Reading Laozi
- Poetry of Bai Juyi

《读老子》

中文原文( Chinese )

言者不如知者默，此语吾闻于老君。

若道老君是知者，缘何自著五千文。

English Translation

Those who speak do not know, those who know are silent,

I heard this saying from the old gentleman.

If the old gentleman was one who knew the way,

Why did he feel able to write five thousand words?

By Bai Juyi

- Last updated: 2024-03-25 09:50:18

Why Chinese poems is so special?: The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.

How to read a Chinese poem?: Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.

List of Chinese poets