Through the Dynasties · LH10

Tang

The high peak of Chinese poetry: Li Bai and Du Fu, frontier and landscape verse, and the prose revival

932works

8forms

98authors

Masterpieces

38 works

Poetry

280 works

Orthodox classical Chinese poetry spanning archaic ballads to Tang regulated verse.

  1. Thoughts in the Quiet NightLi Bai · Regulated QuatrainsLifting my head, I gaze at the bright moon; lowering my head, I dream of home.
  2. Spring ViewDu Fu · Regulated OctavesBeacon fires have burned through three months; a letter from home is worth ten thousand pieces of gold.
  3. Song of Everlasting RegretBai Juyi · Old-Style SongsTurning with a single smile, a hundred charms arose; all the beauties of the palace faded without color.
  4. Clear and Even Melody · Part 1 (Clouds Recall Her Raiment)Li Bai · Regulated QuatrainsClouds recall her floating robes, blossoms her radiant face; spring breezes brush the balustrade in heavy glistening dew.
  5. Farewell to a Friend · Frosty Night on the Reed WatersXue Tao · Regulated QuatrainsIn watery reaches reeds glisten with night frost; chill moonlight and mountain peaks merge in deep azure.
  6. Lament on Colored SilkShangguan Wan'er · Regulated QuatrainsLeaves are just beginning to fall over Dongting; I think of you, more than ten thousand li away.
  7. Red CliffDu Mu · Regulated QuatrainsHad the east wind not aided Master Zhou, spring in the Bronze Sparrow Tower would have locked away the Two Qiaos.
  8. The Bailiff at ShihaoDu Fu · Old-Style SongsThe living merely eke out their days; the dead are gone for evermore!
  9. Farewell to Vice-Magistrate Du on His Posting to ShuWang Bo · Regulated OctavesIf within the four seas a bosom friend remains, heaven's farthest edge is next door.
  10. Song on Ascending the Youzhou TerraceChen Zi'ang · Old-Style SongsBefore me I see not the ancients; behind me I see not those to come. Pondering the boundless infinity of heaven and earth, alone in grief my tears stream down!
  11. Occasional Poem on Returning HomeHe Zhizhang · Regulated QuatrainsLeaving young and returning old, my native accent remains while temple hair has thinned. Children meet me but recognize me not, smilingly asking: 'Whence comes our guest?'
  12. Autumn Twilight in the Mountain DwellingWang Wei · Regulated OctavesBright moon shines among the pines; clear spring flows over rocks. Though spring blossoms fade at will, the noble recluse may naturally stay.
  13. Mission to the FrontierWang Wei · Regulated OctavesAcross the vast desert a lone column of smoke rises straight; over the long river the setting sun hangs round.
  14. Visiting an Old Friend's CottageMeng Haoran · Regulated OctavesGreen trees encircle the village edge; emerald mountains slant beyond outer walls. Opening windows toward threshing yards, winecups in hand we talk of mulberries and hemp.
  15. Farewell to Dong DaGao Shi · Regulated QuatrainsWorry not that no kindred spirits lie on the road ahead; under heaven, who does not recognize your renown?
  16. Song of White Snow in Farewell to Assistant Magistrate Wu Returning to the CapitalCen Shen · Old-Style SongsAs if overnight a spring breeze had arrived, thousands of trees blossom with pear flowers. Beyond winding peaks you vanish from sight, leaving only horseshoe tracks in deep white snow.
  17. Going Beyond the FrontierWang Changling · Regulated QuatrainsThe moon of Qin, the border passes of Han; after ten thousand leagues of marching, our soldiers have not returned. If only the Flying General of Dragon City were still here, no barbarian cavalry would ever cross the Yin Mountains.
  18. On Ascending Stork TowerWang Zhihuan · Regulated QuatrainsThe bright sun slants along the mountains and sinks; the Yellow River surges into the eastern sea. If you desire to see a thousand leagues afar, ascend yet another story higher.
  19. The Hard Road to ShuLi Bai · Old-Style SongsAh, alas, how perilous and towering! The road to Shu is harder than climbing to the cerulean blue sky!
  20. The Hard RoadLi Bai · Old-Style SongsA time will come to ride the winds and cleave the waves; I shall hoist cloud-high sails straight across the azure sea!
  21. Departing Early from Baidi CityLi Bai · Regulated QuatrainsWhile gibbons on both shores wail incessantly, my swift light skiff has slipped past ten thousand fold mountain ranges.
  22. Gazing on Mount TaiDu Fu · Regulated OctavesSomeday I shall surely mount the highest peak, and look down upon all other mountains dwarf-small!
  23. Song of My Thatched Cottage Wrecked by Autumn GaleDu Fu · Old-Style SongsHow could I secure ten thousand grand mansions, to shelter all destitute scholars under heaven in beaming smiles! Standing unmoved through wind and storm, secure as a mountain.
  24. Climbing HighDu Fu · Regulated OctavesBoundless falling leaves rustle and shower down; unending Yangtze waters surge and roll on. Ten thousand leagues away lamenting autumn, forever a wandering guest; enduring a lifetime of sickness, all alone I climb the high terrace.
  25. Song of the PipaBai Juyi · Old-Style SongsWe both are drifted wanderers cast to heaven's far corners; meeting like this, what need is there for prior acquaintance!
  26. The Brocade ZitherLi Shangyin · Regulated OctavesOn vast azure sea bright moon weeps pearly tears; in Lantian under warm sun fine jade generates mist. Could this deep affection wait only to become a distant memory? Even at that very moment, one was already lost in melancholy daze.
  27. Early Departure from Mount ShangWen Tingyun · Regulated OctavesCockcrow at thatched inn under the moon; footprints upon the frost of wooden bridge. Oak leaves carpet mountain trails; trifoliate orange blossoms brighten post-station walls.
  28. Heaven Answered · ExcerptLiu Zongyuan · Chu ElegiesAnswer: The vastness of the primal beginning is something told by fabulists. Its great spirit, dim and tangled, how can it be put into words? Darkness and light, faint and minute, came and went in ceaseless profusion; through murky transformations only the primal qi endured, so what was there that 'brought it about'?
  29. Lotus LeavesZheng Gu · Regulated QuatrainsAs the boat moves, splashed water stirs the uneven green; leaning on the railing, the wind sways each fragrant stalk.
  30. To the Neighbor Maiden · Easy to Find a Priceless GemYu Xuanji · Regulated OctavesShy of the sun, shielding with gauze sleeves; melancholy in spring, sluggish to dress. A priceless gem is easy to attain, yet rare indeed is a devoted lover. Weeping secretly upon the pillow, broken-hearted amidst flowers. When you yourself can gaze upon dashing Song Yu, why fret over Wang Chang?
  31. Gazing with Sorrow in Jiangling, Sent to Zi'anYu Xuanji · Regulated OctavesMaple leaves in thousand and ten thousand branches; dusk sails move sluggishly past the river bridge. My heart pining for you is like the West River's surge, coursing eastward day and night without ever ceasing.
  32. Eight ExtremesLi Ye · Regulated QuatrainsMost near yet most distant are East and West; most deep yet most shallow is the crystal brook; most high and most luminous are the Sun and Moon; most intimate yet most estranging are husband and wife.
  33. Bodhi Gatha · Originally Not a Single Thing ExistsHuineng (Sixth Patriarch) · Regulated QuatrainsBodhi originally has no tree, nor does the bright mirror have a stand. From the beginning not a single thing exists—where then could dust ever alight!
  34. Gatha of the Body as Bodhi TreeShenxiu · Regulated QuatrainsThe body is the Bodhi tree; the mind is like a clear mirror on a stand. Constantly and diligently wipe it clean, never allowing dust to collect.
  35. Upon the Lofty Mountain PeakHanshan (Cold Mountain) · Old-Style SongsIn the spring there is really no moon; the moon is itself in the blue sky.
  36. People Ask for the Way to Cold MountainHanshan (Cold Mountain) · Old-Style SongsPeople ask the road to Cold Mountain; yet Cold Mountain has no open road. In midsummer ice remains unthawed; when the sun rises, mists drift obscurely. How did someone like me reach here? Because our minds are not the same! If your heart resembled mine, you too could pass right through.
  37. Remote and Dim, the Cold Mountain RoadHanshan (Cold Mountain) · Old-Style SongsMorning after morning I do not see the sun; year after year I do not know spring.
  38. Freedom from Anger Is the PreceptShide · Old-Style SongsTo be free of anger is itself the precept; a pure mind is itself leaving home.
  39. Seeking Lu Hongjian Without Finding HimJiaoran (Monk Jiaoran) · Regulated OctavesI knock at the gate, but no dog barks; about to leave, I ask at the house to the west.
  40. Song of Tea Drinking Teasing Governor Cui ShiJiaoran (Monk Jiaoran) · Old-Style SongsThe first cup washes away dullness and drowsiness; my spirits rise, bright and clear, filling heaven and earth. The second cup clears my mind, like flying rain sprinkling away light dust. With the third cup I attain the Way; why labour painfully to break through vexations?
  41. Presented to Grand Tutor QianGuanxiu (Monk Guanxiu) · Regulated OctavesThe hall is full of guests, three thousand drunk among flowers; a single sword, chill as frost, holds fourteen prefectures.
  42. Inscribed on a Mountain Dwelling's Wall in Late Spring (No. 1)Guanxiu (Monk Guanxiu) · Regulated OctavesThe brushwood gate is quiet, the millet rice fragrant; smoke rises from the mountain home as the spring rain clears.
  43. Early Plum Blossoms · Deep in the Snow of the Front VillageQiji (Monk Qiji) · Regulated OctavesTen thousand frozen trees seem ready to snap; solitary roots alone awaken with hidden warmth. Deep in the thick snows of the forward village, last night a single branch blossomed into flower. The breeze wafts secret fragrance forth; birds peer down upon its pure white charm.
  44. The SwordsmanQiji (Monk Qiji) · Regulated QuatrainsDrawing my sword, I circle the leftover wine; the song finished, I go straight out of the gate.
  45. Quatrain · Quieting Essence and Energy to Nurture the SpiritLü Dongbin (Lü Yan) · Regulated QuatrainsStill the essence, still the breath, and so nourish the spirit; let essence fill the cinnabar field and breath sustain the body.
  46. Invitation to Liu the NineteenthBai Juyi · Regulated QuatrainsAs dusk falls, snow begins to drift—will you join me for a cup?
  47. Song of LiangzhouWang Han · Regulated QuatrainsDo not laugh if we lie drunk upon the battlefield—since ancient times, how many warriors ever return?
  48. Army Life: Part IVWang Changling · Regulated QuatrainsThrough a hundred battles in yellow sands, our golden armors wear thin; until we defeat Loulan, we shall never return.
  49. Song of the Parting SonMeng Jiao · Yuefu BalladsWho could say that the heart of an inch-long blade of grass could ever repay the boundless sunshine of three springs?
  50. After Passing the Imperial ExaminationMeng Jiao · Regulated QuatrainsProud in the spring breeze, my horse's hooves fly fast; in a single day I see all the flowers of Chang'an.
  51. Song of ChangganLi Bai · Old-Style SongsYou came riding a bamboo horse, circling the well-rail, playing with green plums.
  52. Written at Wujiang PavilionDu Mu · Regulated QuatrainsThe young men east of the Yangtze were many and gifted; had he returned, rolling up the dust again, who knows what might have been?
  53. A Dream Journey to Mount Tianmu: A Song of FarewellLi Bai · Old-Style SongsHow could I lower my brows and bend my waist to serve the mighty and noble, and never again show a happy face?
  54. Drinking Alone Under the Moon, No. 1Li Bai · Old-Style SongsRaising my cup, I invite the bright moon; with my shadow, we make a party of three.
  55. To Wang LunLi Bai · Regulated QuatrainsThe water of Peach Blossom Pool is a thousand feet deep, yet not as deep as Wang Lun's feeling in seeing me off.
  56. Hearing That the Imperial Army Has Recovered Henan and HebeiDu Fu · Regulated OctavesI turn to look at my wife and children: where has their sorrow gone? Rolling up my books and poems any which way, I am wild with joy.
  57. Grass on the Ancient Plain: A FarewellBai Juyi · Regulated OctavesWildfire can never burn it all away; when the spring wind blows, it comes to life again.
  58. Thinking of My Brothers East of the Mountains on the Double NinthWang Wei · Regulated QuatrainsAlone in a strange land, a stranger among strangers, at every festival I miss my family twice as much.
  59. Night Mooring at Maple BridgeZhang Ji · Regulated QuatrainsBeyond the walls of Gusu, from Cold Mountain Temple, the midnight bell carries to the traveler's boat.
  60. Written on a Rainy Night, Sent NorthLi Shangyin · Regulated QuatrainsWhen shall we trim the candle together by the west window, and talk of this night rain in the Ba hills?
  61. Pity for the Peasants, Two PoemsLi Shen · Regulated QuatrainsWho knows that of the food upon the plate, every single grain is bitter toil?
  62. Written at a Village South of the CapitalCui Hu · Regulated QuatrainsWhere that face has gone I cannot tell; the peach blossoms, as before, smile in the spring wind.
  63. West Stream at ChuzhouWei Yingwu · Regulated QuatrainsThe spring flood, swelled by rain, runs fast at dusk; at the wild ferry no one is there, and the boat swings crosswise by itself.
  64. A Moonlit Night on the Spring RiverZhang Ruoxu · Old-Style SongsWho on the riverbank first saw this moon? In what year did the river moon first shine on a person?
  65. Viewing the Waterfall at Mount Lu, No. 2Li Bai · Regulated QuatrainsIts flying torrent plunges straight down three thousand feet; I wonder if the Milky Way is falling from the ninth heaven.
  66. Farewell to Collator Shuyun at Xie Tiao's Tower in XuanzhouLi Bai · Old-Style SongsDraw a blade to cut the water, and the water flows on; raise a cup to drown sorrow, and sorrow grows deeper.
  67. Ballad of the Army CartsDu Fu · Old-Style SongsNow we truly know that bearing a son is bad, and bearing a daughter is better.
  68. Welcoming Rain on a Spring NightDu Fu · Regulated OctavesIt follows the wind, slipping secretly into the night, moistening all things finely, without a sound.
  69. Yellow Crane TowerCui Hao · Regulated OctavesAs the sun sets, where is my home village? Mist and waves on the river make one sorrow.
  70. Deer EnclosureWang Wei · Regulated QuatrainsThe returning light enters the deep forest and shines again upon the green moss.
  71. River SnowLiu Zongyuan · Regulated QuatrainsIn a lone boat, an old man in straw cape and hat fishes alone in the snow on the cold river.
  72. Mooring on the Qinhuai RiverDu Mu · Regulated QuatrainsThe singing girls do not know the grief of a fallen kingdom; across the river they still sing "Flowers in the Rear Court."
  73. Song of the Governor of YanmenLi He · Old-Style SongsBlack clouds press on the city, as if to crush it; armour glints toward the sun, like golden scales opening.
  74. Black Robe LaneLiu Yuxi · Regulated QuatrainsThe swallows that once nested before the halls of the Wang and Xie clans now fly into the homes of ordinary people.
  75. Bring in the WineLi Bai · Old-Style SongsHeaven made my talents, and they must have their use; scatter a thousand in gold and it will all come back again.
  76. Seeing Off Meng Haoran to Guangling at Yellow Crane TowerLi Bai · Regulated QuatrainsMy old friend takes leave of Yellow Crane Tower in the west, going down to Yangzhou in the third month, amid mist and blossom.
  77. Gazing at Tianmen MountainLi Bai · Regulated QuatrainsGreen mountains on both banks stand out facing each other; a single lone sail comes from beside the sun.
  78. The Chancellor of ShuDu Fu · Regulated OctavesHe led the army out but died before victory came, forever making heroes weep until their robes are soaked.
  79. The Old Charcoal SellerBai Juyi · Old-Style SongsPitiful: the clothes on his back are thin, yet fearing charcoal will sell cheap, he wishes the weather colder!
  80. Seeing Off Yuan the Second on a Mission to AnxiWang Wei · Regulated QuatrainsI urge you to drain one more cup of wine: west of Yang Pass you will have no old friends.
  81. Spring DawnMeng Haoran · Regulated QuatrainsIn the night came the sound of wind and rain; how many blossoms have fallen, who can tell?
  82. Untitled: Hard It Is to MeetLi Shangyin · Regulated OctavesThe spring silkworm spins its silk until it dies; the candle's tears dry only when it has burned to ash.
  83. Mountain WalkDu Mu · Regulated QuatrainsI stop my carriage simply because I love the maple wood at dusk; the frost-touched leaves are redder than the flowers of the second month.
  84. Ode to the WillowHe Zhizhang · Regulated QuatrainsWho cut out these slender leaves, I wonder? The spring wind of the second month, like a pair of scissors.
  85. In Reply to Letian, Who Gave Me a Poem at Our First Meeting in YangzhouLiu Yuxi · Regulated OctavesBeside the sunken boat a thousand sails go by; before the sickly tree ten thousand trees burst into spring.
  86. Bamboo Branch Songs, No. 1 of TwoLiu Yuxi · Bamboo-Branch SongsSun rising in the east, rain in the west: you'd say there's no clear sky, yet clear sky there is.
  87. Autumn Song, No. 1 of TwoLiu Yuxi · Regulated QuatrainsSince ancient times men meet autumn grieving its loneliness; I say an autumn day surpasses a spring morning.
  88. On the Chrysanthemum, Written after Failing the ExaminationHuang Chao (traditionally attributed) · Regulated QuatrainsWait until autumn comes, the eighth of the ninth month: when my flower blooms, all other flowers will die.
  89. Expressing My FeelingsWei Zheng · Old-Style SongsIn life one is moved by loyalty and spirit; who still talks of fame and merit?
  90. Presented to Xiao YuLi Shimin (Emperor Taizong of Tang) · Regulated QuatrainsIn a fierce wind one knows the sturdy grass; in times of turmoil one recognises the loyal minister.
  91. As You WishWu Zetian · Regulated QuatrainsOpen the chest and examine my pomegranate-red skirt.
  92. Passing Through Zou and Lu, Sacrificing to Confucius and SighingLi Longji (Emperor Xuanzong of Tang) · Regulated OctavesHe sighed over the phoenix, lamenting his ill fortune; he grieved for the unicorn, bemoaning that his Way had come to an end.
  93. On the ChrysanthemumHuang Chao (traditionally attributed) · Regulated QuatrainsIf one day I become the Green Emperor, I will order them to bloom together with the peach blossoms.
  94. Written on Climbing the Wall of YazhouLi Deyu · Regulated QuatrainsAlone I climb the high tower and gaze towards the imperial capital; even for a bird it is still half a year's journey.
  95. The Imperial Capital, Ten PoemsLi Shimin · Regulated OctavesThe Qin river land makes a mighty imperial seat; the Hangu Pass makes the royal residence imposing.
  96. Qingming FestivalDu Mu (traditionally attributed) · Regulated Quatrains"May I ask where a wine shop might be found?" A herd boy points far off to Apricot Blossom Village.
  97. Ballad of the Fair LadiesDu Fu · Old-Style SongsOn the third day of the third month the air is fresh; by the waters of Chang'an walk many fair ladies.
  98. Cold Food DayHan Hong · Regulated QuatrainsAt dusk candles are passed out from the Han palace, and their light smoke drifts into the homes of the Five Marquises.
  99. Village Altar FestivalWang Jia · Regulated QuatrainsMulberry shadows lengthen as the spring festival ends; every family helps a drunk one home.
  100. Spring LongingLi Bai · Old-Style SongsSpring wind, you are no friend of mine: why do you come into my silk bed curtains?
  101. For Wei Ba, a Scholar Living in RetirementDu Fu · Old-Style SongsIn life, friends who do not meet are like the stars Shen and Shang, never in the sky together.
  102. The Beauty in the Empty ValleyDu Fu · Old-Style SongsHe sees only the new one smile; how would he hear the old one weep?
  103. The Lodge in the Bamboo GroveWang Wei · Regulated QuatrainsIn the deep wood no one knows I am here; the bright moon comes to shine on me.
  104. Farewell at the Yi RiverLuo Binwang · Regulated QuatrainsThe men of that day are long gone; today the water is still cold.
  105. Song of Changgan: The Chance MeetingCui Hao · Regulated QuatrainsI stop my boat just to ask: perhaps we come from the same village.
  106. Reply to the Prefect of WulingWang Changling · Regulated QuatrainsOnce I was a guest in Daliang; I will not betray the Lord of Xinling's kindness.
  107. Climbing the Leyou PlainLi Shangyin · Regulated QuatrainsThe setting sun is boundlessly fine; it is only that dusk is near.
  108. LongingWang Wei · Regulated QuatrainsI hope you will gather many; these above all speak of longing.
  109. GrievanceLi Bai · Regulated QuatrainsOne sees only the wet traces of tears, and cannot tell whom her heart resents.
  110. Seeing Off Zhao Zong at NightYang Jiong · Regulated QuatrainsI see you off, back to your old home; bright moonlight fills the river ahead.
  111. Mooring on the Jiande RiverMeng Haoran · Regulated QuatrainsThe plain is wide, the sky sinks below the trees; the river is clear, the moon draws near.
  112. Calling on Yuan the Reminder and Not Finding HimMeng Haoran · Regulated QuatrainsI hear the plum blossom comes early there, but how can it match the spring here?
  113. Seeing Off Granary Officer GuoWang Changling · Regulated QuatrainsThe bright moon follows the good officer; the spring tide grows deeper night after night.
  114. Sitting Alone by Jingting MountainLi Bai · Regulated QuatrainsWe gaze at each other and never tire: there is only Jingting Mountain.
  115. Written at the Yuan Family VillaHe Zhizhang · Regulated QuatrainsDon't trouble yourself about buying wine; I have money in my own purse.
  116. Seeing Off Zhu the Eldest to QinMeng Haoran · Regulated QuatrainsAt parting I unbuckle it as a gift: a whole life's true heart.
  117. On HistoryGao Shi · Regulated QuatrainsHe did not know a man fit for the whole realm, and still saw him as a commoner.
  118. Reply to Li HuanWei Yingwu · Regulated QuatrainsIn the woods I finish reading the Changes; by the stream I idle, facing the gulls.
  119. Call of the Autumn WindLiu Yuxi · Regulated QuatrainsIn the morning it enters the courtyard trees, and the lonely traveller hears it first.
  120. Sent to Vice Director Qiu on an Autumn NightWei Yingwu · Regulated QuatrainsIn the empty hills pine cones fall; my recluse friend must still be awake.
  121. Written in the PalaceLi Ang · Regulated QuatrainsGazing from the height, my thoughts have no end, and no attendant knows them any more.
  122. Looking for the Recluse and Not Finding HimJia Dao · Regulated QuatrainsHe is somewhere on this mountain, but the clouds are too deep to tell where.
  123. Behind Schedule on the Shu RoadZhang Shuo · Regulated QuatrainsThe autumn wind would not wait for me; it reached Luoyang first.
  124. Song of QiupuLi Bai · Regulated QuatrainsMy white hair is three thousand zhang long; my sorrow has grown just as long.
  125. For Attendant QiaoChen Zi'ang · Regulated QuatrainsPity the censor on his dappled horse: white-haired now, for whom was his valour?
  126. On the Double Ninth with the Army, Thinking of My Old Home in Chang'anCen Can · Regulated QuatrainsFrom afar I pity my old garden's chrysanthemums, surely blooming beside the battlefield.
  127. Lament on the Jade StepsLi Bai · Regulated QuatrainsShe lets down the crystal blind and still gazes at the glittering autumn moon.
  128. A Song South of the YangziLi Yi · Regulated QuatrainsHad I known the tide keeps its time, I would have married a boy who rides the tides.
  129. The Detached PalaceYuan Zhen · Regulated QuatrainsWhite-haired palace women remain, sitting idle and talking of Xuanzong.
  130. Miscellaneous PoemWang Wei · Regulated QuatrainsThe day you left, by my latticed window, had the winter plum begun to bloom?
  131. The Eightfold Battle ArrayDu Fu · Regulated QuatrainsHis merit crowned the land split three ways; his fame was made by the Eightfold Array.
  132. Autumn NightDu Mu · Regulated QuatrainsOn the palace steps the night is cool as water; she lies watching the Herd Boy and Weaver stars.
  133. Frost and MoonLi Shangyin · Regulated QuatrainsThe Frost Maiden and the Moon Goddess both bear the cold, vying in beauty in moon and frost.
