君住长江头

君住長江頭

jūn zhù Chángjiāng tóu

quotation

Meanings

1 you live at the Yangtze's head (its upper reaches)
2 (rare textual variant) I live at the river's head, said of the narrator
3 (lit.) you (or I) live at the Long River's head

Characters

you (respectful)

to live / dwell

river (长江 = Yangtze)

head (长江头 = upper Yangtze)

Examples

HSK 7-9

你在重庆，我在上海，真是君住长江头，我住长江尾。

Nǐ zài Chóngqìng, wǒ zài Shànghǎi, zhēnshì jūn zhù Chángjiāng tóu, wǒ zhù Chángjiāng wěi.

You're in Chongqing and I'm in Shanghai: truly, you live at the Yangtze's head and I live at its tail.

HSK 7-9

这对异地恋的情侣常用“君住长江头，我住长江尾”来形容彼此的距离。

Zhè duì yìdìliàn de qínglǚ cháng yòng " jūn zhù Chángjiāng tóu, wǒ zhù Chángjiāng wěi " lái xíngróng bǐcǐ de jùlí.

This long-distance couple describes the distance between them as 'you live at the Yangtze's head, I live at its tail.'

Tips

history

The canonical line in 李之仪《卜算子·我住长江头》 (Li Zhiyi, Northern Song, early 12th c.) is 我住长江头，君住长江尾 (I live at the Yangtze's head, you at its tail). The reversed form 君住长江头 appears in later circulations and as the symmetrical half when the line is repeated. 长江头 = upper Yangtze (Sichuan); 长江尾 = lower Yangtze (Jiangsu/Shanghai).

usage

In the original ci the narrator says 我住长江头. 君住长江头 is most often heard in modern adaptations or when the line is quoted with swapped perspective. Always paired with the matching 江尾 half. 君 = 'you' (respectful / beloved).

Stroke Order

君 jūn

住 zhù

长 cháng

江 jiāng

头 tóu