Questions about Lian! !

Lotus is also known as lotus, lotus, whip rong, water hibiscus, water fungus, water rhizome, water bloom, water bloom, etc. Xike and Yuhuan are its elegant names, and the unopened flower buds are called lotus. The flower that blooms is called whipweed. It belongs to the Nymphaeaceae family and is a perennial aquatic root herbaceous plant. Its underground stem is called lotus root and is edible. The leaves are used as medicine. The lotus seeds are an excellent tonic and the flowers are available for viewing. It is one of the top ten famous flowers in my country.

Edit this introduction

It grows in water for many years. It is an herbaceous plant with transverse rhizomes, which is the lotus root that we eat daily. The leaves are round, higher than the water surface, have long petioles, are spiny, and grow in the shape of a shield. The flowers are solitary on the top of the pedicel, 10-20 cm in diameter; the sepals are 5 and fall early; the petals are mostly red, pink or white; most are stamens; the carpels are numerous, free and embedded in the spongy receptacle hole. The nuts are oval or egg-shaped, commonly known as lotus seeds, and are 1.5 to 2.5 cm long. It is widely cultivated in all provinces in the north and south of my country. The whole lotus body is a treasure. The lotus roots, leaves, petioles, stamens, and lotus chambers (receptacles) are used as medicine, which can clear away heat and stop bleeding; the lotus heart (embryo of the seed) has the effect of clearing away heart fire, strengthening the heart and lowering blood pressure; lotus seeds (nuts) can nourish the spleen and stop diarrhea. , nourishing the heart and kidneys. Lotus root can be eaten as a vegetable or extracted into starch (lotus root starch). Lotus is one of the top ten famous flowers in my country. Lotus originally refers to its fruit, commonly known as lotus pod; later, the flower and fruit are generally called lotus. The fat part of its underground stem is called lotus root. It is widely cultivated in northern and southern China, and there are especially many varieties in Wuhan, Hangzhou and other places.

The lotus plant is one of the earliest species among angiosperms. According to paleobotanist research on fossils, 135 million years ago, the genus Lotus existed in many waters in the northern hemisphere. Distribution of plants. It grew on Earth much earlier than the emergence of human ancestors (2 million years ago). The lotus is an ancient plant before the ice age. It and the metasequoia (melase quoiagly plost roboides), the ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), the Chinese tulip tree (Liriodendron chinese), and the North American redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) are not swallowed up by the glaciers of the ice age. Representatives of surviving relict plants.

According to different cultivation purposes, it is divided into three major cultivation types, namely lotus root, seed lotus and flower lotus. Those that mainly produce lotus roots are called lotus, and these species have few flowers; those that mainly produce lotus seeds are called seed lotus, and these species bloom densely, but their ornamental value is not as good as Hualien; those that mainly produce lotus seeds are called Hualien, which Most of the male and female varieties of this species are bubble-shaped or petal-shaped, and often cannot bear fruit.

Lianxi prefers relatively stable still water and avoids flowing water with large fluctuations and strong waves. The water depth should generally not exceed 1.5 meters. The optimum temperature for stems and leaves during the growing season is 25 to 30°C. It requires sufficient sunshine and is not suitable for long-term cultivation indoors. The soil quality is clay loam rich in organic matter. Lotus seeds have a particularly long lifespan. Thousand-year-old lotus seeds can still germinate new plants. Lotus is most commonly propagated by divisions, but it can also be propagated by seeds. It is best to do it after the weather gets warmer in spring. The main diseases of lotus include rot, leaf spot, etc., and the insect pests include aphids, chafers, etc.

Building ponds, planting lotus plants, and building bridges and pavilions along the water to form a lotus viewing area is a traditional Chinese garden technique that is widely used in scenic spots and landscapes all over the country. It is also suitable for decorating garden water surfaces, purifying water bodies, or as potted plants. Lotus roots and lotus seeds are rich in nutrients and are suitable for eating raw or cooked. Lotus root can be processed into lotus root powder, candied fruit, etc. Lotus seeds have a calming effect and are often made into soups or preserves. They are a good nourishing food among Chinese people. Lotus petals and young leaves can be eaten. All parts of lotus can be used as medicine.

