User Comments - vann0000
vann0000
Posted on: Drinking Alone Under the Moon 月下独酌
February 18, 2009 at 12:01 AMPosted on: Eating Dead Flesh 猪吃死人肉
February 17, 2009 at 11:56 PMPosted on: Valentine's Special
February 14, 2009 at 12:04 AMHappy Valentines Day.
The Chinese Idiom for this event might be jokenly referred to as;
嫁鸡随鸡，嫁狗随狗
Follow the man you marry, be he a cock or dog.
The Chinese Idiom in detail can be found on ChinesePOD at;
http://chinesepod.com/community/conversations/post/4407
Posted on: Drinking Alone Under the Moon 月下独酌
February 10, 2009 at 7:56 AM
Known as the 'Banished Immortal', Li Bo or Li Bai is one of China's most interesting characters. A facile versifier, a drunkard, a braggart, a knight errant, a Doaist, he played many roles during his lifetime and it is safe to say that there is not one Han Chinese that does not know him and most probably each one knows at least one of his may poems.
Born somewhere in the west, Gansu, Xinjiang, no one knows for sure, of mixed blood, perhaps Turkish, he grew up in Sichuan. In 725 he left home to travel. He lived in Hubei, and Shandong where he practised Daoism, and in the Jiangnan which is the area south of the Changjiang.
In 742 Emperor Xuan Zang gave him a position in the Hanlin Academy as a sort of versifier and court entertainer. This sumptuous period of his life ended in 744 when he lost his position. He spent most of the rest of his life traveling and living off of relatives, friends and others who cherished his entertaining personality and his soaring flowing poems.
Li Bai Chronology
701 Born somewhere in present day Xinjiang.
705 His family moved to Mianzhou, Sichuan. In his early 20s he lived the life of a knight-errant living by his sword.
726 Traveled in northern China
727 Married to daughter of retired prime minister at Anlu, where lived for next 8 years.
742 Went to Changan and was presented to Emperor Xuan Zang who showered him with favors. Appointed to Hanlin Academy and lionized by fellow scholar- officials. Drunken brawls in the baudy houses of Changan.
744 Left Changan under a cloud. Met Du Fu for first time in Luoyang.
745 Met Du Fu again, this time in Qizhou, Shandong Initiated into Daoism. Next ten years in northern and eastern China. Paid his way by entertaining his hosts.
755 An Lushan Rebellion. Li Bai in Jiangnan, away from danger.
757 Joined the entourage of Li Lin in Jiujiang, a prince who plotted a rebellion against the Tang, and floated down the Chanjiang. Li Lin was defeated by the royal forces and Li Bai was thrown in prison. Banished to Guizhou, but on the way there he was pardoned. Returned to Jiangnan.
762 Died in southern Anhui.
Posted on: Drinking Alone Under the Moon 月下独酌
February 10, 2009 at 7:33 AMYOU HAVE MADE MY DAY!
My favorite translation is: It is a slightly different poem. But it is my understanding that the poet has written many such versions of this fine work. I wonder about the character variations and the signifigance. in this version, the number of moon radicals are substantially less. However there seems to be a real emphasis on the poet himself in this version. Curious.
花間一壺酒。 A cup of wine, under the flowering trees;
獨酌無相親。 I drink alone, for no friend is near.
舉杯邀明月。 Raising my cup I beckon the bright moon,
對影成三人。 For her, with my shadow, will make three people.
月既不解飲。 The moon, alas, is no drinker of wine;
影徒隨我身。 Listless, my shadow creeps about at my side.
暫伴月將影。 Yet with the moon as friend and the shadow as slave
行樂須及春。 I must make merry before the Spring is spent.
我歌月徘徊。 To the songs I sing the moon flickers her beams;
我舞影零亂。 In the dance I weave my shadow tangles and breaks.
醒時同交歡。 While we were sober, three shared the fun;
醉後各分散。 Now we are drunk, each goes their way.
永結無情遊。 May we long share our eternal friendship,
相期邈雲漢。 And meet at last on the Cloudy River of the sky.
Posted on: Illegal taxis
February 9, 2009 at 12:30 AMGood related Links to Related Lessons...
- Newbie - Taxi Conversations: Finding a Taxi
- Newbie - Stopping the Taxi
- Newbie - Finding a Taxi
- Newbie - Taxi Destination
- Newbie - Taxi Conversations: Destination
- Newbie - Taxi Conversations: Small Talk
- Newbie - Taxi Conversations: Suggesting a Route
- Newbie - A Taxi for Tired Feet
- Newbie - Taxi Small Talk
- Newbie - Taxi Conversations: Arriving at your Destination
- Upper Intermediate - When the Taxi Takes the Long Way
- Elementary - The Traffic Jam
- Vocab Tour - Traffic
- Newbie - Asking the Bus Destination
- Newbie - Where's the bus stop?
- Dear Amber - Scams and Bus Culture
- Intermediate - Subway Announcements
- Dear Amber - Accents and Subway Survival
Posted on: Thoughts on Returning Home 回乡偶书
February 3, 2009 at 2:09 AMI really like Li Bai. I have a number of his poems, but they are in English! And i really want to see the Chinese characters and the to hear the chiense sounds. i think it adds a great depth to the poem. But alas, what can i do. there is a great poem called
Awakening from Sleep on a Spring Day
by: Li Bai (701-762)
translated by Shigeyoshi Obata
Life is an immense dream. Why toil?
All day long I drowse with wine,
And lie by the post at the front door.
Awakening, I gaze upon the garden trees,
And, hark, a bird is singing among the flowers.
Pray, what season may this be?
Ah, the songster's a mango-bird,
Singing to the passing wind of spring.
I muse and muse myself to sadness,
Once more I pour my wine, and singing aloud,
Await the bright moonrise.
My song is ended--
What troubled my soul?--I remember not.
This is just wonderful....
Posted on: Choosing a Wine
February 2, 2009 at 10:15 PMOne of Li Bai's most famous poems is Drinking Alone by Moonlight (月下獨酌, pinyin: Yuè Xià Dú Zhuó), which is a good example of some of the most famous aspects of his poetry -- a very spontaneous poem, full of natural imagery and anthropomorphism.
Li Bai actually wrote several poems with the same title; Arthur Waley's version of the most famous reads:[6]
- 花間一壺酒。 A cup of wine, under the flowering trees;
- 獨酌無相親。 I drink alone, for no friend is near.
- 舉杯邀明月。 Raising my cup I beckon the bright moon,
- 對影成三人。 For her, with my shadow, will make three people.
- 月既不解飲。 The moon, alas, is no drinker of wine;
- 影徒隨我身。 Listless, my shadow creeps about at my side.
- 暫伴月將影。 Yet with the moon as friend and the shadow as slave
- 行樂須及春。 I must make merry before the Spring is spent.
- 我歌月徘徊。 To the songs I sing the moon flickers her beams;
- 我舞影零亂。 In the dance I weave my shadow tangles and breaks.
- 醒時同交歡。 While we were sober, three shared the fun;
- 醉後各分散。 Now we are drunk, each goes their way.
- 永結無情遊。 May we long share our eternal friendship,
- 相期邈雲漢。 And meet at last on the Cloudy River of the sky.
Posted on: Talking with Numbers
February 2, 2009 at 9:51 PMAre there any "slang phrases" using letters in Chinese. For instance, in English we have LOL... 88
Posted on: Sympathy for the Farmers -- 悯农
March 17, 2009 at 11:26 PMAwesome! Right now, this is a bit above my current student level. However, I enjoy it and really, really appreciate all your efforts. This is excellent stuff. seriously and surely....