The unanimous opinion of people is as strong as the smell of orchid
Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils“The unanimous opinion of people is as strong as the smell of orchid” is a maxim about the force of shared words, but its appearance in the novel is pointedly comic: a line about the fragrance of agreement is met with a sneer that calls the speaker’s words foul-smelling. The contrast makes the expression’s reception as consequential as its meaning.
Meaning and Invocation
The maxim appears when Xue MuHua explains that the Eight Friends of Hangu named themselves in memory of their master’s instruction at Hangu Pass. Bao BuTong interrupts with a literal-minded complaint about smell. Gou Du answers by invoking the line from the Book of Changes, explaining that the “smell” in the saying means a sweet fragrance. Bao BuTong’s retort turns that explanation back into an insult, refusing the intended sense even after it has been clarified.
Words, Reputation, and Misunderstanding
The exchange places an elevated appeal to shared accord beside irreverent banter. Gou Du uses the maxim to correct Bao BuTong and assert the authority of learning; Bao BuTong answers not by engaging its meaning, but by making the language itself the butt of a joke. The scene thus shows how a saying that invokes unanimity can meet a listener who resists its moral or intellectual point. Its significance lies in this tension between the ideal of words that bind people together and the quarrelsome speech through which characters contest one another’s standing.
