Chinese Terms, Honorifics And Mythologies

Chinese Idioms and Phrases : Part 2

51. The Blue Sea turned into Mulberry Fields (沧海桑田 cāng hǎi sāng tián )

Meaning: the transformations of the world; time brings great changes

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This idiom is given in four characters, each having its own meaning: 沧 "blue, dark green; cold"; 海 "sea, ocean; maritime"; 桑 "mulberry tree; surname"; 田 "field, arable land, cultivated". This idiom can also be interpreted as "time will bring a great change into the world" or "everything will be change in time".

The idiom can be interpreted as "the time will bring great changing" or "the wheel of fate is spinning". Each characters of the idiom has a meaning: 渤 "swelling; "; 澥 "gulf"; the gulf of hebei 桑 "mulberry tree; surname"; 田 "field, arable land, cultivated".

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There was an interesting discussion about the origin and connection between 沧桑 and 沧海桑田 .

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Introduction to the Mulberry Tree:

The Mulberry Tree, or 桑 sāng, is the basis of many myths.

Fusang, or 扶桑 fú sāng (Support/Lift + Mulberry), is one of those more commonly used term in relation to Mulberry/Sun myths.

The Legend of Fusang originates from an account by a Buddhist Missionary Hui Shen who travelled East and found this land described similarly to a Bronze Age Mongolian-ish culture. (Metal workers, domesticated horses and deers).

So it is known that there is a land of Fusang, or atleast by third hand account. The one who wrote this account in the Book of Liang is a man called Yao Silian who heard the story as a recount from the father of the monk. Well, as with all myths, it is up to the imagination of the readers.

Fusang 扶桑, The Mythical Eastern Land... of Japan?

In Ren's post, he mentioned that Fusang is an ancient name for the land of Japan.

This is true, because Japan lies directly East of China.

This is why after decades or maybe even centuries, equipped with the knowledge that Japan lies East of China and the ancient legend of Fusang, scholars or historians connected the legend and the land; thusly dubbing Japan as Fusang.

But does it originate from Japan? Is Japan actually that mythical land described as Fusang? Who knows. After reading the myth and legend, it's up to you to decide.

Interestingly enough, atleast the Japanese current namesake might have something to do with this legend. I'll come back to this point later. For now, lets go talk about the Sang part of FuSang.

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Part 1: Sun Legend

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Now then, you might already have guessed it. Fusang is called Fusang 扶桑, is because Fusang is the island that supports/holds mulberry trees.

On Fusang is a vast expanse of mulberry tree orchards, producing oval-shaped leaves and purplish-red fruits. It is a commonly grown tree there.

There is another legend that stemmed from this island and, in particular, the tree.

The Legend of Houyi, the Celestial Archer.