Preface: The legend of the Acacia tree expresses the Chinese people’s praise and yearning for beautiful love.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a guest named Han Ping in the court of King Kang of the Song State.
His wife was extremely beautiful, and when King Kang saw her, he wanted to take her as his own. Han Ping refused categorically.
The wicked and incompetent King Kang imprisoned Han Ping and punished him by forcing him to build a city.
Han Ping’s wife secretly sent a letter, and to prevent others from understanding it, she wrote in riddles: “The rain falls heavily, the river is vast and deep, the sun rises with caution.”
This meant: “My sorrow is deep and long, I miss you very much, but due to the great power of King Kang, I cannot see you. No matter what, I will never betray you.”
The messenger was intercepted by King Kang’s men, and the letter was found.
King Kang read the letter several times but did not understand its meaning.
Suddenly, a minister named Su He said, “I know what it means!”
Su He explained, “The rain falls heavily represents sorrow due to longing; the vast and deep river means they cannot meet each other; the sun rises with caution signifies that they will never betray each other.”
Upon hearing this, King Kang was enraged and ordered Han Ping’s wife to be imprisoned.
Not long after, Han Ping committed suicide due to depression and anger.
Upon learning of her husband’s death, his wife was extremely sad and secretly tore her clothes, preparing to commit suicide as well.
One day, King Kang took her to a high platform for a leisurely stroll. She seized the moment when his guards were not paying attention and suddenly rushed forward to jump off the platform.
The people around her quickly grabbed her clothes, but they were already torn and fragile, and could not hold her. They could only watch as she jumped off the platform and died.
A suicide note was found on her body, which read: “King Kang wants me to live, but I choose to die. I would rather die than suffer his humiliation. After my death, please bury my bones together with Han Ping’s. I was Han Ping’s wife in life, and I will be his wife in death.”
Upon reading the note, King Kang was furious and ordered that Han Ping and his wife should not be buried together, but instead be buried in two separate places.
King Kang said fiercely, “I won’t let you see each other when you’re alive, and I won’t let you be together even after you die.”
After saying this, King Kang laughed loudly.
The next day, people were surprised to find that two zitao trees had grown on the graves of Han Ping and his wife respectively.
Half a month later, the two zitao trees grew tall and strong, leaning towards each other. Their roots intertwined underground, and their branches and leaves intertwined above.
They appeared very intimate.
On the trees, there was a pair of mandarin ducks that never left each other’s side. They often necked and emitted sad and mournful calls, which made everyone who heard them shed tears.
The people of the Song State called these two trees “Love Trees.”
通过阅读中国神话、民间故事、历史典故、人物传记学汉语，简单易学，中英对照，适合初学者！
Learning Chinese through reading Chinese mythology, folk stories, historical allusions, and biographies is easy to learn and bilingual, suitable for beginners!