More fun with Chinese homophones. Here’s a Chinese joke / story involving homophone mix-ups and homophone names in Mandarin:

今天早晨特冷，姐妹三个人去提款机领钱，正好遇见运钞车来加钞。
This morning it was extremely cold, and three sisters went to the ATM to get some money; just as they got there the money transport car arrived to put cash in the machine.

无奈之下三人只好站在一旁苦苦等候，这时大姐对二妹说：
The three of them could only stand there braving the cold, and the eldest sister said to the other two:

冻手不？
“Are your hands freezing?”
[冻手 "hands freezing" sounds the same as 动手 - "to punch" or "to do it"]

二妹冷冷地回一句：冻手！
The second sister, freezing cold, said, “My hands are freezing!”
[again sounds the same as "punch him" or "do it!"]

结果四杆枪瞬间指向姐妹三……
So four guns were immediately pointed at the three sisters…

三个人被抓住送派出所，在路上姐妹三一直沉默，后来三妹问姐：
The three of them were arrested and sent to the police station, and on the way all the sisters were silent, until the third sister asked her older sister:

你们怎么还不开腔呢？
“Why have you still not said anything?”
[开腔 "say something" sounds the same as 开枪 - "open fire"]

结果八杆枪瞬间指向姐妹三………
So eight guns were immediately pointed at the three sisters…

到了警局，警察问姐：你叫什么名字？
When they got to the police station, an officer asked the older sister: “What’s your name?”

姐：蒋英羽。
Sister: “Jiang Yingyu.”
[sounds the same as 讲英语 - "speak English"]

警察再问ㄧ次：你叫什么名字？
The officer asked again: “What’s your name?”

姐：蒋英羽。
Sister: “Jiang Yingyu.”

警察对大姐吼道：what is your name？
The officer yelled at the older sister: “What is your name?”

大姐：(沉默以对。)
Sister: (silent)

警察转头对二妹说：what is your name？
The officer turned to the middle sister and said: “What is your name?”

二妹腼腆的回：蒋国羽。
The middle sister replied shyly: “Jiang Guoyu.”
[sounds the same as 讲国语 - "speak Mandarin"]

警察再次问道：你叫什么名字？
The office asked again: “What’s your name?”

二妹：蒋国羽。
Middle sister: “Jiang Guoyu.”

警对二妹大吼道：你叫什么名字？
The officer yelled at the middle sister: “What’s your name?”

二妹：（沉默以对）
Middle sister: (silent)

警察再问三妹说：你叫什么名字？
The officer asked the third sister: “What’s your name?”

三妹：蒋芳妍。
Third sister: Jiang Fangyan.
[Sounds the same as 讲方言 - "speak in a dialect"]

警察又对三妹吼：侬叫啥名字？
The officer yelled at the third sister: “What’s your name?”
[in Shanghainese, although here it's barely different to Mandarin.]

三妹：蒋芳妍。
Third sister: “Jiang Fangyan.”

警察吐血而亡。
The officer spat blood and died.

This is all very silly, of course, but there are supposedly real stories about names causing trouble. There’s one from the Cultural Revolution era (or something) in which a very patriotic, pro-Party father names his three children according to his political beliefs. The first is called 国 (nation), the next is called 民 (the people) and the last is called 党 (the Party).

Unfortunately, someone spots that together this makes 国民党 (GMD – the Nationalist Party) and gets him in trouble with the CCP. (I have a feeling I’ve got the details of this story wrong, but that’s the general idea of it).

Content from East Asia Student: A Chinese joke about accidental bank robbers (more homophone puns)

Related posts:

• Hutong School webinar: “What’s in a Chinese name?”
• Basic timeline of key events in the life of Liu Binyan (刘宾雁)
• How to type a Chinese / Japanese name dot · (interpunct) on Windows, Mac or Linux

This is a very rough translation and annotation of the poem 戲子由 (Xì Zǐyóu), ‘Teasing Zi You’, by the Song Dynasty Chinese poet 蘇軾 (Sū Shì).

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments at the end of the page.

戲子由
Xì Zǐyóu
[game] [Zi] [You]
Teasing Zi You

宛丘先生長如丘，
Wǎn Qiū xiānshēng cháng rú qiū,
[Wan] [Qiu] [mister][] [long] [like] [hill]
Mr Wan Qiu is as tall as a hill;

宛丘學舍小如舟。
Wǎn Qiū xué shě xiǎo rú zhōu.
[Wan] [Qiu] [study] [residence] [small] [like] [boat]
Wan Qiu’s study quarters are as small as a boat.

