Tā tán pípá de shēngyīn zhēn měi, yóurú dà zhū xiǎo zhū luò yù pán.
Her pipa playing is truly beautiful — like large and small pearls dropping onto a jade plate.
Tips
history
From Bai Juyi's 《琵琶行》 (Tang dynasty, 816), the greatest Chinese poem about music. The line describes the pipa player's rapid finger-work: 嘈嘈切切错杂弹，大珠小珠落玉盘。 The pearls-on-jade image became the permanent metaphor for beautiful plucked-string playing.
usage
Used to praise crisp, sparkling music — especially pipa, guzheng, or piano. Can also describe anything clear and crystalline, such as clinking teacups or chiming bells.
