Waves Washing Sand 浪淘沙

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We were cruising along the highway from Dongguan to Shenzhen, China to attend an Annual Dinner. I have not met this friend of mine for many years and have much to talk about. We first met eighteen years ago when Shekou, 蛇口 Shékǒu (the port servicing Shenzhen 深圳 Shēnzhèn) was still a sleepy fishing village. Then, paddy fields and duck farms flanked the road throughout the one hour journey from Shekou to Shenzhen. Today, it is high rise buildings all the way.

Like old friends, we talked about the past and the individual path we each took. We talked about choices and wondered if we made the correct one. We talked about responsibility and ambition. We talked about the purpose and meaning of Life. Along the way, our conversation led us to 浪淘沙 làngtáoshā for we wondered if our lives are like the waves washing the sand, erasing all our footsteps.

This poem was by Li Yu 李煜 lǐyù, who was the last ruler of the Southern Tang Kingdom 南唐 Nán Táng from 961 to 975 during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. The kingdom fell to the Song Dynasty 宋朝 Sòng Cháo in 975 and Li Yu and his family were held captives in the Song capital at present-day Kaifeng 开封 Kāifēng. His best poems were written during this period as he lamented the lost of his kingdom and the pleasures it brought him. He was poisoned by the Song emperor after he wrote a poem lamenting his lost.

Once he was a king, now he is a prisoner. Time washes us all, over…

浪淘沙 làngtáoshā

帘外雨潺潺, liánwàiyǔchánchán,
春意阑珊。 chūnyì lánshān.
罗衾不耐五更寒。 luóqīnbùnài wǔgènghán.
梦里不知身是客, mènglǐ bùzhī shēn shìkè,
一晌贪欢。 yīshǎng tān huān.

独自莫凭栏, dúzì mò pínglán,
无限江山, wúxiàn jiāngshān
别时容易见时难。 biéshí róngyì jiàn shínán.
流水落花春去也, liúshuǐ luòhuā chūn qùyě,
天上人间。 tiānshàng-rénjiān.


Outside the curtain, the rain murmurs,
Spring draws to an end.
The quilt cannot resist the fifth watch cold.
I did not realize I was a guest in my dream,
Coveting pleasure.

I should not be alone leaning on these railings,
While spread before me the limitless country,
It is easy to part but difficult to again meet.
Like fallen flowers on flowing water, spring is gone,
So is my paradise.

My friend told me that this was one of the two poems a closed friend of his quoted recently just before his sudden death questioning whether all we strived for were in vain…

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(The other poem is 念奴娇 or Ode to Red Cliff which I'll translate for the next post)

From Seas To Mulberry Fields 沧海桑田

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Wanderlust asked what has the content of the poem Picking Mulberries 采桑子 cǎisāngzǐ got to do with the title. (see last post). I believed it is because of the analogy of mulberry 桑 sāng which is probably derived from the proverbs 桑田沧海 sāngtián-cānghǎi and 沧海桑田 cānghǎi-sāngtián, both of which meant the same thing. Seas were being converted into mulberry fields and mulberry fields into seas; meaning time brings great changes. This proverb originated from a classic piece in the Jin (晋 jìn) dynasty in which was written "已见东海三为桑田” meaning the Eastern Seas had already been transformed into mulberry fields three times.

The analogy was further strengthened by 饱经沧桑 bǎojīng-cāngsāng which means having experienced many vicissitudes of life. As if this was not good enough, it is further enriched by 桑榆暮景 sāngyú-mùjǐng which means the closing years of one's life. 桑榆 sāngyú by itself means sunset or old age while 暮景 mùjǐng means scene at dusk or situation at old age.

It is amazing how much a simple word like 桑 sāng can convey. It is as if the whole content of the poem can be condensed into that single word making one wonder whether the poet used the word to create the poem…

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A Melancholy Night Picking Mulberries. 采桑子

Tonight (written last night) I was kind of melancholy so I searched for a poem to reflect my gloom. With my limited command of the language, I will have to be very lucky to find something that can paint my mood. But what do you know? Luck favours the one who try.

I am happy to find this simple yet beautiful poem by 辛弃疾 xīnqìjí. As I translated the poem, I transferred my feelings to the words so I’ll be picking mulberries before I go to sleep tonight.

采桑子 cǎisāngzǐ
Picking Mulberries

少年不知愁滋味,爱上层楼。
爱上层楼,为赋新诗强说愁。
shàonián bùzhī chóu zīwèi, ài shàngcéng lóu.
ài shàngcéng, wèi fù xīnshī qiáng shuō chóu.

When young I know not melancholy's flavor, but love to go upstairs.
Love to go upstairs, to write of imagined sorrow.

而今识尽愁滋味,欲说还休。
欲说还休,却道天凉好个秋!
érjīn shí jìn chóu zīwèi, yù shuō hái xiū.
yù shuō hái xiū, què dào tiān liáng hǎo gè qiū.

But now that I have tasted its bitterness, I hesitated to speak.
Hesitated to speak, except to sigh "what a cold autumn!"

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A Hill Too Far 遥远的山

Last week I was having breakfast with three new friends in Beirut 贝鲁 bèilǔ . We were among sixteen strangers from diverse backgrounds but there in Lebanon 黎巴嫩 Líbānèn for the same reason. One of the girls was wearing a Mount Kinabalu T-shirt. She confirmed that she had climbed that hill leading me to lament that it was “A Hill Too Far” 遥远的山 yáoyuǎn deshān for me because it reminded me of the epic World War II film “A Bridge Too Far” 遥远的桥 yáoyuǎn deqiáo. where the Allied forces failed in an attempt to break through the German line by capturing a bridge too far.

