COMING HOME 七言绝句 回乡偶书
Seven-character-quatrain COMING HOME
—He Zhizhang I left home young. I return old;
Speaking as then, but with hair grown thin;
And my children, meeting me, do not know me.
They smile and say: "Stranger, wher do you come from?"
Chinese phrase translation: 红颜 (hóngyán) a beauty
红颜 (hóngyán) a beauty Usage: 在这个词语中,“颜”指脸面或者面容。“红颜”的本义是红色的脸,古代女性化妆都要涂上腮红,因此用“红颜”比喻美女。
“颜” means face or appearance facial features in this word, and “红颜” originally means red faces. That the Ancient womaen applied made up with blusher when they played on makeup. It is a metaphor of a beauty.
Chinese Film: Nanking 南京
Based on Iris Chang's book The Rape of Nanking(南京大屠杀 Nānjīng dà túshā), this film-length documentary relates the terrible events that lasted for six weeks from December 13, 1937, following the entry of the Imperial Japanese Army into Nanjing(南京 Nánjīng), the Chinese capital of the time.
BEYOND THE BORDER 乐府 出塞
Folk-song-styled-verse BEYOND THE BORDER
—Wang Zhihuan wher a yellow river climbs to the white clouds,
Near the one city-wall among ten-thousand-foot mountains,
A Tartar under the willows is lamenting on his flute
That spring never blows to him through the Jade Pass
Chinese phrase translation: 放鸽子 (fàng gēzi) to fail to keep an appointment
放鸽子 (fàng gēzi) to fail to keep an appointment; to stand sb. up Usage: “放鸽子”既指释放鸽子,又指不遵守约定。古代人们都是用鸽子送信。据说有一次,两个人约定通信,可是其中一个人只放了鸽子,却没有写信,违背了约定。所以,后来放鸽子指不遵守约定,尤其是指失约。经常使用的结构是“放某人鸽子”和“被某人放鸽子”。“放鸽子” means both releasing pigeons and failing to keep an appointment. In ancient times, people sent letters by pigeons. It is said that once up on a time, two people promised to write letters to each other. However, one of them released the pigeon without a letter; he failed to keep the appointment. Therefore, “放鸽子(to release a pigeon)” means to stand sb. up, especially failing to keep an appointment. The structures “放某人的鸽子”and“被某人放鸽子” are often used.
THE GOLD-THREADED ROBE 乐府
Folk-song-styled-verse
Du Qiuniang
THE GOLD-THREADED ROBE Covet not a gold-threaded robe,
Cherish only your young days!
If a bud open, gather it —
Lest you but wait for an empty bough
Chinese Film: The Case (Xiangzi) 箱子
From young actress-turned-director Wang Fen(王分 Wáng Fēn) comes this offbeat tale of intrigue and suspense, set in Lijiang(丽江 Lìjiāng). Anyone who has experienced the tourist hell of this UNESCO-listed town may be surprised to see it quiet, atmospheric and free of hordes of people. Wang uses the old streets to lend a sense of claustrophobia to her tale.
Chinese phrase translation: 动心 (dòngxīn) to be moved mentally
动心 (dòngxīn) to be moved mentally; to show interest Usage: “动心”是指思想感情发生变化。可以表示想要某物或者开始对某事产生兴趣,也可以表示对某人产生感情。常用的结构是“对某物/某人动(了)心”。“动心” means to be moved mentally, showing interest in something or falling in love with somebody. The structure “对某物/某人动(了)心” is often used .
Pailou 牌楼
Today let's take a brief introduction of pailou. The pailou, also known as paifang, is an archway of a memorial or decorative nature. It could be made of wood, brick or stone, with or without glazed tiles, often carrying some inscriptions on the middle beam. The normal places wher such archways stood were thoroughfare crossroads, shrines and temples, government offices, bridges, parks, tombs and mausoleumns, and they generally carried inscriptions to propagate certain moral principles or to extol government achievements. The pailou could also serve as the facade of a shop to prettify its entrance and attract customers. Many a pailou was erected to praise the "lofty virtues' of certain individuals in the locality. Fettered by the feudal ethical code, many widowed women refrained from remarriage just in the hope to have "pailou of chastity" built for them when they reached a ripe old age.
Chinese Film: Spider Lilies 刺青
Though critics have picked up on the Sapphic aspects of Spider Lilies(刺青 Cìqīng), the story has more important themes and motifs, such as love, loneliness, family and the lives of the weak and marginalized.