A character that stays fresh through the ages

“新鮮一代”

從來(lái)不缺新鮮事兒

On the Yangtze River， each wave pushes the one that came before—so would the new always push the old，” goes a Chinese idiom. The fresh faces of the post-90s generation are gradually taking the center stage of society as young workers， government officials， and parents. In their honor， our character of the day is fresh， or 鮮 （xi`n）.

Among todays “artistic youths，” Yue Yun， the eldest son of the 12th century general Yue Fei， is held up as an inspiration. The young general stated that young people ought to enjoy life， but youth was also a time to strive for greater purposes， which， at his time， was to take northern China back from the Jurchen invaders. His description of youth was 鮮衣怒馬 （xi`ny～ n&m2;）， “to be dressed in fine clothes and riding on well-groomed horses.” Tragically， the young general was falsely accused of treason and executed along with his famous father at 23， making him forever an icon to the young and idealistic.

In its original meaning 鮮 referred to a particular item， “fresh fish.” The bronze script of the character， developed 3，000 years ago， had a pictorial form consisting of a “goat” radical， 羊 （y1ng）， on top and a “fish” radical， 魚(yú) （y%）， below. The goat radical stood for the meaning “delicious.”

In the Dao De Jing， one of the fundamental Daoist texts， the sage Laozi compared administrating a large state with cooking a small fresh fish： 治大國(guó)若烹小鮮 （zh# d3 gu5 ru7 p8ng xi2oxi`n）. There were many interpretations to the metaphor； one， proposed by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang， was that a fish falls breaks apart if its flipped too frequently while being fried. Thus， a state ought to be governed carefully： The ruler must maintain stable laws and regulations， and keep the citizens undisturbed.

Today， xian can still refer to aquatic food， as in 海鮮 （h2ixi`n， seafood）. When used as a adjective， it has the meaning of “new” and “fresh，” as in the word 新鮮 （x～nxi`n）. 新鮮水果 （x～nxi`n shu@gu6， fresh fruit） and 新鮮空氣 （x～nxi`n k4ngq#， fresh air） are among our necessities of life. Some people also cant live without 新鮮事兒 （x～nxi`nsh#r）， interesting news， so they might ask you for the latest gossip with： 最近發(fā)生了哪些新鮮事兒？ （Zu#j#n f`sh8ng le n2xi8 x～nxi`nsh#r？） People， also， can also be fresh， as in 新鮮人 （x～nxi`nr9n， “fresh people”）， young adults who have just graduated from college and started working.

When paired with a noun， 新鮮 can be shortened into just 鮮， as in 鮮花 （xi`nhu`， fresh flowers）， 鮮啤 （xi`np！， draft beer） and 鮮肉 （xi`nr7u， fresh meat）. In pop culture， “l(fā)ittle fresh meat” or 小鮮肉 refers to babyfaced male idols. Another term， 鮮血 （xi`nxu-， fresh blood） is “new blood，” or new members of a group. For instance， 九零后員工給公司補(bǔ)充了新鮮血液。（Ji^l！ngh7u yu1ng4ng g0i g4ngs～ b^ch4ng le x～nxi`n xu-y-. The post-90s staff added new blood to the company.）

Sometimes， the fresh and new will fade over time. The word 新鮮勁兒 （x～nxi`nj#nr） describes a novel， superficial interest. For instance， 再好的玩具，新鮮勁兒一過(guò)，他就隨手丟了。（Z3i h2o de w1nj&， x～nxi`nj#nr y！ gu7， t` ji& su！sh6u di$ le. No matter how fun the toy is， after the initial interest passes， he will just chuck it.）

In order to maintain interest， you may need to preserve freshness， which is 保鮮 （b2oxi`n）. A trip down to supermarket will reveal more uses of xian， as in the 生鮮 （sh8ngxi`n， fresh produce） section， and the counter serving freshly pressed juice， or 鮮榨果汁 （xi`nzh3 gu6zh～）. For fine cuisine and beverages， fresh harvested ingredients are essential. Tasting an early batch of a seasonal delicacy—like Longjing tea in the spring， or hairy crabs in the autumn—is called 嘗鮮 （ch1ngxi`n， taste freshness）. Metaphorically， it can also mean trying new things. Naturally， things that are 鮮 are delicious， as in 鮮美 （xi`nm0i） or 鮮嫩 （xi`nn-n， fresh and tender）.

As with Yue Yuns fine clothes， freshness is associated with things that are vivid； therefore， xian can also mean “bright，” “brightly colored，” and “beautiful.” To describe flowers with vibrant colors， use 鮮艷 （xi`ny3n）； to describe flashy fashions， use 光鮮 （gu`ngxi`n）. Xian also applies to abstract things； an original， well-defined opinion is said to be 鮮明 （xi`nm！ng）； A lively and vibrant attitude is 鮮活 （xi`nhu5， fresh and lively）.

Xian has one other meaning— “rare.” The idiom 屢見(jiàn)不鮮 （l） ji3n b& xi`n）， meaning “commonly seen and not rare，” is used for occurrences too ordinary to be 新鮮事兒. Another insightful phrase， 靡不有初，鮮克有終 （m！ b& y6u ch$， xi2n k- y6u zh4ng）， means “everything is good at first but stay so at the last.” This is a warning against the passing of 新鮮勁兒， stressing the importance of seeing ones goals to the end. Its an apt motto for todays fresh-faced youths amid all the unprecedented， unusual challenges they face—will they preserve their vivid idealism and change the world？ Only time will tell.

- HUANG WEIJIA （黃偉嘉） AND LIU JUE （劉玨）