🪷 On the Love of the Lotus: Translation and Commentary on a Gentleman’s Flower

📆 Revised and updated: July 8, 2025.

🧙 Introduction

While working on my translation of 《Caigentan (採根談)》, another work, Ailanshuo (愛蓮說), suddenly came to mind.

This is because the message conveyed in Ailanshuo deeply resonates with the spirit of Caigentan: it encourages us to live harmoniously within the world — not retreating into isolation — while preserving our integrity and good character.

In my freshman year of university, I intensely memorized Ailanshuo for a 默寫 (mòxiě, memorization and writing) exam, and its words have stayed with me ever since, still etched in my memory to this day. I’m not entirely sure if I’ve truly lived up to the ideals that have lingered in my heart, but I have always loved both Ailanshuo and the lotus it praises.

So, I decided to briefly set aside my work on Caigentan, revisit Ailanshuo, and produce a careful, heartfelt re-translation of it.

I sincerely hope this translation speaks to you as it has spoken to me.

On the Love of the Lotus (愛蓮說)

📜 Original Text

水陸草木之花，可愛者甚蕃，晉陶淵明獨愛菊。
自李唐來，世人甚愛牡丹；予獨愛蓮之出淤泥而不染，濯清漣而不妖；
中通外直，不蔓不枝，香遠益清，亭亭淨植，可遠觀而不可褻玩焉。
予謂菊，花之隱逸者也；牡丹，花之富貴者也；蓮，花之君子者也。
噫！菊之愛，陶後鮮有聞；蓮之愛，同予者何人？牡丹之愛，宜乎眾矣。

               — Zhou Dunyi (周敦頤)

📚 Translation

Among the flowers that bloom in the waters and on the land, many are indeed lovely.

Tao Yuanming of the Jin Dynasty cherished only the chrysanthemum. Since the Tang Dynasty, the world has greatly admired the peony.

Yet it is the lotus alone that I love—
for it emerges from the mud yet remains unstained,
is washed by clear ripples yet shows no coquettishness.
Its heart is hollow, embracing all,
yet its stem stands upright, unwavering.
It does not cling or tangle, remaining free of entanglements.
Its fragrance becomes purer as it spreads farther.
It rises tall and clean, something to admire from afar,
but not to trifle with or treat lightly.

I believe that among flowers, the chrysanthemum symbolizes reclusion,
the peony symbolizes wealth and honor,
and the lotus symbolizes the noble character of a gentleman.

Alas—since Tao Yuanming, few have cherished the chrysanthemum.
And as for loving the lotus—who but I?
Naturally, the peony has many admirers.

Alas! Few have been heard to love the chrysanthemum since Tao Yuanming; who shares my love for the lotus? It is fitting that many love the peony.

✍️ Hanja Breakdown

• 水 (shuǐ): water
• 陸 (lù): land, dry land
• 草 (cǎo): grass
• 木 (mù): tree
• 之 (zhī): to go, of, that which
• 花 (huā): flower
• 愛 (ài): to love
• 者 (zhě): one who, that which
• 甚 (shèn): very, extremely
• 蕃 (fán): many, luxuriant
• 晉 (jìn): Jin Dynasty
• 陶 (táo): (surname) Tao
• 淵 (yuān): pond, deep place
• 明 (míng): bright
• 獨 (dú): alone, only
• 菊 (jú): chrysanthemum
• 自 (zì): from, oneself
• 李 (lǐ): (surname) Li
• 唐 (táng): Tang Dynasty
• 來 (lái): to come, since
• 世 (shì): world
• 人 (rén): person
• 牡 (mǔ): male
• 丹 (dān): red
• 予 (yú): I
• 蓮 (lián): lotus flower
• 出 (chū): to emerge
• 淤 (yū): mud
• 泥 (ní): mud
• 而 (ér): but, and
• 染 (rǎn): to stain
• 濯 (zhuó): to wash
• 清 (qīng): clear
• 漣 (lián): ripple
• 妖 (yāo): seductive, demonic
• 中 (zhōng): inside, middle
• 通 (tōng): to pass through, empty
• 外 (wài): outside, exterior
• 直 (zhí): straight, upright
• 蔓 (màn): vine
• 枝 (zhī): branch
• 香 (xiāng): fragrance
• 遠 (yuǎn): far
• 益 (yì): more, to benefit
• 亭 (tíng): tall and upright (as in a pavilion)
• 淨 (jìng): clean, pure
• 植 (zhí): to stand, to plant
• 可 (kě): can, may
• 觀 (guān): to observe, to view
• 不 (bù): not
• 褻 (xiè): to treat disrespectfully, to defile
• 玩 (wán): to play with, to trifle with
• 焉 (yān): (exclamatory particle)
• 謂 (wèi): To say, to call, to indicate, to speak, to think, to comment, to explain, to inform, to tell.
• 隱 (yǐn): to hide
• 逸 (yì): to live in seclusion, to escape
• 富 (fù): wealthy
• 貴 (guì): noble
• 君 (jūn): (gentleman)
• 噫 (yī): (exclamation of sigh)
• 鮮 (xiǎn): rare
• 聞 (wén): to hear
• 同 (tóng): same
• 何 (hé): who, what
• 宜 (yí): fitting, proper
• 乎 (hū): (exclamatory particle)
• 眾 (zhòng): many, crowd

