I keep noticing yellow flowers everywhere in this show, and now I'm finally curious enough to start asking for ideas behind the imagery of the yellow flower. What is it supposed to mean? I can think of 4 examples off the top of my head:

  1. The yellow rose and then subsequent yellow paper rose given to Da Jeong by Chae Jun at the beginning
  2.  The yellow flower Da Jeong puts in Young Do's hair when they're "going crazy" with the snow. I think this one is officially deemed forsythia (I think I read that in the dialog.)
  3. The dandelion that the young Da Jeong picked outside the hospital by the trash can after her brother was discharged from surgery
  4. A yellow rose in the vase behind Young Do in his recliner in his office when he and Da Jeong are there late at night in episode 6. Okay, so I've gone back to re-watch this scene in question, and it's actually a yellow tulip. Please see farther down this discussion post for the symbol on yellow tulips!

I contrast this to the red flower that Da Jeong initially has decorating her apartment, which Young Do uses in his original analysis of her.

Could it be the fact the show is called You Are My Spring? Flowers are associated with spring, and so can be the color yellow, sort of - although I associate it more with summer personally. It's obviously not a specific flower type (3 different ones have already been listed above), so it's definitely the color yellow that matters here.

Getting way too deep into my flower deep dive, I started looking up flower meanings. Apparently yellow in flower "language" represents joy, happiness, friendship, etc. This seems to be related to the title of the drama (You Are My Spring = You Are My Joy/Happiness) and the totally misleading poster. Specific flower types have specific meanings, too:

  • Yellow Roses symbolize passion. Makes sense since it's been associated twice with romantic attraction. Chae Jun's offers and more subtly when Da Jeong sees Young Do sleeping.
  • Forsythia is the subject of a wives' tale: "It always snows on the forsythia", meaning that the forsythia blooms and then you're guaranteed to have at least one more snow. This actually happens in the show, too. The forsythia is obviously in bloom for Da Jeong to put it in Young Do's hair when the snow happens and they're going crazy. Interestingly enough, I also found that forsythia is involved in a game called "Rabbit". Young Do keeps teasing Da Jeong saying she looks like a rabbit. Very interesting choice of dialog there. I thought it was weird at first.
  • Dandelions are symbolic of persevering through life's hardships. The dandelion appears in the midst of the tough childhoods our main leads had.

I am very interested to keep seeing how the symbolism of the yellow flower evolves in this show, and I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the matter, as well. If you haven't been noticing the yellow flowers' appearances, keep an eye out for them as you're watching the last few episodes! I'm wondering if a yellow carnation will appear - because apparently in flower language it means rejection or disappointment. Let's hope not!

My apologies if they've already addressed this in the show - but I just finished episode 6, and I finally couldn't keep it to myself anymore. It just seems too central to the storyline, with each type seeming to represent what's going on!

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A quick edit, because now I'm caught up at episode 10 (currently). I wanted to add the paper rose that Da-Jeong folds for Young-Do in episode 9. The paper rose she gives him is red, but did you catch the flip side of the origami paper she used? Yup, it was yellow! Red roses represent a stronger passion than the yellow rose. Does it signify how her feelings are getting deeper for him, with the visual switch from yellow to red paper? Or is it somehow related to the red foxtail she has? I'm interested to find out!

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There were two more examples in the newest episode, episode 11.

First, the yellow tulip in the vase when Da Jeong is on the phone with Young Do at the beginning of the episode. Yellow tulips mean an unrequited love in the Victorian flower language. When I read this, I got really nervous - because isn't it obvious that Young Do likes Da Jeong also? It's not unrequited. But then I thought about the potential that Young Do isn't Young Do, and she's in love with a dead man. Hear me out:

Remember a couple episodes ago when Da Jeong's mother went to the fortune teller and when she gave her their birth days and times, she was all like, "Are you sure this man's alive?" I think this is because Young Do's heart died. That's the reason he needed the heart transplant and everything. Where is love from in the stereotypical view of it? Yep, the heart. They kind of allude to this when Dr. Chase calls Young Do out to the police station in this episode and they start talking about his new heart and Da Jeong. Dr. Chase asks if she knows whose heart he really has. Very cryptic. Are they saying that Young Do is a different person now, and that Da Jeong thinks herself in love with the wrong person? Is Young Do's soul dead, and if so who is he now? Plus, didn't this show used to have the tag fantasy? Maybe this is why and everyone just thought it was a mistake and removed it.

This is a total stretch - I know - and I'm hoping this isn't the case, although it could make for some good drama in the last quarter. What I am hoping for is that they are using the original tulip meaning from Turkey which is paradise on Earth. I could definitely believe they meant to say that during their phone call Young Do is Da Jeong's Heaven on Earth. However, that means I have to take off my tinfoil hat, and I don't want to. Shiro!

The second instance in this episode was right near the end, when Da Jeong lies through text to Young Do that she's fine at her mom's house and she sees her. She's in front of a bush with yellow flowers on it. They don't say what this flower is, but for some reason I felt they were forsythia. I'm interested to see if they address it, or what theories you think it could be.

Please feel free to give me your thoughts below! Especially if I miss a yellow flower. While I am actively looking, I am mainly paying attention to the story, so I may be missing a few. Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode :) If you want to beat me to the punch with flower symbolism check out flowermeaning.com. That's where I go to find all this cool stuff out!

Interesting analysis. I have noticed all the flowers that you mentioned, except for the yellow rose in the vase. I thought it was the same forsythia that Da Jeong put in Young Do’s hair. 

Thanks for sharing all your research & thoughts.  Isn't there also a poster or opening image with the 3 main leads mostly in black, white & grey except for yellow images on each character?

I love the layering and symbolism used throughout this drama.  Even though I've re-watched each episode prob 3 times, I feel I'm still missing most of the symbols.  I'm definitely going to put this writer & director on my watch list. 

If you happen to learn anymore symbolism used, please share.  I've been researching the episodes like a crime journal and am trying to put together a timeline (I'm at episode 9)

 bluhiway:

Thanks for sharing all your research & thoughts.  Isn't there also a poster or opening image with the 3 main leads mostly in black, white & grey except for yellow images on each character?

I love the layering and symbolism used throughout this drama.  Even though I've re-watched each episode prob 3 times, I feel I'm still missing most of the symbols.  I'm definitely going to put this writer & director on my watch list. 

If you happen to learn anymore symbolism used, please share.  I've been researching the episodes like a crime journal and am trying to put together a timeline (I'm at episode 9)

I can't picture the image you're talking about. If you find it again, let me know! That would be very cool :)

I did update the post with today's episode, as there were two yellow flowers I saw, but there were maybe more.  I'm curious to hear your episode research, too!

 Deeyut:

Interesting analysis. I have noticed all the flowers that you mentioned, except for the yellow rose in the vase. I thought it was the same forsythia that Da Jeong put in Young Do’s hair. 

Okay, I finally got the chance to go back to the episode and re-watch the scene I was referencing. Yes, they focused on the forsythia in the vase next to the radio, but right before that there's also a yellow flower in a vase next to his recliner. A good view of it is at 49:11 in episode 6. I mistakenly thought it a rose, but it's actually a tulip. I'm going to edit a strikethrough and direct people to the newest update to the post, since I describe the meaning of the yellow tulip, which I noticed in episode 11.