In China, at least since the middle of

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

, the phrase mulberry fields is a

metonymy Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept. Etymology The words ''metonymy'' and ''metonym'' come from grc, μετωνυμία, 'a change of name' ...

for the land which was or will be covered by oceans.Joseph Needham, as cited by Robert F. Campany, said that this subject gave a notion of the

Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...

belief, that "over vast eras", geological change will turn the ocean into land and vice versa. This term is often used in Chinese literature and poetry, for example in '' Zuo Zhuan'', which is about the death of Duke Jing of Jin and mentions the "Shaman of Mulberry Fields" ().In this case, ''sāngtián'' can be a name or a place. Along with the "blue seas" phrase, since the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

, these two phrases were combined into an

idiom An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase; but some phrases become figurative idioms while retaining the literal meaning of the phrase. Categorized as formulaic language, ...

that has meaning about changes and changing. The mathematics book ''shushù jìyí'' 数术记遗 (''shushù jìyí'') by Xu Yue, from the

, mentioned an idea about the turning of blue seas into mulberry fields.

Yan Zhenqing Yan Zhenqing (; 709–785) was a Chinese calligrapher, military general, and politician. He was a leading Chinese calligrapher and a loyal governor of the Tang dynasty. His artistic accomplishment in Chinese calligraphy is equal to that of the g ...

, in his literature ''Magu Shan Xiantan Ji'' (痲姑山仙墰記), wrote that on the high tops of Mount Magu there could still be found clam and oyster shells, and he also mentioned the gardens and fields which once were under the water.

The blue sea turned into mulberry fields

"The blue sea turned into mulberry fields" (; fig. "the transformations of the world") appears in the hagiographic works of

Ge Hong Ge Hong (; b. 283 – d. 343 or 364), courtesy name Zhichuan (稚川), was a Chinese linguist, Taoist practitioner, philosopher, physician, politician, and writer during the Eastern Jin dynasty. He was the author of '' Essays on Chinese Characte ...

, i.e., "'' Shenxian zhuan''". The idiom is given in four characters, each having its own meaning: 沧 "blue, dark green; cold"; 海 "sea, ocean; maritime"; 桑 "mulberry tree; surname"; 田 "field, arable land, cultivated". This idiom can also be interpreted as "time will bring a great change into the world" or "everything will be change in time". When the

immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...

Wang Yuan invited Magu to come to his house for a feast, after the food was being served, Magu said: Wang drew a long breath and said:

Blue seas where once was mulberry fields

"Blue seas where once was mulberry fields" () was written on the

Records of the Grand Historian ''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese hist ...

Sima Qian Sima Qian (; ; ) was a Chinese historian of the early Han dynasty (206AD220). He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for his ''Records of the Grand Historian'', a general history of China covering more than two thousand years b ...

. The idiom can be interpreted as "the time will bring great changing" or "the wheel of fate is spinning". Each characters of the idiom has a meaning: 渤 "swelling; the gulf of Hebei"; 澥 "gulf"; 桑 "mulberry tree; surname"; 田 "field, arable land, cultivated".

Literary works

A popular romance story from

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

tells of a beautiful peasant girl named Choon Hyang, who was proposed to by a noble young man named Yi Doryung. Wolmai, Choon Hyang's mother, agreed, as long as Yi Doryung was willing to give a marriage letter secretly to them and promise to never leave her daughter.In Korean tradition, marriage between a noble and a commoner can't be held formally. Yi Doryung wrote this letter: At the end of the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

, Prince Chun (1840–1891) lamented the destruction of Mingheyuan Garden (; lit. "Singing Crane Garden") by

Taiping Rebellion The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a massive rebellion and civil war that was waged in China between the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and the Han, Hakka-led Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It lasted fr ...

. He wrote a sentence: One of the most popular poems in Vietnam, the '' Tale of Kieu'', has a line in the opening of the poem that refers to a great upheaval in the realm of humans. Vietnamese uses a native phrase bể dâu (shorting of ''bãi bể nương dâu)'' which is a calque of the Chinese term, 滄海桑田 cānghǎisāngtián. Bể meaning sea or ocean, while dâu meaning mulberries.

Culture

*''"The Sea and the Mulberry Field"'' is a title of an autobiography by Nguyễn Xuân Lan about her struggles to free herself and her family from the grip of the ruling party in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

Notes

References