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东风第一枝

東風第一枝
dōngfēngdìyīzhī
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 first branch to bloom in the east wind
  2. 2 (fig.) the earliest harbinger of spring — often a plum blossom
  3. 3 (lit.) east-wind number-one branch
  4. 4 also the name of a classical 词牌 (cí tune pattern)

Examples

寒梅是东风第一枝，报知春天到来。
Hán méi shì dōngfēng dì yī zhī, bàozhī chūntiān dàolái.
The winter plum is 'the first branch in the east wind,' announcing that spring has come.
他填了一首《东风第一枝》，纪念那年的早春。
Tā tiánle yī shǒu Dōngfēng Dì Yī Zhī, jìniàn nà nián de zǎochūn.
He composed a 'Dongfeng Diyizhi' ci to commemorate the early spring of that year.

Tips

history
Originally a line from Song-dynasty poetry about plum blossoms that bloom before all other flowers (often traced to 史达祖, Shi Dazu, c. 12th c., who composed a famous 咏梅 'Ode to Plum' using this tune). 东风第一枝 later became the name of a 词牌 (cí tune pattern) used by many later poets. Plum (梅) is the canonical 'first branch' because it flowers in late winter while snow is still on the ground.
usage
Can refer literally to the earliest-blooming plum branch, metaphorically to any 'first sign' of a new season or era, or specifically to the 词牌 by this name. Context decides.

Stroke Order

东 dōng
风 fēng
第 dì
一 yī
枝 zhī