  134. Chang'eLi Shangyin · Regulated QuatrainsChang'e must regret stealing the elixir: blue sea, blue sky, her heart alone night after night.
  135. Written on the Wall of an InnZheng Gu · Regulated QuatrainsTapping till her jade hairpin breaks by the cold red candle, she reckons he must have reached Changshan.
  136. Beyond the FrontierWang Zhihuan · Regulated QuatrainsWhy must the Qiang flute lament the willow? The spring wind never crosses the Jade Gate Pass.
  137. The Jasper PoolLi Shangyin · Regulated QuatrainsThe eight steeds run thirty thousand li a day; why has King Mu never come again?
  138. To Director LinghuLi Shangyin · Regulated QuatrainsDo not ask after the old guest of the Liang garden: in Maoling's autumn rain, Xiangru lies sick.
  139. Because There IsLi Shangyin · Regulated QuatrainsFor no reason she wed a husband with a golden turtle; he forsakes the scented quilt for the dawn court.
  140. The Golden Valley GardenDu Mu · Regulated QuatrainsThe falling petals still seem like the woman who fell from the tower.
  141. To Han Chuo, Administrator at YangzhouDu Mu · Regulated QuatrainsThe Twenty-Four Bridges on a moonlit night; where are you teaching a fair one the flute?
  142. Already CoolHan Wo · Regulated QuatrainsAn eight-foot rush mat and square brocade quilt; the air already cool but not yet cold.
  143. Song of the Spring PalaceWang Changling · Regulated QuatrainsThe dancer from Pingyang is newly in favour; in the spring chill beyond the curtain, a brocade robe is bestowed.
  144. A Young Wife's LamentWang Changling · Regulated QuatrainsSuddenly she sees the roadside willows green; she regrets sending her husband to win a title.
  145. At PartingDu Mu · Regulated QuatrainsSlender and graceful, just past thirteen, a cardamom bud at the branch tip in early second month.
  146. Light Rain in Early SpringHan Yu · Regulated QuatrainsFine rain on the capital streets, soft as cream; grass shows green from afar, none close by.
  147. Spring in JiangnanDu Mu · Regulated QuatrainsThe Southern Dynasties' four hundred eighty temples: how many towers stand in the misty rain?
  148. Song of a TravellerLi Bai · Regulated QuatrainsIf only my host can make his guest drunk, I will not know which land is foreign.
  149. Peach Blossoms at Xuandu TempleLiu Yuxi · Regulated QuatrainsIn Xuandu Temple, a thousand peach trees, all planted after Master Liu went away.
  150. Revisiting Xuandu TempleLiu Yuxi · Regulated QuatrainsWhere has the Taoist who planted the peaches gone? Master Liu of last time is here again today.
  151. Listening to a Flute on Yellow Crane Tower with Director Shi QinLi Bai · Regulated QuatrainsIn Yellow Crane Tower someone plays a jade flute; in the river city, in the fifth month, plum blossoms fall.
  152. On Night Duty at the SecretariatBai Juyi · Regulated QuatrainsSitting alone at dusk, who keeps me company? The crape myrtle faces the Crape Myrtle Gentleman.
  153. Lament of the Changxin PalaceWang Changling · Regulated QuatrainsHer jade-fair face is worth less than the winter crows, which still come bearing the sunlight of Zhaoyang Palace.
  154. Autumn Night SongWang Wei (traditionally attributed) · Regulated QuatrainsLate into the night she plucks the silver zither with care; afraid of the empty room, she cannot bear to go back.
  155. Seeing Off Xin Jian at Hibiscus TowerWang Changling · Regulated QuatrainsIf friends and kin in Luoyang ask after me: a heart of ice in a jade pot.
  156. Palace PoemBai Juyi · Regulated QuatrainsHer rosy face not yet old, the favour has already ended; leaning on the censer cage, she sits until dawn.
  157. Meeting an Envoy Bound for the CapitalCen Can · Regulated QuatrainsWe meet on horseback with no paper or brush; I ask you to carry word that I am safe.
  158. Master JiaLi Shangyin · Regulated QuatrainsA pity he leaned forward at midnight in vain: he asked not about the people, but about ghosts and spirits.
  159. Easing My HeartDu Mu · Regulated QuatrainsTen years, and I wake from one dream of Yangzhou, having won only a fickle name in the pleasure houses.
  160. About to Leave for Wuxing, I Climb the Leyou PlateauDu Mu · Regulated QuatrainsAbout to carry a governor's banner off to the rivers and sea, I gaze from the Leyou Plateau toward Zhao Mausoleum.
  161. Peach Blossom CreekZhang Xu (traditionally attributed) · Regulated QuatrainsAll day long peach blossoms follow the flowing water; on which side of the clear creek is the cave?
  162. Lament of the Jade ZitherWen Tingyun · Regulated QuatrainsThe geese's cries pass far off toward the Xiao and Xiang; in the twelve towers the moon shines on alone.
  163. Spring PoemLiu Yuxi · Regulated QuatrainsWalking to the middle of the yard, she counts the flowers; a dragonfly lights on her jade hairpin.
  164. Hearing a Flute at Night on the Wall of ShouxiangLi Yi · Regulated QuatrainsWho knows where a reed pipe is playing? All night long the soldiers gaze toward home.
  165. Seeing Off Spring on the Last Day of the Third MonthJia Dao · Regulated QuatrainsTonight, with you, there is no need to sleep: until the dawn bell has rung, it is still spring.
  166. FarewellWang Wei · Old-Style SongsGo, then; I will ask no more: the white clouds there have no end.
  167. Midnight Songs of Wu · SpringLi Bai · Old-Style SongsMy silkworms are hungry and I must go; you of the five horses, do not linger.
  168. Song of the Faithful WifeMeng Jiao · Old-Style SongsI vow that no wave shall ever rise: my heart is the water of an old well.
  169. Song Beyond the FrontierWang Changling · Old-Style SongsThe bold men of You and Bing have always grown old together with the dust and sand.
  170. In the Second Year of Zhide I Left the Capital by the Jinguang Gate and Took a Byway to Fengxiang; Early in Qianyuan, Moved from Reminder of the Left to an Aide's Post in Huazhou, I Took Leave of Kin and Friends and Went Out by This Gate Again, Grieving for the PastDu Fu · Regulated OctavesWithout talent, I grow a little older each day; I rein in my horse and gaze back at the thousand palace gates.
  171. Palace Lament in SpringDu Xunhe (traditionally attributed) · Regulated OctavesIn the warm wind, birdsong breaks into pieces; as the sun climbs high, the flower shadows lie thick.
  172. On the Cicada, Written in PrisonLuo Binwang · Regulated OctavesHeavy dew: it tries to fly but cannot rise; strong wind: its song is easily drowned.
  173. Written at Master Yi's Meditation ChamberMeng Haoran · Regulated OctavesThe setting sun follows the last of the rain; the empty green of the hills falls into the shade of the court.
  174. Parting at a Wine Shop in JinlingLi Bai · Old-Style SongsAsk, I beg you, of the river flowing east: which is longer, it or the feeling of parting?
  175. Seeing Off Prefect Li of ZizhouWang Wei · Regulated OctavesAfter a night of rain in the mountains, from the treetops hang a hundred tiers of springs.
  176. Mount ZhongnanWang Wei · Regulated OctavesWhite clouds close behind me as I look back; the blue haze, once I enter it, is no longer there.
  177. Facing Lake Dongting: To Minister ZhangMeng Haoran · Regulated OctavesIts vapours steam over the Yunmeng marshes; its waves shake the city of Yueyang.
  178. Meeting Feng Zhu in Chang'anWei Yingwu · Regulated OctavesFlowers open in the dim haze; swallows dart about, their young newly hatched.
  179. My Retreat at ZhongnanWang Wei · Regulated OctavesI walk on to where the water ends, and sit and watch the moment the clouds rise.
  180. Mooring at Niuzhu by Night, Thinking of the PastLi Bai · Regulated OctavesI too can chant my verses aloud, but that man can no longer hear them.
  181. Returning to the Southern Hills at the Year's EndMeng Haoran · Regulated OctavesLacking talent, I am cast aside by an enlightened ruler; often ill, I am neglected by old friends.
  182. A Feast at Daoist Mei's Mountain LodgeMeng Haoran · Regulated OctavesThe elixir stove has just been lit; the immortal peach trees are shedding their blossoms.
  183. Staying at Master Ye's Mountain Lodge, Waiting for Ding the Eldest, Who Does Not ComeMeng Haoran · Regulated OctavesMoonlight in the pines brings the night's cool; wind and springs fill the clear silence.
  184. To a Daoist in the Mountains of QuanjiaoWei Yingwu · Regulated OctavesBut fallen leaves fill the empty mountains: where would I look for his tracks?
  185. Written on Returning to Mount SongWang Wei · Regulated OctavesA ruined town stands over an old ferry; the setting sun fills the autumn hills.
  186. At the Banquet Granted in the Lizheng Hall Academy, Written on Command with the Rhyme LinZhang Shuo · Regulated OctavesReciting the Odes, we learn of governance; expounding the Changes, we see Heaven's mind.
  187. Glad to Meet My Cousin, Then Saying Goodbye AgainLi Yi · Regulated OctavesAsking your surname, I am startled, as if we had never met; hearing your name, I recall the face of old.
  188. On the Huai, Glad to Meet an Old Friend from LiangchuanWei Yingwu · Regulated OctavesSince we parted like drifting clouds, ten years have flowed by like water.
  189. Parting from a Friend on a Spring NightChen Zi'ang · Regulated OctavesThe bright moon hides behind tall trees; the River of Stars sinks into the dawn sky.
  190. Living by the StreamLiu Zongyuan · Old-Style SongsComing and going I meet no one; I sing long songs to the blue sky of Chu.
  191. Stopping at Xuyi County at DuskWei Yingwu · Regulated OctavesPeople go home to the darkening hill town; wild geese come down on the pale reed isles.
  192. In Reply to Assistant Magistrate ZhangWang Wei · Regulated OctavesPine wind blows open my loosened sash; the mountain moon shines on me playing the zither.
  193. Staying the Night on the Tonglu River, Sent to Old Friends in GuanglingMeng Haoran · Regulated OctavesWind sounds in the leaves on both banks; the moon shines on a single lonely boat.
  194. Parting Words for Wang WeiMeng Haoran · Regulated OctavesOf those in power, who will lend me a hand? Those who truly know me are rare in this world.
  195. Climbing Mount Xian with FriendsMeng Haoran · Regulated OctavesHuman affairs rise and give way; their coming and going makes past and present.
  196. In Reply to Cheng Jin, Who Sent Me a Poem on an Autumn NightHan Hong · Regulated OctavesUnder the River of Stars, one autumn goose; through the night, the fulling blocks of a thousand homes.
  197. Seeing Off a FriendLi Bai · Regulated OctavesDrifting clouds: the wanderer's mind; the setting sun: an old friend's feeling.
  198. Seeing Off a Friend Bound for ShuLi Bai · Regulated OctavesMountains rise right up before your face; clouds are born beside your horse's head.
  199. Night Duty in the Chancellery in SpringDu Fu · Regulated OctavesStars shine down and the ten thousand doors seem to stir; beside the Ninth Heaven the moonlight is fuller.
  200. Written on the Wall of Chan Master Xuanwu's DwellingDu Fu · Regulated OctavesA flying staff keeps close to the cranes; a cup ferrying the water does not startle the gulls.
  201. Sent to Du, Reminder in the ChancelleryCen Can · Regulated OctavesOur sage court has no faults to correct, so I find my remonstrances grow few.
  202. Climbing the Zongchi PavilionCen Can · Regulated OctavesBeyond the railing the Qinling range lies low; in the window the Wei River looks small.
  203. Climbing the City Tower of YanzhouDu Fu · Regulated OctavesOn the lone crag the Qin stele still stands; in the ruined city the Lu palace remains.
  204. Written in the Imperial Retinue on the Way to DengfengSong Zhiwen · Regulated OctavesFrom dark valleys a thousand banners emerge; the hills ring as ten thousand chariots come.
  205. Written after Wine for Zhang XuGao Shi · Regulated OctavesWhen the mood comes his brush turns sage; after wine his talk grows wilder still.
  206. The Jade Terrace AbbeyDu Fu · Regulated OctavesThey say a crane bearing a piper passes over this hilltop from time to time.
  207. Viewing the Landscape Painting Li Gu Requested of His Brother the AdjutantDu Fu · Regulated OctavesIn this life I drift along with all things: by what road can I leave the dust of the world?
  208. Thoughts Written While Travelling at NightDu Fu · Regulated OctavesStars hang low and the level plain is wide; the moon surges as the great river flows.
  209. Climbing Yueyang TowerDu Fu · Regulated OctavesWu and Chu are split apart to the south-east; heaven and earth float on it day and night.
  210. Seeing Off Editor Cui on the Eastern CampaignChen Zi'ang · Regulated OctavesThe royal army does not delight in war; you, sir, be wary in wielding arms.
  211. Climbing Xie Tiao's North Tower in Xuancheng in AutumnLi Bai · Regulated OctavesAmid the households' smoke the oranges and pomelos look cold; autumn's colours age the wutong trees.
  212. Visiting Xiangji TempleWang Wei · Regulated OctavesThe spring's voice sobs over steep rocks; the sun's colour is cold on the green pines.
  213. Seeing Off Censor Zheng, Banished to MinGao Shi · Regulated OctavesYou are sure to meet with rain and dew again; go now, and beware the wind and waves.
  214. Miscellaneous Poems from Qinzhou, No. 19Du Fu · Regulated OctavesThe old folk long for a Flying General; when will the court talk of raising the altar?
  215. The Temple of YuDu Fu · Regulated OctavesCloud vapours rise from the hollow walls; the river's roar runs over white sand.
  216. Drinking at Night in YouzhouZhang Shuo · Regulated OctavesHad I not been made a general of this frontier town, who would know how deep the favour runs?
  217. Setting Out from Yangzi: To Collator Yuan the EldestWei Yingwu · Old-Style SongsA man rowing home to Luoyang; the last bell tolls among the trees of Guangling.
  218. The Old FishermanLiu Zongyuan · Old-Style SongsThe mist melts, the sun comes out, and he is nowhere to be seen; one creak of the oar, and the hills and waters are green.
  219. Gazing Out over the Han RiverWang Wei · Regulated OctavesThe river flows beyond heaven and earth; the hills' colour hovers between there and not there.
  220. Living at Leisure at Wangchuan: To the Scholar Pei DiWang Wei · Regulated OctavesAt the ferry the last of the setting sun remains; over the village rises a single thread of smoke.
  221. Written at the Post Station North of Dayu RidgeSong Zhiwen · Regulated OctavesMy journey is far from over; on what day shall I come home again?
  222. Listening to Jun, a Monk from Shu, Play the QinLi Bai · Regulated OctavesThe flowing-water music washes the traveller's heart; its lingering notes merge with the frosty bell.
  223. To Meng HaoranLi Bai · Regulated OctavesI love you, Master Meng; your free spirit is known throughout the world.
  224. Crossing Past Jingmen: A FarewellLi Bai · Regulated OctavesThe mountains end with the opening plain; the river flows on into the vast wilds.
  225. Cool ThoughtsLi Shangyin · Regulated OctavesAt the edge of the world I keep reading my dreams, and wrongly fear you have a new friend.
  226. North QingluoLi Shangyin · Regulated OctavesThe whole world lies within a mote of dust; why should I cling to love and hate?
  227. The CicadaLi Shangyin · Regulated OctavesBy the fifth watch the cry thins nearly to nothing; the whole tree is green and does not care.
  228. Wind and RainLi Shangyin · Regulated OctavesYellow leaves are still beset by wind and rain; in the green towers the pipes and strings play on.
  229. Falling BlossomsLi Shangyin · Regulated OctavesA fragrant heart spent with the spring: all it gains is tears upon my clothes.
  230. At Fengji Station, Seeing Off Lord Yan Once More: Four RhymesDu Fu · Regulated OctavesBack alone to my river village, I will tend the rest of my life in solitude.
  231. Leaving the Grave of Grand Commandant FangDu Fu · Regulated OctavesNear my tears no earth stays dry; low in the sky there are broken clouds.
  232. Remembering My Brothers on a Moonlit NightDu Fu · Regulated OctavesFrom tonight the dew turns white; the moon is brightest over home.
  233. Thinking of Li Bai from the Edge of the SkyDu Fu · Regulated OctavesFine writing hates a prosperous fate; demons delight when men go by.
  234. Moonlit NightDu Fu · Regulated OctavesScented mist dampens her cloud-like hair; the clear light chills her jade-white arms.
  235. Staying at an InnDu Mu · Regulated OctavesMy distant dream goes home and lasts till dawn; a letter from home comes a year late.
  236. Miscellaneous Poem: Moon Over the Han CampShen Quanqi · Regulated OctavesSadly, the moon above her chamber shines long over the Han camp too.
  237. Thoughts in the Early ColdMeng Haoran · Regulated OctavesMy homesick tears are spent abroad; I watch a lone sail at the sky's edge.
  238. On the Set Theme of Evening Rain, Seeing Off Li ZhouWei Yingwu · Regulated OctavesThrough the haze the sails come heavy; in the gloom the birds fly slow.
  239. Gazing at the Moon, Thinking of One Far AwayZhang Jiuling · Regulated OctavesOver the sea the bright moon rises; at the ends of the earth we share this hour.
  240. Seeing Off a Friend Travelling EastWen Tingyun · Regulated OctavesHow many are left on the river? From the sky's edge a lone oar returns.
  241. The Temple of the First Ruler of ShuLiu Yuxi · Regulated OctavesWith a chancellor he could found a state, but the son he fathered was no match for him.
  242. Reaching Jianmen on the Journey West to ShuLi Longji · Regulated OctavesGreen cliffs close in a thousand fathoms high; red peaks part where the Five Strongmen cut.
  243. Meeting Li Guinian in JiangnanDu Fu · Regulated QuatrainsNow, amid the fine scenery of Jiangnan, in the season of falling flowers, I meet you again.
  244. Moved by the Moon: To My Brothers Scattered by War and FamineBai Juyi · Regulated OctavesGazing at the same bright moon, we must all be in tears: one night, one longing for home, in five places at once.
  245. Attending a BanquetShen Quanqi · Regulated OctavesGreen curtains in the dressing tower keep spring; gold studs on the dance hall borrow the sun.
  246. River VillageDu Fu · Regulated OctavesThe swallows in the hall come and go as they please; the gulls on the water stay close and friendly.
  247. For the Recluse ZhuDu Fu · Regulated OctavesThe autumn stream is only four or five feet deep; the country boat holds just two or three people.
  248. Choubi Post StationLi Shangyin · Regulated OctavesHis talent was truly no less than Guan Zhong's and Yue Yi's; but Guan and Zhang were fated to die, so what could he do?
  249. Spring RainLi Shangyin · Regulated OctavesThrough the rain the red tower looks cold as I gaze at it; through the bead curtain of rain the lamp flickers, and I go home alone.
  250. A Night at HeadquartersDu Fu · Regulated OctavesAll night the horn sounds, grieving to itself; the moon in mid-sky is lovely, but who is there to look?
  251. Written with Friends at the Xianyou TempleHan Hong · Regulated OctavesWhy seek a world beyond this one? The human world has its own land of immortals.
  252. Thinking of Xin the Eldest at the South Pavilion on a Summer DayMeng Haoran · Old-Style SongsThe wind over the lotuses sends their fragrance; dew drips from the bamboo with a clear sound.
  253. Enjoying the Moon in the South Study with My Cousin, Remembering Sheriff Cui of ShanyinWang Changling · Old-Style SongsA thousand li apart, what can be done? A light breeze stirs the orchids and wild ginger.
  254. Farm Households by the Wei RiverWang Wei · Old-Style SongsThe setting sun shines on the village; down the narrow lanes the cattle and sheep come home.
  255. Climbing Orchid Mountain in Autumn: To Zhang the FifthMeng Haoran · Old-Style SongsTrees at the sky's edge look like shepherd's purse; a boat by the river is like the moon.
  256. Moved by What I Meet, No. 4Zhang Jiuling · Old-Style SongsFine clothes draw people's pointing fingers; high and bright places invite the hatred of the gods.
  257. Venting My Grief, No. 1Yuan Zhen · Regulated OctavesToday my salary is over a hundred thousand cash, and for you I can only offer sacrifices and hold rites for the dead.
  258. Night in the PavilionDu Fu · Regulated OctavesAt the fifth watch, drums and horns sound stirring and sad; over the Three Gorges, the Milky Way's reflection trembles.
  259. Replying to Secretary Jia Zhi's Poem on the Morning Audience at Daming PalaceDu Fu · Regulated OctavesIn the warm sun the dragons and snakes on the banners stir; in the light breeze over the palace halls, swallows and sparrows fly high.
  260. Replying to Secretary Jia's Poem on the Morning Audience at Daming PalaceWang Wei · Regulated OctavesThe gates of the ninefold heaven open on the palace halls; the robes and caps of ten thousand nations bow before the crown.
  261. Replying to Secretary Jia Zhi of the Secretariat on the Morning Audience at Daming PalaceCen Can · Regulated OctavesFlowers greet the swords and pendants as the stars begin to set; willows brush the banners while the dew is not yet dry.
  262. On the Ninth Day at the Cui Family Estate in LantianDu Fu · Regulated OctavesWho will still be well when we meet here next year? Drunk, I hold the dogwood and look at it closely.
  263. Little SolsticeDu Fu · Regulated OctavesThe riverbanks wait for the last month to unfurl their willows; the hills defy the cold, ready to open the plum.
  264. Climbing the TowerDu Fu · Regulated OctavesSpring on the Brocade River comes from heaven and earth; drifting clouds over Jade Rampart change from past to present.
  265. Sent to Li Dan YuanxiWei Yingwu · Regulated OctavesOften ill, I long for my fields and village; with refugees in my county, I am ashamed of my pay.
  266. Written at the Wangchuan Estate after Long RainWang Wei · Regulated OctavesOver the wide, misty paddies white egrets fly; in the deep shade of summer trees orioles sing.
  267. Seeing Off Sheriff Li, Demoted to Xiazhong, and Sheriff Wang, Demoted to ChangshaGao Shi · Regulated OctavesGibbons crying in the Wu Gorge will bring a few lines of tears; geese returning past Hengyang will carry how many letters?
  268. Passing Through HuayinCui Hao · Regulated OctavesLofty Mount Hua looks down on the capital; no blade could carve its three peaks.
  269. Recalling the Past at Xisai MountainLiu Yuxi · Regulated OctavesHow many times have people grieved over the past? The mountain, as before, rests its head on the cold current.
  270. By the Qujiang, Two Poems: No. 1Du Fu · Regulated OctavesOne petal flying takes away from spring; ten thousand blown on the wind truly sadden me.
  271. Song of Returning to Lumen at NightMeng Haoran · Old-Style SongsMoonlight on Lumen opens the misty trees; suddenly I reach the place where Master Pang lived in seclusion.
  272. Never SeenShen Quanqi · Regulated OctavesNorth of the White Wolf River letters have stopped; south of Red Phoenix City the autumn night is long.
  273. For Supervising Secretary GuoWang Wei · Regulated OctavesWithin the palace the bell rings sparsely as the offices grow late; birds call in the chancellery, and the clerks are few.
  274. Climbing the Phoenix Terrace at JinlingLi Bai · Regulated OctavesThe Three Hills half drop away beyond the blue sky; the two waters part around White Egret Isle.
  275. A Guest ArrivesDu Fu · Regulated OctavesThe flower path has never been swept for a guest; my wicker gate opens today for the first time, for you.
  276. Gazing out over the CountrysideDu Fu · Regulated OctavesWar dust across the land keeps my brothers from me; at the sky's edge I weep, one man far away.
  277. Climbing the City Tower of Liuzhou: To the Prefects of Zhang, Ting, Feng and LianLiu Zongyuan · Regulated OctavesTrees on the ridges, layer on layer, block my thousand-mile gaze; the river winds like a heart twisted nine times over.
  278. Crossing South at LizhouWen Tingyun · Regulated OctavesFrom a few clumps of sand-grass the gulls scatter; over ten thousand acres of river fields a single egret flies.
  279. The Shrine of Su WuWen Tingyun · Regulated OctavesMaoling never saw him made a marquis; in vain he weeps to the autumn waves for time gone by.
  280. The Moon over the Mountain PassesLi Bai · Old-Style SongsThe bright moon rises over the Tianshan, amid a vast and boundless sea of clouds.

