春和

「春眠不觉晓，处处闻啼鸟」

In spring slumber I never notice the dawn; everywhere I hear birds singing

— Meng Haoran, 'Spring Dawn'

Sleeping soundly through the spring night, unaware that dawn has broken, hearing birdsong everywhere — the most lighthearted poem of spring.

「好雨知时节，当春乃发生」

The good rain knows its season; when spring arrives, it brings life

— Du Fu, 'Joyful Rain on a Spring Night'

The good rain seems to know the right season, arriving with spring — nourishing all things silently.

「等闲识得东风面，万紫千红总是春」

Easy it is to recognize the face of the east wind; all the purple and crimson blooming is spring

— Zhu Xi, 'Spring Day'

One can easily recognize the east wind's arrival — a myriad of blossoms in purple and crimson, and that is spring.

「天时不如地利，地利不如人和」

The right timing is not as good as the right terrain; the right terrain is not as good as human harmony

— Mencius, 'Gongsun Chou II'

Good timing matters less than favorable terrain, and favorable terrain matters less than people united in harmony — 'harmony' is the highest value in Chinese culture.

「礼之用，和为贵」

In the practice of ritual, harmony is the most precious principle

— The Analects, 'Learning'

In applying the rites, harmony is to be prized above all — the core of the 'harmony is precious' philosophy.