对影成三人

對影成三人

duìyǐngchéngsānrén

phrase

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

一个人喝酒时，他常想起对影成三人那句诗。

Yīgè rén hē jiǔ 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".

中秋赏月独酌，也能对影成三人。

Zhōngqiū shǎng yuè dú zhuó, 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