Lyrics

83 works

Pinnacle of lyric verse and musical poetry spanning delicate grace and heroic grandeur.

  1. Deva-Like Barbarian: Layered Hills of Gold Shimmer and FadeWen Tingyun · Short LyricsIlluminating the blossom in front and back mirrors, flower and face reflect in mutual beauty. Newly pasted on embroidered silk robe, paired golden partridges in flight.
  2. Deva-Like Barbarian: Crystal Pillow Behind Crystal BlindsWen Tingyun · Short LyricsAbove the river, willows like mist; wild geese fly across a sky of the waning moon.
  3. Water Clock Song: Jade Incense BurnerWen Tingyun · Short LyricsLeaf after leaf, drop after drop, it drips on the empty steps until dawn.
  4. Dreaming of the South: Ten Thousand RegretsWen Tingyun · Short LyricsA thousand, ten thousand regrets; the deepest regret is for one at the edge of the sky.
  5. Deva-Like Barbarian: Everyone Speaks of the Splendor of JiangnanWei Zhuang · Short LyricsEveryone speaks of the splendor of Jiangnan; a traveler should only grow old in Jiangnan. Spring waters are greener than the sky; falling asleep listening to rain aboard a painted boat.
  6. Deva-Like Barbarian: Now I Recall the Joys of JiangnanWei Zhuang · Short LyricsNow I recall the joys of Jiangnan: in those days I was young and spring robes were light. Riding a steed leaning by the slanted bridge, entire pavilions of crimson sleeves waved in greeting.
  7. Deva-Like Barbarian: Melancholy Farewell Night at Red ChamberWei Zhuang · Short LyricsAs I went out the door under the waning moon, my lovely one bade farewell in tears.
  8. Lotus Leaf Cup: Remembering That Year Beneath the FlowersWei Zhuang · Short LyricsNow we are both strangers in far lands, with no way ever to meet again.
  9. The Daoist Priestess: The Seventeenth of the Fourth MonthWei Zhuang · Short LyricsThe seventeenth of the fourth month, exactly one year ago today, when I parted from you. Suppressing tears, feigning to lower my face; bearing bashful shame, half-knitting brows. Unaware my soul was shattered, left only with dreams following along.
  10. Wutong Shadow · The Setting Sun SlantsLü Dongbin (Lü Yan) · Short LyricsWill my old friend come tonight or not? Waiting, I stand until the wutong's shadow is gone.
  11. Wine Spring Song: Flowers Glow Among the WillowsWen Tingyun · Short LyricsLately, letters both ways have grown sparse; the inner chamber stands empty and lonely.
  12. Song of the South: A Golden Parrot in Her HandWen Tingyun · Short LyricsBetter to give herself in marriage and be mandarin ducks together.
  13. Song of the South: Willows Like RibbonsWen Tingyun · Short LyricsOn the nine avenues the dust turns toward dusk: he follows the scented carriage.
  14. Song of the South: Her Hair Falls LowWen Tingyun · Short LyricsFor you I have wasted away in the season of a hundred flowers.
  15. Song of the South: Fine Gold on Her CheeksWen Tingyun · Short LyricsBeyond the curtain an oriole trills a hundred notes, stirring her heart toward you.
  16. Song of the South: Dusting Yellow on Her BrowWen Tingyun · Short LyricsOn the bright moonlit night of the fifteenth, facing that fair face.
  17. Song of the South: Eyes That Glance Like RipplesWen Tingyun · Short LyricsThinking of you, my heart is near to breaking; I resent the spring night.
  18. Song of the South: Too Listless to Smooth the PillowWen Tingyun · Short LyricsOf late my heart aches all the more, because I long for you.
  19. Lotus Leaf Cup: Autumn Moon on Mirror WaterWen Tingyun · Short LyricsA young girl, rouged and powdered, faces the cold waves; forlorn, she is lost in thought.
  20. Lotus Leaf Cup · A Drop of Dew Congeals ColdWen Tingyun · Short LyricsGreen stems and red blooms tangle together; heart-breaking, the wind off the water is cool.
  21. Lotus Leaf Cup · The Girl of Chu Would Go Home to the Southern ShoreWen Tingyun · Short LyricsHer little boat rocks and drifts into the flowers; waves rise, and the west wind lies between.
  22. Willow Branch Song · The Longest Strands Outside Yichun ParkWen Tingyun · Short LyricsJust here, where the fair one's heart breaks: a channel of spring water, a red-railed bridge.
  23. Willow Branch Song · Outside the Guanwa Palace, West of YeWen Tingyun · Short LyricsThe willows make the young lord long for home, not the fragrant grass so lush and green.
  24. Willow Branch Song · Beside the Imperial Road East of the Southern Palace WallWen Tingyun · Short LyricsApricot blossoms have feeling too; why do willows break a traveller's heart the most?
  25. Willow Branch Song · Ten Thousand Willow Strands Before Su Xiao's DoorWen Tingyun · Short LyricsOrioles fall silent as the east wind rises; behind the shut gate, willows sway with a dancer.
  26. Willow Branch Song · Threads of Gold Hang Thick by the Green-Tiled GuttersWen Tingyun · Short LyricsAt dusk they bring the Dragon Pool rain, half brushing the railing, half drifting indoors.
  27. Willow Branch Song · Orioles in Pairs, Golden as GoldWen Tingyun · Short LyricsIn spring it grows of itself as long as thread; a pity it ties and tangles a roving man's heart.
  28. Willow Branch Song · Imperial Willows Like Silk over the PalaceWen Tingyun · Short LyricsBeside Jingyang Tower, thousands of boughs, each a face newly made up, waiting for the dawn wind.
  29. Willow Branch Song · By the Brocade Loom the Orioles ChatterWen Tingyun · Short LyricsAt the frontier gates the third month is still bleak; even with drooping willows, no spring is felt.
  30. Willow Branch Song · Spring Enters the Travelling PalaceHuangfu Song · Short LyricsNow the willows turn green over an empty city; who will ever again take up the jade flute and play?
  31. Willow Branch Song · When Spring in Full Bloom Returns to the Land of WatersHuangfu Song · Short LyricsOrioles call and call beside the empty chamber; Xi Shi has no way ever to know.
  32. Picked Fresh · Pour a CupHuangfu Song · Short LyricsOne night of wind and rain on the crowded blossoms, and the branches are bare.
  33. Picked Fresh · Picked FreshHuangfu Song · Short LyricsIn a whole life we get this only some tens of times; spread the fragrant mat.
  34. Dreaming of the South · The Orchid Wick Burns DownHuangfu Song · Short LyricsIdly I dream of the south when the plums are ripe: a flute on a night boat, rain softly falling.
  35. Dreaming of the South · Asleep UpstairsHuangfu Song · Short LyricsIn a dream I see the sad affairs of Moling: peach blossom and willow down fill the river city.
  36. Lotus-Picking Song · Fragrant Lotus over Ten Qing of PondHuangfu Song · Short LyricsToward evening, playing with the water, she wets the bow, then takes off her red skirt to wrap the ducklings.
  37. Lotus-Picking Song · The Boat Moves on the Bright Autumn LakeHuangfu Song · Short LyricsOn a whim she tosses lotus seeds across the water, is seen from afar, and blushes half the day.
  38. Lament of the Foreign Girl · Fragrant Snow Fully Open on Ten Thousand BoughsWen Tingyun · Short LyricsNo word comes home from Yanmen Pass; only the swallows fly back again.
  39. Lament of the Foreign Girl · On the Sands South of the Desert, Startled Geese RiseWen Tingyun · Short LyricsParting grief in the painted tower, the brocade screen empty; the apricot blossoms are red.
  40. Lament for a Distant Land · Leaning on the Embroidered RailWen Tingyun · Short LyricsThe crabapple blossoms have fallen, and the rain drifts down.
  41. Lament for a Distant Land · Flowers Half OpenWen Tingyun · Short LyricsThe pearl blind still down, the dream in fragments, she hears the dawn oriole with a pang.
  42. The Heavenly Immortal · Over the Clear Fields a Single Egret FliesHuangfu Song · Short LyricsOn this day young Liu takes leave of his immortal at the silk-spread feast.
  43. The Heavenly Immortal · Azaleas Bloom, Their Red upon the WaterHuangfu Song · Short LyricsThe traveller comes home only after a year, from ten thousand li away.
  44. Settling the Western Tribes · The Han Envoy Parted Years AgoWen Tingyun · Short LyricsA thousand li away, spring snow at the Jade Gate; the geese come back, but the man does not.
  45. Settling the Western Tribes · The Sea Swallow, About to Fly, PreensWen Tingyun · Short LyricsIn the tower the moon of the fifteenth shines bright into the latticed window.
  46. Settling the Western Tribes · Fine Rain, Dawn Orioles, Late SpringWen Tingyun · Short LyricsHeartbreaking, the news from the frontier pass; the geese come seldom.
  47. Wine Spring Song · Sun on the Gauze WindowWen Tingyun · Short LyricsIn last night's make-up she leans forlorn in the high pavilion; far off, the clouds thin.
  48. Wine Spring Song · The Girl of Chu Does Not Go HomeWen Tingyun · Short LyricsA letter of eight lines, a dream a thousand miles long, and wild geese flying south.
  49. The Daoist Priestess · Shy and SmilingWen Tingyun · Short LyricsShe sends word to her fair young companions: seek the immortals early.
  50. The Daoist Priestess · Rosy Cape and Cloud-Like HairWen Tingyun · Short LyricsSome day she will ride the simurgh away; do not leave me behind.
  51. Wine Spring Song · The Silk Sash Holds the ScentWen Tingyun · Short LyricsHer silk sash still holds the scent, still tied with the red love-beans from their parting.
  52. Peace and Happiness · Late Spring at ShangyangWen Tingyun · Short LyricsPhoenix curtains and duck quilts are perfumed in vain; flowers lock a thousand silent gates.
  53. Peace and Happiness · Luoyang, Sorrow Past BearingWen Tingyun · Short LyricsAll day travellers break the willow boughs, and under the bridge the water sobs.
  54. The River God · From the River I See the Grove ShrineWen Tingyun · Short LyricsSomewhere a cuckoo cries without end; the bright red azaleas have all bloomed, like blood.
  55. The River God · A Lone Shrine Faces the Cold TideWen Tingyun · Short LyricsLooking back, both hearts are desolate; where does the parted soul drift now?
  56. The River God · Bronze Drums for the Festival of the GodWen Tingyun · Short LyricsAt parting the oars sound empty and forlorn; her lovely face is sad, her makeup thin.
  57. Deva-Like Barbarian · Boudoir Feelings: Mist over the Level WoodsLi Bai (traditionally attributed) · Short LyricsWhere is the road of return? A long pavilion, and then a shorter pavilion.
  58. Remembering the Lady of Qin · Autumn Thoughts: The Flute SobsLi Bai (traditionally attributed) · Short LyricsThe west wind, the lingering sunset, the tombs and gate-towers of the Han.
  59. Everlasting Longing · Parting: The Bian River FlowsBai Juyi · Short LyricsThe longing ends only when he comes home; under the bright moon she leans on the tower.
  60. Water Clock Song · On Its Theme: Long Willow ThreadsWen Tingyun · Short LyricsThe red candle turned away, the curtain lowered: I dream of you, and you never know.
  61. Deva-Like Barbarian · Pollen-Yellow on Her BrowWen Tingyun · Short LyricsWho knows what is in her heart? Only bright moonlight on branches full of flowers.
  62. Deva-Like Barbarian · Kingfisher Plumes, Gold Thread, Twin DucksWen Tingyun · Short LyricsAt the carved lattice she faces spring flowers, while word from the Jade Gate grows scarce.
  63. Deva-Like Barbarian · Apricot Blossom, Dewy Scented SnowWen Tingyun · Short LyricsThe spring dream still holds her heart as she sees her light cicada-wing hair in the mirror.
  64. Deva-Like Barbarian · Bright Moon over the Jade TowerWen Tingyun · Short LyricsFlowers fall, the cuckoo calls, and at the green window the last of a dream is lost.
  65. Deva-Like Barbarian · Phoenixes Facing in Gold ThreadWen Tingyun · Short LyricsNo word from him comes home, yet before the spring festival the swallows return in pairs.
  66. Deva-Like Barbarian · Peonies Fallen, Orioles SilentWen Tingyun · Short LyricsHe is far away, her tears keep falling, swallows fly and spring is waning again.
  67. Deva-Like Barbarian · Moonlit Palace, White Pear BlossomWen Tingyun · Short LyricsThe willows are tender green again; the swallows come home, but you do not.
  68. Deva-Like Barbarian · Jewelled Case and Golden DucksWen Tingyun · Short LyricsBetween her phoenix mirror and the flowering branch, who could know what she feels?
  69. Deva-Like Barbarian · Catkins Heaped in the South GardenWen Tingyun · Short LyricsAs the day turns to dusk, she leans alone and listless in the doorway.
  70. Deva-Like Barbarian · The Bright Moon at MidnightWen Tingyun · Short LyricsFlowers fall, the moon wanes, and only the brocade quilt knows how cold the dawn is.
  71. Deva-Like Barbarian · Silk-Tree Blossom after RainWen Tingyun · Short LyricsSpring water flows under the stream bridge as she leans on the rail, heartsick.
  72. Deva-Like Barbarian · Bamboo Wind on the Cold CourtyardWen Tingyun · Short LyricsSpring sorrow holds her heart as the last night-watch strokes sound from the painted tower.
  73. Water Clock Song · Few Stars, Bells and Drums at RestWen Tingyun · Short LyricsSpring is nearly over, the longing has no end, and old joys seem like a dream.
  74. Water Clock Song · A Golden Sparrow HairpinWen Tingyun (traditionally attributed) · Short LyricsIncense burns to tassels of ash, the candle turns to tears, just like the hearts of us two.
  75. Water Clock Song · Seldom Met, Long RememberedWen Tingyun · Short LyricsThe moon on the wall is white as snow, and the cicada-locked beauty grieves past bearing.
  76. Water Clock Song · The River Tower at My BackWen Tingyun · Short LyricsThe silver candle burns out, the Jade Cord stars sink low, and a village cock crows once.
  77. Dreaming of the South · Done Combing and WashingWen Tingyun · Short LyricsA thousand sails go by, and none is his; the slanting sun lingers tenderly, the water flows on and on.
  78. River Tale · On the RiverbankWen Tingyun · Short LyricsHome to the south shore, home to the north, who can tell? By evening few are left.
  79. River Tale · Idle Gazing on the LakeWen Tingyun · Short LyricsBy Ruoye Creek, west of its waters, on the willow dyke, no neigh of her man's horse is heard.
  80. River Tale · Companions CallingWen Tingyun · Short LyricsHer immortal guest is gone with the swallows; he does not return, and tears soak her clothes.
  81. Waves Washing the Sand · Fine Grass at the RapidsHuangfu Song (traditionally attributed) · Short LyricsThe islet where egrets sleep is not the old shore; last year's sandspit is now mid-river.
  82. Waves Washing the Sand · Southern Songs of CardamomHuangfu Song (traditionally attributed) · Short LyricsWaves rise and the night herons cannot sleep; cold sand, grain by grain, slips into the river.
  83. Teasing Song · Palace Lyric: Round Fan, Round FanWang Jian · Short LyricsStrings and pipes, strings and pipes: spring grass has cut the road to Zhaoyang Palace.

