Chinese Linguistics: 奇葩異草, 百卉千葩
Found this word today 葩.
The word means “exotic or rare flowers”, usually used as if describing some otherworldly scenary.
Typical usage:
- 奇葩異草 = Wondrous/exotic flora. Literally: rare flowers, strange plants.
- 百卉千葩 = Myriad plants and flowers; rich and colorful. Literally: hundred plants, thousand flowers.
Interestingly, found this perfume ad “午夜奇葩(蓝毒)女淡香精”.
- 午夜 = midnight.
- 奇葩 = exotic flower.
- 蓝毒 = blue poison.
- 女淡香精 = lady's light perfume.
there's quite a number of interesting linguistic things going on here. This perfume in english is named “midnight poison”. Direct translation in chinese would be “午夜蓝毒”. But that would be terribly wrong. The word “午夜” means midnight. The “蓝毒” means “blue poison”. In chinese, together they simply mean “midnight poison” without any magical connotation. Without context, it can easily be mistaken as a name for some poisonous chemical compound.
So, the translation is 午夜奇葩 (midnight exotic flower) instead, with 蓝毒 (blue poison) in parenthesis.
There's also interesting thing going on with the phrase 女淡香精 = lady's light perfume. Normally, perfume is called 香水, literally “fragrant water”. But you can see how insipid that is. So, it uses “女淡香精” instead.
- 女 = lady, women.
- 淡 = light
- 香 = fragrant
- 精 = essense; elixir
How deadly.
On the topic of sex, ethology, one also wonders about the word “poison” here. Clearly, a perfume isn't poison. But when it comes to sex and the mating game, all sorts of traps, lure, and even death, are part of it in the animal kingdom.
See also the 1-minute music video commerial for this perfume, featuring music by Muse's Space Dementia, starring Eva Green, at: Midnight Poison Space Dementia.
The word 葩 in “Journey to the West” (西游记)
The word is used many times in Journey to the West.
翠藓堆蓝,白云浮玉,光摇片片烟霞。虚窗静室,滑凳板生花。乳窟龙珠倚挂,萦回满地奇葩。锅灶傍崖存火迹,樽罍靠案见肴渣。石座石床真可爱,石盆石碗更堪夸。又见那一竿两竿修竹,三点五点梅花。
复道回廊,处处玲珑剔透;三檐四簇,层层龙凤翱翔。上面有个紫巍巍,明幌幌,圆丢丢,亮灼灼,大金葫芦顶;下面有天妃悬掌扇,玉女捧仙巾。恶狠狠,掌朝的天将;气昂昂,护驾的仙卿。正中间,琉璃盘内,放许多重重叠叠太乙丹;玛瑙瓶中,插几枝弯弯曲曲珊瑚树。正是天宫异物般般有,世上如他件件无。金阙银銮并紫府,琪花瑶草暨琼葩。朝王玉兔坛边过,参圣金乌着底飞。猴王有分来天境,不堕人间点污泥。
夭夭灼灼,颗颗株株。夭夭灼灼花盈树,颗颗株株果压枝。果压枝头垂锦弹,花盈树上簇胭脂。时开时结千年熟,无夏无冬万载迟。先熟的,酡颜醉脸;还生的,带蒂青皮。凝烟肌带绿,映日显丹姿。树下奇葩并异卉,四时不谢色齐齐。左右楼台并馆舍,盘空常见罩云霓。