常時低頭誦經史，
Chángshí dītóu sòng jīng shǐ,
[always] [often] [lower] [head] [read aloud] [classic] [history]
He often lowers his head and reads aloud the classics and histories;

忽然欠伸屋打頭。
hūrán qiànshēn wū dǎ tóu.
[sudden] [-ky] [stretch][] [ceiling] [hit] [head]
suddenly he extends his body and hits his head on the ceiling.

斜風吹帷雨註面，
Xié fēngchuī wéi yǔ zhù miàn,
[slanting] [wind] [blow] [canopy] [rain] [flow] [face]
Slanting rain blows inside the curtains, rain flows onto his face;

先生不愧旁人羞。
xiānshēng bùkuì pángrén xiū.
[mister][] [not] [ashamed] [side] [person] [ashamed]
Mister Wan Qiu is not ashamed whilst those around him are.

任從飽死笑方朔，
Rèn cóng bǎo sǐ xiào Fāng Shuò,
[responsible] [from] [satisfied] [die] [laugh] [Fang] [Shuo]
Better to eat so much that one dies, and laugh at Fang Shuo;
(Reference to a story in 《汉书·东方朔传》.)

肯為雨立求秦優。
kěn wèi yǔ lì qiú qín yōu.
[willing] [be] [rain] [stand] [seek] [Qin] [You]
one is willing to stand in the rain, rather than beseech Qin You.
(Reference to a story in 《史记·滑稽列传》.)

眼前勃谿何足道，
Yǎnqián bó xī hé zúdào,
[eye] [in front] [argue][] [what] [enough] [say]
Before one’s eyes they argue, how insignificant it is;
(足道 = 微不足道.)

處置六鑿須天遊。
chǔzhì liùzáo xū tiānyóu.
[deal with] [set up] [six] [emotions] [must] [heaven] [roam]
to deal with the six emotions one must roam the heavens.
(六鑿 comes from 《莊子·外物》. The six emotions are: 喜 joy、怒 anger、哀 sorrow、乐 happiness、爱 love and 恶 hatred.)

讀書萬卷不讀律，
Dúshū wàn juǎn bù dú lǜ,
[read] [book] [ten thousand] [scroll] [not] [read] [law]
In his studies of ten thousand scrolls, he does not study the law;

致君堯舜知無術。
zhì jūn Yáo Shùn zhī wú shù.
[cause] [lord] [Yao] [Shun] [know] [not have] [method]
like the Lords Yao and Shun – their knowledge has no art.

勸農冠蓋鬧如雲，
Quàn nóng guān gài nào rú yún,
[encourage] [agriculture] [hat] [cover] [noisy] [like] [cloud]
The officials promoting agriculture are rowdy like clouds;

送老齏鹽甘似蜜。
sòng lǎo jī yán gān shì mì.
[carry] [old] [pickled vegetables] [salt] [sweet] [like] [honey]
when caring for the elderly, pickled vegetables and salt are sweet like honey.

門前萬事不掛眼，
Ménqián wànshì bù guà yǎn,
[door] [in front] [ten thousand] [thing] [not] [hang] [eye]
In front of his door, ten thousand things – none concern his eyes;

頭雖長低氣不屈。
tóu suī cháng dī qì bù qū.
[head] [although] [long] [low] [energy] [not] [bent]
although his head is tall and he is stooped, his spirit is not warped.

余杭別駕無功勞，
Yú háng bié jià wú gōngláo,
[my] [Hangzhou] [local magistrate][] [not have] [service] [toil]
As the local magistrate in Hangzhou, I have done no meritorious service,

畫堂五丈容旂旄。
huà táng wǔ zhàng róng qí máo.
[paint] [hall] [five] [ten feet] [contain] [flag] [banner]
yet my picture hall is fifty feet wide, containing flags and banners.

重樓跨空雨聲遠，
Chóng lóu kuà kōng yǔ shēng yuǎn,
[repeat] [building] [span] [empty] [rain] [sound] [far]
In a storeyed building open and empty, the sound of the rain is distant;

屋多人少風騷騷。
wū duō rén shǎo fēng sāo sāo.
[room] [many] [people] [few] [wind] [bother] [bother]
the rooms are many and the people few, the sound of the wind is bothersome.

平生所慚今不恥，
Píngshēng suǒ cán jīn bù chǐ,
[all one's life][] [that which] [ashamed] [today] [not] [embarrass]
That which one was ashamed of all one’s life – now one is not ashamed:

坐對疲氓更鞭箠。
zuò duì pí máng gèng biān chuí.
[sit] [to] [weary] [commoner] [more] [whip] [flog]
to the poor commoners one applies the whip some more.