The mystery of lotus leaf waterproofing and self-cleaning:

The surface of lotus leaf is attached with countless micron-sized wax papilla structures. When observing these papillae with an electron microscope, you can see that there are many nanometer-sized particles with a similar structure attached to the surface of each micron-sized papilla. Scientists call this the micron-nano dual structure of the lotus leaf. It is these tiny dual structures that make the contact area between the lotus leaf surface and water droplets or dust very limited, so the phenomenon of water droplets rolling on the leaf surface and taking away dust occurs. And the water does not stay on the surface of the lotus leaf.

The scientific explanation of the broken lotus roots

The inner walls of the plant vessels will be particularly thickened in certain parts, forming various textures, some in the shape of rings, some in the form of trapezoids, and some in the form of Mesh shape. However, the thickened part of the duct wall of lotus root is continuous in a spiral shape, which is especially called a spiral duct. When the lotus root is broken, the thickened spiral part of the inner wall of the conduit breaks away and becomes a spiral filament with a diameter of only 3 to 5 microns.

These filaments are like stretched springs and will not be broken within the elastic limit. They can generally be stretched to about 10 cm.

Edit this section of the history of lotus

The scientific name of lotus is Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn, and the lotus belongs to the Nelumbo genus of the Nymphaeaceae family.

Nelumbo Adans. is one of the earliest species among angiosperms. According to paleobotanist research on fossils, 135 million years ago, lotus plants were distributed in many water areas in the northern hemisphere. At that time, the giant reptile dinosaurs were in the late stages of rapid decline. They grew on the earth much earlier than the appearance of human ancestors (2 million years ago). According to "Paleobotany" (1965) by A.H. Christopherovich of the former Soviet Union, Nelumbinus fossils were found in the Cretaceous in the Arctic region of North America and the Amur River in Asia (i.e., Heilongjiang), and in the Oligocene of Europe, East Asia (Sakhalin), and Japan. and in Miocene strata. At that time, the temperature on the earth was warmer than now. There were about 10 to 12 species of lotus plants, distributed on all five continents. With the advent of the Post-Ice Age, the global temperature dropped, causing many plants to become extinct, while others were forced to migrate, completely breaking their original geographical distribution. Suffering from this disaster, only two species of Lotus plants survived, and their distribution range was reduced. The Chinese lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is distributed in Asia and northern Oceania, and the American lotus (N.lutea) has migrated to North America. Paleobotanists also pointed out that the Pleistocene to Holocene nectar excavated in Hokkaido and Kyoto, Japan The lotus fossil (2 million years ago) is similar to the modern Chinese lotus; the 10 million-year-old lotus leaf fossil excavated in the Qaidam Basin in China is similar to the modern Chinese lotus. In the 1970s, the Petroleum Exploration and Development Planning Institute of the Ministry of Petroleum and Chemical Industry of China and the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences recorded in the book "Early Tertiary Palynomorphs in the Bohai Sea Coastal Area": ??in Panshan, Liaoning Province, Beidagang, Tianjin, Kenli, Shandong Province, Pollen fossils of two kinds of lotus have been found in Guangrao and Cangzhou, Hebei Province. Fossils of Lotus plants have also been found in the strata of the Changchang Basin in Qiongshan, Hainan Island, my country, within the Tertiary tropical phytogeographic region. At present, the original wild lotus is still distributed in the lakes and swamps of Fuyuan, Hulin, Tongjiang, Shangzhi and other counties in Heilongjiang Province. The above shows that lotus is an ancient plant before the ice age. It, like metasequoia (melasequoiagly plostroboides), ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), Chinese tulip tree (Liriodendron chinese), and North American sequoia (Sequoia sempervirens), is not swallowed up by glaciers during the ice age. Representatives of surviving relict plants.

