# Pears ## Pears in classical Chinese poetry [[2024-0416. 'Chinese people are more likely to express feelings of love in a more roundabout or symbolic way'.|’Instead of conveying love to others by directly saying “I love you” or “I miss you,” Chinese people are more likely to express feelings of love in a more roundabout or symbolic way in Chinese literature. For instance, poets describe pears (梨 lí, pear, same pronunciation as 离 lí, to leave)…’]][^1] --- ## Pears in Chinese legend, culture & idioms ### Longevity [[2025-0310. 'The pear-tree is very long-lived, and has been known to bear fruit when 300 years old. Hence it is one of the emblems of longevity.'|'The pear-tree is very long-lived, and has been known to bear fruit when 300 years old. Hence it is one of the emblems of longevity.']][^2] --- ### Relationships [[2025-0310. 'It is said that a happy couple should never cut up pears together since the word for pear is similar to the word for ‘separation’.'|'It is said that a happy couple should never cut up pears together since the word for pear is similar to the word for ‘separation’.']][^3] --- ### Death [[2025-0310. ‘Above all, no one should be given pears on the 15th day of the 7th month, for this is the day which the spirits of the dead spend on earth, and pears would bring their loss home even more forcefully to bereaved families.’|‘Above all, no one should be given pears on the 15th day of the 7th month, for this is the day which the spirits of the dead spend on earth, and pears would bring their loss home even more forcefully to bereaved families.’]][^4] [^1]: Zhang Shijie, ‘Mastering Chinese Poetry, Ep. 2: Love Seeds’, *Culture China*, 8 September 2019, https://news.cgtn.com/news/2019-08-07/Mastering-Chinese-Poetry-Ep-2-Love-Seeds-IWHHpIE6iI/index.html. [^2]: C.A.S. Williams, *[[Williams. 'Outlines of Chinese Symbolism and Art Motives', 1974.|Outlines of Chinese Symbolism and Art Motives: An alphabetical compendium of antique legends and beliefs, as reflected in the manners and customs of the Chinese]]* (Rutland, VT: C.E. Tuttle Co., 1974), p. 319. [^3]: Lauren Padko, ‘Chapter 10: Everyday Symbols Found in the Kitchen’, *China’s Magical Creatures* (PressBooks, n.d.), https://open.muhlenberg.pub/chinasmagicalcreatures/chapter/symbolism-everyday-life/. [^4]: Wolfram Eberhard, ‘Pear’, in *[[Eberhard. 'A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols', 1986.|A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols: Hidden Symbols in Chinese Life and Thought]]* (London: Routledge, 1986), p. 229.