Rhapsodies

11 works

Grand rhapsodies and parallel prose showcasing acoustic symmetry and ornate eloquence.

  1. Preface to the Prince of Teng's PavilionWang Bo · Parallel ProseSunset clouds and solitary wild duck fly together; autumn waters and the boundless sky share a single hue.
  2. Rhapsody on the Epang PalaceDu Mu · Prose RhapsodiesThe men of Qin had no time to mourn themselves, so later generations mourn them; but if later generations mourn them without taking warning, they will only make still later generations mourn them in turn.
  3. Rhapsody on the Great PengLi Bai · Prose RhapsodiesLashing the water for three thousand li, it rears up; heading for ninety thousand li, it races on its way.
  4. Rhapsody on the Bright Hall · ExcerptLi Bai · Prose RhapsodiesLofty and vaulted is the Bright Hall, opening against the sky!
  5. Rhapsody on the Plum BlossomSong Jing (traditionally attributed) · Prose RhapsodiesAlone it strides through early spring, keeping its nature whole.
  6. Five Admonitions, with PrefaceHan Yu · Admonitions, Inscriptions & EulogiesDo not fret at having no fame, fret at blazing too bright.
  7. Admonition on Conducting OneselfLi Ao · Admonitions, Inscriptions & EulogiesWhen I look within and fall short, shame shows; with nothing amiss in my heart, why fear talk?
  8. In Praise of Zichan for Sparing the Village SchoolHan Yu · Admonitions, Inscriptions & EulogiesA river cannot be dammed; speech cannot be stopped.
  9. In Praise of Yi Yin's Five Journeys to JieLiu Zongyuan · Admonitions, Inscriptions & EulogiesHe left humane Tang four times and went to cruel Jie five times.
  10. Indicting the Wind LordHan Yu · Grand Han RhapsodiesNow I bring my suit on high: who shall bear the guilt?
  11. Seeing Off the Ghosts of PovertyHan Yu · Prose RhapsodiesEverything that makes my face hateful and my words tasteless is your doing.

Prose

176 works

Authoritative classical prose from Pre-Qin philosophers to Tang-Song prose masters.

  1. Manifesto on Behalf of Xu Jingye Denouncing Wu ZhaoLuo Binwang · Essays & MemorialsThe handful of earth on the imperial tomb is not yet dry; to whom can the six-foot orphan be entrusted?
  2. On TeachersHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsA teacher is one who transmits the Dao, imparts knowledge, and resolves perplexities. Pupils need not be inferior to teachers, and teachers need not be superior to pupils; some hear the Dao earlier than others, and specialties differ in craft—that is all.
  3. Record of the Small Stone PoolLiu Zongyuan · Travel WritingIn the pool were a hundred or so fish, all seeming to swim through empty void with nothing supporting them. Sunlight penetrates straight down casting shadows on stone, motionless one instant, then darting afar in a flash.
  4. Inscription for My Humble CottageLiu Yuxi · Epitaphs & ElegiesMountains need not be high—if immortals dwell there, they become renowned; waters need not be deep—if dragons reside, they become sacred. Though this is a humble room, my virtuous character makes it fragrant.
  5. Inquiry into the True WayHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsLoving all broadly is called humaneness; acting as is fitting is called righteousness.
  6. Inquiry into the Source of SlanderHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsThey demanded much and thoroughly of themselves but asked little and lightly of others.
  7. Explanation on the Advancement of LearningHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsLearning is perfected by diligence and ruined by frivolity; conduct is formed by reflection and destroyed by heedless conformity.
  8. Miscellaneous Discourses IV: On HorsesHan Yu · NotebooksOnly when the world has a Bo Le are there Thousand-League Steeds. Thousand-League Steeds are common, but a Bo Le is rare.
  9. Memorial Text for the Twelfth NephewHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesMy sight is blurred, my hair is grey and my teeth are loose.
  10. Postscript to the Biography of Censor ZhangHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesHolding one city to shield the whole realm.
  11. On the Feudal SystemLiu Zongyuan · Essays & MemorialsTherefore enfeoffment was not the intention of the sages; it was circumstance.
  12. Account of the Snake CatcherLiu Zongyuan · NotebooksHarsh government is fiercer than a tiger.
  13. Biography of Camel Guo the Tree PlanterLiu Zongyuan · NotebooksI only follow the tree's nature so as to bring out what it is.
  14. First Excursion to the Western MountainLiu Zongyuan · Travel WritingMy mind coagulated and physical frame dissolved, communing silently in oneness with myriad cosmic transformations. Only then did I realize I had never truly journeyed before—my true journey began with this mountain.
  15. Preface to Poems of the Foolish StreamLiu Zongyuan · Travel WritingWater is what the wise delight in. Why then is this stream alone disgraced with the name of folly?
  16. Letter to Governor Han of JingzhouLi Bai · Letters & PrefacesIn life I need not be made a marquis of ten thousand households; I wish only to make the acquaintance of Han of Jingzhou.
  17. Letter to Wei Zhongli on the Way of the TeacherLiu Zongyuan · Letters & PrefacesQu Yuan's rhapsody says, 'The dogs of the town bark in packs; they bark at what they find strange.'
  18. The Classic of TeaLu Yu · NotebooksTea is a fine tree of the South.
  19. Great Tang Records on the Western RegionsXuanzang (narrator), Bianji (writer) · Travel WritingSeventeen years alone on the road, through more than a hundred lands: a firsthand record of seventh-century Central Asia and India.
  20. Memorial to Emperor Taizong on the Ten ReflectionsWei Zheng · Essays & MemorialsWhoever wants a tree to grow tall must make its roots firm; whoever wants a stream to flow far must dredge its spring; whoever aspires to the security of the state must accumulate virtue and righteousness.
  21. Heart Sutra (Prajnaparamita Hridaya), Xuanzang's translationXuanzang (trans.) · Essays & MemorialsForm is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form; form is emptiness, emptiness is form.
  22. Record of Flatiron PoolLiu Zongyuan · Travel WritingWhat makes me content to live among the tribes and forget my homeland—is it not this pool?
  23. Record of the Hillock West of Flatiron PoolLiu Zongyuan · Travel WritingLying down with pillow and mat, the clear cool scene communed with my eyes, the gurgling sound with my ears, the vast emptiness with my spirit, and the deep stillness with my heart.
  24. Record of Yuan Family KeLiu Zongyuan · Travel WritingWhenever the wind comes down from the hills on all sides, it shakes the great trees and bends the grasses; reds scatter and greens start, rich fragrance wafts
  25. Record of the Stone ChannelLiu Zongyuan · Travel WritingWhen the wind sways their tops, the echoes stir the cliffs and valleys. Once the eye is at rest, the ear begins to hear far off.
  26. Record of the Stone BrookLiu Zongyuan · Travel WritingThe water spreads evenly over it, flowing like woven patterns and sounding like a zither being played.
  27. Record of Little Stone Fort HillLiu Zongyuan · Travel WritingI have long doubted whether a Creator exists. Seeing this, I was all the more convinced that one truly does.
  28. Book of JinFang Xuanling (comp.) · Historical NarrativeWe should join forces for the royal house and recover the Divine Land
  29. Questions and Replies between Tang Taizong and Li JingLi Jing (traditionally attributed) · Essays & MemorialsIf orthodox troops did not become unorthodox and unorthodox troops orthodox, how could one win? So for one who is good at using troops, orthodox and unorthodox lie only in the man.
  30. Book of SuiWei Zheng (comp.) · Historical NarrativeCalamities sent by Heaven may still be avoided; calamities one brings on oneself cannot be escaped.
  31. Tang Code with CommentaryZhangsun Wuji, Yu Zhining (comp.) · Essays & MemorialsVirtue and ritual are the root of government and teaching; punishments are their instrument, as dusk and dawn, spring and autumn depend on each other to make the whole.
  32. Models for an EmperorLi Shimin (Emperor Taizong of Tang) · Essays & MemorialsIn fear and trembling, as if standing over an abyss or driving a team with rotten reins; more careful each day, thinking to begin well and end well.
  33. Preface to the Sacred Teachings of the Tripitaka of the Great TangLi Shimin (Emperor Taizong of Tang) · Letters & PrefacesWind in the pines and the moon on water cannot match his purity; immortal dew and bright pearls cannot equal his radiance.
  34. Ten Essential MattersYao Chong (traditionally attributed) · Essays & MemorialsI wish that government put humaneness and leniency first; may it be so?
  35. Testament Admonishing My Sons and GrandsonsYao Chong · Letters & PrefacesWealth and rank are what others resent.
  36. Collected Works of Li Deyu from the Huichang EraLi Deyu · Essays & MemorialsHe has broken up the havens of those fleeing duty, listing them all among the common people, and recovered the high fertile fields, returning them all to the royal tax.
  37. Record of a Pilgrimage to Tang China in Search of the LawEnnin (Jikaku Daishi) · Travel WritingI was not troubled about returning to lay life; I worried only that the sacred teachings I had copied could not go with me.
  38. Book of ZhouLinghu Defen (comp.) · Historical NarrativeSu Chuo is truly a remarkable man; I shall entrust him with government.
  39. Veritable Record of ShunzongHan Yu · Historical NarrativeThe crown prince's duty is to attend at meals and ask after the emperor's health; it is not fitting for him to speak of outside affairs.
  40. Essentials of Government of the Zhenguan EraWu Jing (comp.) · Essays & MemorialsA ruler is enlightened because he listens to all sides; he is benighted because he trusts one side only.
  41. Biography of the Tripitaka Master of the Great Ci'en Monastery of the Great TangHuili · Historical NarrativeBetter to die going west than to live returning east!
  42. The Eastern Expedition of the Great Preceptor of TangMahito Genkai (Omi no Mifune) · Historical NarrativeMountains and rivers are different lands, but wind and moon share one sky; we send these to the children of the Buddha, to form together the ties of a coming life.
  43. Epitaph for Liu ZihouHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesIt is when a man is in straits that his loyalty and honour show.
  44. Admonition of the Ice PotYao Chong · Essays & MemorialsSo to hold ice-like purity within and jade-like lustre without: this is the virtue of the gentleman's ice pot.
  45. Memorial on Ten Signs of Failing to Persevere to the EndWei Zheng · Essays & MemorialsIt is not knowing that is hard but acting; it is not acting that is hard but carrying through to the end.
  46. Essentials of Government from Many BooksWei Zheng (comp.) · Essays & MemorialsUsed today, it is enough to mirror the ages past.
  47. Treatise on the Establishment of Consciousness-OnlyXuanzang (trans.) · Essays & MemorialsBecause self and dharmas are spoken of provisionally, their various characteristics arise.
  48. Norms for SubjectsWu Zetian (Empress Wu) · Essays & MemorialsThe subject takes the ruler as his heart, and the ruler takes the subject as his body.
  49. Imperial Commentary on the Classic of Filial PietyLi Longji · Essays & MemorialsFrom this we know that filial piety is the root of virtue!
  50. Six Statutes of the TangLi Longji (traditionally attributed) · Historical NarrativeThe Three Preceptors are officials of instruction; the Three Dukes are officials who discuss the Way.
  51. Further Old Tales from the Liu FamilyLi Deyu · NotebooksHe witnessed all of it himself; it is not hearsay; it is reliable and attested and may serve as a true record.
  52. Book of LiangYao Silian (comp.) · Historical NarrativeMy state is like a golden bowl, without a single crack or flaw.
  53. Book of Northern QiLi Baiyao (comp.) · Historical NarrativeFrom then on he had the ambition to set the whole realm in order.
  54. Book of ChenYao Silian (comp.) · Historical NarrativeThe hills and streams here are so fine that a king must arise from this place.
  55. Deeds of An LushanYao Runeng · Historical NarrativeThe one who will bring chaos to Youzhou is surely this barbarian.
  56. Preface to Poems on Enjoying the MoonOuyang Zhan · Letters & PrefacesArgues that autumn, and its fifteenth night, is the best time to enjoy the moon.
  57. Preface to a Spring Night Feast in the Peach and Plum GardenLi Bai · Letters & PrefacesHeaven and earth are an inn for all living things; time is a traveller passing through a hundred generations.
  58. Preface Seeing Off Meng DongyeHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesAs a rule, things cry out when they lose their balance.
  59. In Praise of BoyiHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsA scholar who stands apart and walks alone simply follows what is right. Heedless of others' praise or blame, such men are all heroes, firm in their faith in the Way and clear in knowing themselves.
  60. Lament at an Ancient BattlefieldLi Hua · Epitaphs & ElegiesHeartbreaking, grievous to the eye: can anything be like this?
  61. On the Capture of the QilinHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsWhat makes a qilin a qilin is its virtue, not its form.
  62. Miscellaneous Discourses IHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsWithout clouds, the dragon has no way to make its spirit wondrous.
  63. Biography of Wang Chengfu the PlastererHan Yu · Historical NarrativeThose who use their strength serve others; those who use their minds direct them.
  64. A Disputation on Name TaboosHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsIf because the father is named Jinsu the son may not sit the jinshi, then if a father were named Ren, could the son not be a man?
  65. On the Remonstrating MinisterHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsConfucius's mat never had time to grow warm, and Mozi's chimney never had time to blacken.
  66. Second Letter to the Chancellor, Nineteen Days LaterHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesWhat are called the times are made by those in high places, not by Heaven.
  67. Third Letter to the Chancellor, Twenty-Nine Days LaterHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesToday the realm has one ruler and is one state; to leave it is to go among strangers.
  68. Letter to Yu of XiangyangHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesWith no one to go before him, a man's excellence is not made known; with no one to come after him, his splendour is not handed on.
  69. Letter to Supervising Secretary ChenHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesNeglect the Way and the worthy turn away; grow famous for writing and peers grow jealous.
  70. Letter to Someone While Sitting for the ExaminationHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesTo bow my head and droop my ears, wag my tail and beg for pity, is not my will.
  71. Preface Seeing Off Li Yuan on His Return to PanguHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesFeet about to advance but faltering, mouth about to speak but stammering.
  72. Preface Seeing Off Dong ShaonanHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesThe lands of Yan and Zhao were known of old for their many men of strong feeling who sang sad songs.
  73. Preface Seeing Off Vice Prefect YangHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesThe village elder of old, worthy of sacrifice at the earth altar: is he not such a man?
  74. Preface Seeing Off Recluse ShiHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesLike a team of four drawing a light carriage along a familiar road.
  75. Preface Seeing Off Recluse Wen to the Heyang ArmyHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesOnce Bo Le passed through the plains north of Ji, the herds of horses were left empty.
  76. Address to the CrocodilesHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesNow I make a pact with the crocodiles: within three days, take your ugly kind south to the sea.
  77. A Rebuttal of the Proposal on RevengeLiu Zongyuan · Essays & MemorialsHonour and execution cannot both be given to the same man.
  78. Disputing the Tale of the Paulownia-Leaf FiefLiu Zongyuan · Essays & MemorialsIf it is not yet right, changing it ten times is no fault.
  79. Stele for JiziLiu Zongyuan · Epitaphs & ElegiesTo stay upright in hardship, to hand the great law to a sage, and to transform the people.
  80. Biography of the Master BuilderLiu Zongyuan · Historical NarrativeHas he set aside handicraft for the mind, and come to know what is essential to the whole?
  81. Record of Prefect Wei's New Hall at YongzhouLiu Zongyuan · Travel WritingSeeing your work, we know your aims.
  82. Letter Congratulating Wang Canyuan on the Fire at His HomeLiu Zongyuan · Letters & PrefacesWhen I first heard I was shocked, then I doubted, and in the end I was overjoyed.
  83. Inquiry into Human NatureHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsNature is born together with life; feeling arises when we meet things.
  84. Answering a Question about YuHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsYao and Shun did the people great good; Yu thought deeply for them.
  85. On Mourning Dress for ReburialHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsIn mourning one goes forward, never back: one may change to lighter dress, never add heavier.
  86. A Warning on DefenceHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsNo disaster under heaven is greater than thinking a thing not worth doing.
  87. A Discussion of Duke Wen of Jin Asking Who Should Hold YuanLiu Zongyuan · Essays & MemorialsIt was not fitting to consult favourites close at hand and so disgrace the king's command.
  88. Writings on Restoring Human Nature, Part ThreeLi Ao · Essays & MemorialsThose who do not exert themselves in the Way are benighted and do not think.
  89. On Reading the Ceremonial RitesHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesWhat a pity I did not live then, to move, bow and yield among those rites.
  90. On Reading XunziHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsMencius is the purest of the pure; Xun and Yang are greatly pure with small flaws.
  91. Preface to Attendant Lecturer Wei's Twelve Poems on ShengshanHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesHe takes misfortune in and dissolves it, as the sea takes water and the summer sun melts ice.
  92. Preface to the Exchanged Poems of Jing and TanHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesThe sounds of harmony and peace are thin and bland, while the voices of sorrow and longing are subtle and fine; words of joy are hard to make well, while words of hardship and poverty are easily good.
  93. Preface to the Poems on Hearing the Zither at the Imperial Academy's Shangsi FeastHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesTo rejoice without losing what is proper is the highest joy.
  94. On the Analects, Part OneLiu Zongyuan · Essays & MemorialsMy view is that the disciples of Master Zeng made it.
  95. On the Analects, Part TwoLiu Zongyuan · Essays & MemorialsNothing in the Analects is greater than this.
  96. Disputing the LieziLiu Zongyuan · Essays & MemorialsThose who read it need only choose with care.
  97. Disputing the WenziLiu Zongyuan (traditionally attributed) · Essays & MemorialsLittle in it is whole and of a piece; much is lifted from other books.
  98. Disputing the GuiguziLiu Zongyuan · Essays & MemorialsThe stranger its words, the narrower its way.
  99. Disputing the Annals of Master YanLiu Zongyuan · Essays & MemorialsLater cataloguers of the masters' books should place it with the Mohists.
  100. Disputing the HeguanziLiu Zongyuan · Essays & MemorialsMy view is that some busybody forged the book.
  101. Memorial on the Bone of the BuddhaHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsIf the Buddha has power and can bring down calamity, let every misfortune fall on my own person; with Heaven above as witness, I shall not complain or repent.
  102. Memorial of Thanks on Taking Office as Prefect of ChaozhouHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsEven if the ancients came back to life, I would not readily yield to them.
  103. Letter to Minister MengHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesSince Han, the many Confucians have patched and mended in their small way, but there are a hundred holes and a thousand sores; as it is mended it is lost again, its peril like a single hair holding up a thousand jin, drawn ever thinner and fading toward extinction.
  104. Letter to Vice Censor-in-Chief Liu at EzhouHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesEven the famous generals of old could not surpass this!
  105. Second Letter to Vice Censor-in-Chief Liu at EzhouHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesConscripting a full ten thousand is not as good as recruiting a few thousand.
  106. Letter to Cui QunHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesThe phoenix and the magic fungus are fine omens to worthy and foolish alike; the blue sky and white sun are known to be clear and bright even by slaves.
  107. Letter in Reply to Cui LizhiHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesAnd write a classic of the Tang to hand down for ever, condemning the treacherous and flattering after their deaths and bringing out the hidden light of buried virtue.
  108. Letter in Reply to Chen ShangHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesThe king loves the mouth organ and you play the zither; however skilled you are, what use is it if the king does not like it?
  109. Letter in Reply to Licentiate LiHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesWhat I seek in the ancients is not only their fine words: I love their Way.
  110. Letter in Reply to Licentiate DouHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesWith learning complete my way grew more blocked; with age my wits grew more straitened.
  111. Letter in Reply to Liu ZhengfuHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesFollow their meaning, not their words.
  112. Letter in Reply to Student YuchiHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesWhen the root is deep the branches flourish; when the form is large the sound is great.
  113. Letter to Feng Su on WritingHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesIf it pleases me a little, they find it a little strange; if it pleases me greatly, they are sure to find it greatly strange.
  114. Letter to Wei ZhongxingHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesWorth and unworthiness lie with oneself; high and low rank, misfortune and fortune lie with Heaven; a good or bad name lies with others.
  115. Letter to Meng DongyeHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesSpeaking with no one to listen, singing with no one to join, walking alone without companions.
  116. Letter in Reply to Licentiate Liu on Writing HistoryHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesThose who write history, if they do not meet with human disaster, meet with Heaven's punishment.
  117. Letter to Vice Minister Li of the Ministry of WarHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesIt is not that words are hard to make, but that a hearer who knows them is hard to meet.
  118. Letter Seeking a Recommendation on Another's BehalfHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesOne glance from Bo Le, and the horse's price tripled.
  119. First Letter to the ChancellorHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesWho can nurture the talents of the realm, if not our ruler and our chancellor?
  120. Memorandum to Director Lu of Ruzhou Recommending Hou XiHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesTo be poor and unknown, yet recognised by one great man alone: that is what is precious.
  121. Letter to Li Jian of the Hanlin AcademyLiu Zongyuan · Letters & PrefacesLike a prisoner who, on a fine day, rubs his back on the wall and stretches his limbs.
  122. Reply to Licentiate Wu, Thanking Him for His New WritingsLiu Zongyuan · Letters & PrefacesJudging writing should be like weighing on a hanging balance.
  123. Preface Seeing Off Scholar Wang XunHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesSo whoever seeks to see the Way of the sages must begin with Mencius.
  124. Preface Seeing Off the Monk GaoxianHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesJoy and anger, distress and poverty, sorrow and grief, pleasure and ease, resentment, longing, drunkenness, boredom and indignation: whatever stirred his heart he always let out in cursive script.
  125. Preface Seeing Off the Daoist LiaoHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesSurely people of outstanding gifts must be born there, yet I have not seen them.
  126. Preface Seeing Off Aide DouHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesSo people going to the South Sea go as if to a neighbouring prefecture.
  127. Preface Seeing Off Ou CeHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesYangshan is the most remote place in the realm.
  128. Preface Seeing Off Minister ZhengHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesHe may be called noble yet able to be poor, proof that the humane do not grow rich.
  129. Preface Seeing Off Vice Director YinHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesA gentleman who does not master the classics is, after all, of no use.
  130. Preface Seeing Off Censor Li of YouzhouHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesPeace is about to return, and it must begin from Youzhou, where the disorder came from.
  131. Preface Presented to the Boy ZhangHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesThe boy should rest a while from what he has learned and work at what he has not.
  132. Preface Presented to Cui of FuzhouHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesI see how hard it is to be a prefect.
  133. Preface Seeing Off Censor Han, Transport Commissioner, Back to His PostHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesThis may be called combining soldiering and farming, one task gaining two ends.
  134. Preface Seeing Off Editor Li of HunanHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesThis is Heaven, not the strength of men.
  135. Loving Uprightness: A Parting Gift to Li JunfangHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesWhen all around are upright men, how could one's own person fail to be upright?
  136. Preface Seeing Off Collator Zheng the TenthHan Yu · Letters & PrefacesHe has just begun his career and earned weighty praise, yet is humble as though not satisfied.
  137. Account of the Conduct of Lord Dong, Posthumous Grand TutorHan Yu · Historical NarrativeGentle in spirit, he seemed unable to speak; yet when it mattered he was clear and quick.
  138. Stele on the Pacification of HuaixiHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesMinisters and generals, the civil at ease and the military at play, grew used to what they saw and heard and took it as the way things are.
  139. Stele for the Confucius Temple at ChuzhouHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesGoulong and Qi are honoured for their deeds; Confucius for his virtue.
  140. Stele for the Temple of the God of the Southern SeaHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesThe rims of heaven and the edges of earth lay wide open and clear.
  141. Stele for the Temple of King Yan of Xu at QuzhouHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesThe rewards of humaneness and of violence are simply different.
  142. Stele for the Luochi Temple at LiuzhouHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesLychees red, oh, plantains yellow; meats and greens, oh, set out in the lord's hall.
  143. Stele for the Ancestral Temple of the Yuan FamilyHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesAll that we have now: how could we not think of its root?
  144. Stele for Prince Cheng of CaoHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesAll that Prince Cheng achieved came from himself alone.
  145. Tomb Stele of the Late Tang Chief Minister Lord QuanHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesWhat others feared to do, he did boldly; what they raced after, he never glanced at.
  146. Tomb Tablet Inscription for Lord Fang, Duke of Qinghe CommanderyHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesSteeped by eye and ear, he was able without study.
  147. Epitaph for Li YuanbinHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesLiving without goodness, who calls it long life? Dying yet undying, who calls it early death?
  148. Epitaph for Master ShiHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesTo hear the Master lecture was like a traveller coming home.
  149. Tomb Tablet Inscription for Mr Zhang, Law Officer of Hezhong PrefectureHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesMy ambition was no less than the ancients', my talent surely no less than men of today's.
  150. Record of the Poem on the Stream Hall at YunzhouHan Yu · Travel WritingDiligence above and obedience below, so that we have come to this: is it not fine?
  151. Record on the Wall of the Assistant Magistrate's Hall at LantianHan Yu · Travel WritingAssistant, assistant! I have not failed the assistant's post; the assistant's post has failed me.
  152. Record of the Restored Pavilion of Prince TengHan Yu · Travel WritingThe Pavilion of Prince Teng stood first, renowned as magnificent and beyond compare.
  153. Record of the Pavilion of Feasting and JoyHan Yu · Travel WritingOur hills and waters are famed throughout the realm, yet none compares with Feasting and Joy.
  154. Record of the Fellow Officers of Henan PrefectureHan Yu · Travel WritingThe five lords were alike in their beginnings, and alike in rising together to greatness.
  155. Record of the East and West Water Gates of BianzhouHan Yu · Travel WritingThe Son of Heaven's might is spread by the Lord of Longxi, and his culture proclaimed by him.
  156. Record of a PaintingHan Yu · Travel WritingThirty-two kinds of human activity, a hundred and twenty-three figures, and no two the same.
  157. Written on Master Li's WallHan Yu · Travel WritingThe way he keeps a friendship, how close it is to the men of old!
  158. Record of an Outing to Yellow CreekLiu Zongyuan · Travel WritingLike a great jar split open, its walls a thousand feet high, holding the creek's water.
  159. Record of the Ten-Thousand-Rock Pavilion at YongzhouLiu Zongyuan · Travel WritingBecause there are so many, I name it the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Rocks.
  160. Record of the East Pavilion at LiuzhouLiu Zongyuan · Travel WritingRight in the bustle of the town, one forgets the human world; this too is a wonder.
  161. Record of the Hills and Waters near the Liuzhou Seat Worth VisitingLiu Zongyuan · Travel WritingClimb out through the hole above and look down on the plain, onto the backs of flying birds.
  162. Record of the Three Pavilions of LinglingLiu Zongyuan · Travel WritingWhen the spirit is troubled, thoughts are confused; when the view is blocked, the will stalls.
  163. Record on the Wall of the Commissioner of Post StationsLiu Zongyuan · Travel WritingThe system of lodges and post stations matters most within the thousand li of the capital.
  164. A Preface on DrinkingLiu Zongyuan · Travel WritingSimple and in accord, free and yet respectful, cheerful and at ease.
  165. Record of Coming SouthLi Ao · Travel WritingFrom the Eastern Capital to Guangzhou by way of Qu and Xin: seven thousand six hundred li
  166. Words to Dispel SlanderHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsThough a hundred slanderers spoke, the Chief Minister would not believe them.
  167. Offering at the Tomb of Tian HengHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesMany have died since ancient times, yet you still shine with a lasting light.
  168. Offering to Zhang the Twelfth, Magistrate of HenanHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesAt the year's end the cold was cruel, the snow tormenting and the wind ravenous.
  169. Offering to Liu ZihouHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesJade pendants and precious gems, you let your words flow freely.
  170. Offering to Registrar HouHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesWhen I fished or roamed, you were always at my side.
  171. Offering to Instructor XueHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesWe parted laughing and talking; now we come to your door in tears.
  172. Offering to Zhang the Thirteenth of the Forestry BureauHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesThose still alive are all grey and frail, and half have left the world.
  173. Offering to Vice Director MuHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesWine and meat are set before you; why do you not eat?
  174. Offering to Mr. FangHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesIf there are spirits: while I live, have no care for your wife and children.
  175. Lament for Dugu ShenshuHan Yu · Epitaphs & ElegiesIf the dead know nothing, I grieve for you, and that is all.
  176. Offering to Han, Vice Minister of PersonnelLi Ao · Epitaphs & ElegiesYou stripped away the ornament and reached the root.

