姑苏城外寒山寺

姑蘇城外寒山寺

Gūsū chéngwài Hánshān sì

quotation

Meanings

1 outside the walls of Gusu (Suzhou), Hanshan Temple
2 a stock poetic locus for autumn-night melancholy and the tolling of temple bells
3 Gusu city outside Cold-Mountain Temple

Characters

姑

gū

(姑苏 = old name for Suzhou)

mountain (寒山 = Hanshan, the temple name)

寺

sì

temple

Examples

HSK 4

到苏州旅游，一定要去看看姑苏城外寒山寺。

Dào Sūzhōu lǚyóu, yídìng yào qù kànkan Gūsū chéngwài Hánshānsì.

Traveling to Suzhou, you have to visit 'Hanshan Temple outside Gusu's walls.'

HSK 7-9

张继的诗让姑苏城外寒山寺名闻千古。

Zhāng Jì de shī ràng Gūsū chéngwài Hánshānsì míngwén-qiāngǔ.

Zhang Ji's poem made 'Hanshan Temple outside Gusu' famous for a thousand years.

Tips

history

From 张继《枫桥夜泊》 (Zhang Ji, 'Night Mooring at Maple Bridge,' middle Tang, mid-8th c.): 'Moon sets, crows cry, frost fills the sky; river maples and fishing fires face my sorrowful sleep. Outside the walls of Gusu, Hanshan Temple - the midnight bell reaches the traveler's boat.' One of the most famous quatrains in Chinese poetry; the bell of Hanshan Temple has been rung every New Year's Eve for the tourists who come for the poem.

usage

姑苏 = old name for Suzhou; the temple still stands. Always quoted with 夜半钟声到客船. Widely referenced in tourism, essays, and popular songs about Suzhou and classical poetry.

Stroke Order

姑 gū

苏 sū

城 chéng

外 wài

寒 hán

山 shān

寺 sì