Edit this paragraph of flower language

Lotus - innocence. It emerges from the mud but is not stained, washes the clear ripples without being evil, which means steadfastness and purity.

Another way to say: The flower language of lotus is faith.

It can be more specific.

Garden Star Anemone flower language: Expectation (Expectation) The Greek word for anemone means wind. Anemone is an annual herbaceous plant with a height of about ten to twenty centimeters. During the blooming season, the lovely flowers sway in the wind, as if they are looking forward to something, so its flower language is-expectation.

The white lotus symbolizes regret and nostalgia.

Leucojumvernum is a bulbous plant with white bell-shaped flowers. The green spots on the edges of the petals are its most striking feature, and the style is clear, just like the name of the snowflake lotus.

Snowdrop, birthday flower for October 10th; flower language; betrayal. This is the flower chosen for Saint Francis Paul Gill, a nobleman who gave up his title in order to become a missionary. Therefore, the flower language of snowdrop is betrayal.

Edit this paragraph Buddhism and Lotus

Lotuses flourish in Tianzhu [ancient India], and there are four kinds: green, yellow, red and white. The lotus mentioned in Buddhism mostly refers to the white lotus, whose name is It is the Fenduli flower. Buddhism uses the lotus as a metaphor for Buddhism, so there is the Lotus Sutra.

1. The origin of Buddhism’s worship of lotus

When people walk into the temple, they look up and see the Buddha’s sermon The seated statue of Gyamuni, wearing a shoulder-length coat, making Dharma seals with his hands, sitting in lotus position on a lotus platform. Buddhist scriptures say that this is the posture of Sakyamuni Buddha preaching to his followers after he became a Buddha. Amitabha Buddha, known as the head of the "Three Saints of the West", is also sitting cross-legged on a lotus platform, with his hands raised on his palms and feet, holding a lotus platform in his palm, seeming to guide all living beings to the Pure Land of the Western Buddha; Avalokitesvara, who is famous for his great mercy and compassion, even Wearing white clothes, sitting on a white lotus, holding a pure vase in one hand and a white lotus in the other, it seems to be showing the pure Bodhisattva heart of Guanyin, trying its best to guide believers to escape from the world and reach the place where the lotus blooms. The pure land of Buddha.

When reading Buddhist scriptures, people often see that the Buddhist kingdom is called the "Lotus Realm", the temple is called the "Lotus House", and the monk's cassock is called the "Lotus Clothing". The mudra of the monk's practice is called "Lotus Palms Together", and the "rosary beads" used by the monks are also made of lotus seeds. Buddhist scriptures say that using lotus seeds as rosary beads is better than using locust wood beads. If you recite the same prayer beads once, you will get "a thousand times" more blessings.

To sum up, the lotus has formed a close relationship with Buddhism and has become a symbol and sacred flower of the Buddhist kingdom.

Why does Buddhism worship lotus so much? Briefly speaking, there are two reasons:

First, it is related to the characteristics of lotus.

The lotus is a perennial aquatic plant flower. Although it is not as graceful and luxurious as the peony, nor is it as aloof and aloof as the chrysanthemum, it has the ability to "come out of the mud without being stained" and face the cool weather. The sunny and blooming nature of summer has won the supreme worship of Buddhism.

Buddhism believes in "six dusts". Because the world is full of "six dusts", the human world is called "six dusts". Due to the pollution and interference of the "six dusts", the world is full of desire and competition, making it difficult for people to live in peace and purity. This situation is incompatible with the pure land of the Buddha's Kingdom, which "stays away from dust and dirt, and has a pure eye for Dharma." If you want to enter the Buddha's Kingdom, you must stay away from the world, escape into the pure Buddhism, concentrate on practicing Buddhism, and eliminate pollution and interference. The special attribute of "the lotus emerges from the mud without being stained" is consistent with the desire of Buddhist believers in this world to avoid being polluted by the world and stay clean in order to successfully enter the Pure Land of Buddhism.

Second, it is influenced by the custom of worshiping lotus in ancient India.

