Jiasheng
- Poetry of Li Shangyin

《贾生》

中文原文( Chinese )

宣室求贤访逐臣，贾生才调更无伦。

可怜夜半虚前席，不问苍生问鬼神。

English Translation

When the Emperor sought guidance from wise men, from exiles,

He found no calmer wisdom than that of young Jia

And assigned him the foremost council-seat at midnight,

Yet asked him about gods, instead of about people.

Seven-character-quatrain

- Last updated: 2024-05-15 10:57:00

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