Page 299 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols 292
Pine

song

The pine is the favourite tree of Chinese painters: no other tree has been depicted so often
in Chinese art. Since it can stand up to the cold and does not lose its needles, the pine
symbolises longevity and steadfastness. Pine-trees and cedars rank above all other
trees, and epitomise self-discipline. Pines, bamboos and plum-trees are the
‘three friends in winter’, although the plum-tree does not really bloom till the early
spring. Pines and cranes symbolise the last years of a long life. The ancient custom
of planting a pine-tree on a grave probably plays a part here.
The pine-tree is a key motif in Chinese poetry. Compounds like song-lai = ‘the music
of the pine-needles’, and song-tao = ‘the rustling of the pines’, are poetic commonplaces.
In the Analects (Lun yu) of Confucius, there are several references to the pine: ‘by
being immobile it prolongs its life’. And again: the Master said: ‘When the year becomes
cold, then we know how the pine and the cypress are the last to lose their leaves’ (Book
IX, Ch. XXVII, tr. Legge). The theme is taken up again by the nature poets of the Tang
Dynasty – for example, in the poem ‘Pines in the Courtyard’ by Bo Ju-yi (772–846):
‘What good have they done me since I shared their lives? Little, if at all, have they eased
the bonds of my heart. But they are “useful friends” to me, and they fulfil my wish for
“conversations with wise men”.’

Pine-tree with rocks and narcissi