Long before the birth of Buddhism in India, every summer, the sun was scorching like fire. In these hot days, it was the season when lotus flowers were in full bloom. On summer nights or early morning, in the ponds where lotus flowers were blooming, Take a walk by the lake to enjoy the lotuses. The green water is beautiful, pink and lavender, and the fragrance is overflowing, which is pleasing to the eye. The breeze comes slowly, and the lotus fragrance emanates from the green bushes with the wind, making your heart and lungs feel as if they have been washed. cool. The lotus pond has become a summer resort.

In ancient Indian literature, lotuses are often used as metaphors for beautiful girls. For example, the famous epic "Ramayana" says: "There was a lady in Sita who was beautiful in appearance, but her whole body was... Like a lotus root covered with mud, its shining beauty is never revealed." In addition, the mother of Buddha Sakyamuni is described in classical literature as having big eyes like lotus flowers.

In Indian Buddhist scriptures, the birth of Sakyamuni is also linked to the lotus. It is said in the Buddhist scriptures: Before Sakyamuni was born, eight auspicious signs appeared in the palace garden. Birds gathered in crowds, singing harmoniously and sweetly. Flowers bloomed in all seasons. What is particularly strange is that a flower suddenly grew in the large pond in the palace. A white lotus as big as a wheel. When the white lotus grew, it was when Sakyamuni was born into the world. At the beginning of Sakyamuni's birth, thousands of golden lights flashed from the base of his tongue, and each golden light turned into a thousand-leaf white lotus. , in each lotus sits a little Bodhisattva with his feet crossed* and his feet upward.

The Buddhist scripture "One Hundred Fate Sutra" says that Sakyamuni is the Lotus Prince, and there is also a touching story:

Once upon a time, there was a country in the upper reaches of the Ganges River, and the king's name was His name is Paranai, also known as the Lotus King. He governs the country well and the people live and work in peace and contentment. One year, there was an epidemic, and many people asked for medicine. The king was very compassionate when he saw this, and sent the palace doctors to go around to treat the people.

The imperial doctors said that the only way to cure this epidemic is to eat the flesh and blood of the red fish in the river northeast of the capital, but there is currently no such fish in the river. After hearing this, the prince threw himself into the river and turned into a red fish, dedicating himself to curing the diseases of the people. People came one after another to cut the flesh and blood of red fish for treatment. The strange thing is that the red fish "resurrected after being cut". The red fish cannot be cut off. This continued for twelve years, until all the people in the country were cured. Buddhist scriptures say that this lotus prince was the later Buddha Sakyamuni.

The "Miscellaneous Treasure Sutra" also contains the story of Madam Lotus: As early as the time of the Lijuan Dynasty, there lived a practicing sage named Devayan at the foot of the snow-capped mountains. He often urinates on rocks. One day, a female deer came to the rock and licked it a few times. Soon she became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter. She was so graceful and graceful that she was called the deer girl. Later, when Devayan learned that the deer girl was him, he took her and raised her. After the Deer Girl grew up, lotus flowers appeared on the roads she passed, so she was also called the Lotus Girl. Once when King Utiyan passed by while hunting, he saw a seven-fold lotus on the ground. He asked around about the deer girl and took her back to the palace and made her his princess. Soon after arriving at the palace, the deer girl became pregnant and gave birth to five hundred sons, all of whom were handsome and handsome. When they grew up, they became five hundred strong men and the protectors of the country. The king was overjoyed and made Deer Girl his second wife, also known as Lady Lotus at the time.

In Indian Buddhist scriptures, the classification of lotus is also associated with Buddhism, which is very different from today's scientific classification. The meaning of lotus in Buddhism is extensive, including water lilies of different genera, etc.

According to the color of the lotus, there are five colors in the Buddhist scriptures: white, green, red, purple, and yellow, which are called the "five kinds of heavenly flowers". Among them, white and blue are the most popular colors.

