Through the Dynasties · LH8

Northern and Southern

Confrontation between northern and southern regimes and ethnic integration

64works

7forms

22authors

Classical Poetry

9 works

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

  1. Han & Northern Yuefu · Ballad of MulanAnonymous (Northern Dynasties folk song) · Yuefu BalladsTen thousand miles marching to war, crossing passes swift as flight. Chill air rings the watch clapper, cold light shines on armor. Generals die in a hundred battles, warriors return after ten years.
  2. Imitating the Hard Roads (No. 4)Bao Zhao · Old-Style SongsPour water onto flat ground, and it flows east, west, south, and north in divergent paths. Human life has its destined lot—how can one pace in sighs and sit brooding in grief?
  3. Imitating the Hard Roads (No. 6)Bao Zhao · Old-Style SongsFacing the banquet table I cannot eat; drawing my sword I strike the pillar in long sighs. How long is a real man granted in this mortal world? How can I pace timidly with drooping wings!
  4. Climbing the Tower by the PondXie Lingyun · Old-Style SongsUpon the pond green spring grass sprouts anew; garden willows transform with warbling songbirds. Mourning the exile songs of Bin, moved by the lush laments of Chu.
  5. Returning across the Lake from the Stone Cliff RetreatXie Lingyun · Old-Style SongsBetween dawn and dusk the air and light change; mountains and waters hold a clear radiance.
  6. Climbing Three Mountains at Dusk and Looking Back Toward the CapitalXie Tiao · Old-Style SongsThe lingering clouds of sunset spread out like damask; the clear river lies still like white silk.
  7. En Route to Xuancheng Departing Xinlin Anchorage for BanqiaoXie Tiao · Old-Style SongsAt the sky's edge I make out returning boats; among the clouds I discern the riverside trees.
  8. Song of the Chile PlainsAnonymous (Northern Dynasties folk song) · Yuefu BalladsThe Chile Plains beneath Mount Yinshan. The sky is like a grand yurt canopy covering all four wildernesses. The blue heaven is boundless, the vast wilderness unending—the wind blows, grass bends low, and cattle and sheep appear.
  9. Song of the Western IsletAnonymous (Southern Dynasties folk song) · Yuefu BalladsGathering lotus in South Pond in autumn, lotus blossoms rise taller than human heads. Bending low to play with lotus seeds, seeds as crystal-clear as water. If the south wind knows my heart, blow my dreams across to the Western Islet.

Rhapsody & Parallel Prose

8 works

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

  1. Rhapsody on Lament for the South (Preface)Yu Xin · Parallel ProseThe sun is setting and the road is long; what kind of world is this? The general has gone and the great tree is scattered; the hero does not return and the cold wind sighs.
  2. Rhapsody on the Withered TreeYu Xin · Parallel ProseYears ago I planted willows, swaying south of the Han; now I see them shedding their leaves, forlorn by the river pools. If trees fare like this, how can a man bear it!
  3. Rhapsody on PartingJiang Yan · Parallel ProseWhat darkens the spirit and melts the soul is parting, and parting alone!
  4. Rhapsody on ResentmentJiang Yan · Parallel ProseLook out over the plain: creeping weeds entwine the bones, and grave trees grown a span thick gather in the souls. When human life comes to this, how can one speak of the Way of Heaven?
  5. Rhapsody on the Ruined City of GuanglingBao Zhao · Parallel ProseThe frontier wind is fierce, the walls are cold; wells and paths are gone, the grave mounds broken. A thousand years, ten thousand ages, all come alike to an end; what more is there to say!
  6. Rhapsody on a Small GardenYu Xin · Short RhapsodiesFish of an inch or two, bamboos of two or three stems;
  7. Rhapsody on SpringYu Xin · Short RhapsodiesIn Yichun Park spring has already come back; in Pixiang Hall spring clothes are being made.
  8. Rhapsody on the Dancing CraneBao Zhao · Short RhapsodiesIt cries clear notes on the red palace steps and dances its flying form in the golden pavilion.

Classical Prose

7 works

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

  1. Reply to Secretary XieTao Hongjing · Letters & PrefacesThe splendor of mountains and rivers has been universally celebrated from antiquity. Lofty peaks pierce the clouds; crystal streams reveal their gravel beds. Rock cliffs on both shores shimmer in kaleidoscopic hues; verdant woods and emerald bamboo flourish through all four seasons.
  2. Letter to Zhu YuansiWu Jun · Letters & PrefacesWind and mist have completely vanished; sky and mountains share the same crystalline azure. Drifting with the current, wandering freely east or west. Across the hundred leagues from Fuyang to Tonglu, the marvelous mountains and wondrous waters are peerless under Heaven.
  3. Letter to Attendant ShiWu Jun · Letters & PrefacesSheer cliffs reach the sky and a lone peak enters the Milky Way.
  4. Proclamation of Mount BeishanKong Zhigui · Essays & MemorialsThe orchid canopy is empty and the night crane cries in resentment; the mountain man is gone and the dawn gibbons are startled.
  5. Letter to Chen BozhiQiu Chi · Letters & PrefacesIn the third month of late spring, south of the Yangzi the grasses grow tall, assorted flowers bloom on the trees and flocks of orioles fly about.
  6. Book of the Later HanFan Ye · Historical NarrativeWhere there is a will, the deed is done at last.
  7. Commentary on the Water ClassicLi Daoyuan · Travel WritingAlong the seven hundred li of the Three Gorges, mountains line both banks without a break.

