四君子

Chinese

four
 
junzi; man of virtue; high-minded person; noble person
simp. and trad.
(四君子)		 四 君子
Literally: “four junzis”.

Pronunciation

Proper noun

四君子

  1. Four Gentleman; four plants (chrysanthemum, bamboo, orchid, and plum blossom) that are often depicted in traditional Chinese, Korean, and Japanese ink-and-brush painting

References

Japanese

Kanji in this term
四 君 子
し
Grade: 1		 くん
Grade: 3		 し
Grade: 1
on’yomi

Etymology

Probably from Middle Chinese compound 四君子 (*sì *giuən *tziə̌, literally “four gentlemen”). Compare modern Chinese 四君子 (Sì Jūnzi).

Pronunciation

Proper noun

四君子 (hiragana しくんし, rōmaji Shikunshi)

  1. the Four Gentlemen: ume (the plum blossom, symbolising winter), ran (the orchid, symbolizing spring), matsu, (the bamboo, symbolizing summer), and kiku (chrysanthemum, symbolizing autumn):
    These four plants are often the subject of traditional Chinese, Korean, and Japanese paintings, with each often used to represent one of the four seasons; winter, spring, summer, and autumn, respectively.

Coordinate terms

  • 松竹梅 (しょうちくばい, ​shōchikubai): pine, bamboo, and plum (similarly appearing as the subject of traditional Chinese, Korean, and Japanese paintings)

References

  1. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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