【萬紫千紅】A riot of colour

 

"A riot of colour" (wan zi qian hong) is a phrase used to describe the beauty of a hundred flowers in full bloom.

In his poem "Song of Fallen Flowers," the Song Dynasty scholar Shao Yong used these four characters to describe a strong wind that sent colorful petals flying everywhere,

 

blowing the leaves of peach and plum trees onto the river surface, creating a path.

 

Later, "a riot of colour" came to describe the vibrant spectacle of flowers in full bloom, particularly in spring.

 

For example, Zhu Xi of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote in his poem "Spring Day":

 

"When one easily recognizes the face of the east wind, the riot of colour always marks spring."

 

It is also used to describe the richness and diversity of things.

 

「萬紫千紅」是形容百花齊放的美景。

 

宋代文人邵雍的〈落花吟〉一詩中，用這四個字形容狂風時，五顏六色的花瓣四處紛飛，桃樹與李樹的葉子都被吹到河面上，鋪成一條路。

 

後來「萬紫千紅」就被用來形容百花盛開，色彩絢麗的景象，特別是用來形容春天的景色，

 

例如南宋朱熹的〈春日〉詩：「等閑識得東風面，萬紫千紅總是春。」

 

亦用於比喻事物豐富而多采多姿。