Leaves and love

Autumn arrives with one falling leaf: yi ye zhi qiu (, one leaf heralds autumn), implying that a small sign can indicate a great trend.

Autumn waters are particularly beautiful, like the eyes of a lovely woman, qiu shui (, autumn water) and qiu bo (, autumn waves) are metaphors for a woman's bright eyes - an song qiu bo (, secretly give tender glances, and wang chuan qiu shui (, keep gazing till eyes are strained).

For two people in love, yi ri bu jian, ru ge san qiu (, , can not see one day, as if after three autumns). Love indeed is as beautiful as chun hua qiu yue (, spring flowers and an autumn moon).

But for something that is doomed, we would say qiu hou ma zha (, autumn ends the grasshopper), meaning something is nearing its end.

(China Daily 10/26/2006 page15)