The Three Friends of Winter is an art motif that comprises the

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

, and

plum A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are called prunes. History Plums may have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans. Three of the most abundantly cultivated species are not found i ...

. . The Chinese celebrated the pine, bamboo and plum together, as they observed that these plants do not wither as the cold days deepen into the winter season unlike many other plants. Known by the Chinese as the ''Three Friends of Winter'', they later entered the conventions of East Asian culture and Vietnamese culture. Together they symbolize steadfastness, perseverance, and resilience. They are highly regarded in

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

and as such represent the scholar-gentleman's ideal.

History

The Three Friends of Winter are common in works of art from Chinese culture and those cultures influenced by it. The three are first recorded as appearing together in a ninth-century poem by the poet Zhu Qingyu () of the

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

Southern Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

artist

Zhao Mengjian Zhao Mengjian (; 1199–1295), art name Yizhai (彝齋居士), was a Chinese painter and politician from Haiyan, Zhejiang. He was a member of the Song dynasty who attained high rank at court as a Mandarin, and became president of the Hanlin Ac ...

(, c. 1199–1264), among others of the time, made this grouping popular in painting. The actual term "Three Friends of Winter" can be traced back to the earliest known mention in literature, the ''Record of the Five-cloud Plum Cottage'' () from ''The Clear Mountain Collection'' () by the Song dynasty writer Lin Jingxi (, 1242–1310): . . Bian Wenjin, Three Friends and a Hundred Birds

Bian Wenjin, Three Friends and a Hundred Birds

In other places

The ''Three Friends of Winter'' as ''Sho Chiku Bai'' in

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

(literally "pine, bamboo, plum") In Japan, they are particularly associated with the start of the New Year, appearing on greeting cards and as a design stamped into seasonal sweets.''Bamboo in Japan'' Nancy Moore Bess and Bibi Wein, Kodansha International 2001, p.170 Shōchikubai () is sometimes also used as a three-tier ranking system. In this context, the pine (matsu, ) usually is the highest rank, followed by bamboo (take, ) as the middle rank, and plum (ume, ) as the lowest. In a Korean poem by Kim Yuki (1580–1658), the three friends are brought together in order to underline the paradoxical contrast: In Vietnam, the three along with chrysanthemum create a combination of four trees and flowers usually seen in pictures and decorative items. The four also appear in works but mostly separately with the same symbolic significance. They are known as ''Tuế hàn tam hữu'' in

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

References

{{reflist, 30em Chinese culture Chinese painting Japanese painting Chinese iconography Japanese iconography East Asian art Plants in art East Asian traditions

History

In other places

See also

References