During the Tang Dynasty, a talented young scholar named Cui Hu traveled to the capital Chang'an to take the imperial examinations but failed. Since his home in Boling was far away, he stayed in Chang'an to prepare for next year's exams.
On Qingming Festival, Cui Hu set out alone to explore the southern outskirts of the city. Strolling through the countryside, he came upon a charming residence surrounded by lush flowers and trees. Drawn by the scenery, he approached the gate and knocked, hoping to ask for a cup of water.
After knocking for a long time, a young woman opened the door a crack and asked, "Who are you?" Cui Hu told her his name and said, "I came out alone for a spring outing. I had a few cups of wine before leaving, and now I'm terribly thirsty. I'd like to ask for a cup of water to quench my thirst."
The woman, upon hearing this, went inside, brought out a cup of water, opened the door, and invited Cui Hu in to drink. Struck by her extraordinary beauty and charm, Cui Hu was eager to converse, peppering her with questions. She merely smiled without a word. After gazing at her for a long while, he reluctantly took his leave. The woman, clearly fond of him as well, saw him to the door, watching his retreating figure until he disappeared from sight before closing the gate and going back inside.
A long time passed, and Cui Hu did not return until the next Qingming Festival, when he suddenly remembered the young woman. Overcome with emotion, he went to find her, but to his dismay, the house was empty, with a large lock hanging on the door. Deeply saddened, he took out his brush and inkstone and wrote a poem on the left side of the door.
Last year, on this very day, within this very gate.
Peach Blossoms and a Rosy Face.
The idiom "The Peach Blossom Still Smiles in the Spring Breeze" comes from a Tang Dynasty poem by Cui Hu titled "Written in a Village South of the Capital." One spring day, Cui Hu, a young scholar, went for a walk outside Chang'an and grew thirsty. He knocked on the door of a small farmhouse, and a beautiful girl answered, offering him a bowl of water. As he drank, she stood silently beneath a blooming peach tree, her face as lovely as the blossoms. The next year, on the same spring day, Cui Hu returned, eager to see her again. But the door was locked, and the courtyard was empty. Disappointed, he wrote this poem on the gate: "Last year, within this gate, a face and peach blossoms glowed in pink. Now the face is gone, I know not where, but the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze." The story captures a fleeting moment of beauty and the ache of lost connection, reminding us that some encounters are as brief as they are unforgettable.
The peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze.
After finishing the poem, he signed his name at the end, then returned home in a disheartened mood.
A few days later, he ventured to the southern outskirts to search again. As he approached, he suddenly heard weeping from within a house. Startled, he hurriedly knocked on the door. An old man immediately opened it.
Cui Hu asked the old man, "Why are you crying, sir?" The old man glanced at Cui Hu and said suspiciously, "Are you Cui Hu?" Cui Hu nodded. The old man wept again and said, "You have killed my daughter!"
Cui Hu was utterly shocked, his face turning pale as he stood there, unable to utter a single word in response.
The old man continued, "I have only one daughter. She is young, talented in writing, and not yet married. Since last year, she has often been absent-minded, as if lost in thought. A few days ago, we went out together, and upon returning, she saw the poem you inscribed on the left gate. After reading it, she fell ill as soon as she entered the house. She refused to eat or drink for several days and eventually died. I am old and had hoped to marry her to a scholar, so I could have someone to rely on. Now that she has died so tragically, isn't it you who caused her death?"
The old man grew more sorrowful as he spoke, breaking into fresh sobs. Cui Hu, tears streaming down his face as well, begged to be allowed inside. The old man finally relented and let him in.
Cui Hu entered the room and, seeing the woman still lying on the bed, stepped forward and cried, "Cui Hu has come to see you! Cui Hu has come to see you!"
After a few cries from Cui Hu, the young woman suddenly opened her eyes and came back to life. Overjoyed, the old man gave his daughter's hand in marriage to Cui Hu.
What had been a tragedy suddenly turned into a comedy.
This is the famous story of "The Peach Blossom Face" passed down through later generations. This story is highly dramatic and was later adapted into a play. Cui Hu's poem, titled "Passing the Southern Village of the Capital," also became a widely recited masterpiece.
Later, the idiom "Peach Blossom Face" came to refer to a woman one loves but cannot meet, along with the wistful feelings this evokes, and is sometimes also used to describe a woman's beautiful appearance.
Source: *Benshi Shi*
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "人面桃花" came to describe a woman one loves but cannot meet, along with the wistful feelings this evokes, and is sometimes also a woman's beautiful appearance.