Life Is Sweet, Sour, Bitter and Hot

In Chinese, there is a four-character adjective that describes the full spectrum of human experiences — “sweet sour bitter hot” （甜酸苦辣）. I think this expression is more emcompassing and nuanced than the expression of “bittersweet,” although the latter is one of my favorite words in the English language.

Sweet Sour Bitter Hot, written by the author

As I’m currently going through an extremely tough period of heartbreak and grief, I just want to use this expression to describe how I feel as I look back on the past five years — my transition into midlife.

As you can see from this example, the Chinese language is very economical. Each character, essentially a pictograph, contains layers of meanings. Even though the above characters describe different tastes, used together, they become a metaphor of what we all go through in life.

The “bitter and sour” （辛酸）experience behind my heartbreak can be found in the letter that I’m posting below. The content of the letter is what prompted me to start a chat on the subject of emigration recently. Here is the beginning of the conversation:

I wonder how you all feel about the American Exodus to other countries where life is less stressful, safer and cost of living much lower. Has anyone you know done that? Are you considering such a move? Why or why not? If you are an immigrant or child of immigrants in America, how do you view this exodus from the perspective of your family’s original quest to come to the U.S.? Please join me in my chat and share your thoughts!

I’m delighted that so many of you contributed to the discussion, sharing many different experiences and perspectives. For those of you who have missed the chat, but want to chime in with your observations, thoughts or personal experiences, please feel free to join the chat any time. It’s open to all.

Thank you for being a part of my Lily Pond community. Your presence and kind comments have given me the sweetness I needed during this very bitter time of my life.