道逢陽虎呼與言，
Dào féng Yáng Hǔ hū yǔ yán,
[road] [encounter] [Yang] [Hu] [call] [with] [speak]
On the road one encounters Yang Hu, calling out to and speaking with him;
(陽虎 = 阳货, someone Confucius despised.)

心知其非口諾唯。
xīn zhī qí fēi kǒu nuò wéi.
[heart] [know] [his] [bad] [mouth] [yes] [yes]
one’s heart knows he is bad but one’s mouth agrees with him.
(諾唯 = 唯唯諾諾.)

居高忘下真何益，
Jū gāo wàng xià zhēn hé yì,
[occupy] [high] [forget] [low] [really] [what] [benefit]
Occupying the high and forgetting the low – truly how is it beneficial?

氣節消縮今無幾。
qìjié xiāo suō jīn wújǐ.
[spirit] [integrity] [disappear] [now] [not have] [much]
One’s moral integrity is fading – now one hardly has any.

文章小技安足程，
Wénzhāng xiǎo jì ān zú chéng,
[writing] [essay] [small] [skill] [how] [enough] [law]
My small skill in literature – how can it fulfil order?
(This is like 雕虫小技.)

先生別駕舊齊名。
xiānshēng bié jià jiù qímíng.
[mister][] [local magistrate][] [old] [level with] [fame]
You and I used to be equally famous.

如今衰老俱無用，
Rújīn shuāilǎo jù wúyòng,
[as] [today] [decline] [old] [entirely] [not have] [use]
Now declining in old age, we are entirely useless;

付與時人分重輕。
fù yǔ shí rén fèn zhòng qīng.
[hand over] [with] [time] [person] [separate] [heavy] [light]
hand it over to the people of today to sort the serious from the frivolous.

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments below.

Content from East Asia Student: 蘇軾 戲子由 translation: Teasing Zi You, by Su Shi

Related posts:

• 蘇軾 六月二十七日望湖樓醉書（其一） translation: Drunken Writings from 27th of the 6th at Wanghu Tower I, by Su Shi
• 山居秋暝 translation: Mountain Life on an Autumn Evening, by Wang Wei
• 蘇軾 張子野年八十五尚聞買妾述古令作詩 translation: Still One Hears that Zhang Ziye at Eighty-Five Years Old Has Bought a Concubine; A Poem Requested by Shugu (Su Shi)

This is a very rough translation and annotation of the poem 古興 (Gǔxìng), ‘Ancient Inspiration’, by the Tang Dynasty Chinese poet 常建 (Cháng Jiàn).

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments at the end of the page.

古興
Gǔxìng
[old] [inspiration]
Ancient Inspiration

漢上逢老翁，
Hàn shàng féng lǎowēng,
[Han] [on] [encounter] [old] [elderly man]
On the River Han one encounters old men;

江口為僵屍。
jiāngkǒu wèi jiāngshī.
[river] [mouth] [be] [stiff] [corpse]
at the river mouth they become a stiff corpses.

白髮沾黃泥，
Bái fà zhān huáng ní,
[white] [hair] [moisten] [yellow] [mud]
Their white hair is moistened with yellow mud;

遺骸集烏鴟。
yíhái jí wū chī.
[leave behind] [bones] [gather] [crow] [owl]
their remains attract a gathering of black ravens.

機巧自此忘，
Jīqiǎo zì cǐ wàng,
[cunning][] [from] [this] [forget]
Their cunning one hereafter forgets -

精魄今何之。
jīng pò jīn hé zhī.
[essence] [soul] [today] [what] [it]
where has their spirit gone now?

風吹釣竿折，
Fēngchuī diàogān zhé,
[wind] [blow] [fishing] [pole] [break]
The wind blows and one’s fishing rod snaps;

魚躍安能施。
yú yuè ān néng shī.
[fish] [jump] [how] [can] [carry out]
the fish leaps around – how can one use one’s skills?

白水明汀洲，
Báishuǐ míng tīng zhōu,
[white] [water] [bright] [shoal] [island]
The white water brightens the islet;

菰蒲冒深陂。
gūpú mào shēn pō.
[reeds][] [intrude] [deep] [bank]
reeds encroach on deep banks.

唯留扁舟影，
Wéi liú piānzhōu yǐng,
[only] [leave] [small boat] [boat] [reflection]
All that is left is the shadow of a small boat;

繫在長江湄。
xì zài chángjiāng méi.
[tie] [at] [long] [river] [edge]
one ties it at the edge of the Yangzi.

突兀枯松枝，
Túwù kū sōngzhī,
[towering][] [dried up] [pine] [branch]
Towering high, dried up pine branches;

悠揚女蘿絲。
yōuyáng nǚluó sī.
[draw out] [hoist] [vine][] [thread]
strands of vine are lifted up high.

