-by Zhou Dunyi (Song Dynasty)
Among the flowers of land and water, many are lovely. During the Jin Dynasty, Tao Yuanming alone loved the chrysanthemum. Since the Tang Dynasty, people have greatly favored the peony.
But I alone love the lotus – because it rises from the mud yet remains unstained; it is washed in clear ripples yet never showy. Its stalk is hollow within and straight without; it neither spreads vines nor branches out. Its fragrance grows purer with distance, and it stands tall, clean, and upright – fit to be admired from afar, but not to be handled carelessly.
To me, the chrysanthemum is the flower of the recluse; the peony, the flower of wealth and honor; and the lotus, the flower of the true gentleman (junzi, Confucian noble man).
Ah! After Tao Yuanming, few have been heard to love the chrysanthemum. As for those who share my love of the lotus – who are they? And as for the love of the peony – it’s no wonder it’s so widespread!
《爱莲说》宋·周敦颐
水陆草木之花，可爱者甚蕃。晋陶渊明独爱菊。自李唐来，世人甚爱牡丹。予独爱莲之出淤泥而不染，濯清涟而不妖，中通外直，不蔓不枝，香远益清，亭亭净植，可远观而不可亵玩焉。
予谓菊，花之隐逸者也；牡丹，花之富贵者也；莲，花之君子者也。噫！菊之爱，陶后鲜有闻。莲之爱，同予者何人?牡丹之爱，宜乎众矣!
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