Army officer in 水浒传 who kills a bullying butcher with three punches, hides out as a hard-drinking monk and joins the Liangshan outlaws. Children know the scene where he pulls a willow tree up by its roots.
His feats are known by set titles. In 拳打镇关西, 镇关西, 'Guardian of the West', is the grand name the butcher gave himself; in 倒拔垂杨柳 he uproots the willow to awe a gang of hoodlums in a 开封 temple garden.
usage
The 花, 'flower', in 花和尚 refers to the tattoos on his back. Said of anyone else, 花和尚 means a monk who breaks his vows, often with women, a sense that has nothing to do with him.