行者道:『兄弟,前后门皆紧急,如何得入?』八戒道:『那见做贼的从门里 走么?瞒墙跳过便罢。』行者依言,将身一纵,跳上里罗城墙,八戒也跳上去。二 人潜入里面,找着门路,径寻那御花园。正行时,只见有一座三檐白簇的门楼,上 有三个亮灼灼的大字,映着那星月光辉,乃是御花园。行者近前看了,有几重封皮, 公然将锁门锈住了,即命八戒动手。那呆子掣铁钯,尽力一筑,把门筑得粉碎。行 者先举步插入,忍不住跳将起来,大呼小叫,唬得八戒上前扯住道:『哥呀,害杀 我也!那见做贼的乱嚷,似这般吆喝!惊醒了人,把我们拿住,发到官司,就不该 死罪,也要解回原籍充军。』行者道:『兄弟啊,你却不知我发急为何,你看这: 『彩画雕栏狼狈,宝妆亭阁敧歪。莎汀蓼岸尽尘埋,芍药荼蘼俱败。茉莉玫瑰香暗, 牡丹百合空开。芙蓉木槿草垓垓,异卉奇葩壅坏。巧石山峰俱倒,池塘水涸鱼衰。 青松紫竹似干柴,满路茸茸蒿艾。丹桂碧桃枝损,海榴棠棣根歪。桥头曲径有苍苔, 冷落花园境界!』』八戒道:『且叹他做甚?快干我们的买卖去来!』行者虽然感慨, 却留心想起唐僧的梦来,说芭蕉树下方是井。正行处,果见一株芭蕉,生得茂盛, 比众花木不同,真是:一种灵苗秀,天生体性空。枝枝抽片纸,叶叶卷芳丛。翠缕 千条细,丹心一点红。凄凉愁夜雨,憔悴怯秋风。长养元丁力,栽培造化工。缄书 成妙用,挥洒有奇功。凤翎宁得似,鸾尾迥相同。薄露瀼瀼滴,轻烟淡淡笼。青阴 遮户牖,碧影上帘栊。不许栖鸿雁,何堪系玉骢。霜天形槁悴,月夜色朦胧。仅可 消炎暑,犹宜避日烘。愧无桃李色,冷落粉墙东。行者道:『八戒,动手么!宝贝 在芭蕉树下埋着哩。』那呆子双手举钯,筑倒了芭蕉,然后用嘴一拱,拱了有三四 尺深,见一块石板盖住。呆子欢喜道:『哥呀!造化了!果有宝贝,是一片石板盖 着哩!不知是坛儿盛着,是柜儿装着哩。』行者道:『你掀起来看看。』那呆子果 又一嘴,拱开看处,又见有霞光灼灼,白气明明。八戒笑道:
荼蘼架、蔷薇架,近着秋千架,浑如锦帐罗帏;松柏亭、辛夷亭,对着木香亭, 却似碧城绣幕。芍药栏,牡丹丛,朱朱紫紫斗秾华;夜合台,茉藜槛,岁岁年年生 妩媚。涓涓滴露紫含笑,堪画堪描,艳艳烧空红拂桑,宜题宜赋。论景致,休夸阆 苑蓬莱;较芳菲,不数姚黄魏紫。若到三春闲斗草,园中只少玉琼花。长老携着那 怪,步赏花园,看不尽的奇葩异卉。行过了许多亭阁,真个是渐入佳境。忽抬头, 到了桃树林边,行者把师父头上一掐,那长老就知。
『老爷,向西南去不远,就是舍下。请老爷到舍,见见家母,叩谢老爷活命之 恩,送老爷上路。』长老欣然,遂不骑马,与樵子并四众同行,向西南迤逶前来, 不多路,果见那:石径重漫苔藓,柴门篷络藤花。四面山光连接,一林鸟雀喧哗。 密密松篁交翠,纷纷异卉奇葩。地僻云深之处,竹篱茅舍人家。远见一个老妪,倚 着柴扉,眼泪汪汪的,儿天儿地的痛哭。这樵子看见是他母亲,丢了长老,急忙忙 先跑到柴扉前,跪下叫道:『母亲!儿来也!』老妪一把抱住道:『儿啊!你这几 日不来家,我只说是山主拿你去,害了性命,是我心疼难忍。你既不曾被害,何以 今日才来?你绳担、柯斧俱在何处?』樵子叩头道:『母亲,儿已被山主拿去,绑 在树上,实是难得性命,幸亏这几位老爷!这老爷是东土唐朝往西天取经的罗汉。 那老爷倒也被山主拿去绑在树上,他那三位徒弟老爷,神通广大,把山主一顿打死, 却是个艾叶花皮豹子精;概众小妖,俱尽烧死,却将那老老爷解下救出,连孩儿都 解救出来,此诚天高地厚之恩!不是他们,孩儿也死无疑了。如今山上太平,孩儿 彻夜行走,也无事矣。』那老妪听言,一步一拜,拜接长老四众,都入柴扉茅舍中 坐下。娘儿两个磕头称谢不尽,慌慌忙忙的安排些素斋酬谢。八戒道:『樵哥,我, 见你府上也寒薄,只可将就一饭,切莫费心大摆布。』樵子道『不瞒老爷说,我这 山间实是寒薄,没甚么香蕈、蘑菰、川椒、大料,只是几品野菜奉献老爷,权表寸 心。』八戒笑道:『聒噪聒噪,放快些儿就是,我们肚中饥了。』樵子道:『就有! 就有!』果然不多时,展抹桌凳,摆将上来,果是几盘野菜。但见那:嫩焯黄花菜, 酸虀白鼓丁。浮蔷马齿苋,江荠雁肠英。燕子不来香且嫩,芽儿拳小脆还青。烂煮 马蓝头,白熝狗脚迹。猫耳朵,野落荜,灰条熟烂能中吃;剪刀股,牛塘利,倒灌 窝螺操帚荠。碎米荠,莴菜荠,几品青香又滑腻。油炒乌英花,菱科甚可夸;蒲根 菜并茭儿菜,四般近水实清华。看麦娘,娇且佳;破破纳,不穿他,苦麻台下藩篱 架。雀儿绵单,猢狲脚迹,油灼灼煎来只好吃。斜蒿青蒿抱娘蒿,灯娥儿飞上板荞 荞。羊耳秃,枸杞头,加上乌蓝不用油。几般野菜一餐饭,樵子虔心为谢酬。
好去处:径铺彩石,槛凿雕栏。径铺彩石,径边石畔长奇葩;槛凿雕 栏,槛外栏中生异卉。夭桃迷翡翠,嫩柳闪黄鹂。步觉幽香来袖满,行沾清味上 衣多。凤台龙沼,竹阁松轩。凤台之上,吹箫引凤来仪;龙沼之间,养鱼化龙而 去。竹阁有诗,费尽推敲裁白雪;松轩文集,考成珠玉注青编。假山拳石翠,曲 水碧波深。牡丹亭,蔷薇架,迭锦铺绒;茉藜槛,海棠畦,堆霞砌玉。芍药异 香,蜀葵奇艳。白梨红杏斗芳菲,紫蕙金萱争烂熳。丽春花、木笔花、杜鹃花, 夭夭灼灼;含笑花、凤仙花、玉簪花,战战巍巍。一处处红透胭脂润,一丛丛芳 浓锦绣围。更喜东风回暖日,满园娇媚逞光辉。