战地黄花分外香

戰地黃花分外香

zhàndì huánghuā fènwài xiāng

quotation

Meanings

1 the chrysanthemums on the battlefield smell exceptionally fragrant
2 (fig.) beauty and heroism intensify each other; struggle makes simple things more precious
3 (lit.) battlefield yellow-flower extraordinarily fragrant

Characters

ground (战地 = battlefield)

flower (黄花 = chrysanthemum)

beyond (分外 = exceptionally)

香

xiāng

fragrant

Examples

抗战纪念馆门前的菊花盛开，让人想起战地黄花分外香。

Kàng zhàn jìniànguǎn ménqián de júhuā shèngkāi, ràng rén xiǎngqǐ zhàndìhuánghuāfènwàixiāng.

Chrysanthemums bloom before the war memorial — it calls to mind 'the battlefield chrysanthemums smell all the sweeter.'

老兵回忆当年战壕里的野菊，感叹战地黄花分外香。

Lǎobīng huíyì dāngnián zhànháo lǐ de yě jú, gǎntàn zhàndìhuánghuāfènwàixiāng.

The old soldier recalled the wild chrysanthemums in the trenches, sighing that 'battlefield flowers smell all the more fragrant.'

Tips

history

From 毛泽东《采桑子·重阳》(Mao Zedong, Cai Sang Zi: Double Ninth, 1929), written at the Min-Yue-Gan revolutionary base during the civil war: 人生易老天难老，岁岁重阳。今又重阳，战地黄花分外香 (Human life easily ages, heaven ages hard; year after year, Double Ninth. Now Double Ninth comes again — the battlefield chrysanthemums smell all the sweeter). Uses the traditional Chongyang 重阳 (Double Ninth / chrysanthemum) festival to frame revolutionary struggle.

usage

分外 here = exceptionally, all the more (not 'outside one's share'). 黄花 specifically means chrysanthemums (菊花) in classical poetry, the signature Double-Ninth flower. A favorite quote in Chinese patriotic/military contexts.

Stroke Order

战 zhàn

地 dì

黄 huáng

花 huā

分 fēn

外 wài

香 xiāng