The symbolism and legend of the morning glory
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The morning glory is also known as牵牛 (qiān niú), 喇叭花 (lǎ ba huā), 筋角拉子 (jīn jiǎo lā zi), 大牵牛花 (dà qiān niú huā), 勤娘子 (qín niáng zi), etc. It has thin, twining stems, trumpet-shaped flowers, and bright, beautiful colors. It grows at altitudes of 100-1600 meters on mountain slopes, dry riverbanks, gardens, and mountain roadsides. It has a very strong adaptability. Let's take a look at the symbolism and legend of the morning glory together!
The symbolism of the morning glory
Everlasting love. The morning glory has a common name called "diligent woman," and its name suggests that it is a very diligent flower. Whenever the rooster crows for the first time and the hour hand points to about "four," the vines and trellises of the morning glory will bloom trumpet-like flowers. This morning glory allows people in the dawn to breathe the fresh air while enjoying the flowers among the green leaves, which is indeed very pleasant and popular.
The blooming period of the morning glory
The blooming period of the morning glory is from June to October. It usually starts to bloom slowly at around 4-5 am and wilts by noon. This is because the morning glory flowers are large and thin, containing a lot of moisture. When the sun shines on them, the moisture in the flowers evaporates quickly in a short period. If they are in a shady place, the wilting speed of the morning glory will be slower, and sometimes the flowers are still open in the afternoon.
The symbolism and legend of the morning glory
Legend of the morning glory I
In the past, there was a young man named Li Hu in Li Zhuang, Hebei Province. He was very strong and had great strength, but for some reason, he developed a disease called tympany, and despite multiple treatments by doctors, he never got better. His wife was very worried and finally brought in an old doctor from Lüzhou Prefecture in Shanxi Province to treat Li Hu. The old doctor prescribed a medicine: "Take the seeds of wild trumpet flowers and decoct them for consumption."
Li Hu's wife had never heard of this medicine before and had to visit the old doctor again to inform him of the situation.
After hearing this, the old doctor said, "There are such wild flowers in front of my home in Lüzhou Prefecture, and their seeds are the medicine. You can send someone to my home to get them." Li Hu's wife hurriedly went to Shanxi and brought back the wild trumpet flower seeds. After taking a few doses of the decoction, Li Hu indeed improved and was cured within a month. To thank the old doctor for saving his life, Li Hu brought a cow and went to the old doctor's house, expressing his deep gratitude and asking, "Old sir, what kind of medicine did you use to treat me?" The old doctor was at a loss for words.
It turned out that this wild trumpet flower didn't have a name yet. When Li Hu asked, the old doctor thought: this flower seed can cure incurable diseases and has the power to pull a cow. Today, the patient brought a cow to the door, so why not call it "morning glory"? He then pointed to the wild trumpet flower at the door and said, "It's called morning glory, and what you took were morning glory seeds, and you happened to be pulling a cow." From then on, the wild trumpet flower was known as "morning glory."
Legend of the morning glory II
Long ago, in an unknown place and time, a mountain appeared suddenly in the shape of a lying cow, and everyone named it "Ox Mountain." At the foot of Ox Mountain, there was a small village with few people, among whom there was a pair of twin sisters. The villagers were very poor and couldn't afford to buy cows for plowing, only using some homemade tools to till the land. The twin sisters lived at the foot of the mountain, and they cultivated some wasteland on the front and back of the mountain, relying on their own hands for spring sowing, summer weeding, and autumn harvesting, managing to make ends meet. The two sisters had kind hearts and often helped those who were even poorer than them.
One day, while the sisters were tilling the land, they suddenly encountered a very hard spot. Both sisters tried all their tools but couldn't move a single bit of soil. After working hard for a while, they sat down to rest next to the hard soil. Suddenly, the hard soil cracked open, and the older sister quickly looked with wide eyes, seeing a shiny silver light inside. The younger sister ran over and took out a silver trumpet.