託身難憑依，
Tuō shēn nán píngyī,
[entrust] [oneself] [difficult] [rely on] [depend on]
Propping up one’s body, it is hard to rely on these things;

生死焉相知。
shēngsǐ yān xiāngzhī.
[life] [death] [how] [each other] [know]
the living and the dead – how can they know each other?

徧觀今時人，
Biàn guān jīnshí rén,
[all] [look] [today] [time] [person]
Widely looking at the people of today,
(徧 = 遍.)

舉世皆爾爲。
jǔshì jiē ěr wèi.
[throughout the world][] [all] [you] [be]
throughout the world, all are like you.

將軍死重圍，
Jiāngjūn sǐ zhòngwéi,
[general] [army] [die] [heavy] [siege]
A general dies and there is a heavy siege;

漢卒猶爭馳。
hàn zú yóu zhēng chí.
[Han] [soldier] [still] [strive for] [rush]
the Han soldiers still compete to be rush forward.

百馬同一銜，
Bǎi mǎ tóngyī xián,
[hundred] [horse] [same] [one] [bit]
A hundred horses on the same bridle;

萬輪同一規。
wàn lún tóngyī guī.
[ten thousand] [wheel] [same] [one] [axle]
ten thousand wheels on the same axle.

名與身孰親，
Míng yǔ shēn shú qīn,
[name] [and] [personal] [who] [intimate]
One’s name or body – which means more to you? -

君子宜固思。
jūnzǐ yí gù sī.
[nobleman][] [hard] [should] [consider]
you, sir, should think hard about this.

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments below.

Sources and further reading

• 題破山寺後禪院 – 百度百科

Content from East Asia Student: 常建 古興 translation: Ancient Inspiration, by Chang Jian (漢上逢老翁)

Related posts:

• 杜甫 卜居 translation: Divining for a Residence, by Du Fu
• 冉冉孤生竹 translation – Frail Bamboo Growing Alone
• 楊萬里 過揚子江 （其二） translation: Crossing the Yangzi River II, by Yang Wanli

This is a very rough annotation / translation of the poem 岳池農家 (Yuèchí Nóngjiā), ‘The Peasant Houses of Yuechi’, by the Song Dynasty Chinese poet 陸遊 (Lù Yóu).

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments at the end of the page.

岳池農家
Yuèchí Nóngjiā
[Yue] [Chi] [farm] [house]
The Peasant Houses of Yuechi

春深農家耕未足，
Chūn shēn nóngjiā gēng wèi zú,
[spring] [deep] [farm] [home] [plough] [not yet] [enough]
Deep in spring in peasant homes, the ploughing is not yet complete;

源頭叱叱兩黃犢。
yuántóu chì chì liǎng huáng dú.
[source] [head] [splash] [splash] [two] [yellow] [calf]
In the spring water, splashing – two yellow calves.

泥融無塊水初渾，
Ní róng wú kuài shuǐ chū hún,
[mud] [melt] [not have] [piece] [water] [first] [muddy]
The mud melts and is smooth, the surface begins to ripple;

雨細有痕秧正綠。
yǔ xì yǒu hén yāng zhèng lǜ.
[rain] [soft] [have] [trace] [shoots] [upright] [green]
the light rain leaves traces, the shoots are upright and green.

綠秧分時風日美，
Lǜ yāng fēn shí fēng rì měi,
[green] [shoots] [separate] [time] [wind] [sun] [beautiful]
When it is time to transplant the green shoots, the wind and sun are beautiful;

時平未有差科起。
shí píng wèi yǒu chāi kē qǐ.
[time] [peaceful] [not yet] [have] [commission] [levy] [begin]
the times are peaceful – compulsory service has not been levied.

買花西舍喜成婚，
Mǎi huā xī shè xǐ chénghūn,
[buy] [flower] [west] [residence] [joy] [become] [marriage]
Buy flowers – the neighbours to the west have the joy of a marriage;

持酒東鄰賀生子。
chí jiǔ dōng lín hè shēngzǐ.
[hold] [wine] [east] [neighbour] [celebrate] [birth] [son]
take wine – the neighbours to the east celebrate the birth of a son.

誰言農家不入時？
Shéi yán nóngjiā bù rù shí?
[who] [speak] [farm] [home] [not] [enter] [time]
Who says that peasant houses are not fashionable? -

小姑畫得城中眉。
Xiǎogū huà dé chéngzhōng méi.
[young] [girl] [paint] [get] [city] [in] [eyebrow]
young girls have painted eyebrows like those in the city.

