对影成三人

對影成三人

duì yǐng chéng sān rén

quotation

Meanings

1 facing my shadow, we make three
2 with moon, shadow and self, a company of three
3 lit. facing shadow, become three people

Characters

to become, make

Examples

HSK 4

一个人喝酒时，他常想起对影成三人那句诗。

Yí gè rén hējiǔ shí, tā cháng xiǎngqǐ duì yǐng chéng sān rén nà jù shī.

Drinking alone, he often thought of the line "facing my shadow, we make three".

HSK 7-9

中秋赏月独酌，也能对影成三人。

Zhōngqiū shǎngyuè dúzhuó, yě néng duì yǐng chéng sān rén.

Drinking alone under the Mid-Autumn moon, even then one can "face a shadow and make three".

Tips

history

From Li Bai's (李白, Tang dynasty) 月下独酌 ('Drinking Alone Under the Moon'): 花间一壶酒，独酌无相亲。举杯邀明月，对影成三人 - 'A jug of wine among the flowers, I drink alone with no one dear at hand. I raise my cup to invite the bright moon - with my shadow, that makes three.' The archetypal Chinese poem of solitude turned into companionship by imagination.

usage

Almost always cited together with 举杯邀明月. The three are: the poet, the moon, and the poet's shadow.

Stroke Order

对 duì

影 yǐng

成 chéng

三 sān

人 rén