<p>the book 小山畫譜 has an entry "夜來香":</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>藤本﹒植必用架蔓延環繞﹒葉長而末圓﹒花一叢百朶﹒五出﹒色綠微黄﹒蒂托管有柄﹒開亦下垂﹒日落則香氣襲人﹒六七月開</p>
</blockquote>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/45Q97.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/45Q97.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>in the 5 wiki entries, only the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cestrum_nocturnum" rel="nofollow noreferrer">centrum nocturnum (夜香木) </a> matched the above description ("花一叢百朶" "色綠微黄" "開亦下垂")</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/L8Bra.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/L8Bra.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>so, i would suggest option 1 (centrum nocturnal) as the answer.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-03T00:34:02.563Z
2018-02-03T00:34:02.563Z
水巷孑蠻
<p><strong>Cross-post notice</strong></p>

<p>Since it has been 25 days since I posted this <a href="https://www.quora.com/unanswered/On-Chinese-Wikipedia-%E2%80%9C%E5%A4%9C%E6%9D%A5%E9%A6%99%E2%80%9D-is-mapped-to-some-5-different-plants-see-source-Which-of-those-four-is-Teresa-Tengs-song-referring-to" rel="nofollow noreferrer">on Quora</a>, and all that happened was it was marked as needing editing (and perhaps also as needing to be in English), I chose to cross-post here.</p>

<p><strong>Question</strong></p>

<p>The question text on Quora</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>On Chinese Wikipedia, “夜来香” is mapped to some 5 different plants (see source). Which of those four is Teresa Teng's song referring to?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The source comment</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Wikipedia link: 夜来香 (歌曲) - 维基百科，自由的百科全书</p>
  
  <p>Options therein given for Yelaixiang:</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>Cestrum nocturnum (aka night-blooming jasmine, the one I suspect the song is referring to);</li>
  <li>葉香木 (what is that?) ;</li>
  <li>Polianthes tuberosa;</li>
  <li>Telosma cordata;</li>
  <li>Oenothera biennis.</li>
  </ol>
  
  <p>The song:<a href="https://youtu.be/t_-ljVn6oLI" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://youtu.be/t_-ljVn6oLI</a></p>
</blockquote>

<p>So what plant is this Yèláixiāng? Is it the night-blooming jasmine (cestrum nocturnum), as I suspect, or one of the other 4? And what is 葉香木?</p>

<p><strong>Update</strong></p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv5VDUahAzQ" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Japanese version</a> of the song calls the Yelaixiang:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>夜来香白い花 | Yeraishan shiroi hana | Yelaixiang white flower</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Of the above, number 4 is a yellow flower, and so is number 5. <a href="https://www.baidu.com/s?ie=utf-8&amp;fr=bks0000&amp;wd=%E5%8F%B6%E9%A6%99%E6%9C%A8" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Baidu</a> gives the following image for number 2:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/CjxpU.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/CjxpU.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>So number 2 isn't even a flower. That leaves us with number 1 (Cestrum nocturnum aka night-blooming jasmine) and number 3 (Polianthes tuberosa).</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-02T22:27:05.373Z
Maybe it’s: EUPHEMISM
night soil
Notes: literally night fragrance, i.e. feces and urine which in former times before the use of flush toilets were collected from house to house at night; figurative; also said as 夜來香 je6 loi4 hoeng1
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-02T22:32:22.357Z
@user3306356 My dear. What a way to ruin the beauty of that song! From a lone flower emitting fragrance to… well… THAT. Ugh.
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-02T22:33:57.627Z
You never know(!) it’s an entry from ABC Cantonese for 夜来香.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-02T22:43:09.543Z
@user3306356 as much as I dislike it, it could be the right translation. But if it's an entry in Cantonese, we don't know whether or not it is used in Mandarin. So we must wait for confirmation. And I hope this song is not talking about that.
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-02T22:45:01.637Z
[Wiktionary](https://zh.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A4%9C%E6%9D%A5%E9%A6%99) suggests only telosma cordatum (number 4 on my list).
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-02T22:45:48.553Z
邓丽君 did speak Cantonese- maybe it’s a double entendre
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-02T22:54:47.563Z
http://peachberries.com/blog/夜来香-lyrics-and-english-translation/ This translation is completely different thought
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-02T22:54:49.530Z
@user3306356 «1944年初秋，黎锦光为京剧名旦黄桂秋录制唱段。当年的录音棚没有空调，室内密不透风。在录制休息的间隙，黎锦光出棚呼吸新鲜空气。这时，南风吹来，夹着阵阵花香，远处还有夜莺在啼唱。这是多么美妙的时光，黎锦光的乐思在涌动……当晚，回家后的黎锦光彻夜未眠，当时的美景不断闪现脑海，激起无限遐想，在内心激荡的旋律，似乎要喷涌而出……就这样，一首欧美风格，伦巴节奏、舞曲样式的《夜来香》雏形诞生了。后经黎锦光反复推敲修改定稿后，给周璇、龚秋霞、姚莉等大牌歌星试唱，因此歌音域太宽、有近二个八度，她们都不太合适，只得作罢。说来也巧，当年24岁的李香兰来沪主演一部影片，某日到百代公司录影片主题歌，无意中在黎锦光的办公桌上见到了《夜来香》的歌谱。一试唱，顿时欣喜若狂：这是她多少年梦寐以求的歌！从此，《夜来香》成了李香兰演唱会的必唱和压轴之作，此歌也把她的艺术生涯推至巅峰。», quoth Baidu Baike, hence luckily it is "花香" (flower fragrance), not that euphemism.
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-02T22:56:16.640Z
Oh so according to that site it would be polianthes tuberosa, number 3. That might make an answer.
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-03T04:24:12.663Z
EUPHEMISM night soil  is '夜香' Not '夜来香' which is a kind of flower
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-03T04:32:07.033Z
夜香 (nightsoil) http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/47784/  夜来香 (tuberose; a night willow) http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/15170/
Tang Ho
<translation><meaning><word>
What is 夜来香 in the song by Teresa Teng?
# What is 夜来香 in the song by Teresa Teng?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-02-02)