一雙素手無人識，
Yī shuāng sùshǒu wúrén shí,
[one] [pair] [plain] [hand] [not have] [person] [know]
A pair of spotless hands like no-one knows;

空村相喚看繅絲。
kōng cūn xiāng huàn kàn sāosī.
[leisure] [village] [each other] [call] [look] [reel cocoon] [thread]
leisurely villagers call each other to look at the silk being reeled from cocoons.

農家農家樂复樂，
Nóngjiā nóngjiā lè fù lè,
[farm] [house] [farm] [house] [happy] [repeat] [happy]
Peasant houses, peasant houses – the happiest of the happy;

不比市朝爭奪惡。
bùbǐ shì cháo zhēngduó è.
[not] [more than] [town] [court] [compete] [strive for] [fierce]
unlike in the towns and courts where they compete and struggle fiercely.

宦遊所得真幾何？
Huànyóu suǒdé zhēn jǐhé?
[official] [travel] [that which] [get] [really] [several] [what]
What one has gained as a travelling official – how much is it really?

我已三年廢東作。
Wǒ yǐ sān nián fèi dōng zuò.
[I] [already] [three] [year] [waste] [east] [be]
I discarded it three years ago to be in the east.

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments below.

Links and sources

• 岳池农家 – 百度百科

Content from East Asia Student: 陸遊 岳池農家 translation: The Peasant Houses of Yuechi, by Lu You

Related posts:

• 青青河畔草 Translation – Green, Green, Grass on the Riverbank
• 王維 渭川田家 translation: Farm Houses by Wei River (Wang Wei)
• 東城高且長 translation – The Eastern Wall is High and Long

This is a very rough translation and annotation of the poem 張子野年八十五尚聞買妾述古令作詩 (Zhāng Zǐyě Nián Bāshíwǔ Shàng Wén Mǎi Qiè Shùgǔ Lìngzuò Shī), ‘Still One Hears that Zhang Ziye at Eighty-Five Years Old Has Bought a Concubine; A Poem Requested by Shugu’, by the Song Dynasty Chinese poet 蘇軾 (Sū Shì).

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments at the end of the page.

張子野年八十五尚聞買妾述古令作詩
Zhāng Zǐyě Nián Bāshíwǔ Shàng Wén Mǎi Qiè Shùgǔ Lìngzuò Shī
[Zhang] [Zi] [Ye] [year] [eight] [ten] [five] [still] [hear] [buy] [concubine] [Shu] [Gu] [order] [write] [poem]
Still One Hears that Zhang Ziye at Eighty-Five Years Old Has Bought a Concubine; A Poem Requested by Shugu

錦裡先生自笑狂，
Jǐn lǐ xiānshēng zì xiào kuáng,
[brocade] [in] [mister][] [self] [laugh] [mad]
The gentleman of the capital laughs madly;

莫欺九尺鬢眉蒼。
mò qī jiǔ chǐ bìn méi cāng.
[do not] [fool] [nine] [foot] [sideburns] [eyebrow] [grey]
do not be fooled by his great stature or grey sideburns and eyebrows.

詩人老去鶯鶯在，
Shīrén lǎo qù Yīngyīng zài,
[poet] [person] [old] [go] [Ying] [Ying] [at]
This poet is getting old but Yingying is still there;

公子歸來燕燕忙。
gōngzǐ guīlái yàn yàn máng.
[master][] [return] [come] [swallow] [swallow] [busy]
the master returns and his swallows are busy.

柱下相君猶有齒，
Zhù xià xiāng jūn yóu yǒu chǐ,
[pillar] [under] [minister] [gentleman] [still] [have] [teeth]
The Attendant Censor Chancellor still has teeth;

江南刺史已無腸。
jiāngnán cìshǐ yǐ wú cháng.
[river] [south] [provincial governor][] [already] [not have] [bowel]
the southern Provincial Governor no longer has initiative.

平生謬作安昌客，
Píngshēng miù zuò Ānchāng kè,
[whole life][] [deceive] [be] [An] [Chang] [guest]
All one’s life one has wrongly been the guest of Anchang;

略遣彭宣到後堂。
lüè qiǎn bāngxuān dào hòu táng.
[rather] [send] [peng?] [announce] [go] [back] [hall]
instead I should have been sent to the inner chambers.

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments below.

Content from East Asia Student: 蘇軾 張子野年八十五尚聞買妾述古令作詩 translation: Still One Hears that Zhang Ziye at Eighty-Five Years Old Has Bought a Concubine; A Poem Requested by Shugu (Su Shi)

Related posts:

• 蘇軾 陌上花 三 translation: Flowers on the Paddy Field Path III, by Su Shi
• 蘇軾 贈狄崇班季子 translation: Presented as a Gift to Di Chongban’s Youngest Son, by Su Shi
• 梅堯臣 夢覺 translation: Waking from a Dream, by Mei Yaochen

This is a very rough translation and annotation of the poem 月夜與客飲酒杏花下 (Yuèyè Yǔ Kè Yǐnjiǔ Xìnghuā Xià), ‘Presented as a Gift to Di Chongban’s Youngest Son’, by the Song Dynasty Chinese poet 蘇軾 (Sū Shì).