White lotus, transliterated as Fenduli in Sanskrit, is the largest flower with hundreds of petals. It is also called "Baifenghua". This flower grows in the Aunta Pond in the Buddhist Kingdom and is difficult to see in the world, so it is also called "the rare flower (flower)". Buddha Sakyamuni called her "the most beautiful flower among people".

Green lotus, transliterated into Sanskrit as Upala, is named because of its green color. The leaves are narrow and long, small round near the bottom, tapering upward, and are clearly blue and white, resembling the eyes of Buddha, so they are called "lotus eyes" in Buddhist scriptures, which are the eyes of Guanyin Bodhisattva.

These five kinds of lotus flowers are the places where the five Great Void Treasure Bodhisattvas sit. The Buddhist scriptures say:

The Oriental Blessed and Wisdom Void Treasure Bodhisattva sits on a green lotus and rides on a silver bull;

< p> The south can fill the void treasure, sit on the red lotus, ride on the golden elephant;

The west can see the void treasure, sit on the white lotus, ride on the glazed horse;

The north has the untainted void treasure, Sitting on a purple lotus, riding on a lion;

In the center is the hidden void of liberation, sitting on a golden lotus, riding on a crystal tortoise;

There are also divisions based on the number of lotus petals. The Buddhist scriptures say that there are human flowers and heavens. There are three types of flowers: the flower and the Bodhisattva flower. The human flower has only a dozen petals, the heavenly flower has hundreds of petals, and the bodhisattva flower has thousands of petals. It is the most revered thousand-petal lotus in Buddhism and the symbol of the Buddhist lotus. .

2. The beauty of the lotus - the "four virtues" and the "ten virtues"

With the spread of Buddhism and the establishment and development of the Pure Land Lotus Sect, the form and content of lotus worship have become increasingly sophisticated. Rich and colorful, Buddhism compares and beautifies the natural attributes of the lotus with Buddhist teachings, rules, and precepts, gradually forming a perfect worship of the lotus, and summarizes the virtues of the lotus into the "Four Virtues" and "Ten Excellences."

The Buddhist scripture "Nirvana Sutra" says that the Buddha has four virtues, namely, eternity, happiness, self, and purity. The so-called permanent virtue refers to the fact that the Buddha-nature is always abiding and inseparable, and has the fixed virtue of "unchanging through three generations, mixed with all dharmas but unchanging". The so-called happiness means that the Buddha is happy to stay away from the suffering of life and death in the human world, and is happy to die in the Nirvana Pure Land Buddha Kingdom. The so-called self-virtue means that although the Buddha is in the human world, he has long forgotten the "selflessness" of ordinary people and possesses the "true self" with the "eight freedoms". The so-called pure virtue means that the Buddha is far away from the dirt of the world and has no stains. He is like a pure round mirror without any filaments.

The Buddha has four virtues, and the Buddhist scriptures also summarize the lotus as "four meanings", which correspond to the "four virtues". According to the Avatamsaka Sutra, "The great lotus flower has four meanings in Liang's theory:

Just like a lotus flower, unstained in mud, more true than the Dharma Realm, untainted by the world in this world. < /p>

The second is like a lotus flower, which develops its own nature. It is like the true enlightenment of its own nature. When sentient beings realize it, their own nature develops.

The third one is like a lotus flower, which is picked by swarms of bees. It is as if it is used by all the saints.

The four are like lotus flowers, which have four virtues: one fragrance, two purity, three softness, and four loveliness. For example, the four virtues are eternity, happiness, self, and purity. ”

"Sanzang Dharma Number" also compares the advantages of the lotus flower with the Bodhisattva's "ten good deeds" and summarizes them in more detail.

The lotus flower is a metaphor for the ten good deeds of the Bodhisattva. :

1. Be free from all defilements. Bodhisattva practices can observe all dharmas with wisdom, and do not have greed. Although they are in the flow of life and death, they are not stained by the mistakes of life and death. The lotus flower comes from water and is not stained by mud. (The five turbidities are kalpa turbidity, living being turbidity, view turbidity, and life turbidity.)

