Three Friends of Winter

Three Friends of Winter
The Three Friends of Winter by the Song Dynasty painter Zhao Mengjian
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin suìhán sānyǒu

The Three Friends of Winter, also known as Suihan Sanyou (or ), symbolize the pine, bamboo, and plum. The Chinese observed that the pine, bamboo and plum do not wither as the cold days deepen into the winter season unlike many other plants. Known by them as the Three Friends of Winter, they entered the conventions of East Asian culture. Together they symbolize steadfastness, perseverance, and resilience. They are highly regarded in Confucianism and as such represent the scholar-gentleman's ideal.

The Three Friends of Winter are common in works of Chinese art and those cultures influenced by it. The three are first recorded as appearing together in a ninth-century poem by the Tang Dynasty poet Zhu Qingyu (朱慶餘). The Southern Song Dynasty artist Zhao Mengjian (趙孟堅, c. 1199–1264), among others of the time, made this grouping popular in painting. The actual term "Three Friends of Winter" can be traced back to the earliest known mention in literature, the Record of the Five-cloud Plum Cottage (五雲梅舍記) from The Clear Mountain Collection (霽山集) by the Song Dynasty writer Lin Jingxi (林景熙, 1242–1310):

Culturally, the Three Friends of Winter—pine, bamboo, and plum—are grouped together in the context of winter because they all flourish at that season. For this reason they are commonly known as the Three Friends of Winter. They are also referred to simply by their linked names: Song Zhu Mei (松竹梅) in Chinese, transliterated as Sho Chiku Bai in Japanese (literally "pine, bamboo, plum").

In a Korean poem by Kim Yuki (1580–1658), the three friends are brought together in order to underline the paradoxical contrast:

In Japan, they are particularly associated with the start of the Lunar New Year, appearing on greeting cards and as a design stamped into seasonal sweets.