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醉卧沙场君莫笑

醉臥沙場君莫笑
zuìwòshāchǎngjūnmòxiào
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 if I lie drunk on the battlefield, sir, do not laugh
  2. 2 (fig.) the grim bravado of a frontier soldier facing probable death
  3. 3 (lit.) drunk-lie sand-field you don't laugh

Examples

葡萄美酒夜光杯，欲饮琵琶马上催。醉卧沙场君莫笑，古来征战几人回。
Pútáo měi jiǔ yèguāng bēi, yù yǐn pípá mǎshàng cuī. Zuì wò shāchǎng jūn mò xiào, gǔlái zhēngzhàn jǐ rén huí.
'Grape wine in a glowing jade cup; I raise it — the pipa urges from horseback. If I lie drunk on the sands, sir, do not laugh — from ancient times, of those who went to war, how many returned?'
出发前他大碗饮酒，笑说醉卧沙场君莫笑。
Chūfā qián tā dà wǎn yǐn jiǔ, xiào shuō zuì wò shāchǎng jūn mò xiào.
Before leaving, he drank deep from a big bowl, laughing, 'if I lie drunk on the battlefield, don't laugh.'

Tips

history
From 王翰《凉州词》(Wang Han, Tang, ~8th c.), one of the most famous frontier poems: 葡萄美酒夜光杯，欲饮琵琶马上催。醉卧沙场君莫笑，古来征战几人回 (Grape wine in the night-glow jade cup; as I lift to drink, the pipa urges from horseback. If I lie drunk on the sands, sir, do not laugh — from old, of those sent to war, how many return?). 凉州 = a Tang military region in the Hexi Corridor (modern Wuwei, Gansu).
usage
Always paired with 古来征战几人回 — the rhetorical question is what pulls the bravado into tragedy. 莫 = 'do not' (classical imperative). 君 = polite 'sir / you.' 沙场 = lit. 'sand field,' i.e. battlefield.

Stroke Order

醉 zuì
卧 wò
沙 shā
场 chǎng
君 jūn
莫 mò
笑 xiào