📖 Meaning
The Birthday of the Hundred Flowers is the traditional name for the twelfth day of the second lunar month, also known as the Flower Festival (花朝). On this day it was believed that all flowers held their birthday, and fine weather portended an abundant blooming season. The term embodies an old agrarian folk custom of celebrating spring and the flowering of plants.
📜 Origin Story
The expression derives from Qing dynasty scholar Qin Weiyun's (秦味芸) compendium Yueling Cuibian (《月令粹编》), volume 5, which quotes the ancient work Taozhu Gongshu (《陶朱公书》): 'The twelfth day of the second month is the birthday of the hundred flowers. If there is no rain, the hundred flowers will ripen well.' This stems from the traditional Flower Festival (花朝节) custom of mid-spring, when people honored the flowers as a collective birthday. The citation illustrates how an everyday seasonal observation was elevated into a fixed festival name in folk tradition.
💡 Example Usage
每年二月十二日的百花生日，人们踏青赏花以贺百花盛开。
On the Birthday of the Hundred Flowers, the twelfth day of the second lunar month, people go on spring outings to admire the blossoms in celebration.
🏷️ Category
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🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 百花生日
- Pinyin: bǎi huā shēng rì
- Literal Translation: hundred, flower, birthday
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4