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments at the end of the page.

月夜與客飲酒杏花下
Yuèyè Yǔ Kè Yǐnjiǔ Xìnghuā Xià
[moon] [night] [guest] [drink] [wine] [apricot] [flower] [below]
On a Moonlit Night Drinking Wine with a Guest Below the Apricot Blossoms

杏花飛簾散馀春，
Xìng huā fēi lián sàn yú chūn,
[apricot] [flower] [fly] [curtain] [come loose] [remain] [spring]
The apricot blossom flies on to the curtain, scattering the remains of spring;

明月入戶尋幽人。
míngyuè rù hù xún yōu rén.
[bright] [moon] [enter] [door] [seek] [remote] [person]
bright moonlight enters through the door, seeking one who has left.

褰衣步月踏花影，
Qiān yī bù yuè tà huā yǐng,
[lift clothes] [clothes] [step] [moon] [step on] [flower] [shadow]
One lifts one’s clothes to stroll under the moon, stepping in the shadow of the blossom;

炯如流水涵青蘋。
jiǒng rú liúshuǐ hán qīng píng.
[bright] [like] [flow] [water] [contain] [green] [fern]
the light is like flowing water containing green duckweed.

花間置酒清香發，
Huā jiān zhì jiǔ qīngxiāng fā,
[flower] [between] [place] [wine] [clear] [fragrant] [emit]
Amongst the blossom one places one’s wine, a clear fragrance spreads;

爭挽長條落香雪。
zhēng wǎn cháng tiáo luò xiāng xuě.
[strive] [pull] [long] [strip] [fall] [fragrant] [snow]
one strives to pull down a long branch, and the blossom falls like fragrant snow.

山城薄酒​​不堪飲，
Shānchéng bójiǔ​​ bùkān yǐn,
[mountain] [city wall] [thin] [wine] [not] [bear] [drink]
One cannot bear to drink the weak wine from the mountain villages,

勸君且吸杯中月。
quàn jūn qiě xī bēi zhōng yuè.
[urge] [lord] [further] [drink] [cup] [in] [moon]
I urge you, sir, to drink another cup in the moonlight.

洞簫聲斷月明中，
Dòngxiāo shēng duàn yuè míng zhōng,
[hole] [flute] [sound] [break] [moon] [bright] [in]
The sound of the hollow flute stops in the moonlight;

惟憂月落酒杯空。
wéi yōu yuè luò jiǔbēi kōng.
[only] [concern] [moon] [drop] [wine] [cup] [empty]
one only worries that the moon will set or one’s cup will be empty.

明朝卷地春風惡，
Míng cháo juǎn de chūnfēng è,
[bright] [morning] [sweep] [earth] [spring] [wind] [vicious]
In the bright morning they sweep the ground – the spring winds are vicious;

但見綠葉棲殘紅。
dàn jiàn lǜ yè qī cán hóng.
[only] [see] [green] [leaf] [dwell] [remaining] [red]
one only sees the green leaves and remaining patches of red.

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments below.

Content from East Asia Student: 蘇軾 月夜與客飲酒杏花下 translation: On a Moonlit Night Drinking Wine with a Guest Below the Apricot Blossoms, by Su Shi

Related posts:

• 李白 荊門浮舟望蜀江 translation: Floating on a Boat at Jingmen, Gazing at the Yangzi (Li Bai)
• 李白 將進酒 translation: Bring in the Wine, by Li Bai
• 蘇軾 水調歌頭 translation: Water Song, by Su Shi (明月幾時有)

This is a very rough translation and annotation of the poem 贈狄崇班季子 (Zèng Dí Chóngbān Jìzǐ), ‘Presented as a Gift to Di Chongban’s Youngest Son’, by the Song Dynasty Chinese poet 蘇軾 (Sū Shì).

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments at the end of the page.

贈狄崇班季子
Zèng Dí Chóngbān Jìzǐ
[present as a gift] [Di] [Chong] [Ban] [youngest son][]
Presented as a Gift to Di Chongban’s Youngest Son

狄生臂鷹來，
Dí shēng bì yīng lái,
[Di] [mister] [arm] [falcon] [come]
Young Di comes with a falcon on his arm;

見客不會揖。
jiàn kè bù huì yī.
[see] [guest] [not] [will] [bow]
he sees the guest but does not greet him.

