The "Four Gentlemen" refers to the plum blossoms, orchids, bamboos, and chrysanthemums in Chinese paintings. There are quite a few works based on them in ancient Chinese paintings, especially flower and bird paintings, and they are often praised by literati. It is used to express noble and noble tastes: upright integrity, modesty and pure thoughts and feelings. Therefore, it is known as the "gentleman". Plum blossoms are more cold-resistant and bloom very early. They can bloom in early spring. They are similar to pine, pine, and pine trees. Bamboo is also known as the "Three Friends of Suihan". People paint plum blossoms mainly to express its unique personality of not being afraid of severe cold and weathering frost and snow. The greatest plum painter in the Yuan Dynasty should be Wang Mian, who calls himself Plum Blossom. The owner of the house, his ink and wash plum paintings changed from the sparse and indifferent style of the Song Dynasty to dense flowers and stamens, giving people a sense of warmth and vitality. Wang Mian's surviving masterpiece is his "Ink Plum Blossom Picture". Using pure ink and light and wild brushwork, it vividly conveys the clear and proud character of plum blossoms, embodying the aloof and proud feelings of literati. There are countless plum painters in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, such as Liu Shiru, Shi Tao, Jin Nong, and Wang Shishen. Etc. From the perspective of style, they generally inherited the two styles of painting: the coldness of the Song Dynasty and the dense painting style of the Yuan Dynasty. However, not everyone can paint plum blossoms well. People who paint plum blossoms must also have painting skills. Some people call the character of a plum blossom person the "plum spirit bone", which is a noble sentiment and a clean and self-sufficient character. As the saying goes: "To draw plums, you must have the plum spirit bone, and people are as pure as plum blossoms." "When people paint orchids, they generally place a kind of fragrant and noble sentiment on them. For example, Qu Yuan, a poet of the Chu State, sang orchids in poems such as "Autumn orchids are clear, green leaves are purple stems, and the hall is full of beauties." But when orchids are included in paintings, they are Later than plum blossoms, it probably started in the Tang Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, more and more people painted orchids. It is said that Su Shi once painted orchids, and the flowers were mixed with thorns, which meant that a gentleman could tolerate villains. In the early Southern Song Dynasty, people often painted orchids. Painting orchids was used to express a sense of integrity that would not change with the world after the fall of the Song Dynasty. At that time, Zhao Mengjian and Zheng Sixiao were both known as the masters of Molan. Bamboo painting, which is roughly equivalent to orchids, also began in the Tang Dynasty, when Emperor Tang was the emperor. Xuanzong, painters Wang Wei, Wu Daozi and others all liked to paint bamboo. Zheng Banqiao once wrote about his experience of painting bamboo: "In the clear autumn in Jiangguan, when I look at bamboo in the morning, the smoke, light, sun, shadow and dew are all floating on the sparse branches. between leaves. The excitement in the chest makes it seem like a painting. In fact, the bamboo in the heart is not the bamboo in the eyes. Therefore, the ink is ground and the paper is spread, and the pen is instantly transformed into a different shape. The bamboo in the hand is not the bamboo in the heart. In short, if the intention is to write first, it is a rule; if the interest is outside the law, it is an opportunity. It’s so easy to paint alone! "Therefore, we get inspiration from the various natural scenes of bamboo and stimulate emotions. Through the "bamboo in the eyes", it is transformed into the "bamboo in the heart". With the help of pen and ink, it is swayed into the "bamboo in the hand", that is, the "bamboo in the painting." Zheng Banqiao's works are mostly extant and widely circulated. Since the Qing Dynasty, they have been praised by experts all over the world and have become treasures that "people compete for treasures." In terms of painting history, there are relatively few works depicting chrysanthemums. Xu Xi and Huang Quan of the Five Dynasties all painted chrysanthemums, while Su Mingyuan and Ke Jiusi of the Yuan Dynasty also painted chrysanthemums. There were not many people who painted chrysanthemums in the Qing Dynasty. There is now an "Ammonite Picture" by Chen Chun, the most famous painter of the Wumen School in the Ming Dynasty, which is hidden in the Capital Museum. This is a treasure among the relatively few chrysanthemum works. The inclusion of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboos and chrysanthemums in paintings enriches the art themes and expands the aesthetic field. They are not only rich in formal beauty, but also can be reminiscent of human character. Therefore, it is convenient for literati to give full play to their pen and ink, and it is also convenient for literati to borrow objects. It means to express emotions, so the style of describing the "Four Gentlemen" continues to this day.