劝君更尽一杯酒

勸君更盡一杯酒

quànjūngèngjìnyībēijiǔ

phrase

Meanings

1 let me urge you to drain one more cup of wine
2 (fig.) the classic Chinese farewell toast to a friend setting out on a long journey
3 (lit.) urge you further-exhaust one cup wine

Characters

wine (一杯酒 = one cup of wine)

Examples

老同学要出国，大家举杯劝君更尽一杯酒。

Lǎo tóngxué yào chū guó, dàjiā jǔ bēi quàn jūn gèng jìn yī bēi jiǔ.

The old classmate was going abroad — everyone raised their glasses: 'one more cup, dear friend.'

送别宴上，他引用劝君更尽一杯酒，西出阳关无故人。

Sòngbié yàn shàng, tā yǐnyòng quàn jūn gèng jìn yī bēi jiǔ, xī chū Yángguān wú gùrén.

At the farewell banquet he quoted 'drain one more cup — west of Yang Pass, no old friends remain.'

Tips

history

From 王维《送元二使安西》(Wang Wei, Tang, 8th c., seeing off Yuan Er on a mission to Anxi in the Western Regions): 渭城朝雨浥轻尘，客舍青青柳色新。劝君更尽一杯酒，西出阳关无故人 (Morning rain in Weicheng has settled the light dust; the guesthouse willows are fresh and green again. Let me urge you to drink one more cup — once you pass west of Yang Pass there will be no old friends). Set to music as 《阳关三叠》 (Yangguan Three Variations), it became the standard farewell song for over a thousand years.

usage

Always recited with 西出阳关无故人 ('once past Yang Pass, no old friend'). 更 here is gèng 'further, one more,' not gēng. Still sung today in classical Chinese music performance and quoted at any airport goodbye.

Stroke Order

劝 quàn

君 jūn

更 gèng

尽 jǐn

一 yī

杯 bēi

酒 jiǔ