daily character
长恨歌 （白居易）
Title: [coming soon] ▪ 长恨歌
Author: Bai Juyi ▪ 白居易
Poetic Form: gǔshī ▪ 古诗
1. (汉 + 皇) + (重 + 色) + 思 + (倾 + 国)，
(Han + emperor) + (to value + face/lust) + to long
for + (to collapse + country)
(御 + 宇) + (多 + 年) + (求 + 不 + 得)。
(to manage + roof) + (many + year) + (to
seek/covet + not + to obtain)
gloss: The Han emperor focused on flirting,
seeking a beauty who could topple an empire; he
ruled his land for many years without finding her.
2. (杨 + 家) + 有 + 女 + 初 + (长 + 成)，
(Yang (willow) + house) + to have + girl + original
+ (to grow + complete)
养 + 在 + (深 + 闺) + (人 + 未 + 识)。
to (be) raise(d) + at/in + (deep + women's
chambers) + (person + not + to know)
gloss: There was a girl in the house of Yang who
had just come of age; she had been raised deep
within the women's chambers so she was not
known to the outside world.
3. (天 + 生 + (丽 + 质)) + (难 + 自 + 弃)，
(heavens + to produce + (beautiful + quality)) +
(difficult + naturally + to abandon/ignore)
(一 + 朝) + 选 + (在 + (君 + 王) + 侧)。
(one + morning) + to select + (to be + (monarch +
king) + side)
gloss: She was naturally so beautiful and
graceful that it was hard not to take notice; one
morning she was selected to stand beside the
emperor.
4. (回 + 眸) + (一 + 笑) + 百 + 媚 + 生，
(to turn around + eye) + (one + smile) + hundred
+ fascinating + to beget
(六 + 宫) + (粉 + 黛) + 无 + (颜 + 色)。
(six + palace) + (powder + eyebrow liner) + no +
(face + face/lust)
gloss: Just to turn her head and smile she would
exude a hundred different charms; powdered
women from six palaces could not compare with
her beauty.
5. (春 + 寒) + 赐 + 浴 + (华 + 清 + 池)，
(spring + cold) + to bestow + to bathe + (splendid
+ pure + pool)
(温 + (泉 + 水) + 滑 + 洗 + (凝 + 脂)。
(warm + (spring + water)) + to glide + to cleanse
+ (congealed fat: metaphor for flawless white
skin)
gloss: On a cold spring day, [he] bestowed upon
[her] the honor of bathing in the Huaqing pools;
the warm water of the springs glided over her
body, cleansing her flawless, white skin.
6. (侍 + 儿) + (抹 + 起) + (娇 + (无 + 力))，
(attendant + particle) + (to smear + to begin) +
(delicate + (no + power/strength))
始 + 是 + (新 + 承) + (恩 + 泽) + 时。
beginning + to be + (new + to accept) + (kindness
+ radiance) + time
gloss: Delicate and weak, the maids were lifting
her from the pool when she began to receive the
advances/kindnesses [of the emperor].
7. (云 + 鬓) + (花 + 颜) + (金 + 步 + 摇)，
(cloud + hair on the temples) + (flower +
countenance) + (gold + 5.5 ft. + to sway)
((芙 + 蓉) + 帐) + ((暖 + 度) + (春 + 宵))。
((hibiscus + hibiscus) + net) + ((warm + degree) +
(spring + evening))
gloss: Her hair fell in wisps, she had the face of a
flower, and lengths of gold jewelry dangled from
her neck. [They] spent the warm spring evenings
beneath hibiscus curtains.
8. (春 + 宵) + (苦 + 短) + (日 + 高 + 起)，
(spring + evening) + (bitter + short) + (sun + high
+ to rise)
(从 + 此) + (君 + 王) + ((不 + 早) + 朝) 。
(from + this) + (monarch + king) + ((not + early) +
to go to the imperial court)
gloss: These spring evenings were painfully short
and they did not rise until the sun was high in the
sky. And so the emperor no longer went early to
the imperial court.
9. (承 + 欢 + 侍 + 宴) + (无 + (闲 + 暇))，
(to undertake + pleased + to wait upon +
banquet) + (no + (idle + leisure)
((春 + 从) + (春 + 游)) + (夜 + 专 + 夜)。
((spring + attendant) + (spring + to drift)) + (night
+ to focus + night)
gloss: The days were spent in revelry and
banquets leaving no time to spare. She
accompanied him on spring outings and was the
focus of his nights.
