咏菊 (yǒngjú): to sing of / write a poem on ch…

Meanings

1 to sing of / write a poem on chrysanthemums (a classical poetic theme); 'Ode to the Chrysanthemum' (a common poem title)

Characters

咏

yǒng

to sing of, to chant in verse

菊

jú

chrysanthemum

Examples

古代文人喜欢咏菊。

Gǔdài wénrén xǐhuan yǒngjú.

Ancient literati loved composing poems about chrysanthemums.

林黛玉的《咏菊》是《红楼梦》里的名篇。

Líndàiyù de 《 Yǒngjú 》 shì 《 Hónglóumèng 》 lǐ de míng piān.

Lin Daiyu's 'Ode to the Chrysanthemum' is a famous piece in Dream of the Red Chamber.

Tips

culture

Chrysanthemums (菊花) are one of the 'Four Gentlemen' (四君子) of Chinese painting alongside plum, orchid, and bamboo — symbolizing reclusive integrity (especially after Tao Yuanming 陶渊明's love for them). 咏菊 poems are a classical genre; the most famous in popular culture is the one Lin Daiyu writes in chapter 38 of 《红楼梦》 (Dream of the Red Chamber), which wins first prize in the Crab-Flower Club's poetry contest.