英語訳
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Peony flowers (botanka) <<Note: Bloom in mid-March>>
The flowers come in large white and large red varieties, with purple, light purple, light red, deep red, and lip red, among countless other varieties. Peonies should be evaluated by dividing their overall characteristics into nine categories. The nine categories are: first - rank, second - form, third - color, fourth - layering, fifth - pistil, sixth - stamen, seventh - petals, eighth - leaves, ninth - stem. First, regarding rank, there are four grades. First rank is rarely seen; second and third ranks are considered good. Fourth rank is considered common. Second, regarding form, there are five types: wealth, elegance, dignity, disorder, and withered. Wealth and elegance are considered good. Third, regarding color, there are two types. Those that bloom with a reddish appearance are called "jewel bloom." Those with a bluish appearance are called "jade bloom." Jewel blooms have luster, while jade blooms lack luster in their flowers. There may also be variations of these. Those with intoxication and staining - flowers with intoxication and staining would be exceptional top-grade flowers. Fourth, regarding layering: from five to fifteen petals is considered single-layered. Twenty to forty petals is considered double-layered. Forty-five to one hundred petals is considered thousand-layered. Beyond one hundred petals is considered ten-thousand-layered. Double and thousand-layered are considered good. Fifth, regarding pistils, there are variations in appearance, size, height, and red-white coloring. Among whites, there are yellow-white, silver-white, and blue-white. Among reds, there are light red, quince color, deep red, light purple, deep purple, and black. The shape includes bottle-shaped forms. Some pistil heads split into five parts, others into seven parts. Among whites, silver-white is good; among reds, deep ones are good. Small bottle-shaped ones are considered good. Also called poppy seed or bell seed. Sixth, regarding stamens:
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All are yellow. There are variations in light-dark, many-few, and long-short. Yellow and small ones are considered good. Seventh, regarding petals, there are thick-round and thin-notched varieties. Some shrink, some spread, some close up. Thick-round ones that close up are considered good. Eighth, regarding leaves, there are large-small, long-short, frequently-shrinking, weakly-drooping, and round-pointed varieties. Their colors include purple, green, and light-dark variations. Slender and strong ones are considered good. Combined colors are considered good. Ninth, regarding stems, some are strong and straight, others are curved and bent. Some grow gracefully, thin and straight. Those that grow naturally and gracefully are considered good.
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Jia Dan's Flower Manual says: Peonies are called "tree peonies" by the Chinese. Ou Gong's Peony Manual contains over ninety varieties. Also, Yi Zhou presented nineteen varieties as tribute. Nowadays there are even more varieties. Su Shi said: The method for viewing peonies should be in the morning. After noon, they open and spread. These flowers should be grafted by division in autumn, the ninth month. Transplanting should be done during blooming time. Shu Yuanyu wrote "Peony Rhapsody." Qiu Xuan wrote "Record of Peony Glory and Disgrace."
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From "Kaigen Remnant Records": Peonies are supernatural flowers and trees. During Emperor Minghuang's time, tree peonies bloomed magnificently in front of Chenxiang Pavilion. One branch with two heads - deep blue-green in the morning, deep yellow in the evening, with powdery leaves. The fragrance and beauty differed between day and night. The emperor said, "These are supernatural flowers and trees," and bestowed them upon Yang Guozhong.