昨夜西风凋碧树

昨夜西風凋碧樹

Zuó yè xī fēng diāo bì shù

quotation

Meanings

1 last night the west wind withered the emerald trees
2 fig. overnight, change strips one's familiar world bare
3 Yan Shu's image of solitary autumn loss

Characters

Examples

HSK 7-9

昨夜西风凋碧树，独上高楼，望尽天涯路。

Zuóyèxīfēngdiāobìshù, dú shàng gāolóu, wàngjìntiānyálù.

Last night the west wind withered the emerald trees; alone I climb the high tower, gazing to the end of the horizon road.

HSK 7-9

突如其来的变故，真是昨夜西风凋碧树。

Tūrúqílái de biàngù, zhēnshì zuóyèxīfēngdiāobìshù.

A sudden reversal - truly, last night's west wind withered the green trees.

Tips

history

From Yan Shu's 晏殊 Song ci 《蝶恋花》. Wang Guowei in 《人间词话》 later picked the three-line climax 昨夜西风凋碧树，独上高楼，望尽天涯路 as the FIRST of his famous 'three stages of great endeavor', the moment of lonely vista before any achievement.

usage

Often quoted as part of Wang Guowei's three-stage formulation of scholarly or life ambition. 凋 = wither; 碧 = emerald-green. Used in literary essays about loss, or at the start of long journeys.

Stroke Order

昨 zuó

夜 yè

西 xī

风 fēng

凋 diāo

碧 bì

树 shù