論文:明新學報-周明儀從文化觀點看「苦楝」之今昔
Chinaberry 栴檀 苦楝

Although chinaberry was not related to food production in the ancient times, nor regarded as an important economic crop, it had its significance in the traditional culture. Apart from medical use, the trunk was used for tool making, and the time of blossoming was an important reference for people in the ancient times for climate changes. The fact that chinaberry appears dead with all the leaves fallen in winter times, the ease for cultivation, and the medical nature of chinaberry somehow have been associated with some folklores and myths about its exorcising power. The beauty of its purple flower blossoms, too, was the common subject of praise by artists and writers. Chinaberry was well regarded except in regions close to Min-Nan, where the word chinaberry pronounced in the regional dialect sounded similar to the word “miserable”, thus was regarded as an ominous object, and was uprooted when being seen around residential areas.

Since geographical nature of Taiwan was suitable for growing chinaberry, it had been ubiquitous in countryside, roadsides, and rural areas in the early days. The strong association between chinaberry and the fragrance of countryside had made it a symbol of the love for countryside. After the land development happened later in Taiwan, chinaberry had gradually been deprived of the surviving space; moreover, the biological control effect that has been found in the extracted component of chinaberry has started to attract the public’s attention for environmental conservation.

In addition to the mandarin pronunciation for chinaberry, which is similar to the word ‘bitter love’, the strong vitality and the bitter taste of the seed, often remind people of Taiwan’s special history of the past four hundred years, or associate with the life essence and journey of human beings. For this reason, chinaberry has gradually been a symbol for literature. Therefore, through studying the use and appraisals of chinaberry throughout the history, its traditional and artistic analogies and metaphors, it is found that regardless of through the practical view or the literature view, the cultural significance of chinaberry has been extended and richened through transformations.