Fiction

10 works

Narrative masterworks from Six Dynasties strange tales to epic Ming-Qing novels.

  1. Record of the World Inside the PillowShen Jiji · Tang–Song TalesRest your head on my pillow, and it will make you as honoured and content as you desire.
  2. Story of Yingying / Encounter with a FairyYuan Zhen · Tang–Song TalesI wait for the moon beneath the western wing; the door, close to the breeze, stands half open. When flower shadows stir along the wall, I wonder if my jade one has come.
  3. Legend of the Curly-Bearded Guest · The Three Heroes of the Dusty RealmDu Guangting · Tang–Song TalesI have long served Minister Yang and have seen many of the people of the world, but none like you.
  4. Legend of Liu Yi · Delivering the Dragon Princess's LetterLi Chaowei · Tang–Song TalesI am a man of honour. Hearing your story, my blood and spirit are all stirred; I only regret I have no wings to fly.
  5. Story of Miss RenShen Jiji · Tang–Song TalesZheng has a body six feet tall and cannot protect one woman; is he a man at all?
  6. Story of Li WaBai Xingjian · Tang–Song TalesThat you have come to this in a single morning is my crime!
  7. Story of Huo XiaoyuJiang Fang · Tang–Song TalesI am a woman, and my fate is this wretched! You are a man, and your heart is this faithless!
  8. Pei Xing's Tales of the MarvelousPei Xing · Tang–Song TalesThe Kunlun slave leaps high walls with a man on his back, Nie Yinniang comes and goes without a trace: the dawn of Tang tales of knights-errant.
  9. The Governor of NankeLi Gongzuo · Tang–Song TalesIn a dream so brief, it was as though he had passed a whole lifetime.
  10. Tale of the Song of Everlasting SorrowChen Hong · Tang–Song TalesThe emperor knew he could not save her, yet could not bear to see her die; he covered his face with his sleeve and had her led away.

Fables

8 works

Philosophical fables, historical allusion narratives, and primordial mythology.

  1. Dotting the Dragon's EyesZhang Yanyuan · Historical AllusionsOne decisive touch in the right place can bring the whole work to life.
  2. Two Eagles with One ArrowLi Yanshou · Satirical ParablesTrue skill lets a single action achieve two goals at once.
  3. The Moth Flying into the FlameYao Silian · Satirical ParablesDrawn heedlessly to what dazzles, you may end up consumed by it.
  4. A Dream of NankeLi Gongzuo · Satirical ParablesWealth and glory vanish like a dream; don't cling too hard to gains and losses.
  5. Riding a Tiger, Hard to DismountWei Zheng et al. · Satirical ParablesSome paths cannot be abandoned once taken; think hard before you start.
  6. Penetrating the Wood Three Fen DeepZhang Huaiguan · Satirical ParablesDeep, penetrating skill comes from long and focused effort.
  7. Splitting at the Touch of the BladeFang Xuanling et al. · Satirical ParablesBreak through the hardest first part, and the rest gives way naturally.
  8. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (The Butterfly Lovers)Anonymous · Folk LegendsZhu went up and wailed; the earth suddenly split open and sank, and so she was buried there with him.

Criticism

4 works

Classical literary aesthetics, treatises on poetic craft, and critical commentaries.

  1. Letter to Yuan Zhen · ExcerptBai Juyi · Poetry TalksPoetry has feeling for its root, words for its shoots, sound for its flowers and meaning for its fruit.
  2. Letter in Reply to Li YiHan Yu · Poetry TalksI strove only to get rid of stale words, and how grinding and hard it was!
  3. The Twenty-Four Categories of PoetrySikong Tu (traditionally attributed) · Poetry TalksWithout a single word set down, all its grace is captured.
  4. The Original Incidents of PoemsMeng Qi · Poetry TalksA broken mirror made whole: Princess Lechang and Xu Deyan reunited at last.

Sayings

360 works

Living Chinese linguistic heritage comprising idioms, proverbs, aphorisms, and couplets.