As the sisters were wondering, an old man with white hair and a white beard suddenly appeared next to them. The old man smiled and said to them, "This mountain was dropped from heaven by the Jade Emperor, and it presses a hundred blue bulls spirits inside. These spirits have cultivated well and turned into human shapes to do evil in the world. The Jade Emperor subdued them and pressed them under Ox Mountain. Today, they have been pressed for exactly 900 years, and by tomorrow, they will all turn into gold bulls and no longer harm the world. This silver trumpet is the key to Ox Mountain. Tonight, when you hear a "swish" sound from the mountain, there will be a place that emits golden light, which is the mountain eye. Just insert the silver trumpet into it. However, you must remember the incantation 'Ox Mountain, swish swish, open the mountain with my silver trumpet' three times, and the mountain eye will become larger, allowing you to抱 out a gold bull, ensuring a lifetime of food and drink. This key appears once every 900 years and is only effective for a short while. When daylight comes, it will no longer work. If you are locked in the mountain, you will die without a doubt. Also, you must never blow the silver trumpet, or all 100 bulls will come alive and rush out of the mountain." Before the sisters could recover from their shock, the old man was gone.
The sisters realized they had encountered an immortal and were very happy. They hurried home and discussed how to open the mountain and embrace the gold bulls. The older sister said, "We must quicken our pace and try to embrace all 100 gold bulls and distribute them to the poor villagers, so they no longer have to endure the landlord's bullying and can live a good life." The younger sister said, "Although gold bulls are good, they can't be eaten. Gold and silver are valuable to the rich, but to the poor, they are not as good as a spoonful of flour. If we blow the silver trumpet and turn all the gold bulls into live cows and distribute them to the villagers, won't it be better for them to have cows for plowing?" The older sister happily agreed with the younger sister's idea.
So, the two sisters went their separate ways to notify the villagers and tell them to go to the foot of Ox Mountain to pull the bulls at night. That night, there was no moon or stars, and the mountain was pitch-black, with no light visible. The older sister pulled the younger sister from the front of the mountain to the back, listening, but there was no sound. The older sister said to the younger sister, "Don't give up, let's wait a bit longer." They waited until dawn, when they suddenly heard a "swish" sound from inside the mountain, and a dazzling golden light shone out from the north slope.
The sisters hurriedly ran towards the place where the light was. They saw that the cave eye was only as thick as a finger, and looking inside, they saw a golden table with rows of bull-sized gold coins. The younger sister quickly took out the silver trumpet and inserted it into the mountain eye, while the older sister chanted, "Ox Mountain, swish swish, open the mountain with my silver trumpet." After repeating it three times, the mountain eye slowly became larger but only big enough for one person to crawl in. The older sister went in first, followed by the younger sister.
As soon as the older sister entered, she blew the silver trumpet. Immediately, the gold bulls on the table came to life, stretching their legs and shaking their fur, jumping off the table and turning into big cows, charging out of the mountain eye. As the last bull's head just came out, the east began to turn slightly red, and the mountain eye slowly got smaller. This worried the sisters, who tried to push the cow's buttocks but couldn't move them.
As for the villagers, when they heard the trumpet sound, they all ran to Ox Mountain. They saw cows running all over the mountain and went up to pull one each, grateful to the sisters. They wanted to thank the sisters but couldn't find them. At this time, someone noticed the bull that was stuck. They pulled on the bull's head, others pulled on its feet, trying to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge. Later, someone put a nose ring on the bull and tied a long rope to it, and everyone pulled together. When the bull felt the pain, it kicked hard and came out, and the mountain eye immediately closed, trapping the sisters inside.
By this time, the sun was up, and the silver trumpet in the mountain eye turned into a trumpet flower. Some say that the trumpet flower is also called morning glory to commemorate the sisters. Others say that the famous Nanyang oxen are descended from those gold bulls.
The above is the symbolism and legend of the morning glory and its related implications and symbolism. Green plant enthusiasts might find it useful for reference.