2. Bodhisattvas practice. , only want to destroy all evil and generate all good, guard purity in body, speech and mind, and do not get involved in the smallest evil. It is like a lotus flower, even if it is a drop of water, it will not stay.

3. ．The fragrance of the precepts is full. A Bodhisattva practices the precepts and adheres to them without violating the precepts. The precepts can eliminate evil in the body and mouth, just like the fragrance can remove the odor of excrement. Therefore, the sutra says: the fragrance of the precepts spreads widely and is like a lotus flower. , the wonderful fragrance spreads far and near.

4. Because the Bodhisattva keeps the precepts, his body and mind are pure, and he can be free from stains and attachments, just like the lotus flower. The place is muddy and turbid, but it is naturally clean and untainted. 5. The face is cheerful and joyful. , everyone who sees it is happy, it is likened to the lotus blooming, which makes the minds of all seeing people happy and joyful.

6. If it is soft and not astringent, it will be obedient, and if it is not astringent, there will be no stagnation. It is said that the Bodhisattva practices charity. The movement is unobstructed in the closed method, filling the inside and taking shape outside, so the body is always pure, soft and fine, but not rough, like a lotus flower, the body is soft and moist.

7. It is auspicious to everyone who sees it. The Bodhisattva has achieved great success in practice, and everything he sees is auspicious. It is like a lotus flower, fragrant and beautiful, and everyone who sees it or dreams of it is auspicious.

8. When a Bodhisattva achieves success in practice, he or she will have wisdom and blessings, and it will be full of splendor and beauty. It is like a lotus blossom and its flowers and fruits will be full. 9. When the cause of Bodhisattva's cultivation is mature and pure, the wonderful fruit will be mature. And the wisdom light discovered that all sentient beings can see and hear, the six roots are pure, which is likened to a mature lotus. If the eyes can see its color and the nose can smell its fragrance, then the six roots will be pure. , nose root, body root, mind root)

10. When the Bodhisattva is born, he will be protected by all the gods and humans, so that he will be able to practice good deeds and achieve the fruit of Bodhi. It is an analogy that when a lotus flower first emerges, although no flowers are seen, everyone has the thought of a lotus flower. (Sanskrit Bodhi, Huayan Tao)

Although the above analogy has no content. It is not very targeted and comparable, but it accurately grasps the delicate and clean characteristics of the lotus and the spirit of the Buddha, which sublimates the lotus.

It is a perennial aquatic herb with horizontal rhizomes, which is what we have. Lotus root is eaten daily. The leaves are round, above the water surface, with long petioles and spines. The flowers are solitary on the top of the pedicel, 10 to 20 cm in diameter; the sepals are 5 and fall early; the petals are numerous, red, Pink or white; many stamens; many carpels, free, embedded in spongy receptacle holes. The nuts are oval or egg-shaped, commonly known as lotus seeds, and are 1.5 to 2.5 cm long. It is widely cultivated in all provinces in the north and south of my country. The whole lotus body is a treasure. The lotus roots, leaves, petioles, stamens, and lotus chambers (receptacles) are used as medicine, which can clear away heat and stop bleeding; the lotus heart (embryo of the seed) has the effect of clearing away heart fire, strengthening the heart and lowering blood pressure; lotus seeds (nuts) can nourish the spleen and stop diarrhea. , nourishing the heart and kidneys. Lotus root can be eaten as a vegetable or extracted into starch (lotus root starch). Lotus is one of the top ten famous flowers in my country.

Edit this allusion

According to legend, the lotus flower is the incarnation of Yu Ji, a beautiful maid beside the Queen Mother. When Yu Ji saw the two couples in the world, men farming and women weaving, she was very envious, so she was moved by her mortal heart, and escaped from the heavenly palace accompanied by the daughter of the river god, and came to the West Lake in Hangzhou. The beautiful scenery of the West Lake made Yu Ji linger and play in the lake so passionately that she couldn't bear to leave until dawn. When the Queen Mother found out, she used the lotus throne to throw Yu Ji into the lake, and told her to "throw her into the mud and never go to the south again forever." From then on, a beautiful maid disappeared from the heavenly palace, and a kind of jade-skinned and watery flower appeared in the human world.