  1. Rising to Practice Swordplay at CockcrowFang Xuanling et al. (comp.) · IdiomsZu Ti rose at midnight cockcrow to practice swordsmanship; ambitious people seizing every moment to strive.
  2. Wielding an Axe at Lu Ban's DoorLiu Zongyuan · IdiomsShowing off axe skills before the master carpenter Lu Ban; displaying one's meager skill before an expert.
  3. A Dream While the Millet CooksShen Jiji · IdiomsA scholar dreams a lifetime of glory before his millet finishes cooking; fleeting, illusory ambitions.
  4. Viewing Flowers on HorsebackMeng Jiao · IdiomsGlancing at flowers from a galloping horse; looking at things superficially without close examination.
  5. Proud in the Spring BreezeMeng Jiao · IdiomsMeng Jiao's joy after passing the imperial exam; elated pride at success in career or life.
  6. Green Plums and Bamboo HorsesLi Bai · IdiomsChildren playing with green plums and hobby horses; the innocent bond of a boy and girl who grew up together.
  7. Two Innocent ChildrenLi Bai · IdiomsA boy and girl playing together as children with no suspicion or self-consciousness; innocent childhood companionship.
  8. Having Once Seen the Vast SeaYuan Zhen · IdiomsOnce you have seen the ocean, other waters pale; broad experience, or devotion to a love beyond compare.
  9. Returning in a Cloud of DustDu Mu · IdiomsCharging back amid swirling dust; staging a comeback after defeat with renewed strength.
  10. White Clouds Turn into Grey DogsDu Fu · IdiomsClouds shaped like white robes suddenly become grey dogs; the unpredictable changeability of worldly affairs.
  11. The Broken Mirror Made WholeMeng Qi · IdiomsA couple parted by war reunite by matching halves of a broken mirror; estranged spouses coming back together.
  12. The Ends of the EarthBai Juyi · IdiomsThe corners of the sea and edges of the sky; the remotest places, or people separated by great distance.
  13. Dotting the Eyes of the Painted DragonZhang Yanyuan · IdiomsA painter dots a dragon's eyes and it flies away; the crucial finishing touch that brings a work to life.
  14. The Whole Room Roars with LaughterZhao Lin · IdiomsEveryone in the room bursts out laughing at once.
  15. Not Even Chickens and Dogs Have PeaceLiu Zongyuan · IdiomsSuch severe disturbance that even the chickens and dogs have no peace.
  16. Shaking Heaven and EarthBai Juyi · IdiomsSo powerful or momentous that it shakes heaven and earth.
  17. A Thousand-Weight Hanging by a HairHan Yu · IdiomsA great weight hanging by a single hair; a situation of extreme peril.
  18. Rare in a Thousand YearsHan Yu · IdiomsSo rare it may not come once in a thousand years; a golden opportunity.
  19. Unable to Hold Back a SmileZhao Lin · IdiomsCannot help laughing; unable to suppress a smile.
  20. Common Sight to the MinisterMeng Qi · IdiomsSo familiar to the minister it causes no surprise; commonplace.
  21. One Arrow, Two EaglesLi Yanshou · IdiomsHitting two eagles with one arrow; achieving two aims with one action.
  22. Ends of the Earth, Corners of the SeaHan Yu · IdiomsThe remotest corners of the world; places very far apart.
  23. One Act, Two GainsFang Xuanling et al. · IdiomsGaining two benefits from a single action.
  24. Treat All AlikeHan Yu · IdiomsTo treat everyone equally without favoritism.
  25. Charge Again, Sharpen AgainHan Yu & Meng Jiao · IdiomsFighting cocks whet their beaks before each bout; keep up the effort again and again.
  26. All-EmbracingAnonymous · IdiomsEmbracing every phenomenon; all-inclusive and rich in content.
  27. Evenly MatchedLu Guimeng · IdiomsHard to tell which is higher or lower; evenly matched.
  28. Pillowing on a Spear Awaiting DawnFang Xuanling et al. (comp.) · IdiomsSleeping with head on a spear, awaiting dawn; ever vigilant and ready for battle.
  29. Clinging to Error Without AwakeningYao Silian · IdiomsStubbornly persisting in a mistaken course and refusing to see reason.
  30. Steeped by What One Sees and HearsHan Yu · IdiomsUnconsciously influenced by what one constantly hears and sees.
  31. Failing on the Verge of SuccessFang Xuanling et al. · IdiomsFailing just when success was within reach.
  32. Living Under Another's RoofLi Yanshou · IdiomsTo live in dependence on others; also, to imitate others without originality.
  33. Light Carriage on a Familiar RoadHan Yu · IdiomsDriving a light carriage on a familiar road; doing something with ease through experience.
  34. A Moth Flying into the FlameYao Silian · IdiomsA moth darting into the flame; courting one's own destruction.
  35. A Dream of NankeLi Gongzuo · IdiomsA dream of glory under a southern branch; an illusory fortune or empty joy.
  36. Hard to Dismount a TigerFang Xuanling et al. (comp.) · IdiomsRiding a tiger and unable to get off; caught in a course of action one cannot abandon.
  37. Penetrating Three Fen into the WoodZhang Huaiguan · IdiomsBrushstrokes biting deep into the wood; forceful calligraphy, or penetrating insight and description.
  38. Splitting Apart at the Blade's TouchFang Xuanling et al. (comp.) · IdiomsLike bamboo splitting at the blade; once the key issue is solved, the rest follows easily.
  39. Meeting Like Drifting DuckweedWang Bo · IdiomsWe have met like duckweed drifting on the water, all of us guests far from home.
  40. Outstanding People, Inspired LandWang Bo · IdiomsIts people are outstanding and its land inspired: Xu Ru was the guest for whom Chen Fan let down his special couch.
  41. A Life Full of MisfortuneWang Bo · IdiomsThe times have not been kind, and the road of my fate has been full of mishaps.
  42. As Long as Heaven and EarthBai Juyi · IdiomsEven heaven and earth, long as they last, will one day end, but this regret will linger on forever without end.
  43. Natural BeautyBai Juyi · IdiomsHer natural beauty could not stay hidden; one day she was chosen to stand at the sovereign's side.
  44. Riding the Wind, Breaking the WavesLi Bai · IdiomsA day will come when I ride the long wind and break the waves, and hoist my sails straight across the vast sea.
  45. One Man Holds the PassLi Bai · AphorismsThe Sword Pass towers high and steep; let one man hold it, and ten thousand cannot force it open.
  46. Climb One Storey HigherWang Zhihuan · IdiomsIf you wish to see a thousand li to the horizon, climb one more storey of the tower.
  47. The Silkworm Spins Until It DiesLi Shangyin · IdiomsThe spring silkworm spins its silk until it dies; the candle's tears dry only when it turns to ash.
  48. Hooked Hearts and Clashing HornsDu Mu · IdiomsEach building embraced the lie of the land, their hearts hooked together and their corners locked like horns.
  49. Think of Danger in Times of PeaceWei Zheng · IdiomsNot to think of danger while living in safety, nor to restrain extravagance with thrift, nor to make one's virtue deep, nor to let reason master desire: this is like cutting a tree's roots and hoping it will flourish, or blocking a spring and wanting the stream to run far.
  50. Harsh Government Is Fiercer Than a TigerLiu Zongyuan · IdiomsConfucius said: 'Harsh government is fiercer than a tiger.'
  51. A True Friend Makes Distant Lands Feel NearWang Bo · AphorismsAs long as there is a true friend within the four seas, the ends of the earth are like next door.
  52. A Letter from Home Is Worth Ten Thousand in GoldDu Fu · IdiomsThe beacon fires have burned for three months on end; a letter from home is worth ten thousand in gold.
  53. Earthly Treasures, Heavenly GemsWang Bo · IdiomsThe finest things of this land are treasures of heaven; the dragon-light of its swords shoots up to the realm of the Ox and the Dipper;
  54. A Glance Back and a SmileBai Juyi · IdiomsWhen she turned her eyes back with a smile, a hundred charms were born; all the powdered and painted ladies of the six palaces lost their color.
  55. Called for a Thousand TimesBai Juyi · IdiomsOnly after a thousand calls and ten thousand pleas did she come out, still holding the pipa to hide half her face.
  56. Passing On the Way and Teaching LearningHan Yu · IdiomsA teacher is one who passes on the Way, teaches learning and resolves doubts.
  57. Mastery Comes from DiligenceHan Yu · IdiomsThe Master of the Academy entered the Imperial College at dawn, gathered the students below the hall and instructed them: 'Learning is perfected through diligence and wasted by play;
  58. Harder Than Climbing to the Blue SkyLi Bai · IdiomsThe hardship of the road to Shu is harder than climbing to the blue sky!
  59. The Face and the Peach BlossomsCui Hu · IdiomsOn this day last year, within this gate, a face and the peach blossoms glowed red against each other.
  60. No Ancients Before, No Successors AfterChen Zi'ang · AphorismsBefore me I cannot see the ancients; after me I cannot see those to come.
  61. Three Visits Pressing for a Plan for the RealmDu Fu · AphorismsThree visits, pressing him for a plan for the realm; through two reigns he founded and sustained, with an old minister's heart.
  62. The Endless Yangtze Rolling OnDu Fu · AphorismsBoundless leaves fall rustling down; the endless Yangtze comes rolling on.
  63. Swaying and Shifting With the SeasonsLiu Zongyuan · IdiomsSwaying and luxuriant, they shift and change with the seasons.
  64. Founding and Sustaining Two Reigns With a Veteran's HeartDu Fu · AphorismsThree visits, pressing him for a plan for the realm; two reigns founded and sustained by an old minister's heart.
  65. The Charcoal Seller's Grizzled TemplesBai Juyi · AphorismsHis face is all dust and ash, the color of smoke and fire; his temples are gray, his ten fingers black.
  66. Clouds Recall Her Gown, Flowers Her FaceLi Bai · AphorismsClouds call to mind her robes, flowers her face; the spring wind brushes the railing, and the dew lies thick on the blossoms.
  67. Clouds and Rosy Mists Flickering Over Mount TianmuLi Bai · AphorismsThe people of Yue speak of Tianmu, which may be glimpsed as clouds and mists flicker bright and dim.
  68. Praised by Every Mouth in UnisonHan Yu · IdiomsThe great ministers and men of power vied to have him come from their own gates, and praised and recommended him with one voice.
  69. What Shabbiness Could a Humble Room HaveLiu Yuxi · AphorismsZhuge Liang's hut in Nanyang, Yang Xiong's pavilion in Western Shu. As Confucius said: what shabbiness is there?
  70. Gathering and Storing Every Kind of RemedyHan Yu · IdiomsJade, cinnabar and rare herbs, cow's urine, puffballs and old drum hide: to gather and store them all, so nothing is lacking when needed, is the mark of a good physician.
  71. The Painted Beauties of the Six Palaces Lose Their ColorBai Juyi · AphorismsShe turned and smiled with a hundred charms, and the painted beauties of the six palaces lost their color.
  72. A Chill That Pierces Spirit and BoneLiu Zongyuan · AphorismsSitting by the pool, ringed by bamboo and trees, with no one about, I felt a chill in my spirit and bones, hushed, sad and deep.
  73. A Thousand Villages and Ten Thousand Hamlets OvergrownDu Fu · IdiomsHave you not heard that in the two hundred prefectures east of the mountains, a thousand villages and ten thousand hamlets are overgrown with thorns?
  74. Turning Away as if Never AcquaintedHan Yu · IdiomsOnce faced with a petty conflict of interest, no bigger than a hair, they turn their eyes away as if they had never met.
  75. Explaining by Word and Pointing with the HandHan Yu · IdiomsThose who learned to write under Zihou's spoken explanations and pointing hand all produced work of real discipline and merit.
  76. The Epang Palace Pitifully Burned to Scorched EarthDu Mu · AphorismsThe garrison soldiers cried out, the Hangu Pass fell; one torch from Chu, and alas, all was scorched earth.
  77. The Marshal's Blue Robe Soaked with TearsBai Juyi · IdiomsOf all who wept, who wept the most? The marshal of Jiangzhou, his blue robe soaked through.
  78. Savoring the Blossoms of Fine WritingHan Yu · IdiomsSteeped in the rich and mellow, holding the blossoms and chewing the flowers, he writes until his works fill the house.
  79. Hills and Streams Show Off Their Skills to the Little HillLiu Zongyuan · AphorismsLooking out from it, the height of the hills, the drift of the clouds, the flow of the streams and the roaming of birds and beasts all joyfully showed off their skills and offered their arts beneath this hill.
  80. The Midnight Bell of Hanshan TempleZhang Ji · AphorismsFrom Hanshan Temple outside the city of Gusu, the midnight bell reaches the traveler's boat.
  81. A Lone Plume of Smoke Over the Great DesertWang Wei · AphorismsOver the great desert a lone plume of smoke rises straight; above the long river the setting sun is round.
  82. Claiming There Are No Fine Horses in the WorldHan Yu · AphorismsHe stands before it, whip in hand, and says: 'There are no good horses in the world!' Alas, are there truly no good horses? The truth is that he does not know horses.
  83. Good Rain Knows When to FallDu Fu · AphorismsGood rain knows its season; when spring arrives, it comes to life.
  84. A Lone Sail Coming From Beside the SunLi Bai · AphorismsThe green hills on both banks step out to face each other; a lone sail comes from beside the sun.
  85. A Lone Sail's Fading Shadow on the BlueLi Bai · AphorismsThe lone sail's distant shadow vanishes into the blue sky; I see only the Yangtze flowing to the edge of heaven.
  86. A Thousand Li Within a Foot's SpanLiu Zongyuan · IdiomsThe rise and fall of the land, its deep hollows and low basins, looked like anthills and burrows; a thousand li lay within a foot's span, packed and layered, with nothing able to hide.
  87. Horns Beginning to ShowHan Yu · IdiomsThough still a youth, he was already mature as a grown man; he passed the examination for presented scholars, and his horns stood out clearly.
  88. Night Rain in the Ba MountainsLi Shangyin · IdiomsYou ask when I will return, and I cannot say; night rain in the Ba Mountains swells the autumn pools. When shall we trim the candle by the west window, and talk of this night of rain in the Ba Mountains?
  89. Desolate Hills of Ba and Waters of ChuLiu Yuxi · AphorismsIn the bleak lands of Ba's hills and Chu's waters, I have been cast aside for twenty-three years.
  90. Zhuang Zhou's Dream of the ButterflyLi Shangyin · IdiomsMaster Zhuang, in his dawn dream, was lost in the butterfly; King Wang entrusted his spring heart to the cuckoo.
  91. Mind Gathered, Body DissolvedLiu Zongyuan · IdiomsMy mind gathered, my body dissolved, and I merged silently with all creation.
  92. Words Run Out but Grief Never EndsHan Yu · AphorismsAlas! Words have their end, but feeling cannot be exhausted; do you know it, or do you not?
  93. Touching the Shen and Jing Stars on the Shu RoadLi Bai · IdiomsTouching the Shen stars and passing the Jing, travelers look up and hold their breath, then sit with hand on chest and heave long sighs.
  94. Shelved in an Idle PostHan Yu · IdiomsWhenever I act, I draw slander, and a name for it follows; to be put aside in an idle post is no more than my due.
  95. Broken Halberds Sunk in the SandDu Mu · IdiomsA broken halberd sunk in the sand, its iron not yet worn away; I clean and polish it myself and know it for a relic of a former age.
  96. Cutting Flowing Water with a Drawn BladeLi Bai · IdiomsDraw a blade to cut the water, and the water flows on faster; raise a cup to drown sorrow, and sorrow grows deeper.
  97. Drawing the Sword and Looking Around at a LossLi Bai · AphorismsI stop my cup and throw down my chopsticks, unable to eat; I draw my sword and look all around, my heart at a loss.
  98. Swearing by Heaven and the Sun with TearsHan Yu · IdiomsThey point to heaven and the sun and weep, swearing never to betray each other in life or death, and seem entirely believable.
  99. Lowering the Brows and Bending the Waist to the PowerfulLi Bai · IdiomsHow could I lower my brows and bend my back to serve the mighty, and never be glad at heart?
  100. Zigzagging Like the Dipper, Winding Like a SnakeLiu Zongyuan · IdiomsLooking southwest from the pool, the stream bends like the Dipper and winds like a snake, now glinting, now hidden.
  101. Boundless Falling Leaves Rustling DownDu Fu · AphorismsBoundless trees shed their leaves, rustling down; the endless Yangtze comes rolling on.
  102. Swallows of the Old Wang and Xie HallsLiu Yuxi · AphorismsThe swallows that nested before the halls of the Wangs and Xies of old now fly into the homes of common people.
  103. Moon Setting and Crows Cawing by Maple BridgeZhang Ji · IdiomsThe moon sets, crows caw, and frost fills the sky; riverside maples and fishing lights face my sleepless sorrow.
  104. Peach Blossom Pool a Thousand Feet DeepLi Bai · IdiomsPeach Blossom Pool is a thousand feet deep, but not as deep as Wang Lun's farewell to me.
  105. This Sorrow Lingers On Without EndBai Juyi · IdiomsHeaven and earth, however long they last, will someday end; but this sorrow goes on and on, with no end at all.
  106. The Dead Are Gone Forever at ShihaoDu Fu · AphorismsThe living barely survive, and the dead are gone forever!
  107. River and Sky Merged in One ColorZhang Ruoxu · IdiomsRiver and sky are one color, without a speck of dust; bright and clear in the air hangs a lone wheel of moon.
  108. Riverside Maples and Fishermen's LanternsZhang Ji · AphorismsThe moon sets, crows caw, and frost fills the sky; riverside maples and fishing lights face my sleepless sorrow.
  109. A Thousand Sails Pass the Sunken BoatLiu Yuxi · AphorismsBeside the sunken boat a thousand sails go by; before the withered tree ten thousand trees are in spring.
  110. Venting and Guiding the People's Feelings Through SongBai Juyi · AphorismsThose above no longer used poems to examine their government, and those below no longer used songs to vent and guide their feelings.
  111. Fishing Boats Singing Home at DuskWang Bo · AphorismsFishing boats sing in the evening, their songs reaching the farthest shores of Pengli.
  112. Rolling Up the Books in Wild DelightDu Fu · AphorismsCarelessly I roll up my books and poems, wild with joy.
  113. Homesick on the Misty River WavesCui Hao · AphorismsThe sun is setting: where is my homeland? Mist on the river waves fills me with sorrow.
  114. Down to Yangzhou in the Misty Blossoms of the Third MonthLi Bai · AphorismsMy old friend bids farewell to the Yellow Crane Tower in the west and goes down to Yangzhou in the third month of misty blossoms.
  115. Plantain and Puffball in the Physician's ChestHan Yu · IdiomsPlantain and puffball, the skin of a broken drum, all gathered and stored so that nothing is missing when needed: that is the mark of a good physician.
  116. Clutching Coats and Stamping Feet at Xianyang BridgeDu Fu · AphorismsThey clutch at clothes, stamp their feet and block the road weeping; the sound of their crying rises straight to the clouds.
  117. Banks Jagged Like a Dog's TeethLiu Zongyuan · AphorismsIts banks interlock, jagged like a dog's teeth, and its source cannot be known.
  118. Fishing Alone in the Snow on a Cold RiverLiu Zongyuan · AphorismsIn a lone boat an old man in straw cape and bamboo hat fishes alone in the snow on the cold river.
  119. Ten Thousand Trees in Spring Before the Withered OneLiu Yuxi · AphorismsBeside the sunken ship a thousand sails go by; before the ailing tree ten thousand trees are in spring.
  120. Homes Where the White Clouds RiseDu Mu · AphorismsFar up the cold mountain the stone path slants; where the white clouds rise there are homes.
  121. A Lifetime of Illness, Climbing the Heights AloneDu Fu · AphorismsTen thousand li from home, in mournful autumn, forever a guest; a lifetime of illness, I climb the terrace alone.
  122. Hoisting a Cloud-High Sail Across the Vast SeaLi Bai · AphorismsThe time will come to ride the long wind and break the waves; then I will hoist my cloud-high sail and cross the vast sea.
  123. Firmer of Purpose the Poorer One GrowsWang Bo · IdiomsIn poverty one should grow ever firmer, never letting one's ambitions that reach the blue clouds fall.
  124. Red Blossoms Scatter, Green Leaves Start in the WindLiu Zongyuan · IdiomsWhenever the wind comes down from the hills on every side, it shakes the great trees and bends the grasses; red blossoms toss, green leaves start, and a rich fragrance billows up.
  125. Fine Friends Gathered Like CloudsWang Bo · IdiomsOn the day of rest, fine friends gather like clouds; welcomed from a thousand li, distinguished guests fill the seats.
  126. Throwing Stones on a Friend Fallen into the PitHan Yu · IdiomsWhen a man falls into a pit, they do not lift a hand to save him but push him down and throw stones on him; such people are everywhere.
  127. Fine Jade Grows at LantianLi Shangyin · IdiomsLantian produces jade; it is true indeed.
  128. Prose Worthy of the Penglai LibraryLi Bai · AphorismsPenglai prose and the backbone of Jian'an, with the fresh brilliance of the Lesser Xie in between.
  129. The Road to Shu, Harder Than Climbing to HeavenLi Bai · AphorismsAh, how perilous, how high! The road to Shu is harder than climbing the blue sky!
  130. Until the Candle Burns to AshLi Shangyin · AphorismsThe spring silkworm spins until it dies; the candle's tears dry only when it burns to ash.
  131. Deeds Are Accomplished Through Careful ThoughtHan Yu · IdiomsLearning is perfected by diligence and ruined by play; conduct is accomplished through thought and ruined by carelessness.
  132. Poetry to Mend and Inspect the GovernmentBai Juyi · AphorismsThose above no longer used poetry to mend and inspect the government, and those below no longer used songs to release the people's feelings.
