Mulberry fields and seas

The Vietnamese Dictionary of Words and Phrases (Professor Nguyen Lan) explains: “Thương hải mulberry field (Han. tang: mulberry tree; dien: field; thuong: green; hai: sea - Originating from the idea that sometimes mulberry fields can turn into a blue sea). The changes in life cannot be predicted <> Do not be shaken by the changes in life.

The book Dictionary of Vietnamese Idioms and Proverbs (Professor Nguyen Lan) has a similar explanation: “Thương hải mulberry field (literally: mulberry field, blue sea, originating from the idea that sometimes mulberry fields can turn into the ocean and vice versa) Meaning: Changes in life cannot be predicted”.

However, the explanations in the two dictionaries above have some inaccuracies.

1- Not “originating from the idea that sometimes...”, but the literal meaning is drawn from the phenomenon of changes in terrain and geomorphology in nature. Specifically, mulberry is a plant grown on alluvial land. The phenomenon of alluvial deposition or erosion due to the impact of river and sea flows can cause the land that was previously land to turn into rivers and seas; or conversely, the sea can gradually retreat to make way for alluvial land, green mulberry, and fertile land.

The history of the formation of many lands (especially coastal areas) shows that they were formerly seas. From this natural phenomenon, the ancient Chinese believed that every tens of thousands of years a change would occur, the blue sea would turn into mulberry fields, and then tens of thousands of years later the mulberry fields would turn into the blue sea again. The basis of the literal meaning is like that.

2- The two books Vietnamese Word and Phrase Dictionary and Vietnamese Idioms and Proverbs Dictionary (compiled by Professor Nguyen Lan) both explain “Thuong hai multan dien” as “Unforeseeable changes in life”, which is incorrect. The correct answer is ups and downs, big changes in life.

In the story of the Immortals, the story of Ma Gu (神仙傳‧麻姑) has a passage: “Ma Gu said: “Since I have been serving you, I have seen the East Sea turn into mulberry fields three times. This time when I came to Penglai, the water was only about half as shallow as the last time I saw it. Could it be that it is about to turn into land again?”

Later, the phrase "The sea changes fields" was used to compare to the great changes of world affairs.

The story of Tu Thuc marrying a fairy, tells of a wedding party held at Giao Quang attic, in Phu Lai cave, where a fairy wearing a silk dress said: "We have been wandering in this area for nearly eighty thousand years, the southern sea has changed three times."

The “change” here refers to the vicissitudes of life (Going through a vicissitudes of life, The things I saw were heartbreaking - Kieu). According to this, big change is completely different from “unpredictable changes in life”.

Thus, the original Chinese idiom "Thương hai mulberry fields" (The beach turns into mulberry fields) should be understood briefly and precisely as: The beach turns into mulberry fields; used to describe a big change in life.

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