Kāi xuān miàn chǎng pǔ, bǎ jiǔ huà sāng má — nà cái shì tiányuán shēnghuó.
'Open the window facing the garden, lift a cup and chat of mulberry and hemp' — that's real country life.
Tips
history
From Meng Haoran's (孟浩然, Tang dynasty) 《过故人庄》: 故人具鸡黍，邀我至田家。绿树村边合，青山郭外斜。开轩面场圃，把酒话桑麻。待到重阳日，还来就菊花 — the most famous rustic-visit poem in Tang verse. An old friend sets out chicken and millet, opens the window to the garden, and they drink and talk about the harvest.
usage
桑麻 literally 'mulberry and hemp' is a classical metonym for farming in general (mulberry leaves feed silkworms, hemp provides fiber). The phrase is now used for any down-to-earth chat between old friends over drinks.