踞床吒得雋，
Jù chuáng zhā dé juàn,
[crouch] [bed] [boast] [got] [handsome]
he crouches on the bench and boasts of the birds he’s caught;

借箸數禽入。
jiè zhù shù qín rù.
[borrow] [chopstick] [count] [captured] [in]
using chopsticks to count the captured birds.

短後椈豹裘，
Duǎn hòu jū bào qiú,
[short] [back] [grasp] [leopard] [fur]
His short-backed tunic has the pattern of leopard fur;

猶濺猩血濕。
yóu jiàn xīng xuè shī.
[as if] [splash] [ape] [blood] [wet]
it is red as if soaked with ape’s blood.

指呼索酒嘗，
Zhǐhū suǒ jiǔ cháng,
[point] [call] [demand] [wind] [taste]
He gestures and calls out for wine to taste;

快把長鯨吸。
kuài bǎ zhǎng jīng xī.
[happy] [grip] [long] [whale] [drink]
happily he takes it and drinks it like a whale.

半酣論刀槊，
Bàn hān lùn dāo shuò,
[half] [drunk] [speak of] [knife] [spear]
Half drunk he talks of knives and spears;

怒髮欲起立。
nù fà yù qǐlì.
[anger] [hair] [want] [rise] [stand]
impassioned, his hair is about to stand on end.

北方老猘子，
Běifāng lǎo zhì zi,
[north] [place] [old] [mad dog][]
In the north the old mad dogs

狂突尚不縶。
kuáng tū shàng bù zhí.
[mad] [burst out] [still] [not] [tie up]
dash out wildly and are still to be restrained.

要須此慓悍，
Yào xū cǐ piāohàn,
[want] [must] [this] [skill] [brave]
Such skill and bravery as this are required;

氣壓邊烽急。
qì yā biān fēng jí.
[energy] [pressure] [edge] [beacon] [emergency]
he uses his might to suppresses the emergency in the frontiers.

夜走追鋒車，
Yè zǒu zhuī fēng chē,
[night] [go] [pursue] [spear] [cart]
At night he dashes around in a war chariot;

生斬活離級。
shēng zhǎn huó lí jí.
[raw] [behead] [living] [Li] [Ji]
he beheads Liao barbarians alive.

持歸獻天王，
Chí guī xiàn tiānwáng,
[hold] [return] [offer] [heaven] [king]
He brings them back to offer to the heavenly king;

封侯穩可拾。
fēng hóu wěn kě shi.
[bestow] [marquis] [stable] [can] [pick up]
honour is bestowed on him, stability can be obtained.

何為走獵師，
Hé wèi zǒu liè shī,
[what] [for] [go] [hunt] [master]
Why would he be a huntsman

日使群毛泣。
rì shǐ qún máo qì.
[day] [cause] [group] [feather] [sob]
and daily make the birds sob?
(群毛 = 眾獸.)

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments below.

Content from East Asia Student: 蘇軾 贈狄崇班季子 translation: Presented as a Gift to Di Chongban’s Youngest Son, by Su Shi

Related posts:

• 蘇軾 月夜與客飲酒杏花下 translation: On a Moonlit Night Drinking Wine with a Guest Below the Apricot Blossoms, by Su Shi
• Soushenji No. 283 translation: Guo Ju Buries his Son and Obtains Gold
• 蘇軾 張子野年八十五尚聞買妾述古令作詩 translation: Still One Hears that Zhang Ziye at Eighty-Five Years Old Has Bought a Concubine; A Poem Requested by Shugu (Su Shi)

This is a very rough translation and annotation of the poem 陌上花 三 (Mòshàng Huā), ‘Flowers on the Paddy Field Path I’, by the Song Dynasty Chinese poet 蘇軾 (Sū Shì).

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments at the end of the page.

陌上花 三
Mòshàng Huā
[path] [on] [flower]
Flowers on the Paddy Field Path III

生前富貴草頭露，
Shēngqián fùguì cǎo tóu lù,
[life] [before] [rich] [noble] [grass] [head] [dew]
In life the rich and noble are like dew on blades of grass;

身後風流陌上花。
shēnhòu fēngliú mò shàng huā.
[body] [after] [wind] [flow] [paddy field path] [on] [flower]
after death they are outstanding, like flowers on the paddy field path.

已作遲遲君去魯，
Yǐ zuò chí chí jūn qù Lǔ,
[already] [be] [late] [late] [lord] [leave] [Lu]
It is like when Confucius was slowly leaving Lu,

猶教緩緩妾還家。
yóu jiào huǎn huǎn qiè hái jiā.
[still] [teach] [unhurried][] [I] [return] [home]
just as I am instructed to slowly return home.

