Chinese art Chinese art is visual art that originated in or is practiced in China, Greater China or by Chinese artists. Art created by Chinese residing outside of China can also be considered a part of Chinese art when it is based in or draws on Chinese ...

, the Four Gentlemen or Four Noble Ones (), literally meaning "Four

Junzi A junzi ( or "Son of the Monarch") is a Chinese philosophical term often translated as "gentleman," "superior person",Sometimes "exemplary person". Paul R. Goldin translates it "noble man" in an attempt to capture both its early political and la ...

", is a collective term referring to four plants: the

plum blossom ''Prunus mume'' is an East Asian and Southeast Asian tree species classified in the ''Armeniaca'' section of the genus ''Prunus'' subgenus ''Prunus''. Its common names include Chinese plum, Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. The flower, long ...

, the

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of floweri ...

, the

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, ...

, and the

chrysanthemum Chrysanthemums (), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants of the genus ''Chrysanthemum'' in the family Asteraceae. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia and the cent ...

.Symbolism in Brush Painting
/ref> The term compares the four plants to

Confucian 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 ...

junzi A junzi ( or "Son of the Monarch") is a Chinese philosophical term often translated as "gentleman," "superior person",Sometimes "exemplary person". Paul R. Goldin translates it "noble man" in an attempt to capture both its early political and la ...

'', or "gentlemen". They are most typically depicted in traditional ink and wash painting and they belong to the category of

bird-and-flower painting Bird-and-flower painting, called () in Chinese, is a kind of Chinese painting with a long tradition in China and is considered one of the treasures of Chinese culture. The was named after its subject matter. It originated in the Tang dynasty w ...

in Chinese art. In line with the wide use of nature as imagery in literary and artistic creation, the Four Gentlemen are a recurring theme for their symbolism of uprightness, purity, humility, perseverance against harsh conditions, among other virtues valued in the Chinese traditions. The Four Gentlemen have been used in Chinese painting since the time of the

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 res ...

(960–1279) because of their refined beauty, and were later adopted elsewhere in East Asia by artists in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. As they represent the four seasons (the plum blossom for winter, the orchid for spring, the bamboo for summer, and the chrysanthemum for autumn), the four are used to depict the unfolding of the seasons through the year.

Gallery

File:Orchids, Bamboo and Rock.jpg, ''Orchids and Bamboo'' by Zheng Xie, c. 1740 File:Ke Jiusi Bamboo.jpg, ''Bamboo at Qingbige Pavilion'' by

Ke Jiusi Ke Jiusi (; c. 1290 – 1343) was a Chinese landscape painter, calligrapher, and poet during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368).Cihai: Page 1282. Ke was born in the Zhejiang province. His style name was 'Jingzhong' (敬仲) and his pseudonym A ...

, c. 1338 File:Xian'e Changchun Album 08.jpg, ''Chrysanthemums'' from the Xian'e Changchun Album by Giuseppe Castiglione (1688–1766) File:Sun Long and Chen Lu-Plum Blossoms 1.jpg, ''Plum Blossoms'' by Sun Long and Chen Lu, early

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

(1368–1644)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Paintings of the Four Gentlemen
at China Online Museum Chinese painting Korean painting Japanese painting Vietnamese painting East Asian culture Chinese iconography Vietnamese iconography Japanese iconography Plants in art Korean traditions

Gallery

See also

References

External links