Spring Garden

I'm catching the spring fever. The above is a painting of peony flowers in full bloom, done by an unknown artist (at least, unknown to me!). In China, there is a true appreciation of such art, as can be seen in many homes and restaurants. As a tourist walking in a crowded street or eating in a restaurant, you may be approached by peddlars selling paintings.

How do you translate the untranslatable? This is the main problem for Chinese scholars and literature critics when they come across words or phrases that are just impossible to convert to English. This is especially so when trying to translate their aesthetic feelings on art and nature.

All art elements, including poetry and paintings, since the time of ancient China, are based on two aesthetic notions: the present mood and the scenery. The Chinese believed that any form of philosophy that is inhuman or antithetical to nature or natural human sentiment and inclination has gone astray. Similarly, a person who is detached and aloof is said to be wuch'ing or 'to have no heart'. Concerning scenery, it is closely related to human mood. For example, the artist feels the spirit of autumn coming when the there is a chill in the air and the leaves turn golden. Similarly, there is the spirit of early spring when the flowers are budding. It is said that nature, when seen through a painting or a story or even a reflective thought, is more beautiful than the reality itself.

This is the first part of a series where I will try to reveal the secrets of nature, in Chinese vocabulary, as related to the four seasons. I will carry this through, especially based on the book 'The Importance of Living - A Lyrical Philosophy' by the late Prof Lin Yutang.

Some of the beauty characteristics of spring are as follows:

brightness (ming): as in a bright moon or brightly dressed woman. This is different from clever, as we would like to say in English, like a bright student.

gorgeously beautiful (yen): as in peony flowers (see in the above painting). Don't they look dazzling and gorgeous to you?

vitality (ling): If you noticed their paintings, they are not tight or compact. A painting is said to have vitality or looks alive when there is abundant use of empty space.

graceful, delicate, slender (hsiu): Bamboo trees have this kind of delicate beauty. I am sure you have watched the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I liked it so much, I saw it several times. Not long ago, people used to make movies in China that way. I will always remember the part where the actors were springing from one bamboo tree to another and flying on rooftops. Now, that's delicate!