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments below.

Sources and further reading

• 陌上花 – 百度百科

Content from East Asia Student: 蘇軾 陌上花 三 translation: Flowers on the Paddy Field Path III, by Su Shi

Related posts:

• 蘇軾 陌上花 二 translation: Flowers on the Paddy Field Path II, by Su Shi
• 蘇軾 陌上花 一 translation: Flowers on the Paddy Field Path I, by Su Shi
• 楊萬里 水中山花影 translation: Reflection of Mountain Flowers in Water, by Yang Wanli

This is a very rough translation and annotation of the poem 陌上花 一 (Mòshàng Huā), ‘Flowers on the Paddy Field Path I’, by the Song Dynasty Chinese poet 蘇軾 (Sū Shì).

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments at the end of the page.

陌上花 一
Mòshàng Huā
[path] [on] [flower]
Flowers on the Paddy Field Path I

陌上花開蝴蝶飛，
Mò shàng huā kāi húdié fēi,
[paddy field path] [on] [flower] [open] [butterfly][] [fly]
On the paddy field path flowers bloom and butterflies fly;

江山猶似昔人非。
jiāng shān yóu sì xī rén fēi.
[river] [mountain] [still] [appear] [former] [people] [not]
rivers and mountains are still here but the people of the past are not.

遺民幾度垂垂老，
Yí mín jǐ dù chuí chuí lǎo,
[leave behind] [people] [several] [time] [gradually][] [old]
The descendents of a former dynasty one by one grown old;
(垂垂 = 渐渐.)

遊女長歌緩緩歸。
yóu nǚ cháng gē huǎn huǎn guī.
[travel] [girl] [long] [song] [unhurriedly][] [return]
the travelling girl’s eternal song remains.

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments below.

Sources and further reading

• 陌上花 – 百度百科

Content from East Asia Student: 蘇軾 陌上花 一 translation: Flowers on the Paddy Field Path I, by Su Shi

Related posts:

• 蘇軾 陌上花 二 translation: Flowers on the Paddy Field Path II, by Su Shi
• 楊萬里 水中山花影 translation: Reflection of Mountain Flowers in Water, by Yang Wanli
• 蘇軾 六月二十七日望湖樓醉書（其二） translation: Drunken Writings from 27th of the 6th at Wanghu Tower II, by Su Shi

This is a very rough translation and annotation of the poem 題破山寺後禪院 (Tí Pòshān Sì Hòu Chányuàn), ‘Writing of the Meditation Hall of Po Mountain Temple’, by the Tang Dynasty Chinese poet 常建 (Cháng Jiàn).

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments at the end of the page.

題破山寺後禪院
Tí Pòshān Sì Hòu Chányuàn
Writing of the Buddhist Hall of Po Mountain Temple

清晨入古寺，
Qīngchén rù gǔsì,
[clear] [morning] [enter] [old] [temple]
In the clear morning one enters this old temple;

初日照高林。
chū rì zhào gāolín.
[first] [sun] [shine] [high] [forest]
the rising sun shines on the tops of the trees.
(See Ron Thuoy’s explanation of this line.)

竹徑通幽處，
Zhú jìng tōng yōu chù,
[crooked] [footpath] [through] [secluded] [place]
A bamboo footpath takes one through to a secluded spot;

禪房花木深。
chánfáng huāmù shēn.
[meditation] [room] [flower] [wood] [deep]
the meditation room is deep in the flowers and trees.

山光悅鳥性，
Shān guāng yuè niǎo xìng,
[mountain] [light] [please] [bird] [nature]
The mountain light makes the birds joyous;

潭影空人心。
tán yǐng kōng rénxīn.
[pool] [reflection] [empty] [person] [heart]
the reflection in the pool empties a human mind.

萬籟此都寂，
Wànlài cǐ dōu jì,
[ten thousand] [music] [here] [all] [silent]
Ten thousand sounds here are all silent;

但餘鐘磬音。
dàn yú zhōng qìng yīn.
[only] [remain] [bell] [chime] [sound]
only the sounds of the bells remain.

If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments below.

Sources and further reading

• 題破山寺後禪院 – 百度百科

Content from East Asia Student: 常建 題破山寺後禪院 translation: Writing of the Meditation Hall of Po Mountain Temple, by Chang Jian

Related posts:

• 常建 古興 translation: Ancient Inspiration, by Chang Jian (漢上逢老翁)
• 王維 過香積寺 translation: Passing the Temple of Stored Fragrance, by Wang Wei
• 楊萬里 水中山花影 translation: Reflection of Mountain Flowers in Water, by Yang Wanli