📌 Note

者 (zhě): (1) A person who, one who. (2) That which, that which has become. In Zhou Dunyi's "On the Love of the Lotus," it is not used to refer to a person but rather means 'that which is ~,' 'that which has become ~.' Thus, 君子者 (jūnzǐzhě) means 'that which is a gentleman,' 隱逸者 (yǐnyìzhě) means 'that which is a recluse,' and 富貴者 (fùguìzhě) means 'that which is wealth and nobility.'

🔍 Explanation

Zhou Dunyi’s “On the Love of the Lotus” (「愛蓮說」) is a celebrated essay that extols the ideal virtues of the gentleman (junzi, 君子) through the noble qualities of the lotus flower. This masterpiece deeply influenced the ideal of moral character in Neo-Confucian thought during the Song dynasty.

At the outset of the essay, Zhou contrasts his own love for the lotus with other flowers admired across different eras, setting the stage for his meditation on virtue.

Tao Yuanming of the Jin dynasty cherished the chrysanthemum, symbolizing reclusion and detachment from worldly affairs. Since the Tang dynasty, admiration for the peony reflected the prevailing pursuit of wealth and honor. In contrast, Zhou Dunyi explains why he alone loves the lotus, likening each of its qualities to the dignified character of the gentleman.

The lotus’s distinctive traits, as described below, vividly embody the virtues of a junzi:

1. 蓮之出淤泥而不染，濯清漣而不妖 (Lián zhī chū yū ní ér bù rǎn, zhuó qīng lián ér bù yāo)

"It emerges from the mud unstained, and is washed by clear ripples without being coquettish."

This line underscores the lotus’s integrity and nobility. It is compared to the gentleman who, though living in a turbid world and engaging with all kinds of people and situations, remains untainted—preserving purity and dignity of spirit.

2. 中通外直 (Zhōng tōng wài zhí)

"Hollow within, yet upright without."

This signifies the gentleman’s openness and forthrightness: embracing all without prejudice, yet remaining unwavering and principled. Unlike those easily swayed by external influences, the gentleman keeps a pure heart while extending generosity to the world.

3. 不蔓不枝 (Bù màn bù zhī)

"It neither twines nor branches."

This speaks to the gentleman’s independence and freedom from entanglement. The lotus grows upward without clinging or sprawling, just as the gentleman avoids petty attachments, superficial relationships, or ambition for fame and gain, walking steadfastly along his own path.

4. 香遠益清 (Xiāng yuǎn yì qīng)

"Its fragrance carries far and grows ever purer."

As a gentleman’s virtue deepens, it exerts an ever-widening, more refined influence on others. The lotus’s fragrance, like a gentleman’s character, is better appreciated from a distance—its subtlety and clarity inspiring admiration over time and space. Here, ‘far’ (遠, yuǎn) implies both physical and temporal distance.

5. 亭亭淨植，可遠觀而不可褻玩焉 (Tíng tíng jìng zhí, kě yuǎn guān ér bù kě xiè wán yān)

"Standing tall and pure, to be admired from afar but not trifled with."

This reveals the gentleman’s dignity and the reverence he inspires. Just as the lotus rises clean and unyielding even from the mud, the gentleman’s lofty character and composed bearing invite respect while discouraging undue familiarity. His integrity commands others’ regard without needing to demand it.

Finally, Zhou writes: “The chrysanthemum symbolizes reclusion, the peony wealth and honor, and the lotus the gentleman.” He laments that few share his love for the lotus, regretting that so few choose the noble path of the gentleman in an age obsessed with worldly success—thereby highlighting the rare brilliance of the ideal embodied by the lotus.

"On the Love of the Lotus" thus remains a timeless meditation on the virtues of the gentleman, conveyed through the serene beauty of nature, offering enduring inspiration to later Neo-Confucian scholars and beyond.