The Language and Legends of Jasmine Flowers
This article answers netizens' inquiries about the language and legends of jasmine flowers, as well as introduces the plant, which is a type of evergreen shrub with green leaves, white flowers, and a strong fragrance. It is a common ornamental aromatic flower for gardens and potted plants.
Language of Jasmine Flowers
Jasmine is pure, rich, fragrant, and enduring. Its language signifies loyalty, respect, purity, chastity, simplicity, elegance, and charm.
Many countries consider it the flower of love, with young men and women exchanging jasmine flowers to express their steadfast love. It is also seen as a flower of friendship, passed among people.
Wearing a garland of jasmine flowers around a guest's neck, letting it hang over the chest, is a gesture of respect and friendship, becoming a warm and hospitable custom.
The language of jasmine is “You are mine”, because of its captivating fragrance, many people pin it on their clothes as an ornament.
In solemn occasions such as weddings, it is also a very suitable decorative flower and is often used in bridal bouquets.
Legends of Jasmine Flowers
Story One
In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, there lived a farmer surnamed Zhao in Huqiu, Suzhou. The family, consisting of the couple and their three sons, lived in poverty. The old man went to seek work in the countryside of Guangdong, returning home every two or three years. His wife and sons farmed at home. As the children grew up, the land was divided into three parts, with each person getting a piece, mainly planting tea trees. One year, when the old man returned home, he brought back a bundle of flower seedlings, saying they were fragrant flowers liked by people in the south, but he was unsure of their name. Without caring whether his sons liked them or not, he planted them by the tea field of his eldest son. The next year, small white flowers bloomed on the trees, which were fragrant but did not attract much interest from the villagers. One day, the son of the Zhao family was surprised to find that the tea branches had the fragrance of the small white flowers. He checked the entire tea field and found that they all had fragrance. Quietly, he picked a basket of scented tea leaves and went to try selling them in Suzhou. Unexpectedly, the scented tea leaves sold like hotcakes. That year, the eldest son made a fortune selling scented tea leaves, and the news soon spread. The two younger brothers demanded their share of the profits, arguing that the scented tea leaves were due to the fragrant flowers planted by their father. They wanted to divide the money equally among the three. The brothers quarreled incessantly, with the two younger brothers wanting to destroy the fragrant flowers.
There was an old hermit in the village named Dai Kui, who was highly respected by the people. The three brothers of the Zhao family went to Dai's house to ask for his judgment. Dai said, “You three are brothers and should be close to each other. You will also get married and have children, and you will be parents. You should not fight over a little profit right now and cause a rift. The scented tea leaves discovered by your eldest brother, which sold for a good price, are a good thing, and the whole family should be happy. The God of Wealth has entered your home, but you are fighting instead. Isn't that foolish? You know where the God of Wealth is—it is these fragrant flowers. You should propagate these fragrant flowers and plant them in your tea fields. If everyone sells scented tea, you will all become rich. If your fragrant flowers become famous, and bad people come to steal them, what will you do? You should take turns guarding them, which requires unity. If you are all self-centered and do not put the interests of the group first, how can things work out? To make you remember my words, I will give your fragrant flowers a name—“Moli” flower, which means to always put personal interests last in dealing with people and matters.” The three brothers were moved by Dai's words. After returning home, they lived harmoniously, worked together, and their lives became more prosperous year by year.
Later, Suzhou jasmine became a famous local product. After many years, Suzhou jasmine tea became famous far and wide. The name “Moli” was changed to “Jasmine” by literati for the sake of aesthetic appeal, but the original meaning of “Moli” is still retained in the hearts of the people.
Story Two
In the Tang Dynasty, there was a famous courtesan in Suzhou named Zhen Niang, who came from a scholarly family in Chang'an, the capital. Since childhood, she was clever, beautiful, skilled in singing and dancing, and proficient in playing the zither and chess, as well as in calligraphy and painting. To escape the Anshi Rebellion, she fled south with her parents, only to be separated from them on the road and ended up in Suzhou, where she was lured into the “Le Yun Lou” brothel on Shantang Street. Because of her talent and appearance, she quickly became famous, but she only sold her art, not her body, and kept her chastity.
At that time, there was a wealthy young man named Wang Yinxiang, who was honest and talented. He fell in love with Zhen Niang in the brothel and wanted to marry her. However, Zhen Niang, who had already been betrothed by her parents in her childhood, had to refuse him politely. Wang Yinxiang would not give up and used money to bribe the brothel owner, wanting to spend the night with Zhen Niang. Feeling unable to resist, Zhen Niang, in order to preserve her chastity, hanged herself. Upon hearing this, Wang Yinxiang was overwhelmed with regret and grief. He spent a lot of money to bury Zhen Niang at the famous Huqiu and erected a monument in her memory, planting flowers and trees on her grave, which was known as the “Flower Tomb”. He swore never to marry again. Whenever scholars and refined gentlemen passed by Zhen Niang's grave, they could not help but feel sorry for her and inscribed poems on her tomb.
It is said that jasmine flowers had no fragrance before Zhen Niang's death, but after her spirit attached itself to the flowers, jasmine flowers have been fragrant ever since. Therefore, jasmine flowers are also known as “soul-scented”, and jasmine tea is called “soul-scented tea”.
The sharing of jasmine flowers, their language, and the legends of jasmine flowers presented here is hoped to bring a little help to your life!