English Original
On Baoyu's birthday, the young ladies held a drinking party where they composed poems and enjoyed themselves. Their maids started a game of their own. Xiangling, Xue Pan's concubine, gathered some flowers and plants to play a grass-naming game with the others.
"This is a bodhisattva willow," one said. Another replied, "I have an arhat pine." Suddenly, Douguan claimed she had a "sisters' flower." Xiangling then said, "I have a 'husband-and-wife flower.'"
"Never heard of that," Douguan protested.
"Why?" Xiangling explained. "A single bloom on a stem is called 'lan'; several blooms make 'hui.' Two on one stem, one higher and one lower, is a 'brother flower.' Two blooms side by side are certainly a spouses' flower."
Doubtful, the other girl laughed and challenged her: "Well, then if one is big and the other small, it must be a 'father-and-son flower.' And if they face opposite ways, it's probably an 'enemies flower.' Isn't that right? Xue Pan has been gone for over half a year. I suppose you invented the 'husband-and-wife flower' because you miss him."
Blushing, Xiangling rushed to pinch the sharp-tongued girl, who laughed and begged for help. Seeing the maids laughing, poking, and playfully punching each other, Baoyu joined their excitement, grass in hand.
中文翻译
宝玉生日那天，小姐们设宴饮酒、作诗取乐。她们的丫鬟们也开始了自己的游戏。薛蟠的妾室香菱采了些花草，和大家玩起了斗草。
一个说：“这是观音柳。”另一个便道：“我的是罗汉松。”忽然，豆官说她有“姊妹花。”香菱接着说：“我有‘夫妻蕙’。”
“从没听说过，”豆官反驳道。
“怎么没有？”香菱解释道，“一枝一个花叫‘兰’，一枝几朵花叫‘蕙’。上下结花的叫‘兄弟蕙’，并头结花的自然是夫妻蕙了。”
豆官却不服，笑着打趣道：“依你说，要是这一大一小的，就是‘父子蕙’了？若是两朵花背对背开，那就是‘仇人蕙’了？你汉子薛大傻子出门大半年，你想他了，便拉扯出这‘夫妻蕙’来编派，对不对？”
香菱听了，红了脸，忙起身要拧豆官。豆官笑着扭住她，直讨饶。宝玉见她们笑闹作一团，也兴致勃勃地拿着草加入进来。