  133. Going West Beyond Yang PassWang Wei · AphorismsDrink one more cup of wine, my friend; west of Yang Pass you will have no old friends.
  134. Trimming the Candle Together by the West WindowLi Shangyin · IdiomsWhen shall we trim the candle together by the west window, and talk of this night of rain in the Ba mountains?
  135. Soaring Spirit and Sweeping EloquenceHan Yu · IdiomsIn argument he cited past and present, ranging through the classics, histories and philosophers, with soaring spirit and sweeping eloquence, and usually won over all present.
  136. Everyone Wears Dogwood but OneWang Wei · AphorismsI know that where my brothers climb the heights, all wearing dogwood, there is one person missing.
  137. Companions Only in Wine and FeastingHan Yu · IdiomsNowadays people living in the same lanes admire and flatter one another, chase one another to food, drink and games, and force smiles to defer to one another.
  138. The Silver River Pours Down from HeavenLi Bai · IdiomsIt flies straight down three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way were falling from the ninth heaven.
  139. The Round Sun Setting over the Long RiverWang Wei · AphorismsOn the vast desert a lone column of smoke rises straight; over the long river the setting sun is round.
  140. Stale Phrases Must Be Swept AwayHan Yu · IdiomsOnly in removing stale words, how hard, how hard it is!
  141. Wild Geese Crying in the Autumn ChillWang Bo · AphorismsFishing boats sing at dusk, their songs reaching the shores of Pengli; geese in formation, startled by the cold, cry until their voices fade at the banks of Hengyang.
  142. Never Abandoning Aspirations as High as the CloudsWang Bo · AphorismsIn old age be ever more vigorous; how could white hair change one's heart? In hardship be ever firmer, never letting fall one's aspirations to the blue clouds.
  143. With Spring as Companion on the Road HomeDu Fu · AphorismsBy day I sing aloud and must drink deep; with green spring as my companion, it is good to go home.
  144. The Bluebird Diligently Carries WordLi Shangyin · IdiomsFrom here to Mount Penglai the road is not long; bluebird, be diligent and go look in on her for me.
  145. Follow the Tree's Own NatureLiu Zongyuan · AphorismsI cannot make trees live long and multiply; I can only follow the tree's own nature so that it fulfils itself.
  146. The Lushan Waterfall Plunges Straight DownLi Bai · AphorismsThe torrent flies straight down three thousand feet; I wonder if the Milky Way has fallen from the ninth heaven.
  147. A Hall Full of Distinguished Guests at Prince Teng's PavilionWang Bo · IdiomsHosts came a thousand li to welcome us; distinguished friends filled every seat.
  148. The Yellow Crane Gone, Never to ReturnCui Hao · IdiomsThe yellow crane, once gone, never came back; for a thousand years white clouds have drifted on in vain.
  149. From Mount Tai's Summit All Other Peaks Look SmallDu Fu · AphorismsOne day I shall stand upon the highest peak and see at a glance how small all other mountains are.
  150. Sorrow of Ten Thousand Ages Drowned in WineLi Bai · AphorismsCall the boy to take them out and trade them for fine wine, and with you I will dissolve the sorrows of ten thousand ages.
  151. No Damming, No Flow; No Halting, No AdvanceHan Yu · AphorismsThen what is to be done? I say: without damming, there is no flow; without halting, there is no advance.
  152. No Northern Horsemen Shall Cross the Yin MountainsWang Changling · AphorismsIf only the Flying General of Dragon City were here, no northern horseman would be allowed to cross the Yin Mountains.
  153. They Simply Do Not Know Horses: Han Yu on TalentHan Yu · AphorismsAlas! Are there truly no good horses? The truth is they simply do not know horses!
  154. Merging Silently with All Creation on Western HillLiu Zongyuan · AphorismsMy mind was stilled and my body released, and I merged silently with all creation.
  155. When Life Goes Well, Enjoy It to the Full: Li Bai's ToastLi Bai · AphorismsWhen life goes well, enjoy it to the full; never let the golden cup stand empty to the moon.
  156. Dying Before the Campaign Could Triumph: Du Fu on Zhuge LiangDu Fu · AphorismsHe led his army out but died before victory; ever since, heroes weep until their robes are soaked.
  157. One More Cup Before You Go West: Wang Wei's FarewellWang Wei · AphorismsLet me urge you, drink one more cup of wine; west of Yang Pass you will find no old friends.
  158. Coming Out Only After a Thousand CallsBai Juyi · AphorismsOnly after a thousand calls did she come out, still holding the pipa to half hide her face.
  159. Birds Gone from a Thousand Snowy PeaksLiu Zongyuan · AphorismsOver a thousand mountains the birds have flown away; on ten thousand paths no footprint remains.
  160. Back to Jiangling in a Single DayLi Bai · AphorismsAt dawn I left Baidi among the colored clouds; a thousand li to Jiangling, and back within a day.
  161. Spent Fortunes Will Return AgainLi Bai · AphorismsHeaven made my talent, and it will be put to use; scatter a thousand in gold and it will all come back.
  162. Loving All Widely Is Called BenevolenceHan Yu · AphorismsLoving broadly is called benevolence; acting fittingly is called righteousness; the path that follows from them is called the Way; being sufficient in oneself without depending on externals is called virtue.
  163. Fellow Wanderers Fallen at the Ends of the EarthBai Juyi · AphorismsWe are both wanderers fallen on hard times at the ends of the earth; meeting now, why must we have known each other before!
  164. The Realm Lies Broken, Yet Hills and Rivers EndureDu Fu · AphorismsThe state is broken, yet mountains and rivers remain; spring comes to the city, and grass and trees grow deep.
  165. Sages Keep No Single TeacherHan Yu · AphorismsThe sage has no fixed teacher.
  166. Shelter for All the Poor Scholars Under HeavenDu Fu · AphorismsIf only I had ten million spacious halls, to shelter all the poor scholars under heaven and make their faces glad!
  167. Pearls Great and Small Falling on a Jade PlateBai Juyi · AphorismsHeavy and light notes played in a tangle, like pearls great and small falling onto a jade plate.
  168. Even the Ends of the Earth Feel Like Next DoorWang Bo · AphorismsWithin the four seas I have a true friend; the ends of the earth are like next door.
  169. Heaven Gave Me Talent for a PurposeLi Bai · AphorismsHeaven made my talent, and it will surely find its use; scatter a thousand in gold and it will all come back.
  170. Holding One City to Shield the EmpireHan Yu · AphorismsThey held one city and shielded the empire; with a few hundred or thousand men on the point of death they fought a host of a million that grew by the day, screened the Yangtze and Huai, and checked the enemy's advance. That the empire did not fall, whose achievement was it?
  171. Steady as a Mountain Through Wind and RainDu Fu · AphorismsUnmoved by wind and rain, steady as a mountain.
  172. If Only There Were Ten Million Spacious HallsDu Fu · AphorismsIf only I had ten million spacious halls, to shelter all the poor scholars under heaven and make their faces glad!
  173. My Shadow Makes Us ThreeLi Bai · AphorismsI raise my cup to invite the bright moon; with my shadow we make three.
  174. Into the Homes of Ordinary FolkLiu Yuxi · AphorismsThe swallows that once nested before the halls of the Wangs and Xies now fly into the homes of ordinary folk.
  175. A Hill Need Not Be High If an Immortal Dwells ThereLiu Yuxi · AphorismsA hill need not be high; if an immortal lives there it is famous. Water need not be deep; if a dragon dwells there it is sacred.
  176. Already Lost in Wistful ConfusionLi Shangyin · AphorismsMust this feeling wait to become a memory? Even then, at the time, I was already lost.
  177. No Unlettered Callers at My DoorLiu Yuxi · AphorismsAmong those who talk and laugh here are great scholars; among those who come and go, none is unlettered.
  178. Fearing Cheap Charcoal, He Wishes the Weather ColderBai Juyi · AphorismsPitiful: the clothes on his back are thin, yet fearing charcoal will be cheap, he wishes the weather colder!
  179. Foolish Brook of YongzhouLiu Zongyuan · AphorismsIn ancient times there was the Valley of the Foolish Old Man; now I have made my home by this stream, whose name no one could settle and over which the locals still argued. It had to be changed, so I changed it to Foolish Brook.
  180. Grieving the Times, Tears Fall on the FlowersDu Fu · AphorismsGrieving the times, tears splash on the flowers; hating parting, the birds startle my heart.
  181. Over Wine We Talk of Mulberry and HempMeng Haoran · AphorismsWe open the window to face the threshing floor and garden, and over wine we talk of mulberry and hemp.
  182. Writing Should Be Composed for Its Own TimesBai Juyi · AphorismsOnly then did I understand that prose should be written for its times, and poems composed for real events.
  183. Bright Moonlight Shining Down Through the PinesWang Wei · AphorismsThe bright moon shines among the pines; the clear spring flows over the stones.
  184. Sleeping Through the Spring Dawn UnawaresMeng Haoran · AphorismsSleeping in spring, I did not notice the dawn; everywhere I hear the birds singing.
  185. Grass That Springs Up Again in the Spring WindBai Juyi · AphorismsWildfire cannot burn it all away; when the spring wind blows, it grows again.
  186. Each Craft and Field of Learning Has Its MastersHan Yu · AphorismsSome grasp the Way sooner, some later; each has a field of mastery; that is all there is to it.
  187. A Pause in the Music More Moving Than SoundBai Juyi · AphorismsA different kind of hidden sorrow and secret grief arose; at that moment silence was better than sound.
  188. Missing One's Family Twice as Much on Every FestivalWang Wei · AphorismsAlone in a strange land, a stranger, on every festival I miss my family twice as much.
  189. Lovebirds Flying Wing to Wing in HeavenBai Juyi · AphorismsIn heaven, may we be two birds flying wing to wing; on earth, two trees with branches grown together.
  190. A True Friend Somewhere Within the Four SeasWang Bo · AphorismsIf within the four seas you have a true friend, the ends of the earth are like next door.
  191. Spring Rain Moistening All Things Without a SoundDu Fu · AphorismsIt steals in with the wind at night, moistening all things finely, without a sound.
  192. Clear Spring Water Flowing Over the Mountain StonesWang Wei · AphorismsThe bright moon shines among the pines; the clear spring flows over the stones.
  193. Like the Woodcutter Whose Axe Handle Rotted AwayLiu Yuxi · AphorismsRecalling old friends, I chant in vain the flute rhapsody; coming home, I am like the man whose axe handle rotted.
  194. Still Half-Hiding Her Face Behind the PipaBai Juyi · AphorismsOnly after a thousand calls did she come out, still holding her pipa to hide half her face.
  195. The Bright Sun Sinking Behind the Western HillsWang Zhihuan · AphorismsThe bright sun sinks along the mountains; the Yellow River flows into the sea.
  196. Every Grain of the Meal on One's PlateLi Shen · AphorismsWho knows that of the meal on the plate, every single grain is hard labour?
  197. Hard It Is to Meet, and Harder Still to PartLi Shangyin · AphorismsHard it is to meet, and hard to part; the east wind has no strength and the hundred flowers fade.
  198. Lush Grass Spreading Across the Ancient PlainBai Juyi · AphorismsLush, lush, the grass upon the plain, withering and flourishing once every year.
  199. An Autumn Day Surpasses Any Spring MorningLiu Yuxi · AphorismsSince ancient times, people meeting autumn have mourned its loneliness; I say an autumn day surpasses a spring morning.
  200. The Moon of Qin Above the Frontier Passes of HanWang Changling · AphorismsThe moon of Qin, the passes of Han; those who marched ten thousand li have not returned.
  201. Every Grain Is Hard-Won ToilLi Shen · AphorismsWho knows that of the food on the plate, every single grain is hard toil?
  202. Flowers Recall Her FaceLi Bai · AphorismsClouds call to mind her robes, flowers call to mind her face; the spring wind brushes the railing, and the dew lies thick and bright.
  203. How Many Blossoms Fell in the NightMeng Haoran · AphorismsLast night came the sound of wind and rain; who knows how many blossoms fell?
  204. Laughing and Talking with Great ScholarsLiu Yuxi · IdiomsThose I laugh and talk with are great scholars; none who come and go are unlettered.
  205. The Light Boat Has Passed Ten Thousand PeaksLi Bai · AphorismsOn both banks the gibbons cry without ceasing, and my light boat has already passed ten thousand peaks.
  206. Branches Grown Together as OneBai Juyi · AphorismsIn heaven we would be birds flying wing to wing; on earth, two trees with branches grown as one.
  207. No Sun, They Say, Yet the Sun Is OutLiu Yuxi · AphorismsThe sun comes out in the east while rain falls in the west; no sun, they say, and yet the sun is out.
  208. Wildfire Cannot Burn the Grass AwayBai Juyi · AphorismsWildfire cannot burn it all away; when the spring wind blows, it grows again.
  209. Hoeing the Fields Under the Noonday SunLi Shen · AphorismsHoeing the crops under the noonday sun, his sweat drips into the soil beneath them.
  210. Light and Shade Split Dusk from DawnDu Fu · AphorismsNature gathered here all wonder and beauty; its north and south split dusk from dawn.
  211. Frost-Touched Leaves Redder Than Spring FlowersDu Mu · AphorismsI stop my carriage, for I love the maple woods at dusk; the frost-touched leaves are redder than the flowers of spring.
  212. Dew Lies Thick and Bright on the PeoniesLi Bai · AphorismsClouds call to mind her robes, flowers call to mind her face; the spring wind brushes the railing, and the dew lies thick and bright.
  213. One Man Holds the Pass Against Ten ThousandFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsThe Sword Gate rises steep and towering; if one man holds the pass, ten thousand cannot force it open.
  214. Teacher of a Single WordQiji (Monk Qiji) · IdiomsIn the deep snow of the village ahead, last night a single spray opened.
  215. One Saying Can Make a State FlourishWei Zheng · IdiomsOne saying can make a state flourish: this is what it means.
  216. Neither Arising nor CeasingXuanzang (trans.) · IdiomsAll phenomena are marked by emptiness: they neither arise nor cease, are neither defiled nor pure, neither increase nor decrease.
  217. Rising Again from the Eastern HillsFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsYou defied the court's summons time and again and lay at ease in the Eastern Hills. People kept saying to one another: if Anshi will not come out, what will become of the common people? Now what will the common people make of you?
  218. Chasing the Deer Across the Central PlainWei Zheng · IdiomsWhen the chase for the deer first began on the central plain, I threw down my brush to serve in the war chariots.
  219. Practising Calligraphy Until the Pond Turned BlackFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsZhang Zhi practised calligraphy by the pond until its water was all black. If I could be so absorbed in it, I would not necessarily fall behind him.
  220. My Native Accent UnchangedHe Zhizhang · AphorismsI left home young and return old; my native accent has not changed, but the hair at my temples has thinned.
  221. The Five Aggregates Are All EmptyXuanzang (trans.) · IdiomsWhen the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara was practising the profound perfection of wisdom, he saw clearly that the five aggregates are all empty, and passed beyond all suffering and distress.
  222. Immortal Dew and Bright PearlsLi Shimin (Emperor Taizong of Tang) · IdiomsWind in the pines and the moon on the water cannot match his purity and brilliance; how could immortal dew and bright pearls compare with his luminous grace?
  223. Punishing So That Punishment May EndZhangsun Wuji, Yu Zhining (comp.) · IdiomsTherefore it is said: use punishment to end punishment, use killing to end killing.
  224. Killing So That Killing May EndZhangsun Wuji, Yu Zhining (comp.) · IdiomsTherefore it is said: use punishment to end punishment, use killing to end killing.
  225. Winning by Stratagem Instead of BattleFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsSo the soldiers made up a ditty about it: 'Using stratagem instead of battle, one is worth ten thousand.'
  226. In the Space of a Glance Down and UpYao Chong · IdiomsWang Yishao said, 'In the space of a glance down and up, it has already become a trace of the past.' How true these words are!
  227. Heeding Only One Side Leaves a Ruler in the DarkWu Jing (comp.) · IdiomsA ruler is clear-sighted because he listens to all sides; he is benighted because he trusts only one.
  228. He Yan, the Young Man Who Seemed PowderedSong Jing (traditionally attributed) · IdiomsHe Pingshu was handsome and his face extremely white; Emperor Ming of Wei suspected he wore powder.
  229. Recover the Divine Land: Wang Dao Rebukes the Weeping ExilesFang Xuanling (comp.) · AphorismsWe should join our strength for the royal house and recover the Divine Land; why sit weeping at one another like prisoners of Chu?
  230. All Eight Corners of the World on One TrackFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsWe have cleared Liang and Min and embraced Yang and Yue; the eight corners of the world share one track, and auspicious omens keep arriving.
  231. The Orphan Six Chi Tall: Luo Binwang's Call to ArmsLuo Binwang · IdiomsThe earth on the late emperor's grave is not yet dry; to whom is his six-chi orphan entrusted?
  232. Victory Without Blood on the BladesFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsFrom the time Jun set out from Shu his weapons were never bloodied and no city held out; Xiakou and Wuchang offered no resistance.
  233. Unrivalled in His GenerationFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsAt fifteen he practised swordplay; long-armed and a fine archer, he drew a bow of three hundred jin, and in strength and agility he was unrivalled in his generation.
  234. Pure as Ice, Lustrous as JadeYao Chong · IdiomsThe wife's father has the bearing of clear ice; the son-in-law has the reputation of smooth jade.
  235. As Easily as Splitting BambooFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsNow our army's might is roused; it is like splitting bamboo: after a few joints, the rest all split as they meet the blade.
  236. Humble Palaces and Frugal MealsWei Zheng (comp.) · IdiomsWe wish humble palaces and frugal meals to be handed down to later ages.
  237. Leaves Falling on Lake DongtingShangguan Wan'er · AphorismsWhen the leaves first fall on Lake Dongting, I think of you more than ten thousand li away.
  238. One Heart and One VirtueWu Zetian (Empress Wu) · IdiomsKing Wu of Zhou had ten able ministers of one heart and one virtue; this is why he rose.
  239. Begin Well and End WellWei Zheng · IdiomsGood at youth and good at age, good at the beginning and good at the end.
  240. The Seventeenth of the Fourth Month: Wei Zhuang's Day of PartingWei Zhuang · AphorismsThe seventeenth of the fourth month: a year ago today I parted from you.
  241. The Four Seas Boil Like a Cauldron: Liu Yuan's MomentFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsNow the Sima clan is killing its own flesh and blood and the four seas are boiling like a cauldron; to raise our state and restore our heritage, the time is now.
  242. Crumbling Earth and Rotting Fish: The Fall of SuiWei Zheng (comp.) · IdiomsThe realm crumbled like earth and rotted like fish; his evil was full and ripe, and all under heaven were his enemies.
  243. Rotten Reins on a Racing Carriage: Wei Zheng's WarningWei Zheng · AphorismsWater carries the boat and overturns it; one must be deeply careful. Driving a racing carriage with rotten reins, how can one be careless!
  244. Ji Bu's Promise, Worth More than GoldWei Zheng · IdiomsJi Bu never gave a second promise; Hou Ying valued a single word.
  245. Little Hills Layered on the Screen: Wen Tingyun's Morning BoudoirWen Tingyun · AphorismsLittle hills overlap, their gold glinting and fading; the cloud of hair at her temple would drift across the fragrant snow of her cheek.
  246. A Corpse with One Breath Left: Sima Yi Feigns IllnessFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsLord Sima is a corpse with a breath left; his body and spirit have parted. There is nothing to worry about.
  247. The Broken Clog Tooth: Xie An Hides His Joy at Fei RiverFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsCrossing the threshold, so great was his joy that he did not notice his clog tooth break. Such was his self-mastery.
  248. Lofty Halls and Carved Walls: Taizong's Warning Against LuxuryLi Shimin · IdiomsAs for Qin's First Emperor and King Mu of Zhou, Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Ming of Wei, they built lofty halls and carved walls, the height of extravagance.
  249. The Guangling Melody Is Heard No MoreFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsYuan Xiaoni once asked to learn the Guangling melody from me, and I always held it back. Now the Guangling melody ends today!
  250. Answers Flowing Like a StreamLinghu Defen (comp.) · IdiomsSu Chuo was a gifted speaker and answered as fluently as flowing water.
  251. Too Absorbed to Sleep or EatLi Shimin (Emperor Taizong of Tang) · IdiomsWhenever I think of this with worry, I never fail to forget sleep and food.
  252. Holding the Centre of the RingSikong Tu (traditionally attributed) · AphorismsGo beyond the images and hold the centre of the ring.
  253. A Mind Free of HindranceXuanzang (trans.) · IdiomsThe mind has no hindrance; without hindrance there is no fear, and inverted dreams are left far behind.