Lotus is a traditional famous flower in my country. The flowers and leaves are delicate and the fragrance is overflowing, filling your heart. He has the temperament to welcome the scorching sun without fear, and to emerge from the mud without being stained.

Therefore, lotus is the embodiment of truth, goodness and beauty in people's minds, a harbinger of good fortune and prosperity, a holy and pure name in Buddhism, and the seed of friendship.

In the classic literary masterpiece "A Dream of Red Mansions", it is said that Qingwen turned into the Fairy Furong after her death. Jia Baoyu said in his death poem "Elegy of the Furong Daughter" to Qingwen: "It is quality, then gold and jade If it is a nature, then ice and snow cannot describe its purity; if it is a god, then the stars and the sun cannot describe its essence; if it is an appearance, then the flowers and the moon cannot describe its color." Although later generations of red scholars believe that this is not an exaggeration by the author. Chanting Qingwen's name and praising the purity of Daiyu, but no matter what, lotus is always associated with daughter-like purity and purity.

Supplement 1: Since "Lotus" and "Pity" have the same sound, there are many poems about lotus in ancient poems to express love. For example, in "Xizhou Song" by Yuefu in the Southern Dynasties: "In autumn, lotus flowers are collected in Nantang, and the lotus flowers exceed people's heads; I lower my head to pick up lotus seeds, and the lotus seeds are as green as water." "Lotus seeds" means "pity", and "green" means "qing". This is both real and fictitious writing, with semantic puns and homophonic pun rhetoric, expressing a woman's deep longing for the man she loves and the purity of her love. Jin's "Forty-Two Midnight Songs" No. 35: "The mist and dew hide the hibiscus, and the lotus is not distinguishable." The mist and dew hide the true face of the lotus, and the lotus leaves are visible but not very distinct. This is also a method of using homophonic puns. , writes about a woman who vaguely feels that her man is in love with her.

Supplement 2: Lotus and Buddhism

According to research, the lotus is native to tropical areas such as India, and Indians also regard it as their national flower. Since India is the birthplace of Buddhism, the lotus flower is inextricably linked to Buddhism in India. Regardless of whether you are painting or sculpting a Buddha, the Buddha's seat must be a lotus base. Why does Buddha sit on a lotus? According to Buddhist scriptures, the main reason is that the Dharma is solemn and wonderful, and the lotus is soft, pure, large and fragrant, so "the lotus platform is so pure and fragrant that you can sit on it."

There is also a wonderful story about the "Lotus Lady" in the Buddhist scriptures. A deer gave birth to a beautiful woman, and the immortal raised her up. Wherever she walks, lotus flowers will grow. This is the origin of the term "stepping lotus", which people now use to describe the glory of experience.

Classic poetry: Love of Lotus (Song Dynasty) Zhou Dunyi

The flowers of land and water are very lovely. Tao Yuanming of Jin Dynasty only loved chrysanthemums. Since Li Tang, people have loved peonies. I only love the lotus that emerges from the mud but is not stained; it is clear in the ripples without being demonic; it is straight in the middle and straight in the outside; it does not creep or branch; its fragrance becomes clearer from a distance; its pavilion is clean and planted; it can be viewed from a distance but not played with. I say chrysanthemum, the flower that represents seclusion; peony, the flower that represents wealth and honor; lotus, the flower that represents the gentleman. Alas! The love of chrysanthemum is rarely heard of after Tao. Who can share the love of the lotus? The love of peony is suitable for everyone.

