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凌寒独自开

凌寒獨自開
líng hán dú zì kāi
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 braving the cold, it blooms alone
  2. 2 opens its flowers by itself in the freezing season
  3. 3 classic image of plum blossoms (and moral steadfastness)

Examples

那株梅花凌寒独自开，引得游客纷纷驻足。
Nà zhū méihuā línghándúzìkāi, yǐnde yóukè fēnfēn zhùzú.
That plum tree, blooming alone against the cold, had visitors stopping one after another.
他独自创业多年，颇有凌寒独自开的气节。
Tā dúzì chuàngyè duōnián, pō yǒu línghándúzìkāi de qìjié.
Running his own startup for years, he has the solitary steadfastness of the plum that 'blooms alone against the cold.'

Tips

history
From Wang Anshi's (王安石, Northern Song dynasty) 《梅花》: 墙角数枝梅，凌寒独自开。遥知不是雪，为有暗香来 — 'A few plum branches at the wall corner, blooming alone against the cold; from afar I know these are not snow — a faint fragrance drifts near.' Wang's minimalist quatrain set the template for the plum as symbol of lonely, principled virtue.
usage
凌 here is not 'to insult' but the older sense 'to rise above / brave / override.' The plum (梅) is the first of the Four Gentlemen (四君子) — bamboo, plum, orchid, chrysanthemum — and the only one that blooms in winter, making it the emblem of integrity in hardship.

Stroke Order

凌 líng
寒 hán
独 dú
自 zì
开 kāi