The Meaning and The Story of The Yellow Flower Girl 黄花闺女

Almost everyone understands the meaning of the term “Huanghua Girlfriend” and refers to a woman who has not yet been married.

In another sense, it is the current virgin.

The word “marriage” was also called “faint marriage” or “faint cause” in ancient times. In ancient weddings, the south usually went to the wife’s home at dusk to greet relatives, and the woman went out with the man. “Women, women come because of men” is the origin of the term “faintness”.

In ancient times, unmarried women liked to “paste yellow flowers” on their faces when dressing and dressing. Yellow flowers are yellow powder made from pollen, which is then cut into flowers, birds, fish and other shapes with mica flakes and thin sesame flakes. Putting yellow powder on the forehead, sideburns, corners of the mouth, etc., is a common makeup for young girls in ancient times. Later, the term “yellow girl” evolved into the exclusive title for unmarried women.

The famous song “Mulan Poetry” of the Northern Dynasties that we are familiar with contains the sentence “When the window is used to manage the clouds and the mirror is applied yellow”, it can be seen that the custom of applying yellow may have existed before the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

Regarding the origins of “sticking yellow flowers”, there is a story in the “Taiping Yulan” compiled by Li Fang and others in the Song Dynasty: On the afternoon of the seventh day of the first lunar month of a certain year in the Southern Dynasty, Princess Shouyang, the daughter of Emperor Wu of Song Dynasty, Princess Shouyang and the court ladies played in the court. Soon, Princess Shouyang felt a little tired, so she lay down under the eaves of Hanzhang Hall.

At this time, the plum blossoms were in full bloom, and the breeze blew off the plum blossoms. Several plum blossoms happened to be on Princess’s forehead. After being stained with sweat, a faint flower mark is left, which makes Princess Shouyang more charming and moving. The queen saw it and liked it very much. She deliberately let Princess Shouyang keep it. The flower marks disappeared after three days.

Since then, the palace ladies have rushed to imitate. This kind of makeup has also been called “plum makeup”. (“Taiping Yulan” Volume 30, “Timing Department·15·Ren Days” quoted from “Miscellaneous Five Elements Book”: “Song Wu Emperor’s female Princess Shouyang lies on the eaves of the palace with a plum blossom on the princess’s forehead. Five flowers can’t be brushed away. The queen stays for a long time, and after three days, it will fall after washing. The maids are strange and effective, and plum blossom makeup is also true today.”)

#RobertReview: 9 | 10

Published: 7th April 2021.

The Meaning and The Story of The Yellow Flower Girl 黄花闺女