Editing Bamboo (section)

==== Attributions of character ====
[[File:Freer 022.jpg|thumb|left|A cylindrical bamboo brush holder or holder of poems on scrolls, created by Zhang Xihuang in the 17th century, late Ming or early Qing Dynasty – in the [[Chinese calligraphy|calligraphy]] of Zhang's style, the poem ''Returning to My Farm in the Field'' by the fourth-century poet [[Tao Yuanming]] is incised on the holder.]]
[[File:S03 03 02 016 image 63.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Photo of carved Chinese bamboo wall vase. 1918. Brooklyn Museum Archives, Goodyear Archival Collection.]]
Bamboo, one of the "[[Four Gentlemen]]" (bamboo, orchid, plum blossom and chrysanthemum), plays such an important role in traditional Chinese culture that it is even regarded as a behavior model of the gentleman. As bamboo has features such as uprightness, tenacity, and modesty, people endow bamboo with integrity, elegance, and plainness, though it is not physically strong. Countless poems praising bamboo written by ancient Chinese poets are actually metaphorically about people who exhibited these characteristics. An ancient poet, [[Bai Juyi]] (772–846), thought that to be a gentleman, a man does not need to be physically strong, but he must be mentally strong, upright, and perseverant. Just as a bamboo is hollow-hearted, he should open his heart to accept anything of benefit and never have arrogance or prejudice.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Bamboo is not only a symbol of a gentleman, but also plays an important role in Buddhism, which was introduced into China in the first century. As canons of Buddhism forbids cruelty to animals, flesh and egg were not allowed in the diet. The tender bamboo shoot (''sǔn'' {{lang|zh-hant|筍}} in Chinese) thus became a nutritious alternative. Preparation methods developed over thousands of years have come to be incorporated into Asian cuisines, especially for monks. A Buddhist monk, Zan Ning, wrote a manual of the bamboo shoot called ''Sǔn Pǔ'' ({{lang|zh-hant|筍譜}}) offering descriptions and recipes for many kinds of bamboo shoots.<ref>Laws, B. 2010. Bamboo. ''Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History''. New York:Firefly Books (U.S) Inc.</ref> Bamboo shoot has always been a traditional dish on the Chinese dinner table, especially in southern China.
In ancient times, those who could afford a big house with a yard would plant bamboo in their garden.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}