Ailian's Theory and Translation

Ailien said and translated as follows:

The flowers of terrestrial vegetation are very sweet. Tao Jinyuan clearly loves chrysanthemums. Since Li Tang came, people all over the world have loved peonies. Love lotus alone, dirt-free, clear but not demon. Straight outside, not crawling, fragrant and clear. It is slim and elegant, so you can look at it from a distance without looking ridiculous. Want to call chrysanthemum, the hermit of flowers; Peony, blooming with wealth; Lotus, the gentleman of flowers. Hey. The love between chrysanthemums and flowers is rarely heard after Tao. Who gave the lotus love? Peony love is suitable for many people.

There are many kinds of amphibious herbs and woody flowers, which are worth loving. Tao Yuanming of Jin Dynasty only loved chrysanthemums. Since Li in Tang Dynasty, people all over the world have loved peony very much. But I only like the lotus growing in the soil, which is not polluted, but it doesn't look enchanting after being washed with clear water.

Its stem is hollow inside and straight outside, without vines and branches. When it is planted far away, it smells more fragrant and stands straight and clean in the water. People can only look at it from a distance and can't play with it.

I think chrysanthemum is a hermit in flowers. Peony is a rich person in flowers; Lotus is a noble flower. Alas. Tao Yuanming seldom heard about the love of chrysanthemum after that. For the love of lotus, who else is like me? Of course, there are many people who love peony.

Abstract: The Theory of Love Lotus is an essay by Zhou Dunyi, a philosopher in the Northern Song Dynasty. Through the description of the image and quality of lotus, this paper praises the faithful character of lotus, thus showing the author's noble personality and generous mind.

About the author:

Zhou Dunyi (101June, 2007-1July, 073 14), also known as Zhou Yuanhao, was originally named Zhou Dunshi, and was born in posthumous title, Tianbao, Daozhou, Northern Song Dynasty.

He is the author of Zhu Yuanzhang's Gong Ji, Ailian's Theory, Taiji Illustration and Shu Tong. The basic concepts of Neo-Confucianism, such as infinity, Tai Chi, Yin and Yang, five elements, movement, sincerity, no desire, hue, etc., have been repeatedly discussed and developed by later Neo-Confucianism, which constitutes an important content in the category system of Neo-Confucianism.