(The original text is based on the woodcut of "The Complete Works of Mr. Zhou Lianxi" by Zhang Boxing of the Qing Dynasty, Volume 8)

"When you come out of the mud, you will not be stained; when you wash the clear ripples, you will not be evil." said It's the lotus. Lotus ranks among the top ten famous flowers in my country and is known as the gentleman among flowers. Since ancient times, the large area of ??wild lotus has won people's love for its majestic, magnificent, simple and generous natural beauty. So much so that 2,500 years ago, people cultivated wild lotuses artificially in order to enjoy their beauty without leaving home. To this day, we can see it in many parks or large courtyards.

Lotus belongs to the dicotyledonous plant Ranunculaceae, Nymphaeaceae, and includes two species, Chinese lotus and American lotus. Chinese lotus is distributed in Asia and Oceania. Most plants are tall and have oval, green leaves. The flower types of cultivated varieties include single petal, double petal, double petal, double platform and thousand petals. The flowers are red to white; American lotus is distributed in In North America, the plant is short, the leaves are nearly round, dark green, and the flowers are only single-petaled and yellow, and they are still in a semi-wild state. According to paleobotanist research on fossils, as early as 135 million years ago, lotus plants were distributed in many water areas in the northern hemisphere. In my country, the "Hemudu Culture" site discovered in 1973 contains lotus pollen fossils, which have been determined to be 7,000 years old. This shows that at least 7,000 years ago, lotus was already distributed in my country and was even used as food. Although some current information indicates that lotus originated in India, historical data shows that China is the origin of lotus. Lotus has a long history of cultivation in my country and has a wide spread range. It reaches the northern foot of Tianshan Mountain in the west, the treasure island of Taiwan in the east, Heilongjiang in the north, and Sanya, Hainan in the south. It can be said that China is the world center of lotus cultivation.

Lotus is one of the oldest dicots and has some characteristics of monocots.

The lotus germ is wrapped in scales, similar to those of monocots. Judging from the flower structure, the lotus has 3 or 4 layers of perianth, the outer whorl is sepal-shaped, the inner whorl is petal-shaped, there are many stamens, the pistils are free, and the pollen grains are single-groove navicular. The lotus stems have obvious segmentation, and the underground stem nodes are covered with fibrous roots. These are characteristics of monocots. The buds of lotus are mixed buds. The lotus buds that people see with the naked eye are the terminal buds of the lotus root and the positions of the axillary buds of each node. Roots are divided into two types: seed roots and adventitious roots. The main root formed by the radicle of the seed when sown is underdeveloped, and the adventitious roots play a functional role. As for the lotus stem, it is the well-known lotus root. It is actually the underground rhizome of the lotus, which is the organ for the lotus to store nutrients and reproduce. Lotus flowers are solitary and bisexual, and are composed of six parts: calyx, corolla, stamens, pistils, receptacle, and petiole. Various varieties and rich colors.

The fruit of lotus is commonly known as "lotus seeds". It is rich in nutrients and is loved by people.

Lotus is an aquatic plant that likes relatively stable, calm and shallow water. Lakes, swamps and ponds are its suitable habitats. The water requirement of lotus depends on its variety. Large varieties such as ancient lotus and red thousand-year-old lotus have relatively deeper water levels, but they cannot exceed 1.7 meters. Small and medium plant shapes are only suitable for water depths of 20 to 60 cm. At the same time, lotus is very sensitive to water loss. In summer, the lotus leaves in the tank will wilt as long as they are not irrigated for 3 hours. If water is stopped for one day, the edges of the lotus leaves will be scorched and the flower buds will wither. Lotus is also very light-loving and needs a full-sun environment during its growth period. Lotus is extremely intolerant to shade and will show strong phototaxis when grown in semi-shade.

It is said that the lotus "emerges from the mud but remains unstained", which is people's praise for the personified character of the lotus. In fact, the underground stems of lotus grow in the mud. How can they not be infected by toxic substances? Because the lotus root's particularly fine epidermal tissue and tannin-containing subdermis have a certain ability to block or absorb toxic substances, most toxic substances adhere to the epidermis or penetrate into the epidermis and are invisible to the naked eye. Therefore, remember to peel off the skin when eating lotus roots, and do not take toxic substances into your stomach.