girl's voice speaking, "Old mother, pull out the whole plant and boil it for your son to drink. It can cure his illness."
Shi Zhu's mother followed the directions of the flower fairy, boiling the plant with roots for Shi Zhu to drink. After taking it for three days, his illness was cured.
News of Shi Zhu's mother encountering the flower fairy spread quickly. Poor people with similar illnesses came to Shi Zhu's mother for the herb, and it always worked.
However, people didn't know the name of this flower. They only knew that the herb Shi Zhu's mother found could cure diseases, so they called it "Shi Zhu's mother's flower," and over time, it became simply known as "Dianthus."
The above is a comprehensive introduction to the language and legends of Dianthus flowers and their symbolism and meanings. I hope it can be helpful to you. Don't forget to check out more experience and common sense!