  254. Overwhelmed by GriefFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsThe ministers wailed and clung to the cart, holding the emperor's hands, and the emperor too was overwhelmed with grief.
  255. Curbing Extravagance with ThriftWei Zheng · AphorismsNot to think of danger in peace or check extravagance with thrift is like cutting the roots to make the tree flourish, or blocking the source to make the stream run long.
  256. Quelling Chaos to Rescue the AgeFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsWhen the virtue of Han had declined, Emperor Wu of Wei quelled the chaos and rescued the age, supporting the Liu house.
  257. Choosing the Good and Following ItWei Zheng · IdiomsWhen three walk together, there is sure to be one who can teach me; I choose their good points and follow them, and correct their bad points in myself.
  258. Ringing Like Metal When Thrown to the GroundFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsTry throwing it on the ground; it will ring like metal and stone.
  259. Beheading Generals and Seizing Their BannersFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsWhen the troops advanced there was no barrier to stop them; they beheaded generals and seized banners, and tens of thousands lay dead.
  260. Exiles Weeping Together at Xinting PavilionFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsWhenever there was a fine day, the gentlemen who had crossed the river would invite each other to feast at Xinting. Zhou Yi sighed in their midst: 'The scenery is no different, yet wherever we look the rivers have changed.' They all looked at one another and wept.
  261. Flowing East Day and Night Without RestYu Xuanji · AphorismsFlowing east day and night, with never a moment's rest.
  262. Sun-Shaped Brow and Dragon CountenanceYao Silian (comp.) · IdiomsHe stood seven chi five cun tall, with a sun-shaped brow and dragon countenance, and his hands hung down past his knees.
  263. Dining After Dark and Dressing Before DawnChen Hong · IdiomsXuanzong had reigned for many years and grew weary of dining after dark and dressing before dawn; matters of state, great or small, he began to leave to his chief ministers.
  264. Warm Fragrance Coaxing Dreams Beneath Mandarin-Duck BrocadeWen Tingyun · AphorismsBehind the crystal curtain, on the glass pillow, warm fragrance coaxes dreams beneath the mandarin-duck brocade.
  265. Moonset Over an Empty Brocade ScreenShangguan Wan'er · AphorismsThe dew is heavy and the scented quilt cold; the moon sets and the brocade screen stands empty.
  266. A Firm Root Makes a Peaceful StateWei Zheng (comp.) · IdiomsThe people are the root of the state; when the root is firm, the state is at peace. If the people have enough, how can the ruler lack!
  267. Driving Six Horses With Rotten ReinsWei Zheng · IdiomsHow fearful it is, like driving six horses with rotten reins!
  268. Wind in the Pines and the Moon on the WaterLi Shimin (Emperor Taizong of Tang) · AphorismsWind in the pines and the moon on the water cannot match his purity and brilliance; immortal dew and bright pearls can hardly equal his clarity and lustre.
  269. Worn to Kindling and Bone by MourningWei Zheng (comp.) · IdiomsThat year he left office to mourn his mother, and was worn to kindling and bone by grief.
  270. Facing Each Other Like Captives of ChuFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsWe should work together for the royal house and recover the divine land; why should we weep at each other like captives of Chu?
  271. Slender and Lovely as a Young PineFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsThe little tree is not without a fresh and lovely grace, but I fear it will never see the day it becomes a roof-beam.
  272. Reeds Under Night Frost in the Land of WatersXue Tao · AphorismsIn the land of waters the reeds are frosted at night; the cold moon and the colour of the hills are both a misty grey.
  273. Resolve to Set the Realm in Order: Gao Huan's AmbitionLi Baiyao (comp.) · IdiomsFrom this time he had the resolve to set the realm in order.
  274. Washing One's Feet at Fusang Where the Sun RisesSikong Tu (traditionally attributed) · AphorismsAt dawn I whip on the six great turtles and wash my feet at Fusang.
  275. Ape-Like Arms and a Born Archer: Young Liu CongFang Xuanling (comp.) · AphorismsAt fifteen he learned to fight; with ape-like arms he shot superbly and drew a bow of three hundred jin.
  276. Buying Spring Wine in a Jade FlaskSikong Tu (traditionally attributed) · AphorismsWith a jade flask I buy spring wine and watch the rain from a thatched hut.
  277. Talent Fit to Aid a King: Su Chuo and Yuwen TaiLinghu Defen (comp.) · IdiomsHuida named Su Chuo and praised him as having talent fit to aid a king.
  278. The Living Plunged into Mud and Fire: The Fall of SuiWei Zheng (comp.) · IdiomsNever has the world so fallen apart, never have the living been so plunged into mud and fire, never has a ruler's death and a state's ruin been so extreme.
  279. Sturdy Grass Revealed by a Fierce WindLi Shimin (Emperor Taizong of Tang) · IdiomsA fierce wind reveals the sturdy grass; turmoil reveals the loyal minister.
  280. The Way Seen at a Glance: Wenbo Xuezi and the Plum BlossomSong Jing (traditionally attributed) · IdiomsHalf closed, half open, neither silent nor speaking, it is like Wenbo Xuezi, in whom the Way is seen at a glance.
  281. Seeing Red as Green: Wu Zetian's Love SongWu Zetian · IdiomsMy thoughts in turmoil, I see red as green; worn and wasted, I fall apart remembering you.
  282. True Strength Brimming Over: The Bold and Unrestrained ModeSikong Tu (traditionally attributed) · AphorismsTrue strength brims over, and all phenomena are close at hand.
  283. Hiding Joy to Steady Others: Xie An's Broken ClogFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsHe was so delighted that he did not notice the tooth of his clog had broken; such was his mastery of feeling to steady others.
  284. Dressed in Green Jade: He Zhizhang's Ode to the WillowHe Zhizhang · AphorismsDressed in green jade, one tall tree; ten thousand branches hang down like green silk ribbons.
  285. Rats in the Shrine, Foxes in the WallWei Zheng (comp.) · IdiomsRats of the shrine and foxes of the wall made white into black; by them loyal men were exiled and states brought to peril.
  286. Composure Unchanged: Wang Dun at Wang Kai's BanquetFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsThe whole company changed colour, but Wang Dun's composure was unchanged.
  287. Divided in Heart and Purpose: The Fall of King ZhouWu Zetian (Empress Wu) · IdiomsKing Zhou of Yin had millions of subjects divided in heart and purpose, which is why he perished.
  288. Strength Stored Becomes Grandeur: The Potent and Vast ModeSikong Tu (traditionally attributed) · AphorismsReturn to emptiness and enter the undivided whole; store up vigour and it becomes grandeur.
  289. Ruan Ji Weeping Where the Road EndsFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsAt times he drove out alone on a whim, following no path, and where the cart tracks ended he would weep bitterly and turn back.
  290. Establish Yourself and Honour Your Name: Xuanzong on Filial PietyLi Longji · IdiomsTo establish oneself and walk the Way, making one's name known to later ages to bring glory to one's parents, is the culmination of filial piety.
  291. Parting Night at the Red Chamber in Wei Zhuang's SongWei Zhuang · AphorismsThat parting night in the red chamber was hard to bear; the scented lamp, the tasselled curtain half drawn.
  292. Ordering Heaven and Earth Like Warp and WeftLi Shimin (Emperor Taizong of Tang) · IdiomsAmong rulers who ordered heaven and earth and lords who carried on the foundations, the way of rise and fall shines clear.
  293. Making Fish and Meat of One Another: the Sima Princes at WarFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsNow the Sima fathers, sons and brothers make fish and meat of one another; this is heaven tiring of Jin's virtue and handing it to us.
  294. Nearest Yet Most Distant: Li Ye on Husband and WifeLi Ye · AphorismsNearest yet most distant: husband and wife.
  295. Orchids and Jade Trees in the Courtyard: Xie Xuan's AnswerFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsIt is like orchids and jade trees: one simply wants them to grow in one's own courtyard and by one's own steps.
  296. Every Bush and Tree a Soldier: Fu Jian at ShouyangFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsLooking north at the grass and trees on Mount Bagong, all seemed to be men.
  297. Fleeing Through the Grass, Sleeping in the Dew: the Rout at the Fei RiverFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsHearing the wind and the cry of cranes, they all thought the imperial army had come; they went through the grass and slept in the dew, and with hunger and cold seven or eight in ten died.
  298. Wasp's Eyes and a Jackal's Voice: Prince Shangchen of ChuFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsA wasp's eyes and a jackal's voice: he is a ruthless man.
  299. Caring for the People as for the Wounded: Wei Zheng's Ten WarningsWei Zheng · IdiomsAt the beginning of Zhenguan, Your Majesty regarded the people as if they were wounded, pitied their toil and loved them as your children.
  300. Bold and Unbridled: the Heroic Style in Poetry and LifeSikong Tu (traditionally attributed) · IdiomsThe heavenly wind surges, sea and mountains stretch dark and vast; true strength fills everything, and all creation is at one's side.
  301. Corrupting Custom and Harming Moral Teaching: Yang Hu Judges Wang YanFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsWang Yifu now occupies high office on the strength of a great name; yet the one who corrupts custom and harms moral teaching will surely be this man.
  302. Bribery Done in the Open: the Reign of Emperor Hui of JinFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsOrder was ruined and bribes went about openly; families of power used their rank to override others.
  303. A String of Crimes Full, Evil Ripe for Harvest: the Fall of Emperor Yang of SuiWei Zheng (comp.) · IdiomsThe state crumbled like earth and rotted like fish; the string of crimes was full and evil ripe; under all heaven there was none who was not his foe.
  304. Enjoying the Rain in a Thatched Hut: the Elegant Mode of PoetrySikong Tu (traditionally attributed) · AphorismsFalling petals drift without a word, and the man is as serene as a chrysanthemum.
  305. Transcending Outward Forms: the Grand and Potent Mode of PoetrySikong Tu (traditionally attributed) · IdiomsTranscend outward forms and you reach the centre of the ring.
  306. Holding to Duty and Dying for Righteousness: the Prince of Langya Refuses the ThroneFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsI am a guilty man; only by holding to my duty and dying for righteousness can I wipe away the shame of the realm.
  307. Donning Armour in Person to Lead the TroopsFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsWhen the western capital was lost, the emperor led out his troops and camped in the open; he put on armour himself, summoned the soldiers of the realm and fixed a day to advance.
  308. Turning Back the Sun and Moving HeavenWei Zheng (comp.) · IdiomsThere were great villains who could turn back the sun and move heaven, and rats in the altar and foxes in the wall who made white into black.
  309. Careless of Wealth and Fond of GivingLinghu Defen (comp.) · IdiomsAs a youth he was large-minded and did not attend to the family's livelihood; he made light of wealth and was fond of giving, and so made friends with worthy gentlemen.
  310. The Water That Carries the Boat Can Overturn ItWei Zheng · IdiomsResentment is not dangerous for its size; what is to be feared is the people. The water that carries the boat can overturn it, and this deserves the deepest caution.
  311. The Deserted Country FerryWei Yingwu · AphorismsThe spring tide, swollen with rain, rushes in fast at dusk; no one is at the country ferry, and the boat lies crosswise of itself.
  312. Opening with Bells, Closing with ChimesWei Zheng (comp.) · IdiomsThose who established virtue and words, gave teachings and set examples, served as warp and weft of the world, sounded like bells and rang like jade, and spread their fruits and flowers abroad.
  313. A Golden Bowl Without a FlawYao Silian (comp.) · IdiomsMy state is like a golden bowl without a single flaw.
  314. Carved Walls and Lofty HallsWei Zheng (comp.) · IdiomsIn what is now being built, thrift must be the rule; let no carved walls and lofty halls rise again in our time.
  315. Wind and Clouds Change Colour at a ShoutLuo Binwang · AphorismsWhen they roar, the mountains crumble; when they shout, the wind and clouds change colour.
  316. The Scenery Is No Different, but the Land Is LostFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsThe scenery is no different, but lift your eyes and the rivers have changed.
  317. Drinking In the Great HarmonySikong Tu (traditionally attributed) · AphorismsDwelling plainly in silence, the mind subtly senses the hidden workings; it drinks in the great harmony and flies with a solitary crane.
  318. A Worn-Out Nag Pining for Its Stable FeedFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsShuang is not close to Fan and is no match for him in wits; a worn-out nag pines for the beans in its stall, and he will surely not use him.
  319. Kin Slaughtering Their Own Flesh and BloodFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsNow the Sima clan are destroying their own flesh and blood and the four seas are boiling; this is the time to revive our state and restore our heritage.
  320. Lying at Ease on the Eastern MountainFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsYou defied the court's commands again and again and lay at ease on the Eastern Mountain; everyone used to say, if Anshi will not come out, what will become of the people?
  321. Lofty Sentiments and Far-Reaching TasteFang Xuanling (comp.) · IdiomsIn lofty sentiments and far-reaching taste, I your disciple have long bowed to him; but in chanting and composing, Xu would face north as my pupil.
  322. Black Clouds Bearing Down on the Besieged CityLi He · AphorismsBlack clouds bear down on the city, the city about to crumble; armour gleams towards the sun, scales of gold unfolding.
  323. Petty Thieves Pilfering Like Rats and DogsWei Zheng (comp.) · IdiomsThey still called the rebels petty thieves like rats and dogs, not worth worrying about; high and low deceived each other and no one would think about the disorder.
  324. Footprints in the Frost on the Plank BridgeWen Tingyun · AphorismsCockcrow, a thatched inn, the moon; footprints, a plank bridge, the frost.
  325. Why Not Eat Meat Porridge?Fang Xuanling (comp.) · AphorismsWhen the realm fell into famine and chaos and the people were starving to death, the emperor said: 'Why don't they eat meat porridge?'
  326. A Young Shi Le Whistling at Luoyang's Upper East GateFang Xuanling (comp.) · AphorismsAt fourteen he went with people of his town to trade in Luoyang; he leaned against the Upper East Gate and whistled, and Wang Yan saw him and thought him remarkable.
  327. No Ancients Before Me in SightChen Zi'ang · AphorismsBefore me I see no ancients; after me I see none who are to come.
  328. Pear Blossoms Open on Ten Thousand TreesCen Shen · AphorismsSuddenly, as if a spring wind had come in a single night, pear blossoms open on ten thousand trees.
  329. Who in the World Does Not Know You?Gao Shi · AphorismsDo not fear that on the road ahead you will find no friend; who in the world does not know you?
  330. Refuse Heaven's Gift and Bear the BlameFang Xuanling (comp.) · AphorismsTo defy Heaven is unlucky, to go against the people is to fail; if Heaven gives and you do not take, you will suffer for it.
  331. Left Home Young, Came Back OldHe Zhizhang · AphorismsI left home young and have come back old; my accent has not changed, but the hair at my temples has grown thin.
  332. Different Mountains and Rivers, the Same Wind and MoonMahito Genkai (Omi no Mifune) · AphorismsMountains and rivers in different lands, wind and moon under the same sky; we send these to the children of the Buddha, to form a bond for lives to come.
  333. As if a Spring Wind Came OvernightCen Shen · AphorismsSuddenly, as if a spring wind had come in a single night, pear blossoms open on ten thousand trees.
  334. Touching the Dragon's Reversed ScalesYao Chong (traditionally attributed) · AphorismsI wish that all ministers may touch the dragon's reversed scales and offend against taboos; may it be so?
  335. With No Heroes in the Age, a Mere Boy Made His NameFang Xuanling (comp.) · AphorismsThere were no heroes in that age, so a mere boy made his name!
  336. Spring Waters Bluer Than the SkyWei Zhuang · AphorismsThe spring water is bluer than the sky; in a painted boat one sleeps listening to the rain.
  337. Thin Spring Robes of YouthWei Zhuang · AphorismsOnly now do I recall how happy Jiangnan was; I was young then, in thin spring clothes.
  338. The Spring Breeze Like a Pair of ScissorsHe Zhizhang · AphorismsWho cut out these slender leaves, I wonder? The second-month spring breeze, like a pair of scissors.
  339. A True-Hearted Lover Is Hard to FindYu Xuanji · AphorismsA priceless treasure is easy to find; a true-hearted lover is hard to obtain.
  340. Not a Single Thing from the Start: Huineng's Answer to ShenxiuHuineng (Sixth Patriarch) (traditionally attributed) · AphorismsFrom the start there is not a single thing; where could any dust collect?
  341. Willows Like Mist Along the River: Wen Tingyun's Spring DreamWen Tingyun · AphorismsAlong the river the willows are like mist; wild geese fly across a sky with a waning moon.
  342. Behind the Crystal Curtain: Wen Tingyun's Jewelled ChamberWen Tingyun · AphorismsBehind the crystal curtain lies a pillow of glass; warm fragrance from the mandarin-duck brocade stirs dreams.
  343. Recalling the Joys of Jiangnan in Youth: Wei Zhuang's MemoryWei Zhuang · AphorismsNow I recall the joys of Jiangnan, when I was young and my spring robe was thin.
  344. The Whole City Clad in Golden Armour: Huang Chao's ChrysanthemumsHuang Chao (traditionally attributed) · AphorismsTheir fragrance storms the sky and soaks through Chang'an; the whole city is clad in golden armour.
  345. The Wangs and the Simas Share the RealmFang Xuanling (comp.) · AphorismsWhen the emperor first took charge east of the Yangtze, his name was not yet known. Wang Dun, his cousin Wang Dao and others supported him with one heart to bring about the restoration, and people of the time said: the Wangs and the Simas share the realm.
  346. Sleeping to Rain in a Painted Boat: Wei Zhuang's JiangnanWei Zhuang · AphorismsThe spring water is bluer than the sky; in a painted boat I sleep to the sound of rain.
  347. In a Fierce Wind One Knows the Sturdy Grass: Taizong's Poem for Xiao YuLi Shimin (Emperor Taizong of Tang) · IdiomsIn a fierce wind one knows the sturdy grass; in times of turmoil one recognises the loyal minister.
  348. Wrists White as Frost by the Wine CounterWei Zhuang · AphorismsThe girl by the wine counter is lovely as the moon; her white wrists seem made of frozen frost and snow.
  349. Kongkong'er, the Assassin Who Strikes Only OncePei Xing · AphorismsKongkong'er's magic is such that no man can see how he works it and no ghost can follow his tracks.
  350. Rain Dripping on Empty Steps Until Dawn: Wen Tingyun's Sleepless NightWen Tingyun · AphorismsLeaf by leaf, drop by drop, it falls on the empty steps until dawn.
  351. Red Sleeves Beckoning from Every BalconyWei Zhuang · AphorismsI rode my horse and leaned by the slanting bridge, and from every balcony red sleeves beckoned.
  352. Able, Yet Seeming Unable: Li Jing on Sunzi's Art of DeceptionLi Jing (traditionally attributed) · AphorismsThe art of war says: do not pursue a feigned retreat. It also says: when able, appear unable. Both speak of surprise.
  353. Form Is Emptiness, Emptiness Is Form: The Heart SutraXuanzang (trans.) · AphorismsForm is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form; form is emptiness, emptiness is form.
  354. Fear Not That No Friend Awaits: Gao Shi's Farewell to Dong DaGao Shi · AphorismsDo not worry that on the road ahead you will have no friends; who under heaven does not know you?
  355. Gold Glinting and Fading on the Folded Hills: Wen Tingyun's Morning ToiletteWen Tingyun · AphorismsOn the folded little hills gold glints and fades; cloud-like hair is about to drift across fragrant, snowy cheeks.
  356. Came for What I Heard, Left with What I Saw: Zhong Hui and Ji KangFang Xuanling (comp.) · AphorismsZhong Hui said: I came for what I heard, and I go with what I saw.
  357. No One Knows But the Moon: Wei Zhuang's Seventeenth of the Fourth MonthWei Zhuang · AphorismsApart from the moon at the edge of the sky, no one knows.
  358. Dark Eyes for Friends, White Eyes for Bores: Ruan Ji's GlancesFang Xuanling (comp.) · AphorismsRuan Ji could also show dark eyes or white; when he saw men bound by conventional propriety, he met them with the whites of his eyes.
  359. Cockcrow, Thatched Inn, Fading Moon: Setting Out Early on Mount ShangWen Tingyun · AphorismsCockcrow, a thatched inn, the moon; footprints, a plank bridge, frost.
  360. Repaying the Favour of the Golden Terrace: Li He's Frontier SongLi He · AphorismsTo repay your favour shown at the Golden Terrace, I take up my jade-dragon sword and will die for you!