英语词汇chrysanthemum的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

chrysanthemum. These fall flowers are of many colors today, but when the ancient Greeks grew them they were mostly gold- colored; hence their name chrysanthemum from the Greek chrysos anthemon, gold flowers. In the city of Himeji, Japan lo- cals consider the chrysanthemum unlucky and refuse to grow the flower or display it. This stems from a legend about a serv- ant girl named Chrysanthemum Blossom (O-Kiku) who threw herself into a well and drowned upon discovering that one of 10 golden plates it was her duty to safeguard had disappeared. According to the story, Chrysanthemum Blossom’s spirit re- turned every night to the castle where she had lived to count the plates, screaming each time she reached the count of nine. So persistent were her visits and so fiendish her screams that the inhabitants of the castle were forced to desert it. In most of Japan, of course, the chrysanthemum is a much-prized symbol of the nation. The largest fireworks in the world, more than 2,000 feet in diameter, are made in Japan and explode into the shape of a chrysanthemum. The chrysanthemum’s botanical name has recently been changed to Dendranthema x grandiflo- ra. But people will still be calling the flowers “mums” for years to come. It should finally be added that the chrysanthemum was the favorite flower of the Chinese philosopher Confucius and is so beloved in Japan that it inspired a national holiday. Mum tea and mum soup are among Chinese favorites.

词汇	chrysanthemum
词源	chrysanthemum. These fall flowers are of many colors today, but when the ancient Greeks grew them they were mostly gold- colored; hence their name chrysanthemum from the Greek chrysos anthemon, gold flowers. In the city of Himeji, Japan lo- cals consider the chrysanthemum unlucky and refuse to grow the flower or display it. This stems from a legend about a serv- ant girl named Chrysanthemum Blossom (O-Kiku) who threw herself into a well and drowned upon discovering that one of 10 golden plates it was her duty to safeguard had disappeared. According to the story, Chrysanthemum Blossom’s spirit re- turned every night to the castle where she had lived to count the plates, screaming each time she reached the count of nine. So persistent were her visits and so fiendish her screams that the inhabitants of the castle were forced to desert it. In most of Japan, of course, the chrysanthemum is a much-prized symbol of the nation. The largest fireworks in the world, more than 2,000 feet in diameter, are made in Japan and explode into the shape of a chrysanthemum. The chrysanthemum’s botanical name has recently been changed to Dendranthema x grandiflo- ra. But people will still be calling the flowers “mums” for years to come. It should finally be added that the chrysanthemum was the favorite flower of the Chinese philosopher Confucius and is so beloved in Japan that it inspired a national holiday. Mum tea and mum soup are among Chinese favorites.
随便看	drink like a fish drink off dead nelson drive one-s ducks to a poor market d river drive round the bend drive-in droit du seigneur drongo drop a dime drop dead drop in the bucket drop of a hat drop the ball drop the other shoe drowner drowning drown the shamrock dr pepper drug on the market drugstore drumhead court-martial drummond light drumstick drunk as a lord drunk as an owl