Four Gentlemen

The Four Gentlemen, also called the Four Noble Ones, in Chinese art refers to four plants: the plum blossom, the orchid, the chrysanthemum, and the bamboo. The term compares the four plants to Confucianist junzi, or "gentlemen". They are most typically depicted in traditional ink and wash painting and they belong to the category of bird-and-flower painting in Chinese art.

The Four Gentlemen have been used in Chinese painting since the time of the Chinese Song Dynasty (960–1279) because of their refined beauty, and were later adopted elsewhere in East Asia by artists in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. As they represent the four different seasons (the plum blossom for spring, the orchid for summer, the chrysanthemum for autumn, and the bamboo for winter), the four are used to depict the unfolding of the seasons through the year.

Gallery

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  Orchids and Bamboo by Zheng Xie, c. 1740

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  Bamboo at Qingbige Pavilion by Ke Jiusi, c. 1338

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  Chrysanthemums from the Xian'e Changchun Album by Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766)

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  Plum Blossoms by Sun Long and Chen Lu, early Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)

See also

• Three Friends of Winter
• Flowers of the Four Seasons

External links

• Paintings of the Four Gentlemen at China Online Museum

• Orchids: The Four Gentlemen
• Symbolism in Brush Painting