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会挽雕弓如满月

會挽雕弓如滿月
Huì wǎn diāogōng rú mǎnyuè
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 I shall draw my carved bow as round as the full moon
  2. 2 martial resolve to serve the country; eagerness to confront the enemy
  3. 3 (lit.) will draw carved-bow like full-moon

Examples

HSK 7-9
会挽雕弓如满月，西北望，射天狼，苏轼的词何等豪迈。
Huìwǎndiāogōngrúmǎnyuè, xīběi wàng, shè tiānláng, Sū Shì de cí héděng háomài.
'I shall draw my carved bow as round as the full moon, gaze to the northwest, and shoot the Sirius wolf' - how heroic Su Shi's lyric is.
HSK 7-9
军人演练射击时自勉：会挽雕弓如满月。
Jūnrén yǎnliàn shèjī shí zìmiǎn: huìwǎndiāogōngrúmǎnyuè.
Soldiers exhort themselves in marksmanship training: 'I shall draw my carved bow as round as the full moon.'

Tips

history
From 苏轼《江城子·密州出猎》 (Su Shi, Northern Song, 1075), written during a hunt at Mizhou and a turning-point for 豪放 (bold/martial) ci. The closing line 会挽雕弓如满月，西北望，射天狼 means: I shall draw my carved bow as round as the full moon, gaze northwest, and shoot the Sirius wolf. 天狼 = Sirius, a star symbolizing the Western Xia invaders.
usage
Typically quoted as the triplet 会挽雕弓如满月，西北望，射天狼 - the three short clauses close the ci with a burst of action. 会 here = 'shall / will' (future resolve), not 'meeting'. 雕弓 = a bow carved/decorated, a high-status warrior's bow.

Stroke Order

会 huì
挽 wǎn
雕 diāo
弓 gōng
如 rú
满 mǎn
月 yuè