The character for the willow tree is a homophone of the character liu, which means asking a person to stay when bidding farewell. Thus it symbolizes the sorrow of separation.

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昔我往矣 杨柳依依
xī wŏ wăng yĭ, yángliŭ yīyī

Xi means “in the past” while wo means “I.” Wang means “to leave or to set out.” Yi is an auxiliary word that indicates mood. Yangliu refers willow trees. Yiyi is an adjective that describes the gently swaying or the blossoming movement of willow branches. This idiom, taken literally, means that “When I set out so long ago, swaying and blossoming was the willow.”

Originating from the Book of Songs, this idiom is considered the earliest description of willows in Chinese literature. Followed by another two verses “When now homeward I go, falling heavily was the snow,” the song containing these four verses was sung by a soldier forced to join the army and leave his hometown. On his way back home, he recalled the day he left and described the journey back home.

The idiom is used to describe one’s reluctance to bid farewell to loved ones. Sometimes, it also expresses one’s homesickness.  

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柳絮才媛
liŭxù cái yuán

Liuxu refers to the willow catkins. Cai means “talent” and in this case, particularly, literary talents. Yuan refers to pretty girls. This idiom, taken literally, means a pretty girl with literary talent as in the story about “willow catkins.”

This idiom originated from a story of Xie Daoyun, niece of poet Xie An (320-385). One day when Xie An was teaching literature to the family members of a younger generation, it began to snow heavily. Xie An asked, “What can we compare this fluttering snow to?” One nephew answered “Someone sprinkling salt in the sky.” Xie Daoyun compared this phenomenon to “willow catkins blown in the air.” Hearing this metaphor, Xie An laughed with delight.

This idiom, or simply the “talent of willow catkins,” is used now to say that a girl has literary gifts or literary talent.

 

(edited by CHEN ALONG)