中国范儿 84 牡丹：流芳千载国色天香

　　Peonies are highly-prized flowers native to China. Before being domesticated by the Chinese more than 1500 years ago, peonies have been blooming and withering in the wild for thousands of years. Peonies have big and bright-colored blossoms. They are fragrant and elegant. As the symbol of wealth and auspiciousness in the Chinese culture, peonies have long been admired by generations of the Chinese people. Thus, peonies left a lasting imprint on the long history of the Chinese culture.

　　以花喻人是中国文化的一个特有传统，如以梅花喻坚韧不拔的人格，以莲花喻品格高洁的君子，以菊花喻淡薄名利的隐士，都在观赏性之外赋予了花卉高尚的人格。这之中，牡丹显得尤为特殊，有国色天香之称，意指牡丹花色之明艳冠绝一国，而其香气则是天上才有、人间绝无的芬芳，这大概是人们能够想象到的对花卉最高规格的赞誉了。因而历代常以牡丹来形容人间最美的女子。

　　The Chinese have the tradition of using flowers as metaphors to depict certain types of people. For example, the plum flower is the symbol of people with forbearance, the lotus flower embodies those decent people with high moral standard, and the chrysanthemum flower symbolizes hermits who are indifferent to fame and wealth. Apart from enjoying these flowers, the Chinese tend to attribute them with certain personalities. The Chinese are particularly fond of peonies, which are the embodiments of “national beauty and heavenly fragrance” in China. The Chinese use such a title to praise the surreal beauty and fragrance of peonies. This must be the highest praise people can give to any kind of flower. It is no wonder that peonies were also the embodiments of the most beautiful ladies in ancient China.

　　牡丹最早见于3000多年前的《诗经》之中，被用作男女定情的信物。秦汉时期成书的医术《神农本草经》将牡丹列为一味药材。而其后的隋唐时期，牡丹渐渐成为人们喜爱的观赏花卉。无论是身居庙堂的帝王将相，还是市井的贩夫走卒，都对牡丹花青睐有加，从宫廷到民间养殖观赏牡丹蔚然成风。牡丹的风姿也晕染了无数文人墨客的笔尖，李白写杨贵妃“云想衣裳花想容,春风拂槛露华浓”。刘禹锡写牡丹“唯有牡丹真国色，花开时节动京城”。而传世的中国唐代古画《簪花仕女图》当中仕女头上插有一朵硕大的牡丹，更增其娇媚，更显其华贵。牡丹的浓烈的韵味，大概是那个繁盛时代的最好注脚。

　　Records of peonies first appeared in The Classic of Poetry more than 3000 years ago. They were viewed as love-tokens at that time. Herbal Classic of Shen Nong, written somewhere between the Qin and Han dynasties, treats peonies as medicinal herbs. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, peonies gradually became the ornamental flowers that people were enthusiastic about. Everybody was fond of peonies, whether he or she was the emperor, a high-ranking official, a peddler and an ordinary soldier. Planting and watching peonies became very popular both in the royal court and the broader society. Generations of poets could not ignore the beauty of peonies. Li Bai depicted Yang Guifei, a famous imperial concubine of the Tang Dynasty, in a poem that reads “I think of her silver clothing at the sight of drifting clouds and her stunning appearance at the sight of flowers. The spring wind flows across the corridor while the peonies are set off by the glittering dews”. Liu Yuxi, another poet from the Tang Dynasty, once wrote that “Only peonies are truly national beauties and their blooming blossoms are something sensational in the capital city”. Portrait of a Flower-wearing Maid, a highly-cherished painting from the Tang Dynasty, depicts a maid wearing a giant peony flower on her head. The maid looks so gentle and gorgeous with that beautiful peony flower. The irresistible charm of peonies is probably the best marker for that prosperous era of China.

　　如今，牡丹仍然是中国人最喜爱的花卉之一。每年的4月底5月初，花开正旺，是观赏牡丹的好时节。

　　Today, peony is still one of the most favorite flowers for the Chinese. Peonies are generally in full bloom in late April and early May each year, which is also the best time to enjoy these beautiful flowers.

　　2019年4月29日起，为期半年的北京世园会就要开幕了，可以到这里观花卉，品世园风情，赏田园风光，感受大自然的神奇力量。牡丹，作为中国名花，它独特的魅力，将会在这向世界人民绽放。

　　Beijing International Horticultural Expo, an event that will last half a year, is scheduled to open on April 29, 2019. Here, people will have the opportunity to watch all kinds of flowers, taste the beauty of exotic gardens, enjoy the rustic scenery, and feel the amazing power of nature. As highly-cherished flowers in China, peonies at the Expo are set to display their idiosyncratic charm in front of the whole world.

来源：中国网

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