秦时明月汉时关

秦時明月漢時關

Qín shí míng yuè Hàn shí guān

quotation

Meanings

1 the moon of the Qin shines still, the pass of the Han remains
2 Wang Changling's frontier opener — centuries have passed but the same moon rises over the same walls

Characters

Examples

站在古长城上，他低声念"秦时明月汉时关"。

Zhàn zài gǔ chángchéng shàng, tā dīshēng niàn " Qínshímíngyuèhànshíguān ".

Standing on the old Great Wall, he softly recited 'the moon of Qin, the pass of Han.'

军旅诗的第一名句，当属"秦时明月汉时关"。

Jūnlǚ shī de dìyī míng jù, dāng shǔ " Qínshímíngyuèhànshíguān ".

The most famous line of frontier poetry is 'the moon of Qin, the pass of Han.'

Tips

history

From 《出塞》 by 王昌龄 (Wang Changling, Tang dynasty): '秦时明月汉时关，万里长征人未还。但使龙城飞将在，不教胡马度阴山.' Canonical 边塞诗 (frontier poem). 飞将 = 'Flying General' 李广 Li Guang of the Han — the poem laments that no Li Guang-like hero defends today's borders.

usage

This is an 'interlocking parallel' (互文) — the moon is of both Qin and Han, and so is the pass. Classical rhetorical device: don't read it as two separate ages.

Stroke Order

秦 Qín

时 shí

明 míng

月 yuè

汉 hàn

关 guān