Lady Hou of the Sui dynasty wrote: "The plum in the courtyard took pity on me, and unfurled a first promise of spring at the tip of her branch." This delicate description brought a timely change of fortune for the plum flower, sending her in one leap from being a late developer the back of the pack, into first place.
隋代侯夫人「庭梅對我有憐意，先露枝頭一點春」的細膩刻畫，竟使「晚發」的梅花時來運轉，由最後一名，一躍成為榜首先鋒。