Six Chinese Phrases for Spring | Language
Flowers, bamboo, and frogs...
Flowers bloom in the warmth of spring
This phrase is typically used to describe scenery, but can also be a metaphor for good timing or a joyful occasion. In 1989, the poet Haizi (海子) wrote his most famous work “Facing the Sea, With Spring Flowers Blossoming” (《面朝大海春暖花开》), the first verse of which goes:
I will be a happy person starting tomorrow.
Cóng míngtiān qǐ, zuò yí gè xìngfú de rén.
Feed horses, chop wood, and travel the world.
Wèimǎ, pīchái, zhōuyóu shìjiè.
I will attend to food and vegetables starting tomorrow.
Cóng míngtiān qǐ, guānxīn liángshi he shūcài.
I have a house, facing the sea, with spring flowers blossoming.
Wǒ yǒu yì suǒ fángzi, miàn cháo dàhǎi, chūnnuǎn-huākāi.
雨后春笋 yǔhòu-chūnsǔn
Spring up like bamboo shoots after spring rain
Apart from flowers, bamboo shoots also symbolize spring. The meaning of this idiom is similar to “growing like mushrooms” in English.
随着旅游业的繁荣,旅行社像雨后春笋一般地发展起来。
春风化雨
Life-giving spring breeze and rain
This chengyu refers to the spring weather that nourishes grass and trees, and is usually a metaphor for the nurturing influence of education or teachers. In Taiwan, the title of the 1989 movie Dead Poets Society was translated into this phrase.
我本想在这个春风化雨的环境里学习更多,但却不得不转学了。
寸草春晖 cùncǎo-chūnhuī
The grass cannot repay the spring sunshine for its warmth
“How could the grateful humble grass, ever repay the kindness of the generous sunshine in the spring? (谁言寸草心,报得三春晖 shuí yán cùn cǎo xīn, bào dē sān chūn huī),” Tang dynasty (618 - 907) poet Meng Jiao (孟郊) asked in “A Traveler’s Song (《游子吟》).” The poem gave rise a chengyu meaning “one can never fully repay the kindness of one’s parents.”
春兰秋菊
Spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums
Both the orchid and the chrysanthemum are beloved in Chinese culture, and nicknamed as the “four gentlemen” together with the plum blossom and bamboo. This chengyu means that every person and object has a unique charm.
她擅长书法,她姐姐精于绘画,可谓是春兰秋菊,各有所长。
春蛙秋蝉 chūnwā-qiūchán
The croak of frogs in spring and chirp of cicadas in autumn
This chengyu sounds similar to the above, but the connotations are completely different. Frogs and cicadas are both known for making loud and persistent noises, so this phrase is pejorative, meaning “loud but empty talk.”
这种春蛙秋蝉的长篇大论真的毫无意义。
Digital Subscription