Steven's Chinese Idiom Stories - Episode 3 - A charming face of peach blossoms

Love has always been an eternal theme of the human race. Some love stories are beautiful, others can be sad; some are romantic and some can be passionate. Love can turn a story into an eternal tale. Love can describe the deepest emotions. Love can also evolve into a well-recited idiom. "A Charming Face Like Peach Blossoms" is one of the idioms that evolved from a love story. Welcome to the 3rd episode of Learning Chinese Idioms with Steven. Having a good understanding of the Chinese idioms will help you grasp the essence of the Chinese language, discover the Chinese history and taste the Chinese culture. In the Tang Dynasty, there is a famous classic poem. The poem is written: This same time last year, I saw peach blossom shining upon her face. Now I no longer find her grace， Only the peach flower smiling to the breeze's embrace. 'Ren Mian Tao Hua' is the idiom of the day. In English it means 'A Charming Face Like Peach Blossoms'. This poem is called 'Ti Du Cheng Nan Zhuang'. The author is Cui Hui, a talented and handsome scholar from the Tang Dynasty who was born into a well educated family. Love has always been an popular theme of literature. Many poems from the Tang Dynasty are related to love. Some beautiful, some melancholy, some implicit and some passionate. 'A Charming Face Like Peach Blossoms' is widely read and still recited by many to date. Some only know it as a poem but not many truly appreciate the touching love story this poem tells. And the author Cui Hu was the main character of this story. The story began in early spring. The peach trees were in bloom and the willows turned green, the perching birds sang while the swallow and butterflies danced. The warmth of spring had finally arrived. Cui Hu, having read for the whole morning, looked out of the window. He was soon carried away by the breath of Spring. He put down his books and decided to head to the countryside to enjoy the springtime. Wondering into the countryside, Cui Hu was feeling refreshed. Before long he was far away from town. He started to feel exhausted and thirsty and thought it would be a good idea to find a farmhouse to rest and have some water. Cui Hu looked up and saw in the distance among a ground of peach blossoms was a cottage. He followed the path in between the blossoms and arrived at the front yard of the cottage. Cui Hu approached closer, knocked at the door and said: "I am passing by and would appreciate some water to quench my thirst." The door opened and out came a young lady. The young lady was simply dressed but it couldn't hide her elegance and refined beauty. Cui Hu appeared handsome and aristocratic so the young lady invited him in. She poured him a cup of tea and placed the tea cup in his hands. Cui Hu, stunned by her natural beauty, was lost for words. The young lady seemed to sense his reaction and became shy all of a sudden, which made her seem even more attractive. Cui Hu politely took the tea cup and inquired about the young lady's name and her family. She calmly replied: "My name is Jiang Niang and I live here with my father." The sun was setting, Cui Hu reluctantly bid his farewell to the young lady. The young lady leaned against the door and watched him disappear from her sight. Cui Hu looked back a few times as he slowly walked away. Under the reflection of the peach blossom, the young lady was even more beautiful and elegant. Her charm was intoxicating to Cui, and his heart swayed like a spring breeze. After this event, time quickly passed by. A year had passed and Spring arrived again. Spring tends to unwind the mind. The breeze was truly intoxicating. Staring at the peach blossoms outside his window, Cui Hu recalled his encounter with the young lady the year before. He suddenly felt the urge to see her again. He ran to the countryside hoping to see the beautiful young lady among the peach blossoms. Alas, he found the cottage. Everything looked the same. He walked close to the courtyard and silence filled the air. Through the bamboo fence he exclaimed: "I am passing by and would appreciate some water to quench my thirst." How he wished she would come to greet him again. But, the young lady didn't answer the door. Cui Hu had another closer look and found the door was locked. The house owner no longer lived here. His heart sank immediately. He sat in front of the cottage hopelessly. He waited and waited but there was no presence of Jiang Niang. He took out his pen and ink and wrote a poem on the front door. The poem was called 'Ti Du Cheng Nan Zhuang': This same time last year, I saw peach blossom shining upon her face. Now I no longer find her beautiful grace， Only the peach blossoms smiling in the breeze's embrace. Cui Hu couldn't stop thinking about Jiang Niang after returning home. Her beauty lingered on his mind. He was so lovesick and could bear no more. So after a few days he decided to visit Jiang Niang's cottage again. When he arrived at the cottage, he heard someone crying. Cui Hu knocked at the door and out came an old man. The old man asked: "Are you Cui Hu?" Cui Hu was surprised that the old man knew his name. He nodded: "Yes, I am Cui Hu." The old man started crying and said, "You have hurt my daughter!" Cui Hu was puzzled. The old man said, "Ever since my daughter met you last Spring she has missed you day and night. She thought if you really loved her you would return for her. Each day she waited. One year passed with no sight of you and she was in despair. A few days ago she had a short stay with our relatives. Upon her return she saw your poem on the door. She regretted missing the chance to see you and thought she would never see you again in her life time. She felt sick and has been sick since." Cui Hu was astonished by what he was told. He rushed inside the cottage and held Jiang Niang tightly in his arms. He shouted, "Jiang Niang please don't leave me. I am here for you now!" Cui Hui was crying so much while holding Jiang Niang. her face was covered with his tears. It could be his sincerity that moved the gods, or his love that awakened Jiang Niang. She suddenly regained her consciousness and slowly opened her eyes to see Cui hu. She threw herself into Cui Hu's arms. They hugged and cried in happiness. The power of love is always great. Those in love are always destined to be with each other. Cui Hui soon married Jiang Niang, a beautiful and virtuous wife. Jiang Niang was thrifty, virtuous and kind. She got along well with his parents, relatives, friends and neighbours. Cui Hu had nothing to worry about so he could concentrate on his learning. His academic progress soared. Cui Hui attended the official national exam held by the central government. He was granted a high ranking and became a governor. With the assistance from Jiang Niang, he was an honest and upright governor, with outstanding achievements and respected by his people. The legacy of this love story spread through China and became a household story for thousands of years. The idiom "Ren Mian Tao Hua" was evolved from this love story. It is used to describe a man's love for a girl at first sight but couldn't meet her again for a long time. Thank you for watching, I look forward to seeing you in the next episode.