Lu You, the renowned patriotic poet of the Southern Song Dynasty, was a staunch advocate for resisting the Jin invaders. While serving as a subprefectural magistrate in Longxing (modern-day Nantong, Jiangxi), he was dismissed from his post by the peace faction at court.
After being dismissed from office, Lu You returned to his hometown of Shanyin (modern-day Shaoxing, Zhejiang), a beautiful place with clear streams, lush green trees, and exotic flowers, but he had no heart to enjoy it, spending his days reading at home to pass the time. About a year later, he gradually came to terms with his situation and became well-acquainted with the local farmers.
One fine spring day in April 1167, the poet Lu You set out alone to explore West Mountain, twenty li away. Leaning on his staff, he followed the shores of Mirror Lake, making his way along the winding path.
After crossing several hills and winding around countless streams for over two hours, the poet Lu You found the settlements growing sparser. Climbing a slope and gazing ahead, he saw only overlapping mountains and twisting rivers—it seemed there was no path forward at all.
Deep in his journey, Lu You refused to turn back. Pressing on for dozens of steps around a hillside bend, he suddenly spotted a small village nestled in a valley ahead, its blossoms red and willows green, like the legendary Peach Blossom Spring.
Lu You was overjoyed and immediately descended into the valley to visit the village, where the villagers warmly welcomed their guest from afar, and he expressed his hope to return again someday.
Returning home, Lu You was deeply impressed by his trip to West Mountain and wrote a seven-character regulated poem "A Visit to a Village West of the Mountain," including these two lines:
"After endless mountains and rivers, one doubts there is a path; in the shade of willows and bright blooms, another village appears."
It means: when you think there is no way forward amidst mountains and rivers, suddenly your eyes light up, and you discover another village amidst the dense green willows and bright flowers.
Later, people used the idiom "Willows Dark, Flowers Bright" to describe a situation that seemed hopeless but suddenly took a turn for the better, bringing new hope.
Source: Lu You (Southern Song Dynasty), *A Visit to the Village West of the Mountain*
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "柳暗花明" came to describe a situation that seemed hopeless but suddenly took a turn for the better, bringing new hope.