4 Gentlemen

The Four Gentlemen in Chinese painting refers to the four different plants of exemplary conduct and nobility of character. They are as the following: the orchid (蘭) represents spring, the bamboo (竹) is for summer, the chrysanthemum (菊) is for autumn, and the plum blossom (梅) is for winter.  “Gentleman” in Chinese is call “Junzi 君子” which, in Chinese philosophical terms, means a noble man or an ideal man. The typical characteristics of Junzi include humility, loyalty, obedience, knowledge, and an emphasis on good deeds over words. The core characteristic of Junzi is benevolence (仁); this falls under Confucius’ central philosophy.

Chinese artists love to paint the Four Gentlemen because each of the four plants represents good characteristics of a noble man. In particular, a traditional Chinese artist likes to paint the Four Gentlemen as a series to depict the progression of the seasons through the year and to admire good virtue and personal character.

Plum Blossom 梅

Welcome Spring 迎春

Welcome spring 迎春

Welcome spring 迎春

To see more examples of plum blossom painting, click here.

Bamboo 竹

Bamboo bring peace 竹報平安 

Bamboo brings peace 竹報平安

Bamboo brings peace 竹報平安

Flying and dancing, various bamboo postures light,
Stock strong, joint perseverance, flying high towards the heaven.
Humble in nature, and dislike multi-color bright,
But, magnanimous and ambitious, confidence strengthen!

婆裟多姿躍入畫﹐
健竿韌節向雲天 。
謙遜不喜斑爛色﹐
大度虛心志更堅 。

To see more examples of bamboo painting, click here.

Orchid 蘭

Faint fragrance 幽香

懸崖獨幽 絕壁孤芳
蕙心寄韻 蘭質飄香

 To see more examples of orchid painting, click here.

Chrysanthemum 菊

Fall delight 秋光正好

 To see more examples of chrysanthemum painting, click here.

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