What do you think of when you hear “Titoni? “What about cherry blossom?”
When I was a schoolboy, Titoni watches were trendy (along with Rado and Titus)—the Chinese call Titoni the 梅花 (plum blossom) brand. The cherry blossom season is (of course) almost synonymous with springtime in Japan. Both Titoni and cherry blossom remind me of Oubaitori (桜梅桃李). This Japanese idiom is a name aggregation of four trees: cherry 桜, plum 梅, peach 桃, and plum 李. They grow and bloom at their own time and pace. (See below for the confusion between 梅, and 李 which, are both translated as plum).
Translated to our earthly lives, Oubaitori suggests we could or should grow, develop, and blossom in our ways. In other words, there are two components – developing our innate (or otherwise) talents and the time dimension of our growth. Hence, instead of comparing ourselves with others, we should confidently focus on developing what makes us unique. Furthermore, we need not stress ourselves with the speed of growth. People tend to admire early bloomers and promote fast learning. However, we know most child prodigies become extraordinarily ordinary people in adulthood. Researchers have found that many gifted children fall behind due to insufficient effort or motivation.
Growth does not stop when flowers wither. It is a new beginning. Fruits appear—cherry 桜 (樱), prune 梅, peach 桃, and plum 李. Ripening takes place, and finally, the tasty fruits of maturity. And the seeds left behind start a new beginning. Hence, Oubaitori leaves us with a positive mindset and opens the door for personal, lifelong growth.
When we compare ourselves with successful individuals, we can take inspiration from their achievements to further develop ourselves. Take Guan Moye (管谟业; (born 1955), a Chinese novelist and short-story writer. He dropped out in the fifth grade during the turbulent years of the Cultural Revolution to work on a farm. He joined the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in 1976 and studied literature at the PLA Academy of Art from 1984 through 1986. In 1981 Guan Moye began writing stories under the pseudonym Mo Yan (莫言), which means “Don’t Speak.” He developed late and fast and won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Celebrate the success of others and make them our inspiration! We can be late bloomers, too. Oubaitori is about developing at our own pace, according to our nature, and throughout the seasons of our lives. Whether it is motivation to pursue our goals or inspiration to learn something new, we can continue to do so, and it does not matter if we are eight, twenty-eight, or eighty-eight.
Unfortunately, some people do so negatively when they make comparisons. The Chinese have an idiom, 人比人气死人 (“It drives us hopping mad to compare ourselves with luckier people”), that succinctly captures this less-than-happy experience. Theodore Roosevelt called comparison the thief of joy. Unfavourable comparisons never make us happier, nor will they make us grow and become what we could uniquely be.
Yes, imbued with the spirit of Oubaitori (桜梅桃李), we can all make our lives a lifelong work of art. We rest when our biological Titoni 梅花 (plum blossom) watch finally stops.
The Confusion between 梅 and 李
Both 梅 and 李 are translated as plum by Chinese-English dictionaries. Popping 梅 into Google Translate (Japanese-English) shows prune. Do you know prunes are dried plums?
Searching the Chinese internet, however, shows that 梅 and 李 are similar but different fruits. Many articles detail their similarities and differences. People do not consume 梅 raw. It is processed and often made into drinks (酸梅汤). Malays call these preserved fruits Assam Boi. The type of prunes seen in the West (西梅) is considered a type of 李.
Vince
Dr Vincent Chong is a retired Professor of Radiology at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