**Cross-post notice**

Since it has been 25 days since I posted this [on Quora](https://www.quora.com/unanswered/On-Chinese-Wikipedia-%E2%80%9C%E5%A4%9C%E6%9D%A5%E9%A6%99%E2%80%9D-is-mapped-to-some-5-different-plants-see-source-Which-of-those-four-is-Teresa-Tengs-song-referring-to), and all that happened was it was marked as needing editing (and perhaps also as needing to be in English), I chose to cross-post here.

**Question**

The question text on Quora

> On Chinese Wikipedia, “夜来香” is mapped to some 5 different plants (see source). Which of those four is Teresa Teng's song referring to?

The source comment

> Wikipedia link: 夜来香 (歌曲) - 维基百科，自由的百科全书
>
> Options therein given for Yelaixiang:
>
> 1. Cestrum nocturnum (aka night-blooming jasmine, the one I suspect the song is referring to);
> 2. 葉香木 (what is that?) ;
> 3. Polianthes tuberosa;
> 4. Telosma cordata;
> 5. Oenothera biennis.
>
> The song:<https://youtu.be/t_-ljVn6oLI>

So what plant is this Yèláixiāng? Is it the night-blooming jasmine (cestrum nocturnum), as I suspect, or one of the other 4? And what is 葉香木?

**Update**

The [Japanese version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv5VDUahAzQ) of the song calls the Yelaixiang:

> 夜来香白い花 | Yeraishan shiroi hana | Yelaixiang white flower

Of the above, number 4 is a yellow flower, and so is number 5. [Baidu](https://www.baidu.com/s?ie=utf-8&fr=bks0000&wd=%E5%8F%B6%E9%A6%99%E6%9C%A8) gives the following image for number 2:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/CjxpU.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/CjxpU.jpg)

So number 2 isn't even a flower. That leaves us with number 1 (Cestrum nocturnum aka night-blooming jasmine) and number 3 (Polianthes tuberosa).

**Tags:** translation, meaning, word

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Maybe it’s: EUPHEMISM night soil Notes: literally night fragrance, i.e. feces and urine which in former times before the use of flush toilets were collected from house to house at night; figurative; also said as 夜來香 je6 loi4 hoeng1  
> **username_0**: @user3306356 My dear. What a way to ruin the beauty of that song! From a lone flower emitting fragrance to… well… THAT. Ugh.  
> **username_1**: You never know(!) it’s an entry from ABC Cantonese for 夜来香.  
> **username_0**: @user3306356 as much as I dislike it, it could be the right translation. But if it's an entry in Cantonese, we don't know whether or not it is used in Mandarin. So we must wait for confirmation. And I hope this song is not talking about that.  
> **username_0**: [Wiktionary](https://zh.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A4%9C%E6%9D%A5%E9%A6%99) suggests only telosma cordatum (number 4 on my list).  
> **username_1**: 邓丽君 did speak Cantonese- maybe it’s a double entendre  
> **username_1**: http://peachberries.com/blog/夜来香-lyrics-and-english-translation/ This translation is completely different thought  
> **username_0**: @user3306356 «1944年初秋，黎锦光为京剧名旦黄桂秋录制唱段。当年的录音棚没有空调，室内密不透风。在录制休息的间隙，黎锦光出棚呼吸新鲜空气。这时，南风吹来，夹着阵阵花香，远处还有夜莺在啼唱。这是多么美妙的时光，黎锦光的乐思在涌动……当晚，回家后的黎锦光彻夜未眠，当时的美景不断闪现脑海，激起无限遐想，在内心激荡的旋律，似乎要喷涌而出……就这样，一首欧美风格，伦巴节奏、舞曲样式的《夜来香》雏形诞生了。后经黎锦光反复推敲修改定稿后，给周璇、龚秋霞、姚莉等大牌歌星试唱，因此歌音域太宽、有近二个八度，她们都不太合适，只得作罢。说来也巧，当年24岁的李香兰来沪主演一部影片，某日到百代公司录影片主题歌，无意中在黎锦光的办公桌上见到了《夜来香》的歌谱。一试唱，顿时欣喜若狂：这是她多少年梦寐以求的歌！从此，《夜来香》成了李香兰演唱会的必唱和压轴之作，此歌也把她的艺术生涯推至巅峰。», quoth Baidu Baike, hence luckily it is "花香" (flower fragrance), not that euphemism.  
> **username_0**: Oh so according to that site it would be polianthes tuberosa, number 3. That might make an answer.  
> **username_2**: EUPHEMISM night soil  is '夜香' Not '夜来香' which is a kind of flower  
> **username_2**: 夜香 (nightsoil) http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/47784/  夜来香 (tuberose; a night willow) http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/15170/  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-02-03. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

the book 小山畫譜 has an entry "夜來香":

> 藤本﹒植必用架蔓延環繞﹒葉長而末圓﹒花一叢百朶﹒五出﹒色綠微黄﹒蒂托管有柄﹒開亦下垂﹒日落則香氣襲人﹒六七月開

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/45Q97.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/45Q97.png)

in the 5 wiki entries, only the [centrum nocturnum (夜香木)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cestrum_nocturnum)  matched the above description ("花一叢百朶" "色綠微黄" "開亦下垂")

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/L8Bra.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/L8Bra.jpg)

so, i would suggest option 1 (centrum nocturnal) as the answer.


---

