最是橙黄橘绿时

最是橙黃橘綠時

zuìshìchénghuángjúlǜshí

phrase

Meanings

1 most especially when oranges are yellow and tangerines green
2 (fig.) celebration of late autumn/early winter's own rich ripeness; middle age as its own golden season
3 (lit.) most is orange-yellow tangerine-green time

Characters

Examples

秋末初冬，正是最是橙黄橘绿时，风景别有韵味。

Qiū mò chū dōng, zhèng shì zuì shì chéng huáng jú lǜ shí, fēngjǐng bié yǒu yùnwèi.

Late autumn and early winter — 'the very season when oranges are yellow and tangerines green' — has its own special charm.

人到中年，也是最是橙黄橘绿时，自有沉甸甸的成熟。

Rén dào zhōngnián, yě shì zuì shì chéng huáng jú lǜ shí, zì yǒu chéndiàndiàn de chéngshú.

Reaching middle age is also 'the orange-yellow, tangerine-green time' — a ripeness with its own heft.

Tips

history

From 苏轼《赠刘景文》(Su Shi / Su Dongpo, 'Given to Liu Jingwen,' Northern Song, 1090 CE): 荷尽已无擎雨盖，菊残犹有傲霜枝。一年好景君须记，最是橙黄橘绿时 (Lotuses gone, no more rain-canopies; chrysanthemums faded, yet their frost-defying stems remain. Remember, friend, the year's best scene — it is most of all when oranges are yellow and tangerines green). Written to encourage a 58-year-old friend: late-season ripeness is the richest. Often quoted to celebrate maturity.

usage

Usually paired with 一年好景君须记. The phrase 橙黄橘绿 has become a standalone idiom for late-autumn fruit-ripening scenery. A frequent line in tea, wine, and middle-age-themed writing.

Stroke Order

最 zuì

是 shì

橙 chéng

黄 huáng

橘 jú

绿 lǜ

时 shí