Traditional Chinese culture has long emphasized the idea that “food and medicine share the same origin.” Many ingredients that appear in everyday meals have also been valued for their nourishing qualities. Over generations, people observed how ordinary foods affected the body and gradually incorporated them into traditional health practices.
One such ingredient is the lily bulb, known in Chinese as bai he (百合). While many people recognize lilies as elegant flowers, traditional Chinese cuisine and medicine value the bulb that grows beneath the soil. These edible lily bulbs come from specific varieties cultivated for food, forming clusters of overlapping white scales that fit tightly together.
Its name carries both symbolic and practical meanings.
A name that reflects harmony
The Chinese name bai he can be understood as “many scales joined together.” Because the bulb is made of dozens of tightly layered segments, it has long been associated with harmony and unity. The same characters appear in the traditional wedding blessing “百年好合,” meaning “a hundred years of harmony,” which is why lilies are often associated with marital happiness in Chinese culture.
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