A pear tree is pressed against a begonia, which means that a pear tree full of pears crushed the begonia flowers. Now it is generally used to describe an old man who has few wives. This poem was written by Su Dongpo, a writer, calligrapher and gourmet in the Northern Song Dynasty. This is a poem that plays tricks on friends. Su Dongpo, the author, teased his friend that Zhang Sheng would marry a girl of 18 when she was 80 years old. The whole poem is as follows:
Eighteen brides are eighty lang, with gray hair and red makeup.
Two nights of mandarin duck quilt, pear tree pressing begonia.