云想衣裳花想容

雲想衣裳花想容

yúnxiǎngyīshanghuāxiǎngróng

phrase

Meanings

1 clouds recall her robes, flowers her face
2 Li Bai's celebrated praise of Yang Guifei — clouds and flowers seem to imitate her beauty

Characters

resembles (classical)

face / appearance

Examples

形容美人，古人爱用"云想衣裳花想容"。

Xíngróng měirén, gǔrén ài yòng "yún xiǎng yīshang huā xiǎng róng".

To describe a beauty, the ancients loved quoting 'clouds recall her robes, flowers her face.'

她穿着长裙走来，同事戏称"云想衣裳花想容"。

Tā chuānzhe chángqún zǒu lái, tóngshì xìchēng "yún xiǎng yīshang huā xiǎng róng".

She walked up in a long dress, and a coworker joked 'clouds recall her robes, flowers her face.'

Tips

history

Opening line of 《清平调·其一》 by 李白 (Li Bai, Tang dynasty), written at court to flatter 杨贵妃 Yang Guifei: '云想衣裳花想容，春风拂槛露华浓。' The poem reportedly earned Li Bai the emperor's favor — and, eventually, his downfall.

usage

想 here does NOT mean 'to want/miss' — it means 'resembles / calls to mind.' Classical poetic usage.

Stroke Order

云 yún

想 xiǎng

衣 yī

裳 shang

花 huā

容 róng