depravitea wrote:
I'm curious to know what it says as well, if it wasn't for the fish, I would have gone with the tree
I'm so happy that you asked me to look into this. This will be a kind of mini-essay, so I hope you don't mind. (I had to rely on a Chinese friend to help me work all this out, apart from looking up the characters.)
The characters on my glass are: 梅笑迎春. (méi xiào yíng chūn - "plum blossom, smile/laugh, welcome, spring"). The meaning is "The plum blossom welcomes the spring." This is half a phrase, and half a well-known image used in poetry. I found no English explanation of it via Google, although the characters turn up lots of results in Chinese.
The plum is one of China's "
Four Gentlemen", a term for four particularly beloved flowers: plum blossom, orchid, chrysanthemum and bamboo. They're the flowers shown on Chinese mahjong tiles as well, for that reason. The Four Gentlemen are a favourite subject for paintings and poetry, and have specific association and imagery.
The plum is held in high regard because of its scent and because it flowers at the end of winter in the cold; it is a sign that spring is on the way, and is generally associated with the season of spring. "梅笑迎春" therefore invokes the idea that good things are coming, and that beauty can flourish in harsh conditions. "梅", plum blossom, is therefore also a complimentary image to associate with a woman.
My friend linked me to two poems related to plum blossom that are particularly famous. One is by the Southern Song poet
Lu You (1125—1210CE), and is called "Ode to the Plum Blossom". The other is by a certain
Mao Zedong, and is a response to Lu You's poem, written in 1961:
Lu You (1125—1210CE) —
Ode to the Plum Blossom
Outside the post-house, beside the broken bridge,
Alone, deserted, a flower blooms.
Saddened by her solitude in the falling dusk,
She is now assailed by wind and rain.
Let other flowers be envious!
She craves not spring for herself alone.
Her petals may be ground in the mud,
But her fragrance will endure.
Mao Zedong (1893—1976) —
Ode to the Plum Blossom
Wind and rain escorted spring's departure,
Flying snow welcomes spring's return.
On the ice-clad rock rising high and sheer
A flower blooms sweet and fair.
Sweet and fair, she craves not spring for herself alone,
To be the harbinger of spring she is content.
When the mountain flowers are in full bloom
She will smile mingling in their midst.
--
I'm very happy to have learnt all this, and thank you again for the inspiration!
/Tealeaf
