— Han Yu On vernal day no flowers were in bloom, alas! In second moon I’m glad to see the budding grass. But white snow dislikes the late coming vernal breeze, It plays the parting flowers flying through the trees.
In Journey to the West (Chapter 23: “Four Saints Test the Zen Heart”), the four bodhisattvas disguise themselves as a widow and her three daughters to test the pilgrims’ spiritual resolve. Their names are riddled with homophonic puns and double meanings, critiquing worldly illusions.