There had been several occasions when I planned to climb Mt. Kinabalu but each time, something came up to disrupt my plan. They said I could still climb it but somehow I felt that I’m not fated (没有缘 méiyǒuyuán) to do so.

So I’ll climb other hills and give this a miss for the time being for as the song sings “Que Sera Sera, whatever will be will be. The future is not ours to see, what will be, will be”. Whatever is yours will be yours eventually.

命里有时终须有 mìnglǐ yǒushí zhōng xūyǒu
命里无时莫强求 mìnglǐ wúshí mò qiǎngqiú

It is not that this hill is unreachable 遥不可及 yáobùkějí. I just do not want to feel that I’m compelled to climb it which is what it will feel like if I force myself. Maybe one fine day, I’ll feel like it is the right time to climb that hill and I will. Meanwhile, I will live with the romance of a distant unattainable hill.

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Staring Into The Mouth of Mt. Bromo. 婆罗摩火山

Last weekend, I was standing at the edge of the crater (火山口 huǒshānkǒu) staring into the mouth of the majestic Mt. Bromo (婆罗摩火山 póluómó huǒshān); the most famous volcano in Indonesia (印尼 yìnní) that you can still visit after Krakatoa (喀拉喀托 kālākātuō) sank into the sea in 1883 after a disastrous volcanic eruption 火山爆发 huǒshān bàofā. Mt. Bromo is about 200km from the city of Surabaya 泗水 sìshuǐ. I wonder why Surabaya was not translated by sound but instead acquire this rather unflattering name which in Chinese means mucous water.


White plumes of cloud continuously poured forth from the fissures in the center. As I stood at the edge of the barren volcano, I recalled a French proverb that said “grass will not grow on a volcano” but could not think of a Chinese proverb or found one later. Maybe the Chinese are not that acquainted with a volcano? But they have plenty of proverbs for fire such as this one - 真金不怕火炼 zhēnjīn bù pà huǒ liàn which said “true gold is not afraid of fire” and means that a person of character can withstand severe trials.


We have to cross a sea of sand in 4 wheel drives to reach Mt. Bromo and the inactive Mt. Batok nearby where grass does grow on it. Sometimes, one thinks grass is smarter than man. There is a Hindu temple at the base. You can reach it and the 240 steps that will take you up Mt. Bromo by foot or on horseback. They still make sacrifices to the Volcano God but flood and fire has no mercy 水火无情 shuǐhuǒ-wúqíng. The last time Mt. Bromo was dangerous enough to evacuate the people living nearby was only in 2004 while Mt. Semeru erupts every 20 minutes.


Mt. Bromo and Mt. Batok are actually within the massive collapsed crater Tengger caldera (diameter approximately 10 km!). And the the Laut Pasir (Sea of Sand) are fine volcanic sand (火山灰 huǒshānhuī). As I reluctantly leave this place, I was reminded of another French proverb “don’t dance on a volcano” but still cannot find anything witty in Chinese. But there are no volcanoes in France, are there? Languages are sometimes as strange as volcanoes.

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(Incidentally, one of my traveling companion is French. Tomorrow, I’ll be going to Lebanon 黎巴嫩 Líbānèn – see you when I get back).

The Ways of A Chinese Gentleman. 礼仪廉耻

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If you watched Malaysian TV during this period, you may come across a man and a woman who kept repeating these four Chinese words 礼仪廉耻 lǐ yí lián chǐ and a phrase explaining each of these words. It is not an advertisement and I could only conclude that it is a message for these four words form part of the core of Chinese thinking of what a gentleman is. At least, that is how 孔子 Kǒngzǐ or Confucius saw it.

礼(lǐ) 规规矩矩的态度 well-behaved manner
guīgui-jūjū de tàidu

By itself 礼(lǐ) means courtesy. The additional phrase emphasized this meaning using more words and rhyme serving as a form of Chinese mnemonic. 规矩 guīju found within this group of words mean “rule and custom”. It also means “well-behaved” and 态度 tàidu manner or attitude. Thus, one can say the same thing in one word or seven but the longer phrase sure sounds better especially when spoken together with the other.

仪(yí) 正正当当的行为 proper behavior
zhèngzhèngdāngdāng de xíngwéi

仪(yí) by itself means appearance, bearing or etiquette. 正当 zhèngdàng means proper while 行为 xíngwéi means behaviour. The repetition of words emphasized the rhyme. The above is an excellent example of the economy, grace and power of the Chinese language for when you combined 礼(lǐ) with 仪(yí), you get 礼仪 lǐyí which means etiquette, rite or protocol which is a combination in meaning of these two words.

廉(lián) 清清白白的辨别 unbiased view
qīngqīngbáibái de biànbié

廉 lián means honest and upright. 清白 qīngbái means pure and 辨别 biànbié to differentiate. Thus, 廉(lián) is explained as being pure in making differentiation or having an unbiased view.

耻(chǐ) 确确实实的觉悟 true realization
quèquèshíshí de juéwù

耻(chǐ) is interesting for it actually means shame or humiliation while the explanation given is having true realization. For 确实 quèshí means true while 觉悟 juéwù means awareness. In this case, the character 耻(chǐ) is not to be taken in isolation but as a combination with 廉(lián) for 廉耻 liánchǐ means sense of honor/shame. Only if one has a sense of honor/shame, can one differentiate between right and wrong and possess a conscience.

This is an excellent example to showcase the beauty of the Chinese language. I liked it so much that I am going to put them together so you can read it and take delight in the sound and meaning.

礼(lǐ) 规规矩矩的态度

仪(yí) 正正当当的行为
廉(lián) 清清白白的辨别
耻(chǐ) 确确实实的觉悟

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