A lovely flower in a dunghill

A lovely flower in a dunghill!

鲜花插在牛粪上 (xiān huā chā zài niú fèn shànɡ)！

Today's topic is "鲜花" (xiān huā) or "fresh flower", as well as "牛粪" (niú fèn) or "cow dung".

今日的主题是"鲜花（xiān huā）"：新鲜的花朵。还有 "牛粪（niú fèn）"：牛的便便。 

There is such a saying in Chinese "鲜花插在牛粪上" (xiān huā chā zài niú fèn shànɡ) or "A lovely flower in a dunghill" literally.

中文里有一句俗话：鲜花插在牛粪上（xiān huā chā zài niú fèn shànɡ）

What does it mean?

这句话什么意思嘞？

"鲜花" is a metaphor for a beauty, while "牛粪" (niú fèn) refers to an ugly man. The whole sentence implies metaphorically a mismatched and unsatisfactory marriage between a man and a woman due to their great difference in appearance.

中国人把"鲜花（xiān huā）比作年轻貌美的女子，把"牛粪（niú fèn）"比作相貌丑陋的男子。整句则是用来隐喻男女婚配因相貌的落差而不圆满。

However, such a derogatory saying has become a commendatory one among the female intellectuals in China nowadays. 

然而，这句充满贬义修辞的俗话，却在现代中国高知女性圈中成为了褒义的佳话。

With the rapid social and economic development and higher education popularization, there have emerged more and more "three-high women" (high academic qualification, high attractiveness or face score, high job position). In their opinion, if a man is as ugly as a dunghill, he still can be a potential candidate for such prestigious women. Anyhow, he will be reliable in a marriage if he is upright and intelligent. After all, men that are endowed with  talents, appearance and manners are rare resources, as if like gold dust. If a "three-high woman" seeks such a perfect man, she may wait for a long time before getting married and may consequently have sacrificed her golden age for marriage after years of hard study and work. Thus, although the "three-high women" deem themselves as "鲜花", they don't consider ugly men as "牛粪". According to them, "鲜花插在牛粪上" is justified, as it indicates a complementary relation and a reliable cooperation. 

随着社会经济迅猛发展，高等教育的普及，中国的"三高女"（学历高、颜值高、工作职位高）越来越多。她们认为男子即使相貌丑如"牛粪（niú fèn）"也值得进一步考察。如果他品行端正、才智过人则在婚配时也很可靠。毕竟，有才、有貌、又有人品的完美男子是稀缺资源。如果非得寻找完美男子才能结婚的话，那么已在学业、事业上打拼数年而丧失了婚配最佳年龄的"三高女"则需要等待更久才能进入婚姻生活。所以，她们认为自己是鲜花，但却不认为相貌丑陋的男子是牛粪。"鲜花插在牛粪上"反而被她们认为是一种互补，一种补缺的可靠合作。

A saying is a commonly accepted and fixed expression, which is provided with a specific connotation. Although it is established as a language symbol, it can be understood and used more comprehensively only in the specific contexts and pragmatic scenes, as human perceptions keep changing. 

俗语即是约定俗成的话。一旦成句即成为了固定的表达。具有固定的含义。虽然语言作为符号已形成。但人们的思想观念会改变。所以，语义结合语境、语用场景才能更全面的理解和使用。

The article is translated and editted by Chinlingo. Please indicate the source for any use, reproduction or transfer. 

本文由Chinlingo编译后发布，如需转载，请标明来源。