Fables & Lore

7 works

Philosophical fables, historical allusion narratives, and primordial mythology.

  1. Gazing at Plums to Quench ThirstLiu Yiqing · Historical AllusionsA vivid hope can lift people's spirits enough to get them through hardship.
  2. A Great Talent Put to Petty UseFan Ye · Satirical ParablesWasting great talent on small tasks harms both the person and the nation.
  3. Guarding Against the First Small SignsFan Ye · Satirical ParablesStop trouble at its first small sign, before it grows beyond control.
  4. Seeing the Leopard Through a TubeLiu Yiqing · Historical AllusionsThough one sees only a spot, a discerning eye can infer the whole leopard.
  5. Drawing a Tiger That Looks Like a DogFan Ye · Satirical ParablesImitating what is beyond your reach leaves you a clumsy caricature.
  6. A Tower Built in the AirSanghasena · Satirical ParablesSeeking the top floor without building the foundation achieves nothing.
  7. The Blind Men and the ElephantDharmakshema (translator) · Satirical ParablesTaking one part for the whole leads everyone to insist on a partial truth.

Sayings & Idioms

29 works

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

  1. Raising the Tray to Eyebrow LevelFan Ye · IdiomsMeng Guang raised the food tray to her brows when serving her husband; mutual respect between spouses.
  2. Unconcerned with TriflesFan Ye · IdiomsNot fussing over minor details or etiquette; easygoing and broad-minded in manner.
  3. Barely SatisfactoryFan Ye · IdiomsOriginally, still able to rouse spirits; now, passable or more or less satisfactory.
  4. Spilled Water Cannot Be GatheredFan Ye · IdiomsWhat is done cannot be undone, like spilled water that cannot be recovered.
  5. A Crane among ChickensLiu Yiqing · IdiomsStanding out conspicuously from those around one in bearing or talent.
  6. A Rising TalentLiu Yiqing · IdiomsA promising newcomer; an outstanding member of the younger generation.
  7. Old but Ever More VigorousFan Ye · IdiomsGrowing more vigorous and determined with age.
  8. Strength Fails the WillFan Ye · IdiomsWanting to do something but lacking the strength or ability.
  9. Too Much for the Eyes to Take InLiu Yiqing · IdiomsSo much to see that the eyes cannot keep up.
  10. Silent, Imperceptible TransformationYan Zhitui · IdiomsOne's thinking or character is gradually changed by unnoticed influence.
  11. Pleasing to Heart and EyeXie Lingyun · IdiomsDelightful to the heart and pleasing to the eye.
  12. Quenching Thirst by Thinking of PlumsLiu Yiqing · IdiomsCao Cao's thirsty troops cheered by imagined plums; consoling oneself with fantasies.
  13. Ten Thousand People, One HeartFan Ye · IdiomsMillions united as one; complete solidarity.
  14. In High SpiritsLiu Xie · IdiomsOriginally of lofty, brilliant writing; now, elated and in high spirits.
  15. Different Mouths, One VoiceShen Yue · IdiomsMany people saying the same thing; unanimous.
  16. Leading into WonderlandLiu Yiqing · IdiomsDrawing one into an enchanting realm; captivating scenery or works.
  17. Too Many to Take InLiu Yiqing · IdiomsToo much beauty to take in at once; or too many matters to handle.
  18. A Hundred Feelings MingledLiu Yiqing · IdiomsAll kinds of feelings welling up at once; describes deeply mixed emotions.
  19. Growing Worse and WorseXiao Tong · IdiomsOriginally to develop further; now for something bad becoming even worse.
  20. Running Neck and NeckLiu Xie · IdiomsHorses harnessed side by side galloping together; being on a par with one another.
  21. Crouching Tiger, Hidden DragonYu Xin · IdiomsHidden dragons and crouching tigers; a place concealing undiscovered talent.
  22. Putting It Out of MindFan Ye · IdiomsGiving no thought to something, especially one's own safety or life.
  23. Overbearingly AggressiveLiu Yiqing · IdiomsAggressively overbearing; also, strikingly impressive in a way that puts others under pressure.
  24. Nipping Evil in the BudFan Ye · IdiomsTo check wrongdoing at its first sign and prevent it from growing.
  25. Viewing a Leopard Through a TubeLiu Yiqing · IdiomsSeeing only one spot of a leopard through a tube; a partial view, or inferring the whole from a part.
  26. Drawing a Tiger That Looks Like a DogFan Ye · IdiomsTrying to draw a tiger but ending with a dog; overreaching ambition or clumsy imitation.
  27. Thousand Character ClassicZhou Xingsi · Rhymes & JinglesHeaven is dark and earth is yellow; space and time are vast and wild.
  28. Heartbroken at PartingJiang Yan · IdiomsWhat dims the heart and melts the soul is parting, and parting alone!
  29. Layer upon Layer of CliffsLi Daoyuan · IdiomsCliffs piled on cliffs, peaks stacked on peaks, hiding the sky and screening the sun; unless it is noon or midnight, one sees neither sun nor moon.