10. (后 + 宫) + (佳 + 丽) + ((三 + 千) + 人)，
(behind + palace) + (fine + beautiful) + ((three +
thousand) + person)
(三 + 千) + (宠 + 爱) + (在 + (一 + 身))。
(three + thousand) + (to dote upon + love) + (to
be located at + (one + body))
gloss: The palace contained three thousand
ravishing beauties, but the imperial favors for
three thousand were lavished upon just one.
11. ((金 + 屋) + 妆) + 成 + (娇 + 侍 + 夜)，
((golden + room) + to adorn) + to become +
(charming + attendant + night)
((玉 + 楼) + 宴) + 罢 + (醉 + 和 + 春)。
((jade + tower) + feast) + to cease + (drunk +
and + joyful)
gloss: By the time she adorned herself in her
golden room, the charming night was ready to
attend to her and when the feasting was done in
the Jade Tower, she was drunk and joyful.
12. ((姊 + 妹) + (弟 + 兄)) + 皆 + (列 + 土)，
((older sister + younger sister) + (younger
brother + older brother)) + all + (to line up +
earth)
(可 + 怜) + (光 + 彩) + 生 + (门 + 户)。
(can + to feel tender regard for) + (bright +
colors) + to be born + (door + household)
gloss: [Her] brothers and sisters were all given
land, which led to greater respect for her clan.
13. 遂 + 令 + (天 + 下) + ((父 + 母) + 心)，
to proceed + to create + (sky + beneath) +
((father + mother) + heart)
(不 + 重 + 生 + 男) + (重 + 生 + 女)。
(not + to emphasize + to beget + boy) + (to
emphasize + to beget + girl)
gloss: And so the hearts of mothers and fathers
across the land were changed and they began
to prize baby girls over baby boys.
14. (骊 + 宫) + (高 + 处) + 入 + (青 + 云)，
(Black Horse + palace) + (high + place) + to
enter + (blue-green + cloud)
(仙 + 乐) + (风 + 飘) + (处 + 处) + 闻。
(divine + music) + (wind + to float) + (place +
place) + to hear
gloss: Li Palace rose into the blue-green clouds
and heavenly music drifted on the breeze.
15. ((缓 + 歌) + (慢 + 舞)) + 凝 + (丝 + 竹)，
((soft + song) + (slow + dance)) + to cohere +
(silk + bamboo)
(尽 + 日) + (君 + 王) + (看 + 不 + 足)。
(utmost + day) + (monarch + king) + (to look +
not + enough)
gloss: Soft wongs and slow dances blended
together with the music of traditional instruments
(string and woodwind). The emperor could look
[upon her] all day long and it was not enough.
16. (渔 + 阳) + (鼙 + (鼓 + 动) + 地)+ 来，
(to fish + the sun) + (war drum + ((to vibrate + to
move) + earth) + to come
(惊 + 破) + ((霓 + 裳) + (羽 + 衣) + 曲)。
(to startle + to break) + ((rainbow + skirt) +
(feathers + robe) + song)
gloss: The sound of war drums from YuYang
began to shake the earth and broke the spell of
the song of Rainbow Skirts and Feathered
Robes.
17. ((九 + 重) + (城 + 阙)) + (烟 + 尘) + 生，
((nine + layer) + (city + palace)) + (smoke + dust)
+ to beget
((千 + 乘) + (万 + 骑) + (西 + 南) + 行。
((thousand + a team of four horses) + (ten
thousand + cavalry)) + (east + south) + to move
gloss: Smoke and dust descended upon the
nine-layered palace as thousands of chariots
and tens of thousands of cavalry rode to the
southeast.
18. ((翠 + 华) + (摇 + 摇)) + (行 + 复 + 止)，
((jade + splendor) + (to sway + to sway)) + (to
move forward + to repeat + to stop)
((西 + 出) + (都 + 门)) + (百 + 余 + 里)。
((west + to go forth) + (capital + gate)) + (one
hundred + surplus + li)
gloss: The jade ornaments [on the emperor's
carriage] swayed back and forth as the carriage
continually advanced and halted; they went forth
one hundred li (approximately 32 kilometres)
from the gate of the capital city.
