“旧时天气旧时衣，只有情怀不似旧家时。”Pinyin: Jiù shí tiān qì jiù shí yī, zhǐ yǒu qíng huái bú sì jiù jiā shí.Translation: “The weather and robes of old remain—only my heart is no longer the same.”Source: Southern Song · Stars Shift (《南歌子·天上星河转》, Nán Gē Zǐ · Tiān Shàng Xīng Hé Zhuǎn)Explanation: Contrasts past and present; poignant for memoirs or personal essays.
“新来瘦，非干病酒，不是悲秋。”Pinyin: Xīn lái shòu, fēi gān bìng jiǔ, bú shì bēi qiū.Translation: “Newly thin—not from wine nor autumn’s grief, but from longing.”Source: Phoenix Terrace Memories (《凤凰台上忆吹箫·香冷金猊》, Fèng Huáng Tái Shàng Yì Chuī Xiāo · Xiāng Lěng Jīn Ní)Explanation: Subtly reveals unspoken love; a model of restrained emotion.
“知否，知否？应是绿肥红瘦。”Pinyin: Zhī fǒu, zhī fǒu? Yīng shì lǜ féi hóng shòu.Translation: “Do you know? Do you know? The green thrives, the red withers.”Source: Dream Song · Last Night’s Rain (《如梦令·昨夜雨疏风骤》, Rú Mèng Lìng · Zuó Yè Yǔ Shū Fēng Zhòu)Explanation: Juxtaposes vitality and decay; a metaphor for fleeting youth.
“千古风流八咏楼，江山留与后人愁。”Pinyin: Qiān gǔ fēng liú bā yǒng lóu, jiāng shān liú yǔ hòu rén chóu.Translation: “The timeless Eight Songs Tower stands—its legacy, a landscape of future sorrows.”Source: Ode to the Eight Songs Tower (《题八咏楼》, Tí Bā Yǒng Lóu)Explanation: Reflects on historical continuity and collective memory; ideal for philosophical discourse.
“醉里插花花莫笑，可怜春似人将老。”Pinyin: Zuì lǐ chā huā huā mò xiào, kě lián chūn sì rén jiāng lǎo.Translation: “Drunk, I arrange flowers—do not laugh at them; pity spring, like me, grows old.”Source: Butterfly Love · Family Gathering (《蝶恋花·上巳召亲族》, Dié Liàn Huā · Shàng Sì Zhào Qīn Zú)
“和羞走，倚门回首，却把青梅嗅。”Pinyin: Hài xiū zǒu, yǐ mén huí shǒu, què bǎ qīng méi xiù.Translation: “Blushing, I flee—leaning by the door, I turn to steal a scent of green plums.”Source: Rouged Lips · After Swinging (《点绛唇·蹴罢秋千》, Diǎn Jiàng Chún · Cù Bà Qiū Qiān)Explanation: Captures youthful shyness and romantic curiosity; perfect for coming-of-age narratives
“只恐双溪舴艋舟，载不动许多愁。”Pinyin: Zhǐ kǒng shuāng xī zé měng zhōu, zài bù dòng xǔ duō chóu.Translation: “I fear the tiny boat on Twin Creek cannot bear the weight of my sorrow.”Source: Spring in Wuling (《武陵春·春晚》, Wǔ Líng Chūn · Chūn Wǎn)Explanation: Personifies grief as a physical burden; iconic in Chinese poetic imagery.
“物是人非事事休，欲语泪先流。”Pinyin: Wù shì rén fēi shì shì xiū, yù yǔ lèi xiān liú.Translation: “All remains, yet nothing is the same—before words come, tears fall.”Source: Spring in Wuling (《武陵春·春晚》, Wǔ Líng Chūn · Chūn Wǎn)Explanation: A lament for irreversible change, resonant in themes of nostalgia.
“莫道不销魂，帘卷西风，人比黄花瘦。”Pinyin: Mò dào bù xiāo hún, lián juǎn xī fēng, rén bǐ huáng huā shòu.Translation: “Do not say my soul remains unshaken—the west wind lifts the curtain, revealing me thinner than chrysanthemums.”Source: Tipsy in the Flower’s Shade · Mist and Clouds (《醉花阴·薄雾浓云愁永昼》, Zuì Huā Yīn · Bó Wù Nóng Yún Chóu Yǒng Zhòu)Explanation: Blends natural imagery with human fragility, epitomizing the “Wanyue School” aesthetic.
“花自飘零水自流，一种相思，两处闲愁。”Pinyin: Huā zì piāo líng shuǐ zì liú, yī zhǒng xiāng sī, liǎng chù xián chóu.Translation: “Flowers drift, water flows—one shared longing, two distant sorrows.”Source: One Cut Plum Blossom · Red Lotus Fragrance Fades (《一剪梅·红藕香残玉簟秋》, Yī Jiǎn Méi · Hóng Ǒu Xiāng Cán Yù Diàn Qiū)Explanation: Metaphor for separation and unspoken grief, ideal for lyrical writing.
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