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Chapter Four Plants and CulturePlants and CultureBesides meat of animals, the primitive people lived on the plants they got from nature.In order to have enough to eat and store all at once, they began to learn to make stone implements（工具）with which to plant plants.So we can see human beings have direct and close relation with plants, and many customs and idiomatic usages about plants came into being, and so did such culture.Plants and CultureGenerally speaking, people take interest in those beautiful or vigorous plants, which arouse their deep feeling. According to their own knowledge and experience, they have decided to choose what they’d like to sing high praise for.For example, Chinese people often associate “美女” (a pretty girl) with “flower” and “君子” (a gentleman) with “bamboo”.1.“Rose and lily” in Western CultureFor example, the Westerners like to use “rose”, for they take it as a love token. And rose is beautiful and it can express affection. No wonder Robert Burns’ famous saying from one of his poems “My love is like a red, red rose” can be easily understood and accepted by the world people.The white rose conveys the meaning of “true love” .1.“Rose and lily” in Western Culture The light pink rose is associated withgentleness and admiration, and can also be used as an expression of sympathy;The dark pink rose is symbolic of gratitude and appreciation, and is a traditional way to say thanks;The yellow rose expresses disloyalty;The withered rose means that “The beautiful lady is old and her youth is gone.”1.“Rose and lily” in Western CultureWhen a woman sits between two men, the English say“a rose between two thorns”.When we say one has roses in her cheeks,it expresses the meaning: “她脸色白里透红”，which is used only for the description of women’s health.When they say the boy is his son who is “under the rose”, it meansthe boy is his illegitimate son.1.“Rose and lily” in Western Culture When everything goes well，they say everything is coming up roses.The idiomatic expression “a bed of roses” is used informally to refer to “a situation of ease, pleasure and happiness”.The English proverb “If you lie upon roses when young, you lie upon thorns when old.” is equivalent to Chinese saying“ 少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲。