19. (六 + 军) + (不 + 发) + (无 + (奈 + 何))，
(six + army) + (not + to dispatch) + (no + (what +
what))
(宛 + 转) + (蛾 + 眉) + ((马 + 前) + 死)。
(crooked + to rotate) + (moth + eyebrow) +
((horse + in front) + to die)
gloss: The emperor's six armies refused to go
further until they saw those moth-like eyebrows
[of Yang Guifei] trampled beneath their horses
hoofs.
20. ((花 + 钿) + (委 + 地)) + 无 + 人 + 收，
((flower + hairpin) + (to lower oneself + ground))
+ no + person + to gather
(翠 + 翘) + (金 + 雀) + (玉 + (搔 + 头))。
(kingfisher + long tail feathers) + (gold +
sparrow) + (jade + (to scratch + head))
gloss: Her flowered hairpin fell to the ground,
but no one picked them up. Her headdress with
its long kingfisher feathers and its golden
sparow and its jade clasp [also fell].
21. (君 + 王) + (掩 + 面) + (救 + (不 + 得))，
(monarch + king) + (to conceal + face) + (to
rescue + (not + obtain))
(回 + 看) + (血 + 泪) + (相 + (和 + 流))。
(to turn + to look) + (blood + tears) + (reciprocal
+ (to mix + to flow))
gloss: The emperor could not save her, he
could only hide his face. When he turned to
look back, [he saw] a stream of blood and tears
mingling together.
22. (黄 + 埃) + (散 + 漫) + (风 + 萧) + 索，
(yellow + dust) + (to scatter + to spread all over)
+ (wind + desolate) + to search
云 + 栈 + ((萦 + 纡) + 登 + (剑 + 阁))。
cloud + road built along a cliff + ((to entwine + to
twist) + to ascend + (dagger + pavilion))
gloss: The desolate wind blew up billows of
yellow dust and the cloud heavy road twisted up
into the pass at Jiange, the Dagger Pavilion.
23. ((峨 + 嵋 + 山) + 下) + (少 + 人) + 行，
((lofty + eyebrow + mountain) + below) + (few +
people) + to go
((旌 + 旗) + (无 + 光)) + ((日 + 色) + 薄)。
((banner + standard) + (not + brilliant)) + ((day +
color) + weak)
gloss: Few people walked at the base of Mount
Emei. The banners and standards were
lackluster and the day bleak.
24. ((蜀 + (江 + 水)) + 碧) + ((蜀 + 山) + 青)，
((Shu + (river + water)) + emerald) + ((Shu +
mountain) + cyan)
(圣 + 主) + ((朝 + 朝) + (暮 + 暮)) + 情。
(sage + leader) + ((morning + morning) +
(evening + evening) + love
gloss: The rivers of Shu are emerald blue and
its mountains green. Our leader continued to
love [her] both day and night.
25. (行 + 宫) + 见 + 月 + (伤 + 心 + 色)，
(to move + palace = temporary palace away
from capital) + to see + moon + (to hurt + heart
+ color)
(夜 + 雨) + (闻 + 铃) + (肠 + 断) + 声。
(evening + rain) + (to hear + bells) + (intestines
+ to sever = broken-hearted) + sound
gloss: In his temporary palace, he would gaze at
the moon, whose color tore his heart to shreds.
He would hear the sound of bells in the evening
rain and it would break his heart again.
26. (天 + 旋 + 地 + 转) + 回 + 龙 + 驭，
(sky + to turn back + earth + to rotate) + to
return + dragon + to drive
(到 + 此) + (踌 + 躇) + (不 + 能 + 去)。
(to arrive + here) + (hesitant + to hesitate) +
(not + to be able to + to go)
gloss: When the world had been turned upside
down and the dragon chariot faced home, [the
Emperor], upon arriving at this place, found he
could not leave it.
27. (((马 + 嵬) + 坡) + 下) + (泥 + 土 + 中)，
(((horse + high) + slope) + beneath) + (mud + earth
+ middle)
(不 + 见) + (玉 + 颜) + (空 + 死 + 处)。
(not + to see) + (jade + face) + (empty + death +
place)
gloss: In the mud bneath the slopes of MaWei, he
could not see her Jade face, only the deserted place
where she had died. (N.B. "Jade" here refers to Yang
Guifei's birth name: Yuhuan 玉环, or 'jade earrings